For a limited time, Alpine Shop is offering up most of our demo and blem fleet for public purchase. These boats have been used in our classes in the past, or arrived at our store with blemishes that made them un-sellable at normal retail prices.
If you are interested in taking advantage of some good deals, please click here to see the complete list of boats available. Once you see a boat that interests you, call the Kirkwood Alpine Shop at (314) 962-7715 and tell them you would like to purchase one of our demo boats. An experienced outfitter will work with you to make sure the boat meets your needs and confirm that we still have the boat on hand.
These boats are first come-first served and we do not make any guarantees of availability. We will update the list as often as we can, but we will not be making those updates in real time.
One of the original signs from Mooers Alpine, Alpine Shop’s predecessor.
In 1973, a local St. Louis climber and Army Map Service employee, Bob Mooers, author of “Finding Your Way in the Outdoors” (still available used at Alibris, 99¢ and up), convinced Chouinard Equipment, a growing climbing brand at the time, to open him as a dealer. So, Mooers started a climbing shop – in a small room upstairs from the home wine-making shop he was moonlighting on the side. It took one month for climbing to outsell wine-making, which was then abandoned in a move to a new, larger space.
Five years later, “Mooers Alpine” was thriving, but Mooers was looking to sell and move to the Northwest.
Russell “Holly”, and Lisa Hollenbeck, co-owners of Alpine Shop, on a recent trip out West.
A 45-year-old customer of his from that exact same area of the country had come to St. Louis to work in the city’s banking and finance industry. A change-in-leadership at the company he worked for had soured Russell “Holly” Hollenbeck on that field though, and he considered himself a “fugitive” from corporate life. While skiing at Snowbird in Utah during the winter of 1977, Hollenbeck broached the subject of purchasing Mooers Alpine with his family. On April 1, 1978, “Mooers Alpine” became “Alpine Shop” with Hollenbeck as the new owner.
42 years later, climbing is still at our core, but over the years we have added gear, clothing, events and clinics for almost every type of outdoor enthusiast, from backpackers, hikers, campers, paddlers, and cyclists, to snowboarders and skiers, at four locations in Missouri and Kansas.
Alpine Shop Kirkwood’s collection of historic climbing gear, cleared from big walls in Yosemite National Park by friend-of-the-Shop Rich Copeland. Copeland died in a fall in Yosemite in 2014 and the outpouring of tributes was truly amazing.
Less than a year ago, at the 2019 Grassroots Outdoor Alliance summer meetings, Alpine Shop was named Retailer of the Year.
Chouinard Equipment morphed into Great Pacific Iron Works which went on to become Black Diamond and Patagonia. Our first supplier remains our largest and one of our most admired.
After 48 years in the business, it is Alpine Shop’s Vision to see Generations Transformed by Discovery Outdoors.
Now more than ever… we need to find opportunities to cope with the stress surrounding us.
Now more than ever… Alpine Shop’s mission statement rings true: “We love and need the mountains, trails, rivers and wild places. They nourish our spirit.”
We don’t know how long this crisis will last, but while we’re able to, we believe we need to “nourish our spirits” by taking a walk through our local parks, by hiking our beloved trails, by exploring the scenic rivers and lakes around us, or by rolling our bikes down the next path.
Now more than ever… we need to re-discover a favorite footpath, re-introduce our children to the wonders of the forest floor, and remind ourselves of the power of simply getting outside.
Now more than ever… take care of your family and friends. Take care of your neighbors in need. But also, take care of yourself. Nourish your spirit in any way that you can.
Because, now more than ever…we need the mountains, trails, rivers and wild places. They can nourish us all.
Where we go from here – Updated 4/3/20:
All Alpine Shop locations in Missouri are temporarily closed.
However, our Kirkwood store’s Bike Shop remains open on a limited basis to accept bike service customers. Please call the store at 314-962-7715 for full details. We will post additional updates when we are able to reopen.
In the meantime, our webstore remains fully operational for any of your outdoor needs. The Pathfinder (Manhattan, Kan.) remain open, but are operating on shortened hours. For more information on all of our stores’ current schedules, you can find it here.
Please note: Out of abundance of caution for both guests and team members, effective immediately, all returns and exchanges will be suspended until April 22. We are also extending the return date on any receipts by at least three weeks.
All in-store clinics are cancelled through May 10, in accordance with the latest CDC guidelines. In the meantime, we will be posting on-line videos of our clinics and programs to make sure you can continue to get the information you need. Please visit our events site at: alpineshopevents.com for more information.
Stay Safe. Stay Healthy.
Please understand, we are not advocating for anyone to take a road trip across the country to visit national parks. Instead, we are urging people to discover – or rediscover – the parks, forests, and other wild places near your homes. Below, you can find a list of options for getting outside (near our shop locations) that we know are either open (or closed) to continue to explore during this pandemic crisis. We will update this list as we get more information.
We would like to point out that even through the state of Illinois is under a stay-at-home order (March 20), “outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, running and biking are all allowed, (as long as) social distancing requirements (are) followed.” Evidently the Illinois government agrees with our take on things.
Select Missouri State Parks (programs & events are cancelled, parks remain open). Certain parks, including Castlewood State Park in St. Louis are closed as of Thursday, April 2.
Illinois Local Parks – During the stay-at-home order put in place on 3/20 by Illinois Governor Pritzker, while playgrounds are closed, the order does specifically allow for “outdoor activities such as walking, hiking, running and biking (while) social distancing requirements (are) followed.”
Closed:
Select Missouri State Parks – like Castlewood State Park in St. Louis County
Shaw Nature Reserve (and all other Missouri Botanical Gardens-owned locations in and around St. Louis)
In accordance with the St. Louis County Stay at Home Order, Alpine Shop Kirkwood has temporarily closed its doors beginning Monday, March 23 as the nation, and our neighborhoods, continue to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Alpine Shop Columbia (Mo.) and our Manhattan, Kan., location – The Pathfinder – will remain open for the time being under the same regional and national guidelines and laws that we have followed since this pandemic began. Alpine Shop’s web store – www.alpineshop.com – will continue to serve as a way for our customers to browse our products and support a local business, as well.
Alpine Shop’s co-owners, Russell “Holly” and Lisa Hollenbeck, appreciate all the support the community has shown not only over the past few weeks, but also has provided over the past 47 years.
The Kirkwood location becomes the second Alpine Shop location to temporarily close during the coronavirus pandemic. The Chesterfield, Mo., store, closed earlier in March. As soon as the threat is over, all Alpine Shop locations will re-open as quickly as possible.
About Alpine Shop:
What began in 1973 as a small climbing shop in Webster Groves, Missouri, has grown into an award-winning outdoor retailer, serving almost every type of outdoor enthusiast from backpackers, hikers, campers, paddlers, and cyclists, to trail runners, travelers, snowboarders, and skiers. With four stores across Missouri and Kansas, Alpine Shop has upheld it’s vision to see “Generations Transformed by Discovery Outdoors” by helping to clean and maintain our rivers, parks and trails while introducing more than 17,000 people to the outdoors through instructional programs, competitions or events in the past five years.
We understand that during this pandemic, many people are looking for ways to support local businesses without necessarily walking through them.
Beginning today, March 18, 2020, our locations in Kirkwood and Columbia, Missouri, as well as The Pathfinder in Manhattan, Kansas, will begin offering Curbside Service for any customer interested in using it at no additional cost.
Once you’ve determined which products you would like to purchase, call the store you would like to pick up from. Here are their numbers:
Kirkwood: 314-962-7715 Columbia: 573-817-2955 The Pathfinder: 785-539-5639
An outfitter will take your order over the phone, verify your purchase and take your payment. We will pack up your order and let you know by phone when it is ready to be picked up.
When you arrive for curbside service, call the store again and let them know you are waiting outside.
Alpine Shop’s most popular film festival of the year returns this coming March as we celebrate 28 years of hosting the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour here in St. Louis in 2020.
This international traveling festival celebrates the most inspiring action, environmental and adventure films from the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival each year in Banff, Alberta. Each year, we also get a little more inspired to discover something about ourselves through the spirit of adventure.
Join us for two nights of inspiration and adventure on March 25 and 26 at the The Sheldon – in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis. Completely different films each night!
For the 14th year, the Osprey Packs Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race will explore southwest St. Louis county on Saturday, December 7. This sold out event will feature more than 300 people representing 100 different teams in seven different categories of teams tackling a mix of trekking, mountain biking and paddling.
Held on the first Saturday of December every year, the 8-Hour is a multi-sport, off-road, team event with no marked course. Teams must use a map and compass to navigate their way through a series of checkpoints on foot, bikes and canoes to reach the finish line. Teams anticipate covering 5-10 miles of paddling, 15-20 miles of biking and 5-10 miles on foot.
Racers paddle the Meramec River on the 2018 Osprey Packs Castlewood 8-Hour Race.
Teams will find out today, Friday, December 6, where they will start and finish. Part of the excitement with an adventure race like this is that the entire course changes each year and participants will only find out what they’re expected to tackle – including start times – when they pick up their packets at Alpine Shop Kirkwood today.
An event that appeals to both expert adventure racers and beginners alike, the Osprey Packs Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race is the largest adventure race in Missouri and the third-largest in America. Since purchasing the event from Bonk Hard Racing in 2015, Alpine Shop has grown the event from 175 participants to 300 annually.
The top contenders for 2019 include:
4-Person Coed Division: The entire 2018 podium returns for 2019! Alpine Shop (winningest team in race’s history, division runner-up in 2018), 40 Down (division champs in 2018), Off The Front (division 3rd place in 2018)
4-Person Male: Bittersweet Kitchen (division champs in 2018)
2-Person Co-Ed: The entire 2018 podium returns for 2019! Gary Busey’s Teeth (division 3rd place in 2018), Tiny Trail Ninjas (division champs in 2018, former owners of Bonk Hard Racing), In Our Element (married couple, division runner-up in 2018)
2-Person Male: Toporadicals, Skeletal Pursuit (overall champs 2018), Young & Shifty + Old & Nifty (rookie division champs 2018)
Teams of interest: Team HAHA (team is 2 married couples who are neighbors, all first-time adventure racers) Legion of Mild Inconvenience (friends and co-workers at Boeing) Meat Science (captain is local butcher Chris Bolyard) Don’t Check My Camelback (Kuat Racks founder Luke Kuschmeader and friends) Happy Campers (Christine has been a volunteer for 2 years, recently engaged to teammate John) & EIGHT FAMILY TEAMS!!!
This Black Friday, wake up to a KÜHL morning with a FREE KÜHL mug to go along with some fresh brewed coffee thanks to KÜHL.
Grab one on Friday, November 29, at Alpine Shop Kirkwood and Columbia – quantities are limited!
Our KÜHL representaive, Brad Dailey, will be on hand with a limited number of KUHL mugs to give away at our Kirkwood location on Friday, November 29, 2019. We’ll also have mugs available at our Columbia store, as well.
First come, first served, and first caffeinated!
Our Kirkwood store will open at 10 am on Friday. See you then!
Hey, Ladies! Alpine Shop invites you to join us on Friday, November 15 at our Kirkwood location to help us kick off the 2019-20 slopes season with over $2500 in prizes to give away to attendees. It doesn’t matter if you ski or board, we’ve got something for every woman looking to head to the mountain.
We’re hosting a party with this-night-only-specials, complimentary wine, chocolates, snacks, a fashion show and a chance to win over $2500 in prizes – including gear and apparel from Burton, Smartwool, Obermeyer, Hestra gloves, Smith goggles or helmets, Hidden Valley lift tickets and more. And best of all? It’s completely free to attend!
We’ll also helping to kick off Hidden Valley Ski Resort’s “Women’s Wednesdays” group ski program and will have representatives of the event on hand to give you more information.
Event Schedule: 6 pm: Event Begins! Drinks, Snacks & Drawing Entry forms are all available.
6:15 pm: Complimentary Custom Fit Appointments Available. While you’re here, get sized for your next pair of boots or for the perfect outfit.
6:45 – 7:30 pm: Alpine Shop Roving Fashion Show.
7 pm: Hidden Valley Ski Resort Instructor will introduce the Hidden Valley Women’s program for 2019 with a brief presentation and Q&A session
8 pm: Prize Drawings! Custom fits continue.
9 pm Time to go home!
It’s the 2019 Women’s Ski & Board Night and it’s only at Alpine Shop Kirkwood on November 15, 2019!
If you’ve ever hit the slopes on your board and wished – just once – that you didn’t have to sit down or bend down to strap your boots into your bindings… well, Burton may just be your genie.
Introducing Step-On from Burton.
Step-On from Burton
Offering hands-free convenience that’s easier for beginners along with remarkable performance for the best pros, Step On is a game changer for anyone interested in riding the mountain.
Step On & Go – Simplified for Beginners
Ready to Send – Trusted by Pros
How Step On Works
Burton’s Step On Boots and Bindings are sold together to make sure you have the necessary hardware for the system to work properly. Besides that, the system works much like the traditional strap and buckle system has worked for years. Instead of straps, though, there are three connection points on your boots that connect directly into the binding. Meaning, you can ride as hard as you like; your boots won’t release unless you want them to and as long as you’ve dialed your fit into your boots (as only a certified outfitter like Alpine Shop can do), you have the best transfer of movement from your body to your board.
So, like we said, it’s easier for beginners. Just step in. No need to sit on the snow and connect your straps.
And, like we also said, it’s ready for the best of the best.
