boreal ace shoe source?

[lummox]

where the fuk to get them anymore?

and why dont borealusa.com be online?

[Dru]

Cause their sales tanked?

[rhyang]

No idea about ace shoes, but I did look for a pair of their boots recently. Don't know if any of this info is current :

 

http://dpclimb.netfirms.com/1/ace.htm

http://www.mtntools.com/cat/rclimb/rshoes/BorealAce.htm

 

A guide told me that he thought Boreal USA was essentially killed by internet sales. Dunno how true that is, but apparently he had their sponsorship at one point.

[Jens]

maybee Boreal tanked because?

*Their rubber sucked

*They were very expensive compared to the latest generation of shoe-startups

*They weren't getting many of the top climbers to wear their shoes

* They weren't making ice & mountaineering boots as good as Sportiva or Scarpa (the last bastions of expensive shoe companies)

*I heard bogus stuff about their customer service (from others)

The days of $150 dollar rock shoes are over.

 

REI dropped em' nationwide- not that I like REI, but that's a pretty big contract to lose.

[tomtom]

eBay

[Mike_G]

Not sure of the accuracy of all this, but I've heard from a couple sources that for a while Boreal was basically selling them online for wholesale. Obviously, the retailers didn't like people coming in to try on shoes and then buying them online from Boreal for half the price, so they all dropped Boreal.

 

My wife picked up a pair of the new aces online a few months ago on eBay for $70. It seems that a few places online here and there had a few random sizes left, but it was pretty hit and miss...

[colt45]

Yeah, nobody carries Boreal all of a sudden! I recently contacted about 10 shops in various states to locate a pair with no luck. I was told that Boreal lost their US distributor for unknown reasons.

 

Fortunately I just ebay'd a new pair of Aces for $50. Aces are the best shoes I have ever owned, my previous pair went through 3 resoles until the uppers finally wore out.

 

I got my last pair for $75 (new) from Barrabes, I never understood why US retailers were marking the price up by so much. But now they cost $150 on Barrabes, wtf? Regardless of price, hopefully they will regain their US market as I own 3 models of Boreal shoes (Aces/Stingers/Bambas) and have been quite pleased with all of them.

[Dru]

I was told that Boreal lost their US distributor for unknown reasons.

 

I wouldn't call Bachar (the Distributor) switching his sponsorship to either Acopa or Evolv, I forget which, exactly an "unknown reason".

[PaulB]

where the fuk to get them anymore?

I have a hardly used pair of the red/blue model that I'd be happy to sell. Probably size 9, would have to dig them out of the gear bin to check. If anyone's interested, PM me.

[Nick]

I just traded a pair of Boreal Ace rock shoes in at second ascent. They're probably still there. They must be roughly mens size 8 (they might be a size bigger or smaller). They are in good shape but have new home-applied soles that never had the edges sanded down. I liked them, but they were too big for me.

[rbw1966]

US Outdoor had aces (in portland) recently