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Cripple Creek BC

Profiling Three Specialized Skimo Stores in North America

November 23, 2017 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Not long ago, all of North America was struggling to buy light ski mountaineering and ski touring gear. We were ordering online from Europe, dealing with language barriers, and hoping nothing breaks because the warranty process would be lengthy.
Another big issue was, getting our light weight bindings properly mounted once the gear arrived.
That has changed completely as today, there are three specialized light-weight ski mountaineering and touring shops in North America with both an online and brick-and-mortar presence:

  • Skimo.co in Salt Lake City, UT, USA
  • CrippleCreekBC.com in Carbondale and Vail, CO, USA
  • SkiUphill.ca in Canmore, AB, Canada

Over the last couple of months, we visited all three and found that while they have lots of similarities they also have subtle differences that make them unique. All three stores are full of similar gear and have people that share a passion for moving fast in the mountains and having fun, the differences become apparent as soon as you walk inside.
We like all three and we encourage you to visit them in person when you get a chance.

Inside the Stores

Skimo.co

» Online store at http://skimo.co
Skimo.co founder, Jason Borro, comes from IT background which translates into his store’s look and vibe as being very organized and orderly. His obsession with technical and engineering detail means that the binding mounting bench is basically the centre of the store.
skimo-co-ski-wall
Skis on the ski wall are alphabetically ordered by brand and then width, in general kept under 100mm wide. The variety and abundance of choice of very light gear comes from his passion for efficiency, whether that be writing code or skiing in the mountains.

Eric Bunce, second in command, setting me up with Aski demo skis.
Eric Bunce, second in command, setting me up with Aski demo skis.
People that work in the store are as equally passionate about the same things as Jason. This is perhaps no coincidence. The overall vibe is calm yet enthusiasm for light & fast is high. The store’s technical expertise is phenomenal.

Cripple Creek Backcountry

» Online store at https://www.cripplecreekbc.com
When you visit Randy Young and Doug Stenclik’s store in Carbondale, CO you quickly realize that while passion for light gear is definitely there these guys took a more “cowboy” approach – coffee machine and beer on tab reflects their social and high energy personalities.
ccbc-store-2
Each product in their store has a little more room than at Skimo.co and the whole floor is more loosely organized. The mounting bench is at the back of the store yet still very present and busy – it’s integrated into the bar! If you are into fatter skis, specifically DPS, then this is your candy store.
ccbc-store-1
Last winter, Randy and Doug opened another store in Vail but we haven’t had a chance to visit yet so make sure you do.

SkiUphill.ca

» Online store at https://skiuphill.ca
This new kid on the block was founded only this year and is a child of Joel Desgreniers (avid racer) and Gavin Harmacy (ski mountaineering practitioner). As rumor has it, Skimo.co is an investor in this venture so expect close collaboration between the two as they will try to fulfill every customer’s expectation.
skiuphill-store-2
Their brick-and-mortar store is located in Canmore, Alberta. This town is more known for alpinism and ice climbing but is a home to plenty of fit and fast people searching for lighter gear to accomplish bigger and faster days in the mountains.
The vibe and overall feel of the store actually feels like a blend of their two older siblings in US – very organized but also relaxed with an espresso machine handily available.
skiuphill-store-1
The selection of gear is performance and light weight focused, and just like Skimo.co they offer plenty of choice from boutique European brands like Movement and Ski Trab for skis. They also carry a sizable stock of trail running gear including shoes, running vests and clothing.

Service Quality and Community Involvement

As the article title suggests, we are talking about these three stores because they understand the gear they sell as well as striving to provide the best service possible. People in each store have a unique touch in different areas but in the end they share passion for the outdoors and skiing.
Furthermore, all three stores are heavily involved in their communities and committed to provide entertainment and learning opportunities for local enthusiasts and passing by travelers.
Visit them whenever you can and support the community, together it will grow faster.

Filed Under: Gear, Tech & Food Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, skimo racing gear, Skimo.co, SkiUphill

Two Winners of SkinTrack's November Contest and $250 Prize Packages

December 4, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Until the very last day, entries were coming in for the SkinTrack November Gear Contest that we ran from Nov 1st to Nov 30th. Today, thanks to our gracious partners we are announcing the two lucky winners.
november-gear-contest-sponsors

Prizes and the Winners

The  total value of each prize packaged was $250 and included:

  • SkiMo 8 racing vest from Ultimate Direction ($100 value)
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online for Hagan Ski Mountaineering gear
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at CrippleCreekBC.com
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at Skimo.co

From over 200 hundred participants the random generator selected these two winners:

  • Steffie who mostly skis and trains in Utah, USA
  • and Ian who usually skis in Vermot, USA

Thank you everyone for participating and congratulations to Steffie and Ian –  we will be in touch with both of you via email!

Next Contest

Keep an eye on SkinTrack’s social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter  – as we are getting already getting ready for another contest 😉

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, Gear, Hagan, Skimo.co, Ultimate Direction

SkinTrack November Gear Contest: Win One of Two $250 Packages

November 1, 2016 By Stano Faban

This gear contest is closed now. We will announce the winner in next few days.
Keep checking back as we will host another contest soon!

With support from these awesome companies, we want to help you get outfitted for your training and adventures in the new ski season.
Take advantage of this opportunity and make your ski budget last longer!

Contest runs from November 1 to November 30, 2016.

november-gear-contest-sponsors

Prizes for 2 winners:

Here are the contents of a prize package two of you will win:

We helped UD to design the new SkiMo 8 vest.
We helped UD to design the new SkiMo 8 vest.
  • SkiMo 8 racing vest freshly released by Ultimate Direction ($100 value)
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online for Hagan Ski Mountaineering gear
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at CrippleCreekBC.com
  • $50 gift certificate to shop online at Skimo.co

That is a total value of $250 per package!

How to participate + Rules:

It’s very simple to get a shot at the prizes in stake:

  1. Enter the contest between November 1 and November 30, 2016.
  2. One entry per person.
  3. Answer all questions and fill out all fields using the form below.
  4. Two winners will be chosen and announced by December 4 (Sunday) on our website, and contacted through email.
  5. Each winner will win the prize package detailed above.

Let’s do this:

This contest ended on November 30, 2016 and the winners were announced here.

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, Gear, Hagan, Skimo.co, Ultimate Direction

WIN SkiMo Gear Package: CAMP Rapid 260 race pack + Pomoca Pro Race Skins!

November 5, 2013 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

ccbc-contest-promo-nov-2013
 

 

Mark Koob is the winner
of CAMP Rapid 260 pack and 3.5 m of Pomoca skins!

 
 
To help you gear up for your first race or to upgrade your current gear SkinTrack has partnered with CrippleCreekBC.com on this great skimo gear contest with a prize value of $200!
All answers to the quiz below can be found on Cripple Creek Backcountry website and some also in our recent interview with them.

Easy to enter:

Step 1 – Answer the 3 question quiz below.
Step 2 – Let your friends know about this contest page via Facebook or Twitter.

Simple rules:

  1. Complete the 2 steps before midnight Sunday, November 17, 2013.
  2. Send your answers only once.
  3. The winner will be announced on SkinTrack’s Facebook page by Tuesday, November 19, 2013 and later on this page as well.
  4. Contest is open to anyone outside of US and Canada but the prize can be shipped only to a US or a Canadian address.

Cripple Creek Backcountry store quiz:

» The contest is closed now.

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways Tagged With: CAMP Rapid 260, Cripple Creek BC, Pomoca Pro Race Skins

Interview with Cripple Creek BC ski mountaineering store owners Doug Stenclik and Randy Young

November 2, 2013 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Four weeks ago you had a chance to read the very first store owner interview on Skintrack as I spoke to Jason Borro of Skimo.co.
Today, the spotlight is on the two owners of the Cripple Creek BC store and their website – CrippleCreekBC.com. Doug and Randy also choose to specialize on light & fast ski mountaineering gear which means more choice than ever for all North American ski mountaineers.
Q: You are a small store but you sell online as well. Where are you based?
cripple-creek-bc-thumb
Doug: We are at the foot of the Elk Mountains in Carbondale, Colorado just down valley from Aspen.
Q: For how long have you been open?
Randy: This dream has been about 4 years in the making. Doug and I were in different states and very different jobs and out of frustration with gear selection we decided this sport needed its own dedicated shop.
We were incorporated within the year and after a lot of grunt work we were officially open for business at the start of 12/13 season.
Q: Who are the people behind the store? Do you also rando race or only ski tour?
Doug: We are both avid rando racers. To commemorate the decision to officially go into business we did the Power of Four race as partners. After nearly 12,000 feet and 26 miles of racing we were still friends so it seemed like we’d have a chance in business.
Randy: I would also like to say Doug is a real sweet dude and while starting this business and waiting tables at night he still had the energy to race in nearly every COSMIC event in Colorado as well as the national championship in Jackson Hole. For me, on a good year I take on the Grand Traverse and sometimes even finish it.

Doug racing the Power of Four.
Doug racing the Power of Four.
Q: What are your backgrounds?
Randy: I worked at Surefoot as a boot fitter for a couple of seasons and at an outdoor equipment store in Aspen before we started Cripple Creek.
Doug: I also started at Surefoot and then The Gear Exchange in Burlington, VT and then onto Oregon Mountain Community before moving to Carbondale.
Randy and Doug have draft beer right in their new store.
Randy and Doug have draft beer right in their new store.
Q: Are you involved in any races as an organizer or a supporter?
Doug: Last year I helped Pete Swenson set the course for the Heathen Challenge at Sunlight Mountain. This year we’re officially taking the race over and hope to run even more COSMIC events in future years.
Randy: We also want to get new racers that may not know just yet how much they like wearing Lycra. We started a town series race at Sunlight last year, this year upping it to 6 races along with weekly training/recreational group skins.
Q: What gear do you focus on? And what brands do you carry gear from?
Doug: Our passion is taking it real deep. In skiing that means we take it deeper into the backcountry for bigger tours and higher peaks and lightweight gear from brands like La Sportiva, Dynafit, Scarpa, Ski Trab and Hagan are what we like to get us there. We also support other brands that are still on the light end of the spectrum, but appeal to those looking for hard charging equipment.
cripple-creek-store-skis
Q: Do you have gear packages? Thus people can save money.
We work with customers on an individual basis to get them in the best setup for their budget.  This is true in our shop in Carbondale and world wide through our website. We have a survey on our site to start the conversation, but we bend over backwards, through trade-ins and wild combinations to get people in lighter gear.
Q: You carry lots of bindings and all are Tech (Dynafit) technology based. Is that on purpose or just a coincidence?
Doug: Randy and I both started on plate bindings and although it got us started on touring it wasted money and time dealing with busted gear. I was so frustrated popping out of my Naxo bindings on kick turns and having them explode on the downhill, I almost never saw a second season.  We hope that by strictly carrying tech bindings we can help avoid that rough learning curve.
Randy: We have seriously considered a used car salesman campaign “We pay cash for your plate bindings”, then get them on tech fit and bury the rest at sea.
Q: What are your future goals for Cripple Creek Backcountry?
Doug: We want to take our dedication specialty that we’re able to offer to people locally to the whole country through our website – CrippleCreekBC.com – especially for those that don’t have a gear shop in their hometown.
boots-at-cripple-creek-store
austera-peak-north-cascades

Filed Under: People (Interviews) Tagged With: Cripple Creek BC, Doug Stenclik, Randy Young, skimo race gear, The Power of Four

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About SkinTrack

Travelling through snowy mountains on skis is like flying… and experiencing life at its core.

Gear reviews, interviews, adventures, contests, skills, skimo training, race reports – we connect you to all things related to self-propelled skiing.

SkinTrack.com, created by Stano Faban, was born out of passion for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular ski mountaineering blogs in North America.

Recent Articles

  • Kilian Jornet Interview: About His New Foundation, His Own Environmental Impact, and How He Wants To Help Athletes and The Outdoor Industry To Protect Nature
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