By CLAYTON PARK

When Ballard native Steve Heitman, a former sales rep for Sturtevant's Sports in Bellevue, decided to apply for a bank loan to realize his dream of opening a ski shop of his own, he approached one of his best customers for a letter of reference. That customer was Dale Watanabe, a Microsoft programs manager who responded to Heitman's request by asking how much he needed.

When told, Watanabe chuckled and proceeded to write Heitman a personal check for twice that amount: $80,000, shortly followed with checks for an additional $70,000 raised from the sale of some of Watanabe's Microsoft shares.

There was just one stipulation: that Heitman take him on as a partner in the business. Needless to say, Heitman readily agreed, cementing the deal with a handshake.

Thus was born Nordic Sports Haus, a specialty ski and skate shop that opened shortly before Thanksgiving, at 8018 15th Ave. NE, just off Lake City Way. Heitman said he selected the location, which is located on the border separating the Roosevelt and Maple Leaf neighborhoods, because it's a high-traffic area with good visibility. He also likes the fact that it's located in a family neighborhood.

The 850-square-foot shop, which formerly housed a thrift store, may be small, but it's packed with an assortment of top-of-the-line skis, snowboards, accessories and outdoor winter apparel.

And what does Heitman plan to sell during the non-ski season?

In-line skates, tennis equipment, running shoes and climbing gear, he says.

Heitman began his love affair with skiing at the tender age of 4-1/2. He graduated from Ballard High School in 1977 and went on to earn a degree in business administration from the University of Washington. Following a lengthy stint as an Army paratrooper stationed in Germany, he enrolled in the University of Heidelberg to get a masters degree in philosophy. While a student there, he took a part-time job as a product rep for Atomic Skis, and later took a fulltime job with Head, the maker of skis and tennis equipment based in Austria. At Head, he was quickly promoted to become regional sales manager overseeing a territory that included Italy, Switzerland and southern Germany. He also helped design a line of skis called Cyber skis.

Upon returning to the U.S., he bought a VW van and proceeded to spend the next year living the life of a "ski bum," driving around to ski slopes throughout the country, eventually making his way back to Seattle.

He met Watanabe, also an avid lifelong skiier, when he took out a classified in the newspaper advertising a pair of Atomic skis for sale. The two quickly became friends and became one of Heitman's regular customers when Heitman began working at Sturtevant's.

When asked what sets Nordic apart from the bigger chain sporting good stores, Heitman points to his knowledgeable staff, all of whom are "advanced or beyond" level skiiers and/or snowboarders.

That's a benefit for customers needing advice in selecting the skis or other sports equipment that best suits their needs - not whatever product line a store happens to be pushing at the time. As a retailer, says Heitman, "you can have skis on your wall with a lot of features, but until you can turn them into benefits for the customers, they remain just features."

The staff includes: Don Marshall, a former professional snowboarder who manages the Seattle store, and Robert Dwyer, who is currently training to enter Crystal Mountain's Extreme. Jolene Fournier serves as operations manager.

Watanabe, while continuing to hold a fulltime job at Microsoft, is also actively involved in Nordic Sports Haus, sharing the major decision-making duties with Heitman, and, like everyone who works there, doing whatever it is needed - from installing the shop's computer system to staying up until 1 a.m. with to install mounts on a new shipment of skis. Watanabe has even worked the sales floor, helping to man the shop in his spare time.

Their collective efforts, so far, appear to be paying off. Heitman reports that sales have exceeded expectations by a whopping 40 percent in December and January, with no sign of letting down yet.

"We have customers coming from as far away as Everett, Tacoma and Redmond," says Heitman, noting that a number of the store's customers are Microsofties, like Watanabe. This coming month, Heitman and Watanabe will be opening a second Nordic Sports Haus store, in Woodinville, that will be more than three times the size of their North Seattle store. Their goal, says Heitman: to open five stores over the next three years, stretching from Tacoma to Everett.

"This is my passion," says Heitman. "We sell fun."