Four years ago Mike Martin became the third owner of the Alpineer, a venerable ski and outdoor retail store specializing in telemark skiing based in Crested Butte, CO which has been in business since 1969. When Martin took over the store was well respected and had a great name in the small resort town, and since then he has improved on all of this. The store has more than doubled its sales over the past four years, mainly because Martin took the small resort town feel, along with a specialty store service orientation, and has successfully transferred it to the web.

Two years after taking the reins at the Alpineer, Martin launched Telemarkski.com-a service focused telemark ski retail website. This move was an eye-opener for Martin, and since then he has re-launched The Alpineer’s website as an e-commerce platform and will be launching a third e-tail platform this week, SkateSki.com.

“The retail store really grows incrementally, a few percentage points a year,” Martin told BOSS. “Our telemark business has doubled for the past few years, and looks like it’s going to double again-but the real growth is coming from e-commerce.”

When telemarkski.com launched, the Alpineer had no on-line sales. In two years that has grown to about 40% on-line, 60% in-store. Martin feels that within two or three years on-line sales will be about equal to in-store sales.

The model for this website is dramatically different from your standard e-commerce platform, and the best analogy is the difference between specialty retail and big-box retail. Content and information are the highlights on the home page rather than sales, coupons and ‘year-end clearance specials.’

Clicking through the ‘product buying guide’ tool is designed to feel more like a conversation with a ski guide than the all-too-common product promos and ad platforms present in many e-commerce help tools. Martin carefully developed this feel by creating unique content himself.

Most of the text advising customers on buying decisions was written by Martin or his staff, and deals with the gear in question in broad terms rather that plugging stats for individual products.

In fact many web designers would argue that text takes up too much space, but since telemarkski.com is catering to such a small niche sport, that is adding new participants every day, information plays a vital role in the service they provide customers.

“Our goal is to take specialty retail and bring it on-line,” said Martin. “We try to provide the same service to on-line customers as our in-store customers receive.”

Martin also has come to realize the power of the internet in gathering information. All visitors to telemarkski.com can fill out an on-line survey, and this allows the company to compile a very accurate profile of their customers. For example, Martin said that 25% of the people interested in telemark skiing have never participated, and 35% have participated less than three years. 64% of the people surveyed who currently telemark are former alpine skiers.

Martin knew he would be involved in the ski industry early in life, and his passion has remained strong. “Ive been a ski freak since my parents started me skiing at Mt. Tremblant in Montreal and the Molson learn to ski night. Ive always known I wanted to live in the mountains and have my passion and my work be the same thing,” he said.

While Martin has some ambitious goals related to Telemarkski.com, The Alpineer, and his other websites, he has no desire to abandon his mountain-town lifestyle.
“The only constraint we really have is that I have decided we will always stay in Crested Butte,” said Martin. “Other on-line retailers have left their small mountain town roots and moved to areas where shipping companies can better service them, but we feel staying in Crested Butte important to the company.”

Account Specs:

  • Square Footage: “just under” 5,000 sf
  • Employees: 20 full-time store and e-commerce
  • Mission Statement: “To provide the best possible experience for our customers. (As opposed to “sell the most”)”

Management Team:

  • Michael Martin — Owner
  • Michele Zembal — GM, Alpineer
  • Mary Kay Bangert — GM, E-Commerce

Company Milestones

  • 1969-Alpineer begins selling fine outdoor gear in Crested Butte
  • 1980’s-Alpineer begins selling tele gear
  • 1998-Alpineer launches Alpineer.com as informational site
  • 2000-Michael Martin becomes 3rd owner
  • 2002-Alpineer buys Telemarkski.com name and launches site
  • 2004-Alpineer re-launches Alpineer.com as sales site
  • 2004-Alpineer launches SkateSki.com (next week)