Best Colorado Climbing Shop

I have to say that yeah sure you get some funny attitude at Neptune's sometimes, BUT we are DAMN LUCKY to have that shop in town. I'm grateful personally that they are here, and the sideshows and museum are GREAT! I kind of knew this was going to turn into a "what's wrong w/ Neptune's thread", but it could be worse. We don't live in a town where we have to say "where can I buy boots?, or where can I buy cams?".

Thanks Gary for all you've brought to the sport and Boulder. Hope you stick around!

Support your shops, support your friends, and support the community. We're all in this grab bag together.

I also support Bent, Wildyx, REI, Boulder mountaineering when it was here.

ill stick up for neptune...all of my experiences have been great and super helpful. i bought my first harness there and the man i talked to would had shot the shit with me for another hour about harnesses and climbing if i wasnt in such an urge to get that thing outside.

theyve even entertained my OCD need to match the BD biner with the new .4 C4 i had bought. i appreciate all the time theyve spent helping me out!

In defense of Neptune; I've worked retail in boulder and the attitude comes from dealing with hordes of rich douchebags who think you are their personal b!tch.

mountainproject.com/v/for_s…

Haha JJ! MP for sale board definitely is my best climbing shop.

I go into Bent Gate, Wildy X, REI and Neptune all the time, plus the Montbell store in Boulder. If I'm buying a lot of stuff I prefer bent gate as I've gotten more consistent price and service. I've never been ignored or treated like a fool. They spent a lot of time with me when I picked out my first set of slings and biners, my first cams even though I could only buy one and my 2nd pair of shoes when I wanted to get something more aggressive and tried on a dozen pairs.

WildyX never seems to have quite what I want outside of hardware but I'll admit I'm super picky about clothes/soft goods. REI is fine when stuff is on sale and I don't need any help. Neptunes is hit or miss. I love going in there as they have great stock, good brands, a good location since I'm in Boulder a lot and cool old gear that I love to look at. Service is hit or miss though lately it's been pretty friendly outside of the usual gear counter wait time. They often lose me on big purchases due to price but they have matched Bent Gate's price on a tent for me before so I bought it there. They sell kick ass climbing tape too.

The Montbell store is also fun. They've got a good sale area and lots of their clothes are pretty cool. They're friendly and helpful as well. Stock is not as good as other places but if I'm in the area I'll often stop in.

All the shops sure beat my options in St.Louis

REI is a pretty interesting shop. I wandered in there one day and asked an employee a few questions about altimeters. The sales person whipped out their iphone and found a couple reviews of altimeters for me. The funny thing was that this sales person couldn't even locate or identify one on the sales floor............ I saw the same thing happen to another person a few days later when the customer wanted advice on cam units. The REI employee found a cam review and then walked away because they were unable to answer climbing related questions.

Anyone remember when Bob Culp worked a stint at Neptunes? Bob is a pretty shy guy and sometimes he would avoid helping people. He just wasn't in the right mood. Now I ask you.
Was that a reflection of a former philosophy from the Boulder Mountaineer, which he owned or a reflection of Neptune's where he was working at the time.......? Anyone remember when all the employees at the Boulder Mountaineer were sport climbers and all the employees at Neptune's were trad? You would go to BM for your sport climbing needs (lycra, chalk) and go to Neptune's for your trad gear (tweed knickers, alpenstocks)......Back then REI didn't have a store in Boulder so you would go to Mountain Sports on Pearl street for backpacking info. Bob in the back would sew patches on your wind pants while you waited.......

Sometimes I think the attitude we see in the employees at climbing stores is almost more a reflection of the climbers who walk into the store than those who work behind the counter.

Whatever, we have to support these small, independently owned climbing stores or we are doomed forever to mailorder businesses and employees who don't use the stuff they sell. 'Tunes only charges retail prices and frequently offers 15 and 20% off coupons so that's not so bad.
How about the Sports Chalet in Colorado Springs? Another climbing store that has been around for almost 30 years and going strong.

Ouray Mountain Sports! Only ice screw sharpener that I am aware of in Colorado!

Bent Gate.

I do appreciate Neptunes for the museum, presentations, and their community involvement (that's mainly thanks to Gary himself). And, as mentioned above, Dan Hare is awesome to deal with if he's on the floor. I have noticed that the main Neptude culprits seem to have moved on as of late. There are still a few, but I'm guessing word got to Gary that his floor staff wasn't reflecting the friendliness that a store with his name on it should have, so the culture is shifting. And I hope they succeed in changing, because it would be cool to have a local climbing shop that we have a connection to rather than one that is known for atrocious customer service and elitest attitudes (I mean can you think of another brick&mortar that has earned such a negative reputation among its target market?)

Don't know if anyone's been to a climbing shop in the Alps or Dolomites, but I've found those places to be the best ever. Usually small like a Pagan shop, and usually family operated, so there's pride in the shop and in how they treat their customers.

Dan,

Consider GRIZ for sharpening ice screws. He's located in Frisco and does a better job than Ouray Mtn Sports, although Bill does a good job.

I've been to many climbing stores in Europe and NONE of them compare to what we have locally........I like being spoiled!

jack roberts wrote: I've been to many climbing stores in Europe and NONE of them compare to what we have locally........I like being spoiled!

In terms of selection, you're totally right - euro shops rarely have a tenth the selection of what we have here. In comparison, Neptunes is like an Amazon.com of climbing gear. But in terms of service, I've experienced them [euro shops] to be far more tied to the satisfaction of the customer than what we see here. Now my references are mainly Switzerland, Austria and Italy, and maybe they gave me more attention because it was novel to have an American in the store to shoot the shit with, or because I spoke their local language; but overall, even despite their limited selection, I always left those shops thoroughly impressed with their attention to customer service and relationship building. Same goes for the bike shops over there.

jack roberts wrote:Dan, Consider GRIZ for sharpening ice screws. He's located in Frisco and does a better job than Ouray Mtn Sports, although Bill does a good job. I've been to many climbing stores in Europe and NONE of them compare to what we have locally........I like being spoiled!

I'll have to check that out! Do you know what he charges? A lot closer too! Maybe a Vail trip is in order...

jack roberts wrote:Dan, Consider GRIZ for sharpening ice screws.

Speaking of 'tude, Mr. Griz certainly has his fair share. When he first showed up in the area, he posted on another board hawking his screw sharpening services and took extreme offense and stomped off in a huff at even the most basic inquiry as to his background/qualifications to be offering such services. And i won't even get into his "shotty(sic) conditions report" thread from last year or his little note on the clip stick he put up in the Vail amphitheater last winter. He certainly isn't a poster child for humility or trying to fit into the local scene rather than expecting it to immediately recognize the great gift that is his presence.

Mark Nelson wrote: Most the time the best discussions are with experienced people who happen to be in the store that also know people working at the store; then ideas can be shared about products. I think at that point climbing gets to be fun without the bringing in that newbie feeling in that sometimes not everyone knows everything about everything (yes, this totally makes sense).

Couldn't agree with you more.

I gotta say my favorite shops, are the ones that offer you a beer when your there for an extended period of time trying on packs or shoes or whatever.

Rock n' Roll Sports is a good shop compared to other CO shops. At leat the best compared to All Sport and the Scalpineer in the Gunni Valley.

Stopped into Neptune's yesterday on the way back from Indian Peaks and the staff was really helpful. The guys making old school skis from birch planks was pretty cool too!

Do miss the Boulder Mountaineer, always had good service there and Bob Culp was really helpful and humble, not a hint of attitude the times I met him.

Tie between TJ Maxx and ARC thrift store (although I've heard good things about the cherry creek Goodwill).

All that Patagucci you see me wearing was $20 bitches!

JAX in Laffayette, because they have tactical tomahawks in the same case as climbing gear.

My most recent Bent Gate experience:

Last year I lost ONE tele ski with brand new BD 01 bindings ($300). I joked about this with a shop guy as I was trying on climbing shoes, and he told me to hold on a minute. He came back with a slightly used matching left binding and a brand new pair of cartridges, and said "how does $30 sound?".

Pretty freaking awesome is how that sounds!

I agree with Olaf...I miss The Boulder Mountaineer.

One time I could have sworn that Bobby Bensman waited on me...super friendly and incredibly fit.

Now it is Bent Gate for their expert and friendly service.