Mountain Surf...wow

[Sir Adam]

Having worked for an outfitter, and now having a "real" job, I'll ask all of you to remember that it is VERY tough to find reliable, good people, and keep them...for what you can afford to pay them in the outdoor industry. Insurance is HUGE overhead, as any of you with small businesses know, and to the best of my limited knowledge it's gotten really bad in the boating world lately (esp. outfitters after an unfortunate incident involving canoe rentals on the delaware..and yes, canoe liverys and rafting centers that only offer guided raft tours are considered the same by insurance companies...). But, I digress. Like skiing, you'll find some really fine folks in the industry who are there because they love it. They are certainly not compensated at a high amount (and yet we complain about what things cost...myself included. I don't want to purchase a new boat (even glass...) due to the high cost, yet I KNOW how expensive the materials are, and the skilled labor involved...). For the curious, in general a guide in the NE for an 8+ person raft (with the guide IN the raft...) will make less per day than 1 person paid to raft that day...not including wetsuit rental, etc.... Now you know why guides are so fond of tips...on a good day you can double or triple your pay....

So, please cut John some slack. Personally overall I've had very good dealings with him. Not perfect, but we all have our off days, especially when we're stressed. MountianSurf builds a quality product at a fair price. Assuming they're still doing so (and to my knowledge they are) I hope that will speak for itself...as long as poor service doesn't become a habit.

/soapbox....