ChristopherFranklin wrote:Hey one more question is there any shops in Seattle that carry mountainerin boots? I'm traveling there in August and I thought I'd try some on before I order off the web.

The number of specialty mountain shops are quickly disappearing, but we have a few left. Pro Mountain Sports, Feathered Friends, Second Ascent (and since it is right across the street from Feathered Friends), the REI flagship store.

Ok cool I'll check it out.

ChristopherFranklin wrote:Hey one more question is there any shops in Seattle that carry mountainerin boots? I'm traveling there in August and I thought I'd try some on before I order off the web.

In addition to the shops EB mentioned, RMI's shop in Ashford has a good selection of mountaineering boots. It's about 80 mi from Seattle and you see Mt. Rainier up close while you are there.

Whether or not you think it's ethical to do so (I don't), trying on boots at a brick and mortar retailer and then buying them over the internet is one of the reasons there are increasingly few specialty mountaineering retailers left. Just my opinion.

JHH60 wrote:Whether or not you think it's ethical to do so (I don't), trying on boots at a brick and mortar retailer and then buying them over the internet is one of the reasons there are increasingly few specialty mountaineering retailers left. Just my opinion.

One of the Seattle area's great mountain shops, Marmot Mountain Works, closed a couple of years ago. During their closeout sale I dropped by to say hi to a couple friends who worked there. One friend, the brother of one of my climbing partners, had worked there for 15 years. He believed the manufacturers were more to blame for the demise of independent shops than internet sales. He said that manufactures realized they could sell through their own stores as well as their websites and make a lot more money, so they stopped supporting independent shops. In Seattle we have North Face, Patagonia, Arc'Teryx, Columbia, and Mountain Hardwear stores all within walking distance. Makes his theory seem plausible.

That's another possible factor for the closure of independent shops. Interestingly enough, the first time I heard the argument that a key factor in the demise of independent mountain shops was people going to brick and mortar shops to try on gear, and then buying it on the Internet, was when I was talking to the staff of Marmot Mountain Works in Berkeley (the southern branch of the store you mentioned) when they announced they were closing. I bought a lot of gear there over the years and appreciated that the staff was honest, knowledgable and helpful. I was willing to pay a bit more for that service to help keep them in business.

I always try to buy from a shop but in this instance it probably won't be possible. I won't be ready to buy boots until winter but I'll be out there this Summer. If they treat me good in the store and have a website or I can phone order I will. Something else I've noticed I've found a few smoking deals on boots online but when you dig a little bit you discover the boots are a several year old model so do your homework.