Mountain Chalet

A one stop gear shop for all your backcountry needs. From climbing and mountaineering, to ski touring and backpacking, they have a great selection of high quality gear combined with knowledgeable staff. They have a dedicated parking lot, rare for a downtown business. And if you're a telemark skier, they're the best resource on the I-25 corridor. I drive down from north of Denver when I need gear. Drop in, take a look around, chat with the friendly staff, and support a local shop!

This place is great for Backcountry ski and climbing enthusiasts. They spent a lot of time to educate me on a range of A/T bindings, which there was a great selection of. They put together a nice little event this week with music, food and winter gear experts. Thank you for also being dog-friendly. Your shop really feels like a business that is passionate about it's service and the community.

I HIGHLY recommend a visit to Mountain Chalet, especially if you are looking for any variety of footwear or climbing gear. The staff there are incredibly approachable, knowledgeable, and patient. I have gone here for help with boots or boot-fitting several times and each visit I have felt heard and understood (and left with a good pair of boots)! The prices at times do feel a bit high at times, but I'm more than happy to pay them after the thoughtful help I receive from staff and I think a purchase here is well-worth the investment. Mountain Chalet in my book is a standard-bearer for local Colorado Springs businesses.

Dollan was fantastic! Not only did he answer all of our questions but he went above and beyond to explain the details of the products we were looking to buy. After countless confusing trips to REI it was nice to go there and have everything explained to us in a fun informative way! Thanks again Dollan, we will be back soon!

Took my mom here to get fitted for/talk to someone about backpacks. Caroline? (Sorry if I got your name wrong!) Was amazing and really helped my mom feel good and informed about her options. It was super nice to feel like she was in professional hands. This is in stark contrast to a couple chain stores she visited previously and was not happy with the experience. Mountain Chalet has always delivered quality service and good folks who generally know what the heck they are talking about. Go here for your gear!

Griffin, you're the climbing shoe guru! Thank you so much for the righteous climbing shoes (our first pair) and teaching us so much that we never knew. My wife and I are absolutely stoked on the shoes we were recommended and we've never had such a thoughtful, educational, and professional shopping experience. Seriously, we walked out of the store like, "Whoah, did that just happen?" Super clean store with really friendly staff that are outdoor people and love recommending good gear to other people so they can be outside having fun too. I've now been in the store 5+ times and I'm worried if I spend too much time there I'm going to buy too much awesome stuff that I really don't have space for. I can't recommend this store enough! 5 stars in all the ways.

We came in to buy some Ruffwear boots for our dog. The entire staff was so knowledgeable and friendly. Great customer service. We signed up for the loyalty program and love that they offer military discount! We will be back!

Called this shop as they are one of few shops in the USA that sell aarn packs. The messesge they left me told me I could meet them to get fitted. Then they never answered their phone after that. Super unprofessional. Will be sure to let aarn know they missed sale by ignoring me.

Good vibe, knowledgeable staff. Good experience. I'll be back. Just stopped in to check them out and they they knew their stuff

Wow, very impressed with the customer service and knowledge at Mountain Chalet. I brought in a pair of lightweight touring boots, Dynafit Blacklight, that i was having an issue with. in short, the boa had a plastic piece that was coming unhooked and changing the fit of the boot. They quickly pinpointed the issue and showed me how to solve it. interestingly, I searched online and called another shop and couldn't find a solution. Thanks Jim, Ron and the rest of the staff for your great customer service and knowledge!

I went to REI earlier this week to buy cross country skis, boots, poles, etc. I stood around for 10-15 minutes looking for someone to help ... only as I was leaving did anyone talk to me and I just left. Saturday morning, I stopped by Mountain Chalet and the experience was the complete opposite. Right away, I got help and it was knowledgeable, so being the wise shopper I am, I gave REI one more chance. This time I asked for help, it took a while for them to get to me and no one was really knowledgeable on Nordic skiing. So I drove all the way back downtown to get the equipment at Mountain Chalet. They made a lifetime customer out of me.

They helped me with a custom map I needed. Very helpful! Love having that free downtown parking they provide too.

Friendly employees, helped me find exactly what I needed, helped me make sure it was the right fit and I was in & out

High prices are expected when shopping local and getting excellent service. But when high prices come with arrogant, over-caffeinated and condescending staff it is intolerable. As an outdoor enthusiast for over 40 years, I enter a local outdoor gear shop like a kid in a candy store. I have never in 40 years had a worse, more troubling experience than I've had at the Mountain Chalet. I regret the many hundreds of $$ I spent here not going to support a more worthy operation. Avoid this one at all costs!

Great service, very knowledgeable! Helped us with cross country skiing and really went out of their way.

I've never had a better experience at an outdoor store before! The entire staff was warm and ready to help us with anything we needed. We're going ice climbing for the first time in Ouray and needed help fitting the boots and cramp ons. Shane helped us. He was tremendously knowledgeable and welcoming. A couple years back my husband and I went to Bent Gate (a outdoor store in Golden Colorado) and were blown away by the air of superiority their staff exuded. It was such a breath of fresh air to be treated so well by Shane. All the staff working at Mountain Chalet are competent, passionate, and eager to help you with anything you need!! We will definitely be back. This is the kind of shop we want to spend our money with and we hope you do to.

A local business that's extremely supportive of the local outdoor community. Their prices are incredible and the staff is extremely knowledgeable, nice and helpful.

Found this on Yelp and went here looking for a specific hat brand they carried and some walking shoes. Turns out this store is in a really cute area of CO Springs. I had been here years before and forgot about all of these cute boutiques and restaurants around here. Anyway, the salespeople here at the store were very friendly and helpful. They did have the brand of hat I was looking for-wallaroos-but not the particular style. But I ended up finding a different brand instead that I loved! My friend was trying on Keen's and we both ended up getting the same pair of shoes-on sale from $100 to $60 so we were thrilled. They also carry Sanuk shoes there too-my friend got some of those too. So we are set for walking for our vacation! This store had all kinds of travel and outdoor gear. I just didn't really need anything else at the time but it definitely is worth returning to!

Came here by recommendation from another ski rental company who rented Alpine skis. I was looking to rent XC skis for the week. I am so glad I was referred to this local shop! MC has everything you need to experience the great outdoors in very cold temps!! I rented 2 sets of XC skis (boots & poles included) for 5 days for about $80!! They were in great shape & worked out perfectly! The staff are super friendly & knowledgable about slopes, trails, & gear. If you need outdoor gear at a great price sold by great locals, head over to MC. You will not be disappointed!!

Sure it's fun shopping at REI; but in the end, it's still big corporation America, writ in cute non-profit graphics. Instead, my honey and I had the good fortune to hear about the Mountain Chalet in Colo. Springs. Given the 75 degree sunshiny weekend, and our pressing (?) need for water shoes which are mostly "seasonal" items at REI, we decided to make the trip south. What a great great store. And what fine, knowledgeable sales folks. The place is like what REI would be if it was owned by Ma and Pa Kettle (who happened to be 5.12 rock climbers and extreme sports maniacs;-). Prices were fair. Selection was huge. Sales people were peachy. Nothing could be finer. 5 Stars +.

Mountain Chalet is the epitome of #localbusiness. They have been around for years and years, supplying the community with high quality gear and excellent service. The prices are typically the same or cheaper than that big-box gear store REI. Stop in for your gear needs!

This old independent business is an incredible place if you are into outdoor sports. They have everything you could need to climb anything, sleep anywhere and come out all right at the end of your adventure. They have products ranging from sleeping bags that will keep you alive in the Arctic to artistically designed watch bands. The staff is wonderful as well, as long as you don't mind some super sweet lesbians helping you out (some people in the Springs would, sadly.) Their prices are right along side those of REI, so go ahead and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT STORE!

I hadn't been to the new location since they moved, but I'm definitely digging the new space! Very open and welcoming, and the staff as always is very knowledgeable and helpful with anything you're looking for. I came for some mountain climbing gear and chalk, and was helped immediately, even with questions on the gear. Would definitely recommend, though plan ahead for parking, because as with anywhere downtown, there is a lot, but it's paid, so be aware of where you need to park to not get a ticket.

Love me some Mountain Chalet! Ever since I first walked into this local store several years ago, I have been impressed with the knowledgeable, easy-going staff and the decidedly comfortable atmosphere that is missing at REI and the other sporting goods stores in town. They also carry brands that the other stores are not authorized to sell. Prices are usually MSRP. The high end stuff can get expensive, but the quality is obvious, so no complaints there. They do have sales, but most of those are applied to clothing. Went there last night to check out multi-day backpacks, of which they carry at least Osprey, Deuter, and Black Diamond. The first employee we encountered was busy, but she smilingly found an available one to help us. He was very low key and helped load and unload several models for me to try on and helped me adjust all of them. I was able to walk around the store with a loaded pack; to mimic what I would find outside, I went down the stairs to browse clothing and high end sleeping bags for awhile before heading back up. The layout of the store is nice - cosy but not overly crowded with the large selection of gear. They sell pretty much all the gear you'd need to go hiking, backpacking, and climbing, and they also have stuff for the canine. They will order for you, with no obligation, any items not in stock from the brands they're authorized to deal. They also rent snowshoes, skis, backpacks, etc. It's street parking only, which means Monday through Saturday you'll have to pay since their business hours run about the same as the parking meters. Acacia Park is across the street, Jose Muldoons is next door, Halo is north of that, and Paris Crepes is a few doors south. In the end, MC didn't have quite the backpack sizes I needed (some might work, but if I'm going to spend that much, then it needs to be near perfect), and I didn't feel like putting in an order at this time. However, I am still grateful that they were so helpful and patient. A few years ago, one of my friends special-ordered a VERY nice Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, and he was very satisfied with how Mountain Chalet assisted him in choosing the right fill of down and size and how to order it. I highly recommend Mountain Chalet - worth a visit downtown!

No one knows skis like Matt. All the other shops even referred me here. He got my AT setup working. Matt fit my skis, then took the time to explain some things I never knew about them and the bindings. Extremely knowledgeable. This is my new favorite outdoor store.

Great place, really friendly and super helpful staff. I'm not sure why I'm seeing complaints about the staff in some reviews; they were awesome with me. I was on the hunt for some hiking shoes and I got exactly what I needed; I never felt any pressure to get something other than exactly what I needed, and they helped me make that determination. Recommended.

Local business, great selection of whatever your outdoor sport of choice may be (except skaeboarders; you may sod-off here). The prices are a bit higher, but they are well made up for by the service, the lack of chain-store ignorance and stupidity, and the diversity of products. Oh, and they do offer military discount. My go-to place for Vibram five-fingers and Tevas.

The return policy on sale items is not customer friendly: up to 30 day return for STORE CREDIT ONLY. No thank you.

Very rude staff. There is a man there that is super-friendly, but there are two female employees that are very cranky and they act like you are actually bothering them by spending your money there. I am pretty upset by this because I live nearby and try to give my business to locals instead of shopping online, especially downtown, but sadly I don't think I'll be returning to MC. Even though I like to buy my birthday and Christmas presents there for years now. I understand that the business changed hands a couple of years ago, so perhaps this accounts for the change. It's too bad because if they continue to treat customers this way, they might not do so well in the long run. :-( Also, it kind of makes me think that maybe the employees aren't being treated that well. It all trickles down from the top.

Excellent customer service. Knowledgeable and courteous. Able to assist in shoe selection - matching manufacturer's designs to the customer's intended use and foot structure. They were even able to stretch an Oboz that was too narrow in the toe. I went to Mountain Chalet intending to purchase a new pair of shoes. Instead, I received an excellent modification. Many thanks. I expect to be a repeat customer.

Don't plan on taking your kids in this place. They have the most rude and unfriendly employees. I have never been so shocked at how rudely my children and I were treated here.

Loved the atmosphere and selection they had. A bit on the pricier side considering and felt a bit limited with the women's clothings. Yet, it could be due the fact the store is underway of switching out the clothes for the next season. I'd definitely would recommend stopping by this place as it is a nice alternative to REI & other related outdoor stores. The staff here are super friendly and want to ensure their customers have the best shopping experiences as able to find what they need for their outdoor adventure.

In addition to their fine selection of outdoor gear, Mountain Chalet carries a great selection of rental equipment for snow sports, including cross country skis, back country skis (wider, with metal edges), and full blown telemark skis for area skiing and steep and deep backcountry adventures. Their rental prices are quite reasonable. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and their line of winter accessories and equipment is mind-blowing, ranging from gloves and hats through serious deep winter sleeping bags and four season tents. If I were equipping a Himalayan expedition, I'd come here first, and I'm a lifetime REI member.

If I could give 0 stars, I would. Mountain Chalet set a group of 5 of us up with the worst, most uncomfortable "cross-country" boots ever. All 5 of us had blisters and our feet were so sore, we couldn't even ski around the hut like we had planned. I've never experienced more pain in my life. I was literally in tears. 3 of us had to actually take the boots off and hike for miles carrying our rental gear! They sent us with telemark boots on a 12 mile backcountry hut trip! Beware of this place, they rent cheap, improper gear and didn't even attempt to rectify the situation after all of us complained.

Great staff and selection. They set me up with an excellent Alpine Touring Ski set. Their local knowledge and expertise is much appreciated in both gear selection and places to enjoy it outdoors.

One of my favorite downtown stores. They have a variety of products and cool stuff and I Always purchase something when I visit. They frequently have interesting speakers after hours in their store as well. Very knowledgeable staff.

This store has an amazing decor and style to it. It has all the top brands for the outdoorsman/woman. I come here often just to see what new things they have. They also have great end of season sales. Always knowledgable and friendly staff. Great store!

This is a great independent sporting goods store, they specialize in high quality outdoor gear. anything from climbing gear, to back packs, and all the cool camping stuff that's hard to find. They also have some great clothes and shoes, its mountain style so they have things you might not find in other places. its right downtown so bring your change for the parking meters. Its a one of a kind store, with lots of fun goodies.

I am a big fan of Mountain Chalet. It is a great local business and has a great selection of quality goods. The upside and downside of shopping here is their location. Downside: One often must navigate around some very disturbed people on Tejon Ave. to get to Mountain Chalet's entrance. Upside: There are other nice businesses in the area to patronize.

Great people. Awesome stuff. Love this place. Best hiking gear ever. And I saw a pair of skis I will be coming back for. Thanks guys

A great help even if they know they're not going to get much of a sale. Always willing to talk gear, mountains, ski areas or trails. Thanks again Mt Chalet for great staff and great service.

Love this place. Always helpful. Always kind. Such good people. It's such a pleasure shopping here.

Excellent selection of adventure gear. Climbing, hiking, camping, backpacking, etc. They always seem to have just what you need. Good pricing. Great selection. Great store.

Fantastic place to find shoes, clothing, outdoor gear and more. They are always friendly and helpful and the selection is fantastic.

Wow this place is hit or miss with their customer service. I live right around the corner from this store and frequently stop in. There are days I get a hello and days I am ignored entirely. My biggest grip I have is the over poor attitudes that I experience from employees. If I owned the place I would fire everyone and start over!!! They have everything you could ever want or need, and yes they are more knowledgeable than just about everyone you would encounter at an REI store. I recommend folks make a drive to Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder if they want a real outdoor gear store.

This is oldest mountaineering/backpacking/x-c skiing stores in Colorado Springs. I first started shopping here in 1968 and still find myself drifting through when I'm in town. They have always had the highest quality equipment and a knowledgeable, friendly staff. I have no reservations in recommending the Mountain Chalet to my friends and family.

For 20 years my first stop for serious outdoor gear and high level service people was Mountain Chalet. I had heard mummers that there was new ownership but didn't think much of it. I stopped by yesterday to pick-up a women's Patagonia three layer Gortex shell. There was no winter Gortex women's clothing from any manufacturer and the sales person was semi-oblivious as to what was/was not in stock. The women's clothing was much more fashion oriented than it was for harsh outdoor conditions. With the exception of renting XC skis, I doubt I'll ever head back. Christy Sports or REI have more options and higher level gear.

Sooo much better than REI. The staff is very knowledgable, the selection of gear and books and maps is outstanding, and where else can you get the "Never Trust Anyone Under 14,000 ft." Shirt? They don't carry stuff for every sport known to man, but they know climbing, hiking, and backpacking. And yoga, come to think of it. I adore this place.

horrible owner/ management bought a pair of kso vibrums today and returned today due to faulty stitching. was told my only option was to send them off for a warranty with the company which could take 2 weeks . he refused to return my money even with there 30 day policy now im out 100 with no shoes for 2 weeks. horriblr customer service!! was going to buy my gf vibrums here as well now ill be taking my money else where. and we will see if my warranty gets honored.

This is any outdoorsman's go to place minus the gun sales. The amount of knowledge that I saw within this store was phenomenal. I came in looking for a new pair of Salomon's and an older gentleman came out and was happy to sit down with me as I took my time to decide on spending that amount of money on a pair of shoes (patience). The one thing I noticed about the shoe section was the fake rocks on an incline utilized to notify the buyer that the shoe isn't gonna cut it on the trail. This was an awesome addition that I definitely utilized. I recently worked with El Paso County Search and Rescue and I wanted to take a look at Chalet's rope and rock climbing section because of the extensive knowledge I gained with ropes and high incline rescue. The amount of stuff they had was awesome and it seemed like they had anything you would ever need to start climbing or just add to your equipment. whether you're looking for snow sports, running, hiking or climbing it's all here.

Killer service from this shop!! They fitted me with a new pair of OBOZ Hardscrabble trail runners and they totally ROCK!!! The staff were super knowledgeable and were able to really help me find that perfect shoe.

What a bunch of clowns. I gave them a second chance and it was my last visit. Maybe living in Vail for the last 4 years has warped my perception of what experience ski shop employees should have, but the people in this place take incompetence to a new level. On my first visit I was looking for some new planks and I explained I was looking for a twin tip, sub-90mm waist, and do about 50% back country touring and 50% resort skiing with some park mixed in. The alleged "ski expert" stated it was a silly endeavor to try and tour in twin tips and that there was no ski that would be good for both touring and resort riding, but that I could of course buy two pairs of skis from him. Fool, I have 3 pairs of skis in my living room that I don't use because they only do one thing well; and if i hadn't lost one of my Armada ARVs in an avalanche two days ago, I wouldn't be here talking to you. After he tried to sell me exactly what I told him I was not looking for and realizing he was just trying to sell me something I didn't need from his thin selection of touring skis without any consideration for what I wanted, I decided to leave. Any technical question was met with blank stares and BS answers. I got lucky once and he read the sell sheet and tried to relay the information to me. I can read. My second trip was to buy bindings for the skis I had shipped to my folk's place in the Springs. Since I was right near by, I figured I would have some bindings slapped on. Anyways, I brought my boots and marked where I wanted the midsole to line up. "Well this line is where the manufacturer recommends they be mounted." No way... Apparently I can't read again and drew that on there because I like markers... or because I like to ski backwards and play around in the park every now and then and like to be a little more centered. So after arguing with the guy for 5 minutes and convincing him there are more kinds of snow than powder, he agreed to mount them where I told him to. At 10:30 in the a.m. he told me they should be ready within an hour but he would call to let me know so I could pick them up and head for the hills. 4:30 rolls around and I call the shop to figure out where my freaking skis are at and the guy says, "Oh yeah, they are done, I forgot to call you." Thanks, Guy. I really enjoy wasting half a day and getting home late because you "forgot to call". So I get home, bring the skis in, and upon inspecting them discover the guy put the left/right specific bindings on the wrong left/right specific skis! IT SAYS "LEFT" and "RIGHT" ON THE SKIS!!! Half an inch from where he was drilling the holes for the bindings. It is unlikely they did the job properly and glued the screws, so hopefully they can be removed and replaced on the correct skis without pulling the core apart on my $850 skis when the screws come out. The level of incompetence shown by the people running this joint was simply unbelievable.