“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.”
The second week of Alpine Shop’s Off-Road Racing League Trail Run Series hit Castlewood State Park on Thursday, August 9. 117 racers took part in the 3.3 mile course in Southwest St. Louis County. Here’s the full story.
Find out more about this great series created by Alpine Shop at offroadracingleague.com and be ready to join us for the next three Thursdays!
127 racers joined us last night for the opening run of the Trail Run Series. Join us next Thursday and see why Thursday’s belong to Castlewood State Park during the summer in St. Louis
As one part of our Off-Road Racing League series comes to a close, the second kicks into gear. Mountain bike racing finished off the Alpine Shop Dirt Crits on Thursday, August 2, completing six weeks of racing. While it was finishing up, the Trail Run Series got a jump out of the gate with 127 racers entered in the race.
Interested in joining us next week (or any other Thursday throughout July)? Just check out offroadracingleague.com for more details.
We actually came up with a sale so crazy, we found out it was truly illegal. True story.
You can figure it out. Say it out loud.
We’ve been informed that we would be breaking a new Missouri law if we ran the sale promotion we advertised earlier this week in our e-mail. So in order to make sure we’re on the right side of the good citizen line, we want to introduce you to our new promotion: “Save a Certain Percentage on Everything in our Stores for 10 Days!”(Otherwise known as the “We Don’t Want to Break the Law” Sale.)
Want to know the exact amount of the discount on absolutely everything in the store?Just come in to any Alpine Shop location and ask! Or visit alpineshop.com and see what discount pops up Friday, July 27 through Sunday, August 5!
This is not just good on backpacks or clothes. Need a new bike to get to school (or to get on the trail)? Now’s your chance to save on absolutely everything in our store. Are you thinking you just need to get a new kayak? Save now! Skis for this winter’s trip to the mountains? Save again! Like we said, you’ll “Save a Certain Percentage (depending on where you live) on Everything in our Stores for 10 Days!”
This incredible (and formerly illegal) promotion starts Friday, July 27, 2012 at all Alpine Shop stores and on-line at alpineshop.com. Don’t get caught waiting – it only goes through Sunday, Aug. 5 (and provided we don’t get arrested before then).
Alpine Shop Kirkwood welcomes you on Saturday, July 14, from 8 am to 9 pm for our part of Downtown Kirkwood’s Sidewalk Sale. We’ll have refreshments out front under the awning along with a BIG selection of clothing and gear all at drastically reduced prices.
