Ambre Tiggs of Ginkgo Adventures recommends her favorite gear to anyone interested in camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, and paddling. Ambre’s Picks include basic gear that is essential for most outdoor adventures.
Ambre founded Ginkgo Adventures, an outdoor adventure company based in St Louis in 2006. In addition to running Ginkgo Adventures she is also an adjunct instructor at Meramec, Wildwood, and St. Charles Community Colleges teaching Backpacking/Hiking and Camping/Paddling. Ambre is a Wilderness EMT and American Red Cross instructor in CPR, Standard First Aid, and Wilderness First Aid. She backpacks, rock climbs, canoes, kayaks (whitewater, sea, and flat water), mountain bikes and snowboards.
In the outdoor specialty retail world that we work in, our main industry magazine is known as SNEWS® (or Specialty News). Each year SNEWS and BACKPACKER Magazine award theirRetailer of the Year Awards. There are six different categories that retailers are honored in:
Sustainable Business
Community
Youth Involvement
Growth of Outdoor Sports
Conservation
Best Online Retailer
While we would put our standards up against others in almost all of these categories, our vision as a company is to see: “Generations Transformed Through Discovery Oudoors.” Those five words have driven Alpine Shop to truly dedicate itself over the past 37 years to the “Growth of Outdoor Sports” in St. Louis and the Midwest because of the physical, emotional and spiritual changes that the outdoors can bring to every one of us. And we like to think we’re doing a pretty good job of it. If you are one of the more than 4,000 people who have been a part of the 275 clinics or instructional classes we’ve put on in the past year, or if you participated this year in the Off-Road Racing League in either the Alpine Shop Short Track Dirt Crit Series or the Trail Run Series, we hope you agree. If you do, we’d humbly request that you put in a nomination for Alpine Shop as a Retailer of the Year in the category of “Growth of Outdoor Sports.”
The process is simple. Just visit www.snewsnet.com/roty and fill out the short entry form. We promise it doesn’t take very long and this type of recognition–and the interest and funding it can provide–would make it easier for us to continue to improve the events, programs and races that we already offer. Nominations are open now through October 1, 2011 and can be found at www.snewsnet.com/roty.
Thanks for taking the time to help. If you’re interested, below is the information we’ve provided as our own nomination.
“Generations Transformed Through Discovery Outdoors.”
That’s Alpine Shop’s vision and that vision drives our continued efforts to get more people of all ages active in the outdoors. Our dedication to the “Growth of Outdoor Sports” has never been more recognizable in our business than over the past 12 months. During that time period, this St. Louis-based outdoor recreation company has taken in nearly 4000 registrations for 275 educational and experiential programs designed to teach paddling, cycling, wilderness first aid, backpacking and much more across 13 different disciplines. 103 of those programs were absolutely free of charge to everyone in the community.
What’s even more impressive is that the 4000 registrations listed above don’t even include the attendance at Alpine Shop’s largest effort to grow outdoor sports in 2011: the Off-Road Racing League. The Off-Road Racing League includes Alpine Shop’s Short Track Dirt Crit Series of mountain bike races and the Trail Run Series held at a local state park in St. Louis. These two series, which feature a nine nights of outdoor racing in St. Louis, brought in a total of nearly 1200 registrations – including over 200 newcomers and kids – to the two disciplines. The Off-Road Racing League sold out each of five nights of racing for the mountain bike series and experienced 200% growth for the four races of the trail run series despite a St. Louis summer that registered seven record high temperatures throughout the months of July and August.
That’s truly putting our vision to work. And that’s also why believe we’re one of the best retailers in the country in bringing about the “Growth of Outdoor Sports.”
Check out offroadracingleague.com for more information on this series of races and see for yourself how Alpine Shop is helping to grow outdoor sports in St. Louis like never before. Or for more information on Alpine Shop’s complete list of clinics and programs, see alpineshop.com.
You can nominate Alpine Shop for a SNEWS/Backpacker Retailer of the Year by visiting www.snewsnet.com/roty.
I’ve recently gotten in to cycling, and like any new activity, I’m realizing there are products out there that could make it more enjoyable. I own more sunglasses than a person should, kind of an addiction actually, all however in the “fashion” category. I quickly realized I needed something more practical for riding and narrowed it down to two styles: the Smith Parallel, and the Oakley Jawbone.
Smith includes three lenses with this frame – the main style lens you choose along with Clear and their Ignitor lenses which are great for overcast days – while the Oakley’s come with two lenses – your main choice of lens along with a light grey option. Never underestimate how important it can be to be able to choose the best lens for your cycling conditions that day.
Price is another factor: the Parallel sits at $129 with just about any lens option- including polarized lenses. The Jawbones cost $200 with their base lenses while the polarized option adds another $60 to the price.
Sizing could also potentially slide someone’s decision. With Smith, you can choose among (from smallest to largest) the Parallel, Parallel Max, and Parallel D-Max. With this Oakley frame, you can choose between Oakley’s “standard” and “Asian” fits.
While both Oakley and Smith feature their own proprietary hydrophobic lens coatings which reduce smudges and repel water from the lenses, Oakley also offers their Transition® or photochromic lens option (at $260 as well) that changes the color of the lens from dark to light depending on outside light.
All in all, both are great frames for all types of cycling. If money wasn’t a factor, my decision may have been different, but I went with the Smith Parallels this time around. I’ll give you an update on them in the near future.
Outdoor Nation was a unique and exciting experience. The 2011 summit I attended took place in St. Paul, Minn. at the University of Minnesota – St. Paul and included about 95 young people ages 16 – 28 from all across the Midwest. While the majority of participants were from the Twin Cities-area there was also a large group of high school students from Chicago and representatives from as far away as Texas!
Issues and Concerns
We began the summit discussing obstacles that prevent youth from spending time outside. The issues brought up ranged from safety concerns in inner cities, to lack of outdoor education in school curriculum, to the rising dependence on technology. We discussed our concerns in broad terms, and through a series of 6 person discussions, followed by large-group votes, narrowed down our broad topics to specific issues we, as a whole, wanted to address. From these specific issues we broke into several small groups to come up with program ideas that we could then implement, and the top four ideas received seed money provided from Outdoor Nation to put their plans into action!
Decisions and Developments
It was neat to be involved in the decision process that lead to implementable, outdoor, youth programs. The four ideas chosen were all excellent and spanned a broad range of topics including: helping start community gardens, mentoring elementary and high school aged youth and trying to influence political leaders. The majority of the participants were from Minneapolis area, so all the programs developed were for that area, although each has the potential to expand to include other regions in the Midwest.
In addition to seeing the existing programs grow, I hope the summits move to new cities each year so they will continue to get a diverse group of participants and expand the reach of their programs throughout the country. I am very glad to have had the chance to participate in this program and to be involved in the initiatives that resulted from the summit, I am excited to see it grow in years to come!
If you’ve come to this page thinking you’re about to find an information-packed morsel of trail running goodness in St Louis, well you’re right. It just might not be the information you thought you were getting.
Register today for the Off-Road Racing League Trail Run Series
Instead, I’m going to share the five things you should know about participating in Alpine Shop‘s Trail Run Series – part of the Off-Road Racing League in St Louis. This series already has hosted four full nights of bike racing during July and now we turn to trail running for the month of August. (It’s all part of the big plan!) Our mission is nothing short of turning St. Louis into one of America’s Top 10 cities for outdoor activities.
1. Yes, we know it’s hot.
That’s why we’re trail running! We’ll be running in the shade most of the time on the great course that Big River Running Company has helped us set up. Even better – we’re going to run through a cool creek twice! Seriously, we know this time of year the temperature can be a real issue; but it doesn’t have to stop us from enjoying the great outdoors, getting some exercise and having some fun. Please bring water bottles or a CamelBak pack and participate at your own pace. And then enjoy the food and drink following the race.
2. Set your own pace.
We’ll have everyone from experts to flat out beginners in this series. How seriously you take it is up to you. For some of you, the only thing that will matter is finishing in the top 10. For others, the only thing that matters will just be finishing – period. Whatever your skill level, whatever your fitness level, this series is about having fun.
3. Have fun.
In the mountain biking part of this series, we’ve had guys dressed as cheerleaders, we’ve had people riding on tandems, we’ve had kids of all ages. If you feel like running in
The Off-Road Racing League is all about having fun
a costume – more power to you! If you want to race in a giant Fredbird costume (hint, hint Cardinals), we urge you to do so. If you’re more comfortable running in your trusted workout outfit, we happen to be St Louis Magazine’s A-List choice for athletic and workout gear (another hint, hint)! And after the race, The Wolf provides the food and New Belgium Brewery provides the adult beverages. All you have to do is enjoy yourself.
4. Get registered.
So what are you waiting for? If you sign up for the entire race series, you can save $10 on the price of the four races. The first race starts this Thursday, August 4 at 6 pm at Castlewood State Park. You can find out all the information you need here. Register today!
5. Spread the word.
Invite your friends to run with you. Help us turn this event into the party it should be. Help us celebrate the outdoor life in our great city of St Louis!
Alpine Shop will pay your sales tax on EVERYTHING in our stores beginning this Friday, July 29 through Sunday, August 7.
Why wait for the “Back to School” tax break? We’ve got “Back to – “Whatever you want to do” Savings going on right now!
It doesn’t matter to us if you’re shopping for Back to School, Back to the River, Back to the Trail or Back to the Ski Lift. Just fill in whatever you want to get back to for yourself. Whatever you’re shopping for, we’ll take care of the sales tax for you starting Friday, July 29 through August 7.
And when we say EVERYTHING, we mean EVERYTHING.
This is not just good on backpacks or clothes. Need a new bike to get to school (or to get on the trail)? Pay absolutely no tax on it when you purchase it from us before Aug. 7. Are you thinking you just need to get a new kayak? No Tax! Skis for this winter’s trip to the mountains? No tax! EVERYTHING is tax free.
Alpine Shop’s Save Your Sales Tax Week starts Friday, July 29 at all Alpine Shop stores and on-line at alpineshop.com. Don’t get caught waiting – it only goes through Sunday, Aug. 7.
* Discount on receipt reflects normal sales tax amount.
For our customers in the market for a new Wilderness Systems kayak, like maybe the Tsunami kayak we use in our instructional courses, or the fishing-centered Tarpon, this last weekend of July is your final chance to take advantage of up to $100 in rebates.
If you’d like to take advantage of the deal, come in to Alpine Shop‘s Kirkwood or Columbia locations and pick out the Wilderness Systems kayak you like. We’ll print out the rebate form for you (or you can print the copy below) and make sure you have it filled out correctly. Then, just mail in the form with the correct proof of purchase by August 30, 2011 to claim your cash!
We all know about the doping scandals that have rocked (and continue to rock) the cycling world through recent history. With that said, the 2011 Tour de France has turned out to be an absolutely riveting race – yes, quite possibly even for those of you who have absolutely no interest in a Tour without Lance.
In 2011, we haven’t sat back and said “So, when will Lance make his move.” Instead, it’s been “How long can Thomas Voeckler hold onto the yellow?” Evidently, Voeckler himself keeps forgetting that he was supposed to have fallen out of the race for the yellow jersey long, long ago. It’s like the bike race version of the Little Engine that Could. In Thursday’s brutal stage which featured 17,000 feet of climbing including the highest summit in Tour history at the top of the Galibier, the little Frenchman somehow managed to stay in the yellow by just 15 seconds.
Today’s stage 19 features the famous l’Alpe d’Huez, featuring its 21 historic hairpin turns with an average of 7.9 percent grade up nearly 14 kilometers.
With just three stages (including today’s final mountain stage) left in the tour, everything is still up for grabs. If you haven’t been watching the coverage on Versus or following the action live at a site like Velo News, you’ve still got a chance over the last two days to witness some incredible racing.
And, you can check out some gorgeous Specialized road bikes (and mountain and hybrid bikes) at Alpine Shop as well!
Finally, don’t miss out on the rest of the Alpine Shop Short Track Dirt Crit Series at Castlewood State Park next Thursday, July 28! The best mountain bike racing in the Midwest for experts all the way to pure beginners has become the premier bike race in St. Louis. See you there!
What began as a Webster Groves climbing shop in 1973 has expanded into three locations and been recognized as one of the nation’s top 25 independent outdoor specialty retailers. Talk about ascending to new heights.
We’re extremely honored to be not only included in this list, but also to be the readers’ top pick. We have always worked to give our customers the best selection in everything from expedition gear to everyday wear. Evidently we’re doing something right featuring great products from brands such as: Patagonia,The North Face, Marmot, Smartwool, Icebreaker, SkirtSports, Under Armour, Vibram Five Fingers and many, many more.
While we’re obviously pleased, we also realize that to keep our standing as St. Louis’ best choice for workout and athletic gear we need to continue to maintain our own high standards. If you have recommendations for products or brands you’d like to see us carry, please let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
If you’d like to take a look at some of the athletic gear and workout wear we carry in our stores for both men and women, we invite you to take a look either on-line at alpineshop.com or at any of our three locations.
Youth involvement – or lack of involvement – in the great outdoors represents a growing challenge for our nation. As kids concentrate more and more on indoor activities and parents continue to confine their kids to the indoors in fear of potential dangers to their children, an entire generation of Americans is losing its connection with the wild.
We’ve covered this topic before on this blog, with links to information on nature-deficit disorder and the best-selling book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. The U.S. government introduced the Let’s Move campaign in 2010 to fight childhood obesity with a major component titled simply Let’s Move Outside. These issues are well documented and solutions can seem to be few and far between.
Outdoor Nation is part of a movement by America’s young adults themselves to combat these issues. In June of 2010, the first Outdoor Nation Summit convened in New York City attended by over 500 delegates from all 50 states. The result of the two-day event was:
…a solid commitment to break down the barriers to the outdoors – not just for (young adults), but for everyone. We love to prove the stereotypes false!
In “official” terms,
Created by The Outdoor Foundation and supported by a diverse coalition of public, private and not-for-profit partners, Outdoor Nation and its community of Outsiders are committed to increasing and expanding youth participation through entertainment, education, engagement and action – especially among urban communities and communities of color – resulting in a healthier, more active generation.
In 2011, five Outdoor Nation summits across the nation are scheduled for the months of June and July. Alpine Shop-Columbia’s Liza Babington was selected as one of the 250 delegates to the Twin Cities Summit held this past weekend in Minneapolis, Minn. In the next week, we’ll be posting her reaction to the experience. Stay tuned!
