Thursday is Final Day to Check-In Your Used Gear

Alpine Shop’s 25th Annual Winter Swap is a combination of a consignment sale, a Winter Pre-Season Sale and a Summer Clearance, all wrapped up into one BIG event  at our Kirkwood and Columbia locations.

But if you want to get paid for your used gear, you have to get it checked in first! And you’ve only got until 8 pm on Thursday, October 18 to do that (or 6 pm if you’re participating at our Columbia store).

You can sell gear and clothing from any season of the year, provided it meets our standards. All gear will be safety checked before it is allowed in the Swap and Alpine Shop reserves the right to refuse any items for any reason we see fit. (For full information, please visit the official site here.)

What started out 25 years ago as an opportunity for our customers to outfit their entire family on a budget has turned into the Midwest’s Largest Consignment Sale for Outdoor Gear. It’s all going on this weekend at your local Alpine Shop!

 

Give a Little. Save Big. Glennon Card Discount Days are October 19-28, 2018

Back in 2011, Alpine Shop was one of the first retailers to sign on to assist SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital with their new “Glennon Card” promotion. Little did we know then just how big this would promotion grow!

Alpine Shop has been heavily involved with the Glennon Card from the beginning, including welcoming the photo shoot for the cover of Town & Style magazine in 2014!

From October 19–28, 2018, purchasing a Glennon Card from Alpine Shop gives you a 20% discount on almost everything in our stores (and a 10% discount on all regularly-priced boats, bikes, skis & snowboards) AND a 20% discount at more than 320 other retailers and restaurants throughout the Metro St. Louis area.

Glennon Cards are $50 and can be purchased at any Alpine Shop location through Sunday, Oct. 28.  Click here to see a complete list of merchants to choose from–like Alpine Shop!

Overall, since 2011, the Glennon Card Team have raised more than $1.25 million for use at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. Alpine Shop is proud to have been the top Local Merchant for Glennon Card sales in 2017 and hope to remain the same for 2018. Please come in and purchase your Card anytime between now and Sunday, Oct. 28.

2018 GLENNON CARD RULES AND EXCLUSIONS:
The card can only be utilized by one individual; not groups. Only the card bearer and his or her minor children can use the card for discounts. The card bearer’s signature must appear on the card. The card must be presented at the time of purchase. Glennon Cards cannot be replaced if lost. Discount cannot be combined with other sales or previously discounted items. Internet items are not eligible.

*20% off promotion applies to the retail price on in-store apparel, footwear and camping gear only and is not eligible to be combined with other promotions or offers, except for clearance goods (marked with $_.97 pricing) which will be discounted from the lowest-marked price. Hardgoods such as bikes, boats and ski & snowsport hardgoods receive a 10% off discount. Online and Special Order items are not eligible.

Select brands and items are excluded. Please see an Alpine Shop outfitter for details.

Ski & Snowboard Service: Protect your gear and perfect your ride

Keeping your skis and snowboards tuned is one of the two most important things* you can do to ensure you have a great time on the slopes every time you make a run. Why? Because without a tune, your gear does two things: it sticks to the snow, making it harder for you to move and it reduces your maneuverability in turns, making it harder for you to go where you want to go. Now, if this still sounds fun, proceed to your nearest slope without taking care of your ride. However, if you want to actually enjoy your time on the snow, read on.

There are two different ways to keep your skis and snowboards tuned: you can do it yourself or you can bring them in to us at Alpine Shop and let us take care of it for you.

Some repairs, though, are beyond the equipment you’ll have in your basement. And some people would just rather have an experienced technician do the work. For those jobs, Alpine Shop is proud to offer you one of the top ski and snowboard service centers in the country. Completely stocked with top-of-the-line Wintersteiger equipment and manned by certified techs, we’ll make sure your gear is perfectly tuned for your particular style.

Here’s some examples of what we do:

An example of a board needing a custom tune from Alpine Shop's service center
A perfect example of something needing a Custom Tune. If the customer does the Basic Tune, all those scratch lines will still be there, the edges won’t be perfect and the base would be dry.

Precision Ski or Snowboard Tune:

Our highest level of service in package form. Stone grind, Base beveling/flattening, base and side edge beveling/sharpening, ptex and a race/hot wax and race polish.

And just what does all this mean?

Stone grinding: This process flattens the ski base, removes damaged base material and gives skis and boards a better surface for wax to adhere to for a smoother, faster ride.

Base beveling/flattening: This means we’re shaping the bottom of your gear to work perfectly for your personal style on the slopes.

Side edge beveling/sharpening: The most important thing for maneuverability is for your ski or snowboard edges to be smooth – like a fine knife – not the serrated kind. We make sure your edges are smooth, sharp and angled precisely to match your riding style.

Ptex: We use ptex to repair gouges or other damage done to the base of your gear. Without the repairs done, your skis or board can’t perform the way they’re meant to on the slopes.

Is your base drying out? Alpine Shop's hot wax treatment can take care of that.
See the white lines in the base? That’s the base drying out. This board needs a tune with a HOT WAX.

Hot Wax: The difference between hot wax and machine wax is like deciding between an economy set of new tires or a performance rated set of tires. Both will have your car performing better, but there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the ride. The same holds true here. A hot wax treatment will be customized to the type and temperature of the conditions you’ll ski in. It will also protect your base better and be more durable than a machine wax. For this reason, if your gear’s base appears to be drying out (see pic on the right) we will recommend a hot wax treatment. A machine wax, meanwhile, is much better than nothing at all, but we can’t give you the best ride possible with it.

The Precision Tune is for the customer who wants the ultimate experience on his gear at all time. This tune makes skis and boards as close to new as possible. Guaranteed to be fast and sharp.

Sharpen & Wax Package:

Our best value: Base beveling/flattening, base and side edge beveling/sharpening, and machine wax.
For the customer who want to save bank but needs that next level of service. This tune will cleanup and polish the base while flattening it and make those edges sharp, sharp, sharp. If the base looks dry (see pic above) we will recommend you upgrade to a Hot Wax.

Alpine Shop's Service Center can handle Ptex & epoxy repairs
An example of a ptex repair. If the gouge/scratch is down to the core it will need epoxy.


Ptex/Epoxy Base or Topsheet Repair:

For those times when the snow isn’t perfect and you smoke a rock/rail or fellow skier. This service starts at $15 and goes up depending on what is needed to completely repair your ski or snowboard.

Have other questions? Give us a call at 314-962-7715. We’ll be happy to help you out however we can.

*Oh and the other most important thing you can do to ensure a good experience on the slopes: Get a good, professionally fit pair of boots.

Got Old Gear to Sell? Swap Check-In Begins Saturday!

Alpine Shop’s 25th Annual Winter Swap is a combination of a consignment sale, a Winter Pre-Season Sale and a Summer Clearance, all wrapped up into one BIG event  at our Kirkwood and Columbia locations.

What started out 25 years ago as an opportunity for our customers to outfit their entire family on a budget has turned into the Midwest’s Largest Consignment Sale for Outdoor Gear.

You can sell gear and clothing from any season of the year, provided it meets our standards. All gear will be safety checked before it is allowed in the Swap and Alpine Shop reserves the right to refuse any items for any reason we see fit. (For full information, please visit the official site here.)

Consignment sale check-in begins Saturday, October 13 at noon in both Kirkwood and Columbia, and continues through Thursday, Oct. 18.

 

A Super-Sized Pint Night Arrives October 11

Schlafly Beer presents the biggest Al-Pint Night we’ve ever offered – literally! For the first time ever, we’ve managed to convince the wonderful people at  STANLEY and Smartwool to provide STANLEY’s 24oz Adventure Vacuum Steins for us to use at a pint night.

Mark your calendars! Schlafly Beer, Smartwool, and STANLEY are pleased to welcome you to the Kirkwood Alpine Shop on Thursday, October 11 from 6-8:30 pm to benefit Stray Rescue of St. Louis. Bring your family and friends, because we will have a dog costume contest, picture booth, Live Music with Kristen Goodman, the TBD food truck, raffles for Smartwool and STANLEY products, and adoptions available! This is going to be a blast!

Here’s how it works: From 6-8:30 PM, we have a total of 200 limited-edition steel 24oz Adventure Vacuum Steins from STANLEY for just $20. (We have never offered the 24oz Stanley Steins!)(Note:You can only purchase one at a time) Plus, each purchase comes with a 16oz pour of craft Schlafly Beer and a ticket for one refill.

We’ll also have special deals on Smartwool and STANLEY products throughout the night. (And nothing beats some merino wool socks or sweaters from Smartwool and a warm STANLEY mug as the weather keeps getting colder!)

We do recommend bringing your own chairs and hanging out with us in our “corral” area in front of our building. We’ll have fire pits in full force.

All profits from the sales of the Steins and raffles will benefit Stray Rescue of St Louis. Last year, the 16oz Stanley pints sold out. We’ve added a significant number to our order this year, but we do encourage you to arrive early!