When Chuck Ginsburg talks about how rewarding it is to completely rekindle someone’s love for skiing after adjusting their ski boots, or about supplying a young alpine racer with a World Cup-caliber ski setup, it’s easy to forget his ski shop is in jeopardy.
A Racer’s Edge, one of the oldest and most respected businesses in Breckenridge, Colorado, filed for bankruptcy this April.
Ginsburg, who started working at the shop when he first moved to Breckenridge in 1979, became co-owner in 2011 and took over ownership in 2015, believes ramping up sales could keep A Racer’s Edge afloat, particularly from summer to fall. He’s looking into loans and debtor-in-possession financing, even for people interested in buying equity in the business.
“Something like that needs to come together,” he says. “If cash flow doesn’t increase, it’s over.”
Originally a shop geared toward alpine racers, A Racer’s Edge carries top-line skis, boots and poles for every discipline and has won numerous community awards over the years for best ski shop and best boot-fitting. The shop designs and produces custom foot beds and performs one-of-a-kind gear adjustments. Home to both a “race room,” decorated with collectibles – a signed Mikaela Shiffrin Leki shin guard, signed portrait of Lindsey Vonn racing and fellow Breck local and former record-breaking speed skiing star CJ Mueller – and carrying state-of-the-art racing gear, the shop’s basement is filled with a giant Wintersteiger tuning machine and every tool imaginable.
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“We’ve had so many customers from all walks of skiing – beginner to expert, big mountain, a few park guys, definitely lots of racers. We’ve served four generations of race families. They’ll have to find someone else if we go away. I don’t want to go away. I love the people. I love the sport,” Ginsburg says.
From Architect to Ski Tuner and Boot Expert
Growing up in Minnesota, Ginsburg studied architecture at the University of Minnesota while working at a local ski shop. His 3.7 grade point average was not enough in pre-architecture studies, so he moved to Breckenridge in 1979 after it became clear that a future as an architect was unlikely. He got a job tuning skis at A Racer’s Edge, which opened in 1972. The shop changed hands and locations over the years. Ginsburg was the mainstay boot fitter and ski tuner through most cycles, other than a couple of stretches of corporate ownership when he worked for other ski shops and did a stint as a regional rep for Dynastar/Lange. He came back to A Racer’s Edge as General Manager until 2003, when he took an opportunity to oversee 32 ski shops around Summit County and Vail. However, that job pulled him away from his family, so after a few years, he began working with his wife in real estate. A Racer’s Edge closed its doors during this period, until long-time Breck local Craig Beardsley resurrected it in 2011 and Ginsburg jumped back into the fold.
“I wasn’t really enjoying the real estate thing, so I said to him, ‘you need some part-time help, right?’ Well, part-time became partner,” Ginsburg recalls.
In 2015, Ginsburg bought out Beardsley, taking over full ownership. He attended several seminars on boot-fitting, including the highest level of Masterfit University, learning intricacies of foot science alongside podiatrists and certified pedorthists. An avid alpine racing fan, competing himself in regional Masters League racing events, he finished 10th in downhill in his last competition and has been clocked at a top speed of 86 miles per hour. He understands the intricacies of skiing from the inside out.
Economic Shifts and Poor Snow Conditions Cause Slump
Business thrived through 2024. Then, the economy and especially last season’s pitiful snowfall – the worst on record in Colorado history – led to a major downturn.
“Right around then, I was trying to have what everyone needed,” Ginsburg says. “It costs money to make money. I got a bit overextended. When I started cutting back, the economy started to change, business flattened. Tariffs didn’t help – most boots and skis we sell are made in Europe. People weren’t buying skis. Gas prices went up and not as many people came skiing. Then, last year, the bottom fell out.”
Even after investing about $300,000 of his own money into A Racer’s Edge, Ginsburg fell into serious debt, amounting to nearly $2 million. The state of Colorado seized the business and the building on April 22 for a brief, “scary” period until Ginsburg filed for Chapter 11 protection on April 24.
A Racer’s Edge reopened shortly after but now must submit a proposed budget plan to the court by July 23 in order to continue operating and work its way out of bankruptcy.
“My attorney says if all goes accordingly, we should get out of bankruptcy around March,” Ginsburg says. “You get a clean slate at that point through a court-monitored program. It’s like they put all the debts in the blender and press puree. It’s a big, crazy circle to see who gets paid and when.”
Struggling to Stay Afloat
There have been nights over the last few months when Ginsburg wakes up with a start, stressing over his predicament. The part that has pained him the most is falling behind on paying his staff during the period in April when business ceased.
“Sometimes I can’t make payroll on time. That is the thing that stabs at my heart the most, when it impacts the people who are like family, who take care of my shop,” Ginsburg says. “After the court-mandated paying debts, I want to pay them first. They still say they’re coming back in the fall.”
In a town where many businesses see a rotating door of staff and seasonal workers, most employees at A Racer’s Edge have been with the shop for nearly a decade.
“Chuck knows what he’s doing and appreciates what I do,” says Brendan Wakefield-Silves, who started at A Racer’s Edge in 2017. “He has taken care of me over the years. In terms of the shop, it’s one of the best shops out there. That’s what brought me here. The biggest thing is problem-solving – figuring out what issues people are having with their boots and fixing them, which other shops don’t do.”
While many ski shops convert to bike operations in summer, A Racer’s Edge continues to schedule boot-fittings and sell skis. The shop’s staff dwindles from 13 in winter to three – including Ginsburg – in the summer.
“It’s a struggle in summer, but it’s infrequent that there’s a day when no one walks in the door,” Ginsburg says. “There was a time when we sublet some of our space to a bike shop. There’s a lot of bike businesses out there. The margins are smaller, they take up a lot of room and time even before you sell them. I’d like to find something that matches with my client base. I believe it’s going to be tougher and tougher for businesses like mine to survive.”
Continuing On While it Can
With all of its inventory online and guarantee for boot-fitting help with every purchase, loyal clients have patronized A Racer’s Edge for decades, some traveling overseas expressly to come into the shop and enlist Ginsburg expertise in dialing in their gear. In order to survive, Ginsburg believes independently owned businesses must do something to set themselves apart. A Racer’s Edge has an impeccable track record of doing so.
“It’s all world-class,” Ginsburg says. “If you want to buy a true World Cup ski with true World Cup finishes and boot-fitting, alignments and the whole package, we do that. We really listen to our clients, take to heart what they say, focus on what they want, what they need, and what we’re seeing. I’ve had people who were ready to give up skiing because every boot gave them so much pain. I’m not a doctor, but I sometimes call myself a plastic surgeon. I do boot surgery. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure out a problem. I love it when you come out the other side and the customer’s happy.”