Sean Sudduth, owner of Carson City’s new snowboarding shop Mountain Cat at 1815 N. Carson St., displays a selection of snowboards and gear for outdoor enthusiasts.
Photo by Jessica Garcia.
Carson City’s new snowboarding shop owner Sean Sudduth likes to make a few runs on Mount Rose before opening at noon. He takes his favorite board Valhalla out and it’s all downhill from there.
It’s good for business, and if all goes well, he might be able to get about 100 decent days out of the season on the snow.
Sudduth, who recently opened Mountain Cat at 1815 N. Carson St., says Carson City has been in need of a local snowboard shop to serve customers who enjoy the outdoors without making the trip to Reno or Tahoe for gear or winterwear.
With nearly 20 years of experience running a shop called the Kilted Yak in Ohio, he recently came to Northern Nevada and said he’s eager to bring his passion to Carson City with his business.
“I've been to a lot of cool places in my life, but this is definitely one of the best,” he said of Northern Nevada. “And then just with access to the mountains and I just have like all kinds of wildlife in my backyard. I mean, it just doesn't get any better.”
The store offers boards that range in price from about $400 to about $1,000, but Sudduth said that sweet spot is about $500 to $600 for a well-designed product.
Jackets and pants might cost between $200 and $600 for guide-quality wear that will be durable and are made for ski patrollers or professionals working on the mountains.
“An average consumer would certainly benefit from that kind of quality,” he said.
Consumers interested in improving their agility will find balance boards to improve coordination, strength and jumping.
Sudduth said he’s working with smaller, local companies or out-of-state companies from Oregon for his supplies, including shirts and hats, or Web design for marketing.
He also provides servicing for boards when repair work is needed.
“If you just need your edges sharpened and your board waxed … you hit a rock, you got a little too ambitious, then we can fix all that stuff for you,” he said.
Although he appreciates skiing and owns ski equipment, adding he considers anyone “brothers or sisters on the snow,” snowboarding is his preferred choice. In addition to Mount Rose, he has a pass at Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village. Smaller areas keep the sport simple and relaxed, he said.
He advocates for safety for someone just starting out or is interested in trying it out on the mountains for the first time.
“Don’t try to be stubborn about and not take a lesson because lessons are a good thing,” he said. “And if you can, I would sign up for a private lesson, too, if it’s possible. … And don't necessarily go buy a bunch of equipment right away because you may end up not liking it. It's kind of tough.”
But for those with solid skills, he has the gear to hit the mountains.
“I enjoy setting people up with nice stuff,” he said. “It just makes me really happy. Sometimes when I sell a board, it's almost like letting like a child go, you know?”
The shop also features impressive artwork for sale, including three-dimensional wooden maps of Lake Tahoe, some colored to show the water’s depths. Framed photographs he’s taken throughout the years provide history lessons, he says, of local areas, including the Sutro Tunnel in Dayton and the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
“There's plenty of stores around, but yeah, I just have such a passion for it that I just thought it would be nice to have something here in town for people to be able to come and enjoy and drop their boards off because I’m definitely an enthusiast,” he said.
General store hours are noon to 6 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
For information, go to mountaincat.shop.