I dropped in on a Sunday, on a whim, and got a great deal on used cross-country skis and boots. Then Gerhard helped me find and fit the perfect pair of downhill boots. These guys really know what theyre doing, especially when it comes to the fine art of boot fitting. Their prices are very competitive, and they are super friendly. Gerhard was especially knowledgeable, patient, and kind.

Last year I got a board, bindings, and boots here. Gary was beyond helpful and super cool. Didnt think it could get any better... until Rick helped me get some tight spots on my boots worked out.All the employees are knowledgeable and laidback. Theyll inform you about every detail and are not pushy at all. They legitimately want to help you find good gear.

I went in about two weeks ago and bought some high end ski boots that I ultimately had custom molded to my feet along with custom foot beds and a season long ski rental. The process was phenomenal and the customer service and selection were great. The boots fit like a glove and I left feeling very happy.The price I paid for my boots were the exact same as I could find anywhere online and what was better, I was able to support a local business.There was a tragedy while skiing with a friend of mine due to psychological issues, I have chosen to stop skiing for the time being and work on some of stress and trauma. The owner, Gary, did not have to refund me for my purchases but extremely graciously and compassionately chose to anyway. This speaks to the kind of shop Helm of Sun Valley is.They are family owned and they treat you like family. Great prices, selection, and they dont upsell! If youre looking for a ski shop in the bay area, you have found your place. Thank you Helm of Sun Valley!

Ever feel like a kid in a candy store. This is me at Helm Of Sun Valley . So many cool and reasonably priced gear/clothes/equipment. They have anything/everything that you could ever want/need.

If youre looking for ski or snowboard boots in the Bay Area, look no further.Make sure to book an appointment online and ask for Gerhard Dost in the comments. IMPORTANT NOTE: this location is NOT affiliated with the Helm of Sun Valley in San Jose. They are completely independent and even have different websites. This is the location you want.Gerhard spent 3.5 hours fitting me in boots, it was like Christmas to me. Can you imagine any other store spending that much time making sure youre in the right boots?Gerhard, a no nonsense guy who has been fitting boots for 20 years at this location, measured me a few times then picked out a Salomon boot for me. He told me how the shape of the Salomon boots were ideal for my feet and heels, he told me the various features of the boot, and even went into a bit of history of Salomon boots over the past ~10 years. What a boot nerd, love this guy.It was the perfect fit from the start honestly, which bummed me out because I didnt really like the colors of it. He got a good chuckle out of that then told me some stories about how he made similar boot decisions / mistakes over the years personally.He told me he didnt want me to leave the store with any hesitations, so he went ahead and put me into 5+ other boots that fit my profile. The first boot he recommended turned out to have the best fit, unsurprisingly to him. We went back and forth putting that pair of boots on with my other favorite option (the one with a nice colorway) until I finally gave in and acknowledged he was right from the start and the Salomons were the way to go.He noticed I was still bummed about the color (I know I know, silly thing) and said there was one more possibility. I could try a custom liner in my favorite looking boots (if you think they were just trying to upsell me, keep reading). At no point was there even a hint of exasperation or frustration in his voice. Dude was a huge boot nerd. So we tried it, and it was a home run.Heres where things get really crazy. At some point he discovered that I had just bought a boot from them about a month ago. Its true, I have a big spending problem. Gerhard noticed that this time around, my measurements were a little different. My foot was a little longer, and smaller in width. Even though I was satisfied with my old boots, he said he could not be satisfied in good conscience that they sold me a boot with those measurements. He talked to the owner, who then came to talk to me to help resolve this problem, and I reiterated that I walked out of the store a month ago happy with my previous purchase and Ive still been happy after riding it 10+ times since. I was fully prepared to buy a second set of boots today at full price. But they didnt care. They gave the new pair to me... FOR FREE!Yes, they gave me a FREE pair of ski boots out of pure professional courtesy even though I tried to talk them out of it. Im not talking about some discount, previous season ski boot either. Im talking about a top of the line, current season Lange RS 130 thats $850 - a boot even more expensive than the one I bought from them a month ago. Pure insanity.So - in summary they let me try on their entire line of boots for 3.5 hours only to end up giving me a top of the line pair for free, despite my attempts to convince them otherwise. Im sure I could have tried harder to give them my money to be honest, but in the end, they did it with a smile and here I am a happy customer for life writing them a glowing review. They certainly earned it.Imagine this happening anywhere else. Its just unthinkable. I know they took care of me 100% and they will continue to take care of me 100%. At the end of the day I just want the absolute perfect fitting ski boot and this is the place to get it. Cheers Gerhard brother!

Currently closed- I stopped at this location yesterday (8/27/2021) to do some shopping, but it looks like there was a fire, sadly.

Gary is a fantastic advisor on ski equipment. Strongly encourage people to seek him out.

They only push you to lease skis and boots (at high) without selling any used one (ads as low).If you go there, you should be prepared:1. They lie to your face they have NO used kids boots or skis, which their ads listed. They just dont want to sell, they just push you to rent...2. They have no good mood to show you things. You have to squeeze yourself in an out door shed which others have be very close to you dont expect good assistance.

Avo.id this place!!! They keep on posting ads they have nice used skies and boots at Low price which they DON’T. They would p.ush you to take expensive seasonal rental. When you question about $40 skis for kids like they just posted in craigslist, they turn to another ugly face and bad attitude. Unbelievable rude!!!

Solid shop. They took their time fitting my snowboard boots. The repair desk does a great job with hot wax.

I went in looking for my first snowboard and was blown away by how helpful everyone was in this store. If you need to know anything about boards, boots, bindings, and pretty much everything else, Rick is your guy. He was incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of snowboarding and he helped me make informative decisions based on my riding style, skill level, and preferences. If youre looking for anything this skiing season, this should be your first stop.

Gary is really experienced! he gave lots of information on my full tilt boots, get my look pivot binding mounted perfectly. Definitely happy to come back again for any ski related service!

I was referred here a year ago from my podiatrist after suffering temporary nerve damage my foot due to a bad boot purchase elsewhere. These folks clearly know what theyre doing, far more so than the folks who I trusted at other stores.I got custom boots and they were able to use the info from my podiatrist about what nerve was acting up to build me a bit of a buffer in the fitting of that part of the boot. Not only do I not get nerve damage from these ones, theyre extremely comfortable and perform well. I also got a surprising amount of just good advice for how to take care of myself and my equipment, and I definitely needed that.More recently I came back because I had some water leak into my boots. Because I purchased with them originally, they sealed the boots up for free, same day, before I leave on my trip.This store definitely has my loyalty for future purchases. Thank you!

Great local ski shop. Good selection of quality goods at competitive prices. What really sets them apart is the level of knowledge when it comes to gear. Not only do they know specs on the products they carry, but ones they dont. Theyve always provided spot on recommendations.

I was buying some windsurfing gear. The experience was very pleasant. The owner was tremendously helpful. He took his time with me, explained how to rig the sail properly, made suggestions on the products without being pushy, helped to actually rig the sail on my old mast which I brought with me. Then did the same with the new mast. During all of this I didnt not feel rushed or talked down to (like a novice might feel in some other shops). The shop itself had a lot of choices to choose from in terms of used sails, masts, booms, etc. This is in my opinion the number one choice for shopping for windsurfing gear on the Peninsula.

Such a friendly, helpful ski shop! Went here today to get my bindings mounted and had a great experience.

I ordered a pair of Tecnica boots from them online because they had a great sale price. They charged my card but didn’t ship. I called to check on the status of my order and was told that they didn’t have the boot I ordered in stock and were going to cancel it. I had to call the following day when they didn’t refund my card. I checked again today and they have the same boots I originally ordered available but not at the sale price. It looks like they didn’t want to honor their sale price. Won’t be shopping their site again.

Great family owned place! They have been in business for a long time and have a great selection of gear. It has a very casual vibe. Hidden gem.

Good place. Really took the time to get my boot fitting right. I was probably there for 1.5-2 hours walking around in different boots. They really tried to make sure I got the proper fit.

I was lucky enough to join a ski team on the slopes of Mt Hood as a kid. That has led to an understanding of how to shred. In all my years I have never really bought a pair of ski boots that were custom-built for my rather peculiar feet. Until now.I went to Helm of Sun Valley in San Mateo after mistakenly thinking the Helm store in SJ was affiliated. Most assuredly they are not. Gary and the owners sold off the SJ and Capitola locations over 30 years ago. Helm of Sun Valley in San Mateo has the most knowledgable staff I have encountered in all my 35+ years in the Bay Area. My guy, York, was direct, funny, engaging, and flat out knew his stuff. Gary is gracious, super knowledgable, and funny.I have bunions, a high instep, issues with my navicular bone, big ankle bones, and a narrow ankle fit. Essentially a complete nightmare for any ski boot fitter. The shop was packed on a Wednesday afternoon with people like me wanting to get a custom boot fitting. Caution: for those of you who think this is a 15 min/1/2 hour process, go to REI, Dicks Sporting Goods, etc or some other place that has no knowledge of custom boot fitting. Then when you are experiencing searing pain from your feet on the slopes dont blame Helm of SV San Mateo. Seriously. Ski books should last someone that skis 5-10 times a year 10+ years. Investing 2-4 hours to have your feet not feel searing pain is beyond reasonable, IMO.York took the time to blow out the pressure points around the areas mentioned above. The guy goes to a machine shop and molds his own custom tools! After two days of skiing these new boots, my leg muscles are transferring energy to my foot, ==> to my boots ==> to my skis. The Fisher Pro RC4s are incredible. My feet feel like Tiger Paws in contact with the snow:-) While there is some slight discomfort noticed at the end of Day 2 (I cranked em down in the PM), that pales in comparison to the concrete blocks that have been the norm in my previous ski boots. Plus, York or others on the great staff at Helm are there to fine-tune and tweak my boots to a just right level if I so desire.Boots are the most important aspect of skiing. Its your connection to the snow. If you are having boot pain, discomfort, etc, do yourself a huge favor and visit this ski shop. Their ski boot knowledge doesnt stop there. This staff is passionate about skiing. They can assess bases on Q/A your ski level, your type of foot, etc and set you up with a great boot, ski, binding, etc. Or, if you are a boarder, help you out there as well. The shop is clean, tidy, and laid out in a way that allows for a great shopping experience. It is now my only ski shop that I will visit here on the Peninsula, or for that matter anywhere in the Bay Area.

Great ski brands that you see in ski magazine. Great prices, and Gerhard, the Austrian is a gem with a ton of knowledge. The owner gave me a discount on mounting because I got a lot of stuff. My local ski shop!

Paid 70 bucks to get my board tuned up and gouges filled . When I went to pick it up 2 days later it looked like they just waxed it and nothing else, gouges hadnt been filled and other minor surface scratches were still visible. I had to ask them to do that and waited for it to be done. Also got a flat tire in their parking lot where some posts have been cut off and stuck up a couple inches over the asphalt. I admit it wasnt an actual parking spot but that should be taken care of. Only one or two other persons in the store but there was no parking except in this unmarked spot.

Knowledgeable and great gear. Best boot fitting...ask for Gary or Gerhard aka super dude

Gary and the rest of the team are the go to authority, they deeply know about Ski gear and are very helpful, a great ski shop.

First visit here was ok, staff was reasonably helpful. Second and last visit I was ignored for 10min waiting while the owner (?) and other staff attended to what must have been personal friends. Extremely rude and unhelpful.

This is local go-to place for anything that has to do with outdoor activities. Need to wax your snowboard - they got it. Need to rent snowboard or skis - they got it. I found that stuff is really well versed and different products

Gary and his team are great and really know a ton about the gear they are selling.

Most surly, unhelpful people I’ve spoken to from a store in a while. Not sure if they are actually trying to do business or are just keeping the shop open as a hobby.

Im so lucky this place is down the street.

I love shopping at the helm thank you Gary for all your help

Amazing service, lovely staff, affordable prices.

Limited selection and the guys that work upstairs are grumpy... verging on just plain rude.

Great ski shop with low prices and great selection!

Very friendly staff. Great value.

Great service and inventory!