The real reason why Lost Arrow, an import agent for mountaineering equipment, is reducing product prices by 20% even when the yen is weakened. Ask the representative Sakashita Naoe to see what he really thinks (Part 1)

Starting in March 2024, the prices of this fiscal year will be reduced by 20% more than the market price in Europe and the US, with a "limited six months until the end of August."

This shocking news came one day in late March, when the spring and summer mountain climbing season was finally about to begin.

The announcement was made by Lost Arrow, one of Japan's leading mountain climbing equipment import agents. As mountain lovers may already know this, it is one of the long-established distributors who have worked on many of the world's top outdoor brands, such as black diamonds, osprey, and scarpa.

This season, Lost Arrow will be reducing the prices of this season's products by 20% more than the market price in Europe and the US, for a limited time of six months from the end of August (see the full release below).

"Notice regarding 2024 Spring/Summer Price Revision" from Lost Arrow Co., Ltd. website

When I heard this news, I was honestly shocked as an outdoor enthusiast. As the release states, Lost Arrow has been setting reasonable prices since 2018 by reducing its pricing in Japan to a "no difference in domestic and international price" compared to the retail prices of the brand's home country. Among them, this even drastic measure made me want to worry as a fan, wondering, "Is it okay to do that much?" That's why I can only admire the sincere attitude and courage of all of "I want to be a companion to climbers, climbers and backcountry skiers."

Where does these noble ideals and support many outdoor enthusiasts come from? Where exactly does that mean? Is it an innocent idealism or a 40th anniversary celebration? Or is it a clever marketing strategy? In fact, Lost Aloy, which celebrates its 40th anniversary since its founding, has been constantly growing in business as well. Of course, there is a realistic aim behind the ideal. However, for that reason, it is hard to believe that we can continue to carry out such seemingly unfair policies through self-defense struggles. There must be ideas and philosophy that are deeper rooted. When I think about it that way, I secretly wanted to learn more about Lost Arrow, a company that is unique to the Japanese outdoor industry, one day. This cannot be described without Sakashita Naoe, the founder and still the representative, and above all, he is a mountaineer who has committed numerous feats in the history of alpinism around the world.

When I applied for an interview, a conversation with Sakashita himself was finally realized. One day during Golden Week, I headed to the new event gallery space "The Tribe", which was opened at the end of last year.

So, this time we were able to talk to Representative Sakashita Naoe for a long time, about Lost Arrow's new policy, the secret behind the creation of this unique and solid company, and the underlying philosophy that makes them them. So this time, I would like to share the story in two parts, two parts, for both Outdoor Gearzine readers, as well as all mountain and outdoor people.

What can we do now to ensure that many people use reliable tools for mountain climbing that are life-threatening?

In the first place, why do Lost Arrows deliberately implement significant price cuts in this era of weak yen and high prices?

"For example, if you have skis, if you have all the items, you'll end up with hundreds of thousands of yen. If that happens, even if you want to try skiing, you won't be able to start easily. And I feel like this is also becoming more common in mountain climbing. The biggest reason is that the yen has been depreciated so we don't have a direct countermeasure. As we wondered what we could do in this situation, we came to the idea that it might be possible to lower the price by about 20% in a short period of time.

When you're just starting to climb, it's difficult to buy all the necessary tools. However, climbing equipment can be life-threatening, so climbers mostly want to use reliable tools.

On the other hand, the aim is to restore inventory to normal condition. With a few options, it can be done right now, does not cause any inconvenience to those involved, benefits users, and promptly normalizes inventory. There is also hope that this is the method.

And as Lost Arrow celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, we are grateful for the long-standing support you have given us. There is also the desire to give some kind of return to consumers who have supported us with gratitude for those 40 years. ”

We want to deliver reliable tools to passionate climbers and climbers

I would like you to use reliable tools for life-threatening mountain climbing equipment. The origin of this feeling goes back to the experiences he had when he first started mountains.

"I started mountains when I was a student and didn't have the financial resources. So I had a hard time borrowing tools from others, ingenuity, and finding them for free.

The most troublesome thing was the expensive winter mountaineering boots. Until summer, tabi socks (also hand-off from the forestry station) were sufficient, but in winter, I couldn't use tabi socks, so I was thinking of replacing them with rubber boots. By chance, I discovered an old climbing boot under the stairs of my apartment, among the waste from a former resident, and when I pulled it out, it was about three sizes larger than my feet. When I asked the landlord, he said, "It was abandoned by a student who lived there a few years ago, so it's okay to use it." So I was lucky enough to get some winter shoes to go to Kitadake, Kaikoma and Senjo in winter, and I got a good buy with my boots idea.

However, the Vibram sole on the forefoot is beginning to peel off and cannot be used as is. Of course, I didn't have the money to repair it, so I used three thick wires. I used it for three years before I joined the Yamagaku Comrade Association for repairs myself. ”

What is a "good mountain equipment" for Sakashita, who has overcome the hardships of his dawning days and has since achieved numerous feats that have made a name for himself in the history of mountains around the world, including his first ascent of the Januo North Wall and the first ascent of the K2 North Wall? It is said that "three points" are important when you reach the destination. Naturally, these are elements that are common to all brands that Lost Arrow handles.

"As everyone will feel that good tools are backed by reliability. First, they are reliable and safe. Next, the price and cheapest possible price are better. Also, when something goes wrong, I think it's important to have a proper consultation and repairs. The key points are three things. That's also the goal of Lost Arrow aiming for."

Outdoor brands are also becoming more diverse, and these days there are many advertisements that say "in the city or in the mountains," and there are many brands that fully push the added value, such as style and fashion. When I asked him what he thought about this trend, Sakashita replied with no hesitation at all, and he replied like this.

"I think fashion, beauty, and coolness are something that anyone can think about in a comfortable environment, and I think it's great. But basically, the more serious you do the mountains, the less time you have to buy tools. Those are the important customers for us, so we're not in a position to place importance on fashion. The three things I mentioned earlier are more important."

Is the only job to work as a distributor is to "sell things"?

Some people may find it surprising that the third good tool element that Sakashita mentioned is the enhancement of "after-sales service" when they consider that Lost Arrow is an import agent. However, it is understandable when you consider that Lost Arrow is an import agent, but also has its own repair department for not only clothing but also shoes, and directly handles repair requests from users. Where does this unique integrity come from? There was Sakashita, who was a manager (seller) and also a mountaineer (user), who sympathized with and cherished the same feelings.

"There may be no other import agency that does not only sew clothing and backpacks, but also repairs shoes in-house. Shoes require specialized craftsmen and expensive machinery and equipment. Our company has over 50 employees, but there are over a dozen people involved in repairs. So, no one in the company doesn't know about repairs, and I think employees can imagine how to fix them if a repair request comes in, and what condition will ultimately satisfy the customer."

Some imported products companies believe that it is their mission to "sell products" and that repairs are not their role. I think it's an important foreground whether you think of it as "repairs are something you need to ask a repair shop" or whether you think about "repairing it in-house as much as possible."

Repairing shoes is very difficult. External repair shops take care of repairing a wide range of brands and a huge variety of shoes, so it is almost impossible to stock up on genuine repair parts. And I think it's difficult to imagine the repairs being completed. There are no sample shoes from the finished product available on the spot.

For example, if the sole (pictured above) is peeled off, if the repair shop does not provide genuine parts, it will use general-purpose parts. As a result, the colour and finish will be completely different than before. The repair is adequately appropriate for a repair shop job, but the customer who requested the repair may think, "The shoes have a different impression than before."

I think this way because we have actually experienced complaints about repairing mountaineering boots. A customer asked me to repair mountain climbing boots, and unfortunately the stock of genuine repair parts was out, so we were unable to provide them to the repair shop we entrusted to. So we handled the repairs with general-purpose parts (as in the example above), and we received a complaint from the customer.

From there, we decided to repair our shoes ourselves. With the repair process training at the factory of Scarpa (an Italian shoe manufacturer that handles Lost Arrows), the same machinery as Scarpa, and fortunately joined a talented shoemaker, it is now becoming almost perfect. Ideally, repairs are a very important task to return to what they should be if possible. It's quite difficult to realize this... I think it's important to have an attitude towards tools, including those.

Some people may think, "The job of an import agency is sales," but we find it a little more complicated, difficult, and rewarding job. ”

Not only does Lost Arrow's attitude toward tools, but to continue to support him in his way as he should be, he says that his father has also strongly influenced his words that have been heard in his past and have been stinging in his heart ever since.

"It was about five years since I started working. My father once asked me, 'What kind of work do you do?' and when I replied, 'I imported products from a climbing equipment manufacturer run by a friend in the United States and wholesaled them to mountaineering equipment stores across the country,' he said, 'What? What you're doing is just a broker.' He said, 'It's probably just a job that moves things from right to left to exploit the intermediate margin.' I was very annoyed at the time, but it certainly made me think that that's the kind of thing that comes with it.

When I spoke to my father's words to a Swiss friend in my industry, he received a strong defense saying, "We create a variety of added value," but the one saying "we're just brokers" was hard to get apart. But since then, I've been doing a lot of things like repairs and aftercare, so now I can proudly say to my father that "what I'm doing is not a broker." I think that's a pretty important part of me. ”

"The Tribe" is a place where climbers can support and stimulate each other, unaware of commercial things.

The attitude that just because it's an import agency is not just about purchasing and selling things, is clearly reflected in the management of the new event space "The Tribe," which started in Kanda Ogawacho at the end of last year. What led to the establishment and how did this facility come into being?

"At first, it was a very vague idea, and the word "Tribe" was the only one. At first, I also came up with a new concept shop. However, since it was an opportunity, I wanted to hear the opinions of employees. Older employees generally understand my way of thinking, and on the other hand, I also understand how they think, so I started a meeting with six people, with the condition that they are in their 20s and 30s, within three years of joining the company.

see "The Tribe Organization" on The Tribe homepage

The first text I prepared was part of Levi Strauss' book Wild Thoughts, as well as a summary of Nuba, a photobook of the African Nuba tribes by Berlin Olympic photographer Leni Riefenstahl, and Peter Drucker's Management. Also, I present a photo of Yosemite Camp 4 from Stone Masters, and this is what I think of the concept of "Tribe." I did it about 10 times, combining that concept with the current work and activities of Lost Arrow and discussing its possibilities.

First, let's create a new type of climbing shop. Then there was something that connected to the EC, something quite commercial, but it was more and more ``filtered'' and commercial things were being stripped away or dropped. I think their pointyness, youth and lack of experience have actually produced sharp results. In the end, since it was an unparalleled activity, we decided to cut all commercial things.

Alpine climbing is a personal activity, so you may be able to gradually increase your purity as you continue. Conversely, work carried out through a company organization is accompanied by a large number of unspecified stakeholders, and gradually they will have to carry impurities. Therefore, I think we need some kind of device to intentionally filter out impurities and maintain their purity.

If you can't generate profits, a company won't survive, but work requires other interesting goals other than profits. If you feel that way, then the same goes for employees. ”

The walls of The Tribe are decorated with the images of the cutting-edge climbers (Tribes) who once called "Stone Masters" and gathered at Camp 4 in Yosemite.

Regarding The Tribe, Sakashita clearly denied that it is simply a "kind and convenient place of relaxation" for climbers and climbers. He talked about the creative and ambitious aims he put into The Tribe's activities, which go beyond imagination.

"I think it would be a place to support mountain climbing activities, centering on activities such as climbing and alpine climbing, and I think it would be nice if we could throw heavy stones into the slightly stagnant, stagnant, and invisible parts of these cultures, causing ripples, stirring, and spreading the frame.

Many of the members who discussed the Tribe were climbers, but the current perception of climbing culture was unexpectedly far from my own, and there were some parts that resonated very closely. For example, the direction of climbing gyms, their reliance on grades, and their restriction.

What I'm hoping for this new venue is that if climbing is in a direction that will cause people to lose creativity, freedom, adventure, or creativity, then stopping for a moment or stirring up the site will create new climbers, or something with a greater spread will be created by being inspired by it. The participants and the people who make comments during this discussion will likely change little by little, and I think it's interesting that such changes will occur.

After all, life is inspired by things like encounters with people, discoveries, stimulation, and the charms of the land, and gradually changes and grows. While doing this kind of activity here, I am also very inspired by it. I hope that even a little more people will be inspired through The Tribe. ”

Next part (coming soon): Lost Arrow founding, the birth of black diamonds, and the amazing encounters with many famous brands

Through the discussion, it seemed that Sakashita's strict yet clear, yet clear, deep gaze was immersed in the image of a solitary import agency, who was always close to the passion of climbers, but was still not satisfied with the current situation, and was filled with a keen desire to make the culture of climbing and mountain climbing a lively, free, creative and vibrant, residing deep within Sakashita's strict yet clear gaze.

In any case, Lost Arrow products can be purchased at reduced prices until August 2024. There's no reason to miss out on this, so if you've learned about it through this article, be sure to check out our online shop or local outdoor specialty stores.

Lost Arrow Online Store [Official]

created by Rinker

• Lost Arrow Online Store [Official]

Sakashita will learn for the first time an interesting history that will be irresistible for mountain lovers, combining the numerous miracles and coincidences that occurred from the time he founded Lost Arrow until he began handling current brands, and the inevitability that only Sakashita could have been, like a puzzle.In the next episode (coming soon), we will tell you how Lost Arrow was founded, as well as an episode about his fateful encounter with manufacturers who have become the world's top brands that are now pushing forward. Stay tuned for the second part, which will be released soon.

Sakashita Naoe Profile

Born on February 6, 1947 in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture. In 1970, he joined the Yamagaku Comrade Association. First ascended the North Wall of Januo in 1976. First ascending the north ridge of K2 in 1982. Translated by Yvon Chouinard in 1979. In 1981, he went to the United States at the invitation of Yvon Chouinard and became friends with famous climbers. In the winter of 1982, Choinard Japan was founded at the recommendation of Mr. Choinard. In 1984, he founded Lost Arrow Co., Ltd. and has been the CEO to this day. In 1989, he participated in the establishment of Black Diamond, the United States, and was appointed as an outside director and was a board member for 18 years until 2017.

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