7B Board Shop gives boarders a local stomping ground

SANDPOINT — Rory Whitney remembers the days when he and his friends packed into a local shuttle bus for a weekend of snowboarding at Schweitzer.

As a kid growing up in Sagle, the sojourns into town for a ride up the mountain were a tradition.

“We would stack ourselves into the NICE bus 12 deep,” the 25-year-old said. “Everybody rode in a big crew.”

He and his pals did not have a lot of choices.

“It was either that, or sticking out your thumb,” he said.

These days, Whitney has his own ride.

Recently, he opened his own store as well.

The board shop downtown is called 7B — a nod to the license place number of his stomping grounds — and it offers a variety of boards for a wide range of tastes and desires.

“I wanted to provide Sandpoint with a locally owned and operated board shop that has lifestyle clothing and a great variety of skate and snowboards,” Whitney said.

Whitney learned to skateboard on the streets of Sandpoint and his own neighborhood before the existence of a skate park.

Rolling down a hard surface in the heat of summer led to a winter passion:

He took up snowboarding.

“I’ve been doing it ever since,” he said.

He worked at Ground Zero while in high school and when the popular shop closed, he ventured out on his own.

“I know how much a board shop means to people in Sandpoint and I wanted to carry on the legacy,” he said.

The shop carries a variety of brand name eyewear including Oakley and Smith, lifestyle clothing including LRG and Billabong, shoes such as DBS and Lakai, snowboard boots including Nike and Thirtytwo and a wall full of boards.

The shop plans a grand-opening barbecue Aug. 21 as well as a variety of winter events.

Whitney may not get to the slopes as much as he wants this winter, he said, but he will try.

“Especially on deep pow days.”