For Springville Ski & Snowboard owner Sam Johnston, the journey into the ski and snowboard world began in seventh grade when he joined his school ski club began taking a weekly bus ride from Cattaraugus to the local slopes of Holiday Valley.

“My neighbors got me into it,” Sam said. “My parents didn’t know anything about skiing, but I fell in love when friends suggested I try it. We were out there as much as possible after that!”

When Sam was 16 years old, he was hired to work his dream job as a Holiday Valley ski instructor. The sum total of all his paychecks that season? $91.00.

“I loved being part of the scene, but I knew I was going to have to make a little more money than that.”

By the following season, Sam was working at The Ski Depot for the legendary “Moose” (a.k.a. Chris Brown). Moose’s shop was big in the industry at the time and he had two locations operating in Ellicottville. The Ski Depot was also an exclusive dealer for the Salomon brand. Sam’s exposure to the Salomon marketing team as a teenager ultimately landed him a regional sales position with the company a few years later.

Working in a high-volume retail and rental atmosphere, Johnston learned to quickly and accurately process a ski rental form, as well as how to mount and test ski bindings. He waxed many, many skis and boards and soon excelled at the art of the ski and snowboard tuning.

Around that time, the Function Snowboard factory moved to Ellicottville. In addition to producing their own line of snowboards, they also built and labeled boards for other brands. Sam’s sister and friends went to work for Function, so it was just a matter of time before he ended up working there as well. It turned out to be one of the major turning points in his career.

Sam credits his experience prototyping, building, and testing boards alongside Function’s founders as one of his greatest learning experiences. When Function was sold a few years later, Sam was hired by the new ownership in Hood, Oregon, to help them produce Heelside Snowboards, a new line focused on taking a share of the rental industry.

Johnston ultimately moved back to WNY to start a family and open the shop. He’s proud to support WNY’s ski culture and and loves offering outdoor enthusiasts the equipment and ski service they need to enjoy a safe, fun time on the slopes alongside friends and families.