Cripple Creek Backcountry — Our Local Ski Shop
Last evening at the opening of Cripple Creek Backcountry ski shop here in Carbondale. The quiver. That's Trab over on the right, and Hagan. DPS is in there and our locally custom made Meier skis. Cripple Creek is a specialty retailer along the lines of what we see occasionally in Europe, a small intimate shop with select brands and superb service from employees and owners who use and know their products. It's a retail model I like, but no doubt is hard to sustain.
It’s always been strange not to have a core backcountry skiing retailer here in our little Colorado berg with a ton of ski mountaineers and rando racers in the area. More, being a ski blogger without a nearby ski shop to work with on occasion has been a hassle. No more. Now we’ve got a nice specialty retailer nearby we can send people to and work with when it comes to things like ski testing and boot fitting. Cripple Creek Backcountry had their grand opening last evening. The usual suspects showed up. Fun to see the snenergy (snow energy) in full force. I think most of the folks had seen our ski burning video and thus knew we were up for an excellent season. So, congratulations to our new retailer!
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18 Responses to “Cripple Creek Backcountry — Our Local Ski Shop”
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See!
Two DPS skis in that photo….they obviously know what they are doing unlike your WS quiver sticker awards.
I’m never going to forgive you burning those Yvettes…just so as you know!
Yeah, all I can do is depend on receiving forgiveness. Perhaps that will take another burnt offering, perhaps an old pair of tele skis (grin)?
I must say I was disappointed to see a pair of Yvettes burning. I was thinking of buying a pair this year. Were they that bad?
Tele vs AT, Dynafit vs. Duke, metal shovel vs. plastic, Campy vs. Shimano, steel vs. carbon, sled vs. skizee… I am continually amazed at the passionate attachment we have to our gear and the tribalism it inspires. But this DPS business is taking it to a new level of weirdness.
Here is another DPS question. It looks like the 112s have the Voile strap cranking down the rockered nose a bit, and I’ve always been pretty afraid of cranking down the tips when I’m carrying skis a frame style. A completely false concern or could doing that every screw with the ski profile. Probably WAY to paranoid, but a little curious.
What strikes me most is the big Dynafit sign but no sign of Dynafit skis LOL
except for that pair of Manaslus….
and Stokes on the floor
LOL–aging eyesight and loss of cognitive function, especially in the product recognition center in the amygdala due to the line of skis now moving through my ski tuning shop: Volkl Snowwolf, Mantra, and Estrella; Kastle LX92; Rossignol S7; G3 Aviatrix; Dynafit 7-Summits, Manaslu, Women’s Manaslu, and Stoke; Karhu Guide; Madshus Epoch and Voss; Fischer Rebound and Outtaound; and those are just my wife’s and mine; I owe my stepdaughter a tune (and probably the grandkids too).
First there was train spotting, now we have ski spotting!
Congrats Doug and Randy! We’ll sorely miss your enthusiasm for 4 am dawn patrol missions in the PNW, however the lure of demo skis and light powder provide a tempting reason to visit Carbondale.
Amy, I have a strange feeling that people will be meeting up at Cripple Creek for dawn patrols…. Lou
Good to see those DPS on the rack. Smart choice they will sell like hotcakes!!!
For further reference in addition to the Stokes on the far left side and the manaslu we will also soon have the Huscaran, Mustagh Ata SL, Broad Peak, and the PDG race ski. Just to the left of Lou’s Picture is just about every dynafit binding they are still making. Anyways I think we have the banner pretty covered.
I’d go out of my way to check out such a shop. Really curious about the Meier skis. Cool such a thing exists, and at prices not too much more than many competing brands.
What gives with the name? Being in a fairly significant rain shadow, ‘ol Cripple Creek is prolly more miss than hit when it comes to skiing…..Sooo…what gives?
Cory, I didn’t have the heart to ask, though I did make a comment at one time about the word “cripple…” There is that old Levon Helm song “Up on Cripple Creek..” But that’s a bit before these guys were born… Lou
Lou, you don’t have to be old to love The Band… Nice call out! That’s exactly where the name comes from.