Snow sense: Boarderline Snowboard and Skate.

• Author: Berger, Michael
• Position: Company Profile

"They're everywhere, they're everywhere," scream downhill skiers at ski resorts all over North America.

It's true -- snowboarders are everywhere. You can't miss their baggy clothes, wild hats and flamboyant style as they shred up the slopes at Alyeska, Hilltop or Arctic Valley in the Anchorage area.

"You're seeing more and more snowboarders on the slopes every year," says Anchorage's Boarderline Snowboard and Skate co-owner Scott Liska. "Eight out of 10 kids want snowboards for Christmas now. And not only is it one of the most popular board sports running, but snowboarding will continue to grow. The young kids learning today will just get older and pass on the tradition. Once you try it, you're hooked."

Liska, originally a construction worker, intended snowboard sales to be a part-time occupation. He wanted to be part of the sport and recognized the great potential for cool profits on the crest of the trend. With his brothers Kent and Jay, he kicked out $40,000 in savings to open Boarderline on Arctic Boulevard in 1989. Since then, the sport, as well as the business, has become a fixture on the Alaska winter sports scene.

In 1992, Boarderline opened new locations in the Dimond Center and in Girdwood. The Dimond Center store was G & B Skate Shop before the bank called Liska in August 1992 and asked if Boarderline wanted to purchase G & B's remaining inventory. The brothers wanted the merchandise -- and the location.

Because the Dimond Center shop is in the rear of the mall, Liska says, "Here we can play the music louder, and security doesn't bother the kids that come in to shop or just hang out and talk. Also, the door from the bus stop is right here so it makes Boarderline the first stop."

Today, the stores employ over 10 people, making it the state's board sports authority.

"Carrying the most up-to-date equipment and unique clothes helped us to expand quickly," adds Liska. "Our prices may be a little higher than others, but snowboarders want to be different from one another.

"We not only sell boards and clothing," he adds, "but we also sell outerwear, videos, skateboards, glasses, magazines and rollerblades."

To promote snow-boarding in Alaska, Boarderline sponsors events such as the Snowboardercross held in January at Arctic Valley and the King of the Hill competition, April 5-9 in Valdez. At the latter event, professional snowboarders from...