Outdoor guide site RootsRated is set to launch in partnership with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance retailer Alpine Shop this week to provide locals and visitors to the St. Louis area with a highly usable guide for discovering local experts’ favorite places for outdoor recreation.
RootsRated is, simply put, an outdoor travel guide. Ever find yourself traveling to a city, wondering where you can rock climb or trail run when you get there? Are you new to your area, or looking to try a new sport? With RootsRated, the best local outdoor experiences are at your fingertips.
This is “expertly-curated” information, which means our local experts have selected their favorite spots for you. You won’t have to wade through dozens of options before making a choice; the 5 or 10 best local spots are right there, so you can pick one and get out there. If you need a piece of gear before heading out, you’ll be able to connect with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance retailers in that region — the same experts who’ve provided the content.
Here’s what Alpine Shop Marketing Director Todd Oswald had to say about the project:
“We’re already a hub of local knowledge for trails, paddling routes, and crags in the St Louis and Columbia regions. RootsRated will give us an innovative way to become the digital hub as well. We’re looking forward to giving our customers another resource to help them get outside themselves.”
RootsRated is going to empower adventurous people to find the most memorable experiences; this platform is the perfect resource for those in search of authentic local knowledge. Find your favorite local places to go and things to do with www.rootsrated.com.
This week’s list will help you welcome fall and Get Outside Yourself this weekend.
1) the Head and the Heart – Ninth Street Music Fest – Blue Note Theatre – Sat Sept 29th – Columbia, MO
This group’s open rustic sound will make you smile and sway as you appreciate the Head and the Heart’s salt of the earth presence on stage. Our favorite moment with them is this video at SXSW 2011, taped in Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop in Austin.
Join Alpine Shop’s own John Matthews for our monthly mountain bike ride! This Saturday you can find him at Cliff Clave park, ready to lead both beginners and intermediate cyclists out on the trails! Stop by in store or online to see our selection of Gore Bike gear to get outfitted for the day.
4) Girl’s 686 Paul Frank jackets and hoodies are adorable and perfect your little snowboarder! Pictured here is the Julius Illusion Insulated Jacket and the Julius Bonded Tech Fleece. We love Paul Frank’s Julius the Monkey!
Karen Bass is a British filmmaker who has travelled the world over to get that perfect shot. In this talk, she shows footage from her travels and talks about the technology and techniques she used to get it.
8) Men’s Marmot is looking snappy as always! Don’t forget to grab a Stanley thermos or mug to complete your manly outdoorsman look.
9) Oktoberfest! – Sept 22 – Oct 7th Germany
Bier trinkt man nicht nur zum Frühstück! or Beer is not just for breakfast anymore! Its the fall season and far as we’re concerned, beer season. Check out these four local breweries this week for delicious ales, lagers, food and fun!
10) Fall in love with our Men’s footwear section! We are stocking Sorel, Ugg and Merrell to cover your toes as the days get chillier. These styles can take you from the office to the trail all in one day.
Why does Alpine Shop recommend merino wool socks, specifically the Smartwool brand?
Merino wool is an extraordinary fiber that out-performs cotton and synthetics in several ways. Moisture management is superior. Merino will wick away sweat and won’t retain moisture meaning it keeps you comfortable in any weather condition no matter you’re activity level. This also means less stink, since there’s no moisture to trap odor-causing bacteria in the wool fibers.
Taking a rest at the top of Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, with my Smartwool Socks.
For a first-hand account on the benefits of Smartwool socks and merino wool, here’s a story from Alpine Shop’s Marketing Director, Todd Oswald:
The last time I was in Yosemite National Park, I experienced the benefits of Smartwool socks first-hand. Part of the fun involved with working at Alpine Shop is getting to try out new gear and I brought along a new pair of a competitor’s socks to try as I hiked to the top of Half Dome. Less than two hours into the 10-hour journey, these socks (a synthetic sock from a brand we no longer carry) were soaked in sweat and blisters were starting to form on my heel.
I took a brief break, took care of my feet and put on a pair of Smartwools that I had brought along as my back-up socks. Problem solved immediately. I made it to the top of Half Dome without a single blister forming after that. And even though the heat just kept increasing, my feet were dry and comfortable the entire time.
I haven’t worn a different brand of socks since.
If you’re looking to discover the benefits of Smartwool’s products, consider trying on a pair of Smartwool’s PhD socks. The 4 Degree Fit System is a four-point support system that provides an incredibly secure, comfortable fit around the heel, arch and instep. Translated: these socks won’t move around while you walk. They won’t fall down into your shoe. They won’t bunch up and cause blisters. In short, they stay where you want your socks to stay.
And even better, unlike many wool products, Smartwool socks can be throw in the washer and dryer without worrying about shrinking.
Smartwool has engineered all of their socks with details that will increase your comfort and enjoyment in all your everyday activities. If you haven’t tried a pair yet, we think you’ll be surprised at just how much you’ll love them.
Get a jump on the gorgeous fall weekends this season! Keep a watch for our weekly installment of 10 Things We Love in and around Alpine Shop, Kirkwood and Saint Louis at large.
1) Roots n Blues Festival – Columbia, MO Fri – Sept 21 and Sat Sept 22nd.
Love music, bbq and art all mixed with an eclectic college town culture? Then ride your bike into the heart of Downtown Columbia this weekend to check out this year’s Roots n Blues festival.The lively downtown vibe will ignite this weekend as likeminded folks gather for food, music and fun!
Its begun! Cyclocross season is heating up as the weather cools down. This raucous sport is as fun to watch as it is to race. Take the opportunity to check out the international racing scene as it comes to Saint Louis. Doesn’t hurt that its always fun to explore The Loop!
4) The North FaceSummit Series for Men – Exclusive clothing to keep you dry, warm and focused on your sport this season.
This new site is a hive of information about kid friendly activities in the outdoors in our great state! Explore this site and give your children a rich experience in a Missouri state park, out on the trail or just in your own backyard this fall.
6) Patagonia for Women – Neutral stripes and plaids made from tough materials are in for this early fall season.
Bring your four legged friend to Kirkwood this Saturday to see the dog parade at 9am and then shop around for fun toys and treats! Visit booths and vendors, see the farmers market! We personally invite you to come up to Alpine Shop and show off your pup, being a dog friendly establishment certainly has its perks!
8) Patagonia for Men – We love Patagonia plaids for men! Pair with a vest and jeans for a classic look.
Is your child interested in law enforcement? Sign up today to enjoy a 10 mile casual bike ride through historic Kirkwood to benefit Backstoppers and Kirkwood Police Explorers. Give back to these wonderful organizations and enjoy a crisp autumn morning outdoors with your loved ones.
“The Alpine Shop Kayaking on Big Rivers” trip on the Missouri River, Sunday, September 16 went very well. Including Alpine Shop staff and customers who used their own boats, we had 15 people in our group who paddled the 6 miles from the Highway 64 (Page Ave.) bridge to Blanchette Landing in St. Charles.
The weather was perfect and the scenery (as it always is on the big rivers) varied from vast beautiful sandbars and wilderness islands to close up views of the casinos and tugboat fleets. The 7 knot current made this run enjoyable for even those who had shorter recreational boats such as the Dagger Zydeco, but as is usual in bigger bodies of water, those in 16 ft. boats had to paddle very little to make good time. Viewing the remains of the wreck of the steamboat Montana from 1884 is always a big highlight of any trip on the Missouri at St. Charles.
All in all, a short but interesting paddle and despite a rather strenuous put-in off the Katy Trail everyone seemed to have a great time!
So what is cyclocross? From Carrie Cash, Alpine Shop Bike Shop Manager and Team Revolution Member, Cyclocross is a “Fast, “grass-crit” style course that is is much like running a cross country race but you get top pedal and coast. Where else can you ride your bike through a grass maze, dismount and step over steeples and remount to continue grinning from ear to ear as the cowbells ring and the crowd cheers?” Here at Alpine Shop, we’d call that a good time! Getting dirty, riding fast and pushing your physical limits are all a part of this sport that fosters camaraderie and good-natured heckling between competitors and spectators alike.
photo credit http://durhamcycles.com
Say again about that grass maze and those steeples? One of the unique aspects of Cyclocross is that it requires a combination of different skills. A rider must be able to dismount and remount their bikes smoothly and run while shouldering the bike, in addition to riding on both pavement and off road conditions. Because of this skill set and the brief distance of the race (averaging 30 mins), this sport provides cross training for spring/summer road cyclists and also a chance for beginners to try a new way to keep in shape.
If this sounds like a sport you just have to try, you’re in luck! This weekend Team Revolution is holding a beginner friendly clinic at Concordia Seminary Saturday Sept 15th from 8:30-12:30pm. Click here to register: http://www.teamrev.org/clinics
Carrie Cash will be in attendance and have a few examples of the top of line cyclocross specific bikes for sale from Redline. Be sure to say hi and let us know you’re interested!
Are you stressed, sitting at your desk, piles of paper surrounding you or hunched in front of your computer or TV? Well we think its time for you take RECESS! Keen Footwear is charging all of us with taking 10 minutes per day to reclaim childhood and get outside to play.
The sunlight has turned golden, the grass is still green and soft, the afternoons warm and inviting, the morning and evening has a slight chill.
Take a moment to breathe, move and feel yourself come alive again, just as you did not so long ago.
Pledge to do this not just today, World Recess Day, but everyday! Slow down, have gratitude and see the world just as it is, for what it is.
Introducing Angie Bono, Alpine Shop’s certified pedorthist and senior bootfitter. (We’ll explain what that means in just a second.) We asked her to give us some background on what she does and what she likes for fall in the footwear department at Alpine Shop.
Where does my passion for helping people with their feet come from?
Angie Bono – Certified Pedorthist and master morel hunter. Angie has helped hundreds of people across Missouri with all kinds of foot problems. Find out how she can help you today. (But, no, she won’t tell you where she found the morels.)
I have worked at Alpine Shop for 13 years. About three years into my employment here, the Shop sent me to a professional boot fitting class as part of its efforts to improve the quality of our service for our customers. That class taught me my first lessons about the biomechanics of the human foot, boot anatomy, how to dial in a fit and where the majority of common foot problems originate .
About the same time, my mom started having a terrible time with her feet, suffering from both plantar fasciitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome. She worked for 32 years at the phone company walking on concrete floors and climbing metal ladders. She always just wore a pair of simple white tennis shoes. Watching a loved one suddenly having to hobble around like an old woman because of excruciating pain just killed me.
Then a light went on: If I could help people with their feet through my job… Maybe they wouldn’t have end up with the same problems like my Mom!
I’ve spent the last eight years continuing to further my education and my skills regarding the footwear we sell here at Alpine Shop and the correct way to fit that footwear to best help our customers.
I’m now a Certified Pedorthist, which means I am a professional health care specialist dealing in the use of footwear and supportive devices to address conditions which affect the feet and lower limbs. I’m trained in the assessment of your lower limb anatomy and biomechanics, and also the appropriate use of corrective footwear, including shoes, shoe modifications, orthotics and other devices.
I’ve helped everyone from professional athletes to 70-year-old men just starting to hike to try to stay in shape. I’ve outfitted hundreds of boy scouts and helped many, many others along the way with everything from flip-flops to dress shoes. My passion is being able to help others with their feet. If I’d known back then what I know now, maybe I could have prevented my Mom’s problems from developing. Now, I’m here to help you!
Angie Bono C.Ped.
What’s cool this fall and winter in footwear?
How about the paint splatter pair?
From my closet to yours:
One of my favorite days of the retail year is when we get in our new Danskos. If you don’t have a pair yet; they will change your life. Eight different Dansko collections carry the American Podiatric Medical Association seal of approval. (That means they have been found beneficial to foot health.) As Alpine Shop’s Certified Pedorthist, senior boot fitter, and general “I can totally help you with your feet!” person, I LOVE Danskos.
This season’s fall lineup of Danskos looks really, really nice. And, by the way, some of the colors are in limited edition! Come in and get that pair of Paint Splatter; they won’t be here for long.
TNF Back to Berkley Boot
The COOLEST Men’s Winter Boots
The North Face Back to Berkley 68. It speaks of The North Face’s History and roots. BUT it doesn’t just look cool; it’s loaded with sweet features and EXTRA RED LACES!
It has Primaloft® insulation to keep your feet warm, and looking good!
The bottom of the shoe (the outsole) is made out of a temperature activated rubber, that gets harder as the temperature gets lower. It’s called IcePick® technology, because the rubber becomes spiky points that dig in to slippery snowy or icy terrain.
So: Good looking, super warm, and it bites into the weather conditions.
Trail Running. Salomon is where it’s at.
Salomon XR Mission Trail Run Shoe (blue) for women
These shoes are designed for slightly less technical trails than some of the previous options we have carried from Salomon. It is absolutely perfect for harder packed surfaces, like well defined trails in drier weather. It is bulked up with all of the cushioning that would take you from light trail to road runs.
This shoe has “muscle,” and by muscle I mean three areas of scientifically placed cushion that roll you through heel strike, mid foot stance, and on your toe-off phase of gait.
Lastly this shoe has an amazing fore-foot fit. (Say that three times fast!) It’s new to Salomon and it’s called Sensi-Fit. It’s a stretchy area in the forefoot that helps fits medium to a wider fore-foot. More importantly it allows the forefoot to expand naturally upon impact.
So far this is my favorite new Salomon, just ordered my pair yesterday in this color:
After nearly 18 months in development, Alpine Shop is celebrating the re-launch of its on-line presence at alpineshop.com.
With over 50 new features, including a completely redesigned home page, we’re trying to make it easier for you to find the outdoor recreation product, information or instruction you’re looking for, at any time.
“Our new site has reorganized and reformatted everything about alpineshop.com,” said eCommerce Manager Beverly McBrian. “We’ve been able to add great new features like product comparisons, gift registries, Paypal, Google Checkout, estimated shipping rates and and the ability to refine searches. I’m excited about how much more user friendly the new site is and what it offers our customers in product, information, and overall experience.”
We’ve made it easier and more fun to find the outdoor gear and clothing you’re looking for with new search functions at alpineshop.com.
All New Search Engine
One of the most important changes made at alpineshop.com concerns the navigation and search functions of the site. We knew from past experience that our old site just didn’t do the job. When we went to work with the designers and programmers at Celerant Technology—the company behind the new site—we spent an overwhelming amount of time reworking how a customer can shop with us on-line. We wanted it to feel like you were in an incredibly well-organized version of one of our retail locations.
Completely new navigation on all alpineshop.com pages help you find sale prices even faster.
Shop for Sales Without the Hassles
We also completely revamped the “Sale” portion of the site. Now you can simply pick a section of the store that you’re interested in finding discounted items in from the navigation across the top of the screen, from any page in the entire site.
More Information on Places to Go and Things to Do
One of the bigger changes to alpineshop.com is its integration with the information side of Alpine Shop. Our original website– which started back in 1992—featured all of our famous programs and events with almost no product information at all. When we launched the new e-commerce version of our site in 2010, much of that tradition disappeared. We have now integrated the new alpineshop.com more fully with our other information websites– blog-alpineshop.com, offroadracingleague.com, our on-line class registration system at alpineshop.webconnex.com and a new venture, RootsRated.com.
New integration with Alpine Shop’s blog at http://blog-alpineshop.com brings more information directly to you.
“Every website has the potential to make you a national brand,” Marketing Director Todd Oswald said. “But our focus and our passion lies with Missouri and Illinois where most of our customers live and play. What’s so exciting about this new site is it should really help make it easier for all of our customers to discover more to do. Whether it’s the information from blog-alpineshop.com, or all the races from the Off-Road Racing League, or even the newest site, RootsRated—which gives our users a chance to discover trails and trips throughout the region and beyond—we think we’ve got everything our customers need to discover themselves outdoors.”
Free Ship to Store
As another nod to our Midwest roots, Alpine Shop has also committed to offering Free “Ship-to-Store” services for all three of our locations now with this relaunch.
Faster than Ever
Finally, we hope you’ll notice immediately how much faster the new alpineshop.com is to use. Completely re-coded from the ground up, we can’t wait for you to give it a spin and let us know what you think. If you have any questions or comments about the new site, please let us know with a comment below.
The North Face mission is simple: To Enable Exploration. Our goal is to encourage outdoor participation at all levels and maximize that experience with premier gear and apparel. Our belief is that specialty outdoor dealers are the gateway to those experiences. Stores like Alpine Shop do more than just sell product, they serve as the local gathering place for those seeking advice for their next adventure.
Products like the Women’s Thunder Micro Jacket, or the Men’s Summit Thermal Jacket are among the Summit Series collection that you won’t find anywhere else, but at a Summit Dealer, like Alpine Shop.
That is why The North Face created the Summit Dealer Program. This program is designed to partner with the best outdoor specialty retailers in North America and to develop the strongest possible bond with those dealers. We view Summit Dealers as a part of our family- sharing our same brand values and goals.
Alpine Shop wasn’t just made a Summit Dealer. They earned it. They were handpicked to be a Summit Dealer because they epitomize what our brand is all about. Best-in-class outdoor gear and apparel. Period. From our athlete-tested, expedition-proven Summit Series apparel and equipment all the way down to our toddler outerwear collection, they strive to bring you our best products every season to protect you, no matter what your next adventure is.
We appreciate your continued support and for choosing to buy our products from a truly special local dealer.
Brian Masewicz
The North Face Sales Manager
Alpine Shop is proud to be the only Summit Dealer in the state of Missouri. (And yes, that includes The North Face store in St. Louis which is NOT a Summit Dealer.) That means that we carry an entire category of The North Face product that no one else has for more than 150 miles around us.
We look forward to helping you find the perfect apparel and/or equipment you need for your next great adventure. As The North Face says, “Never Stop Exploring.” And as Alpine Shop likes to say: “Get Outside Yourself.”
Outdoor guide site RootsRated is set to launch in partnership with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance retailer Alpine Shop this week to provide locals and visitors to the St. Louis area with a highly usable guide for discovering local experts’ favorite places for outdoor recreation.
