Ascent Outdoors closed?

I just received an email at work from someone who tried to go to Ascent over the weekend.

He said there was a sign on the door that reads:

This is a bummer.  I loved this store.  The employees were always so willing to not just help, but talk and discuss different beta on climbing and outdoor objectives in the area.  Hard to find a climbing shop that had such a vast amount of gear and equipment.  I have always been a fan of the recycled and used sections as well.  It's very sudden as I was in there 2 weeks ago, and all seemed alive and well.

If anyone who worked there over the years sees this......THANKS.  You guys were awesome.

WAHHHT NOOOOOOO!

I was just in Leavenworth and saw that Leavenworth Mountain Sports closed.  Pretty bummed about that as well.

Conor Pesci wrote: I was just in Leavenworth and saw that Leavenworth Mountain Sports closed.  Pretty bummed about that as well.

Oh man.  Super bummed.  Also loved that place.  Same thing.  Always had the right equipment and great employees with plenty of beta on the area.  

Woah. Did the Redmond store close as well? The staff was great there, super helpful and excited for people to get after it.

Sad to see, I always liked walking through there when in Ballard.  Tough business to be in.

Dang, what true climbing shops are left in the state? BTW who actually has a good shoe selection these days?

REI Flagship is pretty good, they are carrying more and more specialized climbing gear.  Feathered Friends seems to be carrying less climbing gear/footwear since they moved locations (their staff seems to have turned over as well, not for the better).  Mountain Gear seems to have a really a good selection, but they are in Spokane.

Eric K wrote: Dang, what true climbing shops are left in the state? BTW who actually has a good shoe selection these days?

Feathered Friends is awesome in Seattle, right across from REI Flagship.....I always stop in there first and they almost always have what I need.  I don't recall a HUGE selection of shoes.

Was in there this Saturday. Seems like it was very spontaneous.

Eric K wrote: Dang, what true climbing shops are left in the state? BTW who actually has a good shoe selection these days?

Goat's Beard Mountain Supplies in Mazama. I thought it had a better selection of stuff than Leavenworth Mountain Sports.

Eric K wrote: Dang, what true climbing shops are left in the state? BTW who actually has a good shoe selection these days?

The AAI gear shop in Bellingham is pretty legit, though they don't really have a big shoe selection they do have a good assortment of hardware and gear I haven't seen in-store elsewhere.

Pro Mountain Sports in the U District for well curated climbing gear.
Wonderland Gear Exchange in Ballard for used technical clothing and gear

That’s really unfortunate. I was there two weeks ago and had no idea this was coming. 

Sad news...Amazon strikes again

I've never been there but there's also Miyar Adventures in Redmond miyaradventures.com/

Well, cr@p. This was my local store and I tried to buy most of my gear there. Also, it's hard to beat the convenience of just popping into the store when I realize that all my gas canisters are empty the night before a camping trip! Or needing just one more carabiner, or a bit of cord that's not worth going all the way downtown for... you get it.

Bummer! Thanks to the rad employees who helped me over the years with different purchases. Lots of that gear is still going strong. I was looking forward to popping in when back in Seattle.

Adam Lewis wrote: I've never been there but there's also Miyar Adventures in Redmond miyaradventures.com/ 

I never realized this was a store. Just thought it was a guiding outfit. 

Big bummer. It has to be super tough to make a profit when your online competitors constantly offer the same (and more) gear with 20-30% off and 2 day shipping. 

Dan Cooksey wrote:

I never realized this was a store. Just thought it was a guiding outfit. 

I believe they do both. Never been in the shop but I know it's there and I've walked past it before outside of business hours. They seem to have a decent collection!