Park City’s Emergenskis brings shop experience to your garage

Emergenskis owner Kass Kuykendall. Photo: Eric Ramirez

PARK CITY, Utah — Kassidy “Kass” Kuykendall comes from eastern Washington. Her adventurous personality led her across the country to sought-after destinations, where she thrived on surf and mountains. After deciding that Florida’s mosquitoes and muggy climate had helped her achieve her beach-loving, guide-lifestyle dreams, she was ready for something different.

“I want to wear a beanie in the fall, drink hot coffee and enjoy it. And I want mountains and snow. I’m ready to be a ski bum instead of a beach bum,” said Kuykendall, who eventually landed in an A-frame attic in Old Town Park City, Utah, with a couple of mice and a mattress. Now approaching her third winter in town, she tunes skis and snowboards on the go.

Emergenskis Mobile Ski Tuning, a play on two familiar words in mountain communities, exemplifies the innovative spirit of Park City business owners. Offering ski and snowboard tunes, Kuykendall picks up and delivers equipment with guaranteed quick turnaround, or she can set up in customers’ garages and tune their gear on-site.

Her mobile workspace contains what many brick-and-mortar shops take for granted: a portable folding Swix worktable, extension cords, base brushes and other nonpowered tools. A hot iron stands ready, burning wax in a wisp of smoke. By building her collection of tools and combining mechanical acumen with tuning knowledge, she produces quality repairs on the go.

Core Shot

Marketed as a ski-tune event on Oct. 30, Kuykendall set up outside The Barking Cat at Kimball Junction, where she tuned gear and distributed business cards. The following week, she set up inside Kiln, where a rack of snowboards and skis kept her working all day.

For the average skier, tuning is mysterious. What happens inside the shop? What are they doing with your equipment? Upon return, it looks and works great, but no one sees the process. There is no such mystery with Emergenskis. Everything is open, and Kuykendall explains her work as she does it.

That’s the point: Kuykendall focuses on people and education. Her professional career includes adventure guiding and team building. While managing a local ski shop, she found a way to improve the crew’s engagement — not just to do their jobs but to become part of the shop’s character and culture.

Kuykendall spoke passionately about her experience. “This was my first opportunity to put all the stuff I’ve learned over the years into practice. We needed to love them as humans so they would want to do a good job,” she said, describing more than just her job duties. After spending a few minutes with her, you understand this is her nature.

A Great Adventure

Kuykendall came to Park City to live within sight of slopes and lifts, to feel the vibrations that brought previous generations of ski bums to town — the restaurant servers, fitness trainers and dog-sitters who characterize the scene, weaving the fabric of a community united by one thing: snow. However, she wants to be part of the community, not just work a regular job and chase powder.

Making Park City home demands more. What can you bring to the people? Kuykendall answers that with Emergenskis. Working as a Park City Rafting guide in summer, she saved her tips, which totaled about $800. She weighed her options: pay bills or invest the money to build a future in Park City.

“I went on this whole learning journey. I was waiting to find my passion. I would say, ‘I just want to find this thing and be the best at it. I’m going to be so good at something that someone is just going to offer me the keys to the kingdom,'” she said. She soon realized those opportunities don’t always materialize but that she could create her own.

Her entrepreneurial spirit emerged while developing the concept. A great tuning experience in every ski home is only the beginning; she envisions expanding quality service to more people and places. For her, this means bringing out the best in people and adding value to relationships. “We can only expand as much as every person has bought into that culture,” she said. “As more people buy into the culture, then we can continue to expand.”

Connection

While discussing her plans to snowboard this winter after an injury kept her off-piste for two seasons, Kuykendall emphasizes building relationships with customers. Her fun-loving yet driven focus thrives on connection. “I have felt blessed because of the people who have come into my life who have been willing to help me,” she said. “I feel empowered, and now I have a vision that’s bigger than tuning skis.”

As Emergenskis grows, Kuykendall hopes to “develop relationships from the ground up.” When she meets new people in life and work, she wants them to feel valued and seen through meaningful conversation, love and friendship. Ultimately, no one is a stranger. She emphasizes, “Work comes after all of that.”

To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit the Emergenskis website.