Alpine Shop Blog

November 11, 2011

Help Us Collect 2000 Coats in 21 Days Starting November 14

UPDATE: As of Sunday, December 5, we are up to 800 coats collected. So, we are extending the deadline to this coming Sunday, Dec. 11. You have one more week to donate a gently used coat or sweater at any of our stores and receive a 15% Off coupon for one clothing item for each and every coat you donate. If we get the same sort of response this week that we did just this past weekend, we may get over our 2000 coat goal and pull names for four $100 Alpine Shop gift cards.

In November of 2010, Alpine Shop decided to put a call out to the St. Louis and Columbia communities with one goal in mind: collect 1000 coats in 30 days to donate to those in need during the winter months. We had gathered 373 jackets the year before and had been dismayed to discover just how many people were still left out in the cold.

The response last year was nothing short of amazing. Over 2000 coats, jackets and sweaters for all ages and genders were donated at our three stores. Here’s some footage from last year’s efforts:

The 2011 Drive Begins Monday, November 14

This year, once again, we’ve teamed up with the national organization One Warm Coat to help collect clean, gently used coats. And this year, we’ve raised the goal to 2000 coats. Except, we’re going to try to do it in less time than ever before. Last year, we were still trying to collect coats when one of the worst cold-snaps of the year hit us. We don’t want that to happen again. So this year, we’ll be collecting for 21 days—from Monday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, December 4 at all three Alpine Shop locations.

To help reach the goal, Alpine Shop is offering a free coupon for 15% off the purchase of a new jacket or clothing item in their stores for every jacket or sweater donated. If we hit our goal of 2000 donated coats, Alpine Shop will celebrate by giving away $100 gift certificates to four lucky coat donors.

Alpine Shop has made donating simple. Just bring your clean, gently used coats and jackets to any Alpine Shop location. Bring your coats inside the store and check them in with one of the store’s outfitters to make sure you receive your coupons and get entered into the drawing. Then, Alpine Shop and One Warm Coat take care of the rest. Donated coats will be split among organizations in St. Louis, including: Sunshine Ministries, St. Patrick Center, Coats for Kids and Edgewood Children’s Center.

“As much as we love being outside, we also know this time of year can be hard on families struggling to simply stay warm,” says Russell Hollenbeck, Alpine Shop owner. “We know our communities will do everything they can to help. We’re just trying to do our part.”

About One Warm Coat

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization that supports and encourages coat drives. It helps individuals, groups, companies and organizations across the country collect coats and deliver them to local agencies that distribute the coats free to people in need. More than one million coats have been provided to those in need at no cost since its inception in 1992.

November 9, 2011

Smith Variant Brim Helmet Sets Standard for Snowsport Helmet in 2011

Looking to protect your noggin while heading down the slopes this year? Alpine Shop‘s snowsport buyer, Jake White, wanted to give you a look at one of the best options out there for you in 2011.

I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about one of the best-fitting ski or snowboard helmets on the market this year, the Smith Variant Brim. When shopping for protective headwear designated for alpine conditions certain features give you peace of mind and this helmet has all of them. First and foremost, it needs to be extremely comfortable. If it’s not, you’ll take it off at every opportunity. The helmet also needs to have a great adjustment system to be able to custom-fit to your head, as it needs to fit as tight as it can without creating pressure points. Another important feature is venting. Helmets in most cases replace any type of hat you would use to keep your head warm and being able to let some air in without taking it off can be a beautiful thing.

The Variant has one of the best “out of the box” fits I’ve ever experienced. It uses Smith’s hybrid shell construction which has proven to be the best way to fuse the inner and outer materials of the helmet together. (It is not an easy thing for these companies to do without compromising the feel of the helmet.)

The company has also contracted Boa Cable Technologies for the sizing/adjustment system. This gives the fit system greater capabilities to adapt to your noggin by increasing the number of contact points the size-ring draws from, not to mention it’s hard to get more durable than a Boa Cable.

The air flow/venting system for this helmet is outstanding and one of a kind. The vents are on the tops and sides of the helmet with a switch for each of the two regions that operate individually. Each side has three positions: open, half-way and closed. That equals a ton of cooling/warming options for you while you’re on the slopes.

By integrating these features, Smith has, in my opinion, mastered the equation involved in making a helmet. Whether its replacing that old one that doesn’t fit like you want it to, or buying your first helmet, Smith has made it an easy choice.

–Jake White

November 8, 2011

Our Big “Take 20% Off Almost Everything” Sale Starts This Thursday – 4 Days ONLY

Take 20% Off almost everything* in our stores – and on AlpineShop.com – four just four days starting Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011.

When you say “almost everything,” what exactly do you mean?

We mean exactly what we say. You can take 20% off nearly everything we have in our stores and that means skis,boats, camping gear, clothing, footwear and more. If you don’t see something on-line that you’re interested in, please call us at 888-347-2879. We have a huge inventory of products, and many are not yet on-line.

There are fewer than 15 brands across our entire inventory that are excluded from this promotion and they include all clothing and/or gear from The North Face, Go Pro, Yakima, K2, Ride, Burton, Spyder, 686, Line, Smith Optics and ALL bike or stroller products.

How do I get my discount on alpineshop.com? You use the coupon code below!

If you’re shopping on-line, add your items to your cart and begin the check-out process. After you’ve entered all your shipping information, you will be given the opportunity to enter a discount code on the “Checking Out” page. Add discount code 20ALMOST and hit submit. You’ll get an updated total with all your discounts applied.

If you’re shopping in our stores, you don’t have to do a thing. Just bring your purchases to the cash register and our cashiers will take care of everything for you. (They’re sweet like that.)

*Exclusions:

Yeah, we know, we’re not a fan of exclusions either. And as much as we want to give you the very best possible deals, if we want to stay in business, we have to follow some guidelines. So here they are:

Offer good for four days only, 11/10 through 11/13/2011. Absolutely no exceptions.

Excludes all clothing and/or gear from The North Face, Go Pro, Yakima, K2, Ride, Burton, Spyder, 686, Line, Smith Optics and ALL bike or stroller products. Also, promotion excludes all previous purchases, gift cards, Alpine Shop clinics and any boat or ski package deals. Sale price limited to in-stock items only. 20% discount will NOT be added to previously discounted prices (.97 and .98 prices) and discount may not be combined with any other coupons or discounts.

October 31, 2011

Free $52 Gift Certificate with Purchase of $148 of The North Face Through 11/6

The first six days of November will bring some great deals to fans of The North Face brand at Alpine Shop. From the first to the sixth, any purchase total of $148 made up entirely of The North Face merchandise will receive a $52 gift certificate good for anything in a future purchase at Alpine Shop.

The North Face Denali Jacket, Cat's Meow BX Sleeping Bag — Either one of these items from The North Face, the Denali Jacket (for men and women) and the Cat's Meow BX Sleeping Bag, will earn you a Free Gift Certificate.

So, whether you earn that FREE gift certificate with one TNF Denali Jacket or a Cat’s Meow BX Sleeping Bag;

Add these items up (The North Face Peruvian Corded Beanie, Half Dome Hoodie, Etip Gloves and 100 TKA Microvelour Pants) and you hit your $148 target to a Free $52 Gift Certificate.

or maybe you spread the TNF joy out a little and grab a hat, pants, gloves and hoodie like this Peruvian Cable Beanie Cap, these TKA 100 Microvelour Women’s Pants, a pair of these Etip Gloves that enable you to use your touchscreen phone while still wearing your gloves, and finally this Half Dome Hoodie to fill out our bill and grab yourself a $52 gift certificate for later on this holiday season.

A few notes on this promotion: Deal good through Sunday, 11/6/11. Limit 4 gift certificates per customer. $148 equals pre-tax total on The North Face brand clothing and gear. Gift card only good for future purchases. Previous purchases not eligible for deal. Return of goods purchased in order to receive certificate will result in forfeiture of certificate. Gift Certificate expires on 12/31/11.

See you in the Shop – or online at alpineshop.com.

October 28, 2011

Ski Like a Girl Weekend Will Be Rescheduled

The best laid plans and all of that… Due to Cardinal Circumstances beyond our control (and evidently beyond the Rangers’ control as well), we have decided to reschedule the entire slate of the Ski Like a Girl Weekend activities. If you already signed up for a custom fit with us this weekend, our Certified Pedorthist Angie Bono would love to take care of you at your scheduled time – as she does for hundreds of other customers – according to the same principles of Jeannie Thoren’s Thoren Theory.

Thanks for your understanding.

October 26, 2011

Ski Like a Girl! – Jeannie Thoren Visits Alpine Shop

NOTE: Friday Night’s Reception has been canceled due to the Cardinals’ miraculous comeback that has forced Game 7 of the World Series. Refund information will be updated Friday morning. Custom fits during the weekend are all still on schedule.

Ladies, does this sound like you?
Do your skis wander or cross? Do your heels lift up in your boots? Do your feet move in your boots? Do you lean back on your skis? Do you fatigue easily? Do your feet get cold or tired? Do you ski “Knock-kneed?”

Guess what? It’s not you. It’s your equipment!

Jeannie Thoren's Ski Like a Girl Weekend at Alpine Shop — Known throughout the skiing world, Jeannie Thoren is one of the world's foremost experts when it comes to women's ski equipment.

Women’s ski expert Jeannie Thoren will be on hand for Alpine Shop’s Ski Like a Girl Weekend beginning with our reception and program Friday night October 28 at 6:30 pm to help you find answers to your skiing questions.

Thoren is a living legend of the women’s ski movement. A competitive skier herself back in the late 1960s and 70s, Thoren was one of the first to notice that the physical differences between men and women required completely different ski equipment. Over 40 years of work in the field have finally seen Thoren’s expertise adopted by the ski world; but it still requires experts in the field that understand the principles of the Thoren Theory to make sure your equipment works perfectly for you. On Friday, Oct. 28, she’ll explain exactly what you need to make sure you’re ready for the ski season ahead of you.

Letter from happy customer. — Letter from a satisfied customer from one of Jeannie's previous visits.

Thoren is no stranger to Alpine Shop, either. She has made the trip to St. Louis to work with our customers numerous times. And she has helped hundreds of them go on to be more confident and more comfortable skiers.

Find out more about the Ski Like a Girl Weekend at Alpine Shop here!

October 21, 2011

2010 Winter Swap Friday – 12 Hours in 80 seconds Video

Tonight, we open the tent for Alpine Shop’s 18th Annual Winter Swap at 7 pm. One of the best parts of this day is watching the line of excited people grow around the side of the building. Here’s some time-lapse footage from last year’s Winter Swap to give you an idea of what we’re talking about.

Enjoy! (And we’ll see you tonight. What time are you getting here?)

October 20, 2011

Swap Tent Preview: Thursday Edition (1 More Day!)

Alpine Shop’s 18th Annual Winter Swap Tent continues to fill up with our customers’ used skis, snowboards, bikes, boats, camping gear and clothing. You have one more day – until 4 pm on Friday, October 21 to get your own gear checked-in for this event. You can find more information on the Swap here. And for our Columbia customers, Swap is going on there, as well!

Don’t forget, while the tent opens at 7 pm tomorrow night for used gear sales and clearance items, Alpine Shop’s new gear sales will start at all three Alpine Shop locations first thing in the morning. Want to see what’s on sale? Take a peek at our new gear sales here.

While everyone breathlessly awaits 7 pm tomorrow to enter the tent and find this year’s best deals, here’s one more sneak preview at what we have inside.

October 19, 2011

Swap Tent Preview: Wednesday Edition

Most of the time during Swap week, we can’t give you any sort of real peek at the secret holdings of the Swap Tent until Thursday or so. That’s because we haven’t started accepting used gear from our customers until Wednesday morning. This year, however, two things have really changed all of that for us and for you: First of all, we opened up the check-in process on Monday, and secondly, we’re accepting both our traditional winter gear AND our traditional spring gear for the first time ever at the same Swap.

And that means, that this Tent Preview: Wednesday Edition actually can give you a pretty good idea of just how big the 2011 Winter Swap will be.

Just a reminder, you need to check-in your used gear (if you’re interested in selling) by 4 pm on Friday, Oct. 21! Don’t miss out.

Friday night, the tent opens at 7 pm. Find more information here, including admission costs.

October 18, 2011

Cold World Series Games = Warm Red Jackets

Now that St Louis is officially in the grips of World Series madness, you have to get ready to cheer on the Cardinals in some pretty chilly weather conditions. Never fear—Alpine Shop has red jackets in stock just for this purpose! (OK, maybe not just for this purpose, but it works anyways.)

So, take your pick from some of these awesome Cardinal color cover-ups so you can stay warm and cozy while you’re waving your rally squirrel towels in downtown St Louis or wherever you cheer the Cardinals from.

And most importantly, bring home a win!