http://www.concierge.com/bestof/ski
Also from the NYT
Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, Colo. By MARY BILLARD
Repeat visitors to Aspen love to stroll by the international temples of shopping - Prada, Ralph Lauren, Fendi - and reminisce about what beloved local institution "used to be" in that spot. In that setting, Ute Mountaineer, a one-stop shop for all things alpine, is a rare indigenous landmark.
The store treats the surrounding Rockies as a year-round romper room for adults, offering equipment for skiing, snowboarding, telemarking, mountain and ice climbing, snowshoeing, trail running, hiking. "Any nonmotorized sport," said Paul Perley, the store's general manager.
Sales people at the store are a good source for gossip about conditions in the Aspen backcountry. Many of them have either just hiked or skied a certain area, or their roommate did, or another customer will chime in with a report on the snow off piste. The store also gets updates from the Forest Service.
Employees, who radiate an annoying glow of vibrant health, are encouraged to check out new equipment and explore the area in the store's "Pay to Play" program. They receive $100 for any outdoor reconnaissance mission, once they write up notes for their coworkers. "We hire people that have a passion for the outdoors," Mr. Perley said. "They may not know every sport, but they are all gear hounds."
There is a lot of gear. When it opened on April Fool's Day in 1977, stock was limited, fleece was still called "pile" and Gore-Tex was barely known. After it moved to a site across from Wagner Park in 1980, it grew into two floors jam-packed with everything from avalanche equipment to detailed local hiking maps to altimeters to trail running shoes. There are now 20,000 items in inventory.
The current "must have" item is the Indigo G-String, which straps skis and boards to the backs of backcountry hikers ($25). It is perfect for tackling the Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands, which requires a 30-minute hike up a razor's-edge ridge in order to ski a vertical drop of more than 1,500 feet. No way Prada is stocking it.
Ute Mountaineer, 308 South Mill Street, Aspen; (970) 925-2849; http://www.utemountaineer.com/. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer and winter seasons; 10 to 6 off season.
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