Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018 - 50

Feature .03

ALPINE MOUNTAIN
RECREATION (AMR)
BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO

Founded: 1982

WWWWW
BRECKENRIDGE MAY BE ONE OF THE BUSIEST
ski towns in America, but its world-class trail
network means almost all the ski shops turn
into bike shops during the summer. All except
one, anyway. Alpine Mountain Recreation,
or AMR, is the last winter-only shop in town.
Most days in the summer you can find longtime owner Dave Stillman, who's worked in
ski shops ever since he moved to Breckenridge
in 1982, lounging in the sun outside the front
door, next to a handful of demo and unmounted skis for sale at bargain prices.
This devotion to winter-Stillman still skis
close to 150 days a year at age 60-was part of
what attracted me to work at AMR more than
a decade ago. Now a busier freelance writer, I

ROUGHLY A THIRD OF SKINNY SKIS' WINTER WORKERS
HAVE BEEN THERE FOR 10 YEARS OR MORE.

NAME RECOGNITION
With co-owners Scott
O'Brien (left) and Phil
Leeds at the helm,
Skinny Skis has been
an institution in
Jackson, Wyoming, for
four decades.

50 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2018

SOUL SURVIVOR
Dave Stillman's
Alpine Mountain
Recreation is the
last winter-only
shop in Breckenridge, Colorado.
And author Devon
O'Neil still works
here once a week.

"I'VE NEVER ADVERTISED
FOR A POSITION."

-DAVE STILLMAN, ALPINE MOUNTAIN RECREATION

still put in five hours a week at AMR because
it helps me stay in touch with the pulse of the
sport, and few are more in touch with that pulse
than the devotees who work at AMR.
"I've never advertised for a position,"
Stillman says. "Well, we put a sign in the window one time because we needed somebody
halfway through the season. But it's a small
shop-roughly a dozen employees-and
whenever we need help, it always seems that
someone who works here knows someone cool
who wants to work here."
Stillman makes sure his full-time staff can
ski or ride five days a week, and the knowledge that comes from it pays off. "It's not like
we tell customers where all the good skiing is,"
Stillman says. "But we'll tell them where the
wind's coming from and what aspects are probably skiing well, so they can find it."
Stillman gives his employees a long leash, "as
long as they treat the customer well." In turn,
that trust fosters better business, as well as a
positive vibe in the shop.
"We all know in this industry: How do you
make a million dollars? Spend two million
dollars. But who cares. My lifestyle's great,"
Stillman says. "I still get to ski every day in
the winter. You can't really call that money,
but my college economics professor called it
psychic income-income that's derived from
a high quality of life."

Greg Von Doersten (left), Liam Doran (top)

ues to help Skinny Skis with its merchandising
and still attends trade shows. "She just has the
knack and understanding about our clientele
and is really gifted when it comes to color and
textiles," Leeds says. "It's difficult to find such a
unique inside-outside perspective."
In addition to the standard traits Leeds
looks for in an employee, like enthusiasm
and being a "people person," he likes finding
people who are community minded. Skinny
Skis has a history of philanthropy, and Leeds
believes its donations bring in business.
"Without a doubt," he says, "even though it's
not our primary motivation for doing it."
Ultimately, though, he knows the best way
to strengthen the business is by hiring and retaining the right people. "Everything else is going to crumble or be more challenging if you
don't have a smart, enthusiastic staff," Leeds
says. "We try to attract people to join us with
the understanding that we're a very customer-service-oriented business. We have to have
that, otherwise people are going to buy online."

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2018

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