Start Haus is the best ski shop in the country, period. We demand the best performance from the equipment we service and sell and we think you deserve the same. We demand that your boots are the best fitting boots you've ever worn. We demand that your skis elevate your skiing to a new level. We sell the best stuff, service with the best techniques and as our customer you will have your best skiing experiences.

It's this attitude and our stubborn dedication to customer satisfaction that elevates Start Haus Ski & Bike Shop above the rest. But don't take our word for it, the true testimony comes from our thousands of loyal customers, from beginning skiers to Olympic level ski racers. Just ask around!

We strive to bring the same level of service and quality to customers across the country and around the world with this website as well. We want you to have just as good an experience online as you would in our store, so don't hesitate to contact us and let us know what we can do for you.

Start Haus began in the basement of Jim Schaffner's house. It was there that he made his 30 years of experience in ski racing, world cup ski service and boot work available to the public. Working by appointment only, Jim would help elite athletes with their boot issues and tune skis for the various race teams in the Lake Tahoe area.

By the summer of 2004, Jim's home-spun business had grown beyond the capacity his basement (and wife) would allow. He saw a need for a core race shop on the west coast, a retail location that could offer services and product once reserved for world cup athletes. The Start Haus officially opened its doors in downtown Truckee in August of 2004. Through word-of-mouth only (Start Haus has never been listed in the phonebook) the customers came, and the business grew. Since 2004, the Start Haus has expanded the size of its store front by 300%, quadrupled it number of employees, acquired state of the art ski tuning machines and launched an online store.

In the summer of 2015 we decided to bring the same level of expertise to bikes! Offering Giant Bikes, LIV Bikes, Norco Bikes, Shimano, Troy Lee, FOX, RockShox, and more. Complete with a full service center and some of the best mechanics in Tahoe, we continue to strive to be the best at what we do.

Start Haus' growth, customer loyalty and popularity is a result of hard work and a dedication to a core set of values established in Jim Schaffner's basement all those years ago. Simple Honesty and True Integrity.