Pro Mountain Sports in the U district

[Pencil_Pusher]

It's been a while, but their website looks great! A big change from the first time I checked it out.

Wish I had the dinero...

[Pencil_Pusher]

 

 

[ 09-26-2002, 01:55 PM: Message edited by: Pencil Pusher ]

[Tool]

Plus they have the new Trango belay device, the

B-52 or whatever. No one else has them in town.

[To_The_Top]

Support the local shops. Jim does a nice job of offering stuff to climbers, not just those that want to look good walking around downtown. Also check out Pro Mountain at North Bend. TTT

[Pencil_Pusher]

If you wanna go light, this is the place to go. Plus they sell Rock Empire cams for 30 bucks, nearly half the price of Camalots. Light ropes, glacier ropes, all sorts of stuff.

And if sales increase exponentially as a result of this post, send me one of those Western Mountaineering light-ass sleeping bags for free.

[Cpt.Caveman]

They do have a nice store. Been going there for a long time

[gapertimmy]

he has a shop in north bend now? werd! thats closer to my house, only 6.5 hours as oposed to 7

 

wish we had a good shop like that down here in chosygun.

[To_The_Top]

No Jim doesnt have a shop in North Bend. There is another Pro Mountain shop in NB, seperate owner, just saying support the local shops.

[bobinc]

The NB shop is Martin Volken's -- Jim used to share space with Martin at Pro Ski (90th & Aurora) until he got his own store going in the U Dist.

[iain]

one of the few guides bothering to have the full UIAGM int'l certs. cheers. posts here periodically I think.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I think that dude haireball does too.

[thelawgoddess]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

They do have a nice store.

---

i agree. i used to go in there just to look around. now i do a little more than just look around.

[Cpt.Caveman]

being a gearhound for ice sucks. But Jim is a class a dude and is very knowledgeable too. The staff there are friendly and not intrusive like other places. There is a chill atmosphere and that is key for me. Little do people know that PMS orders stuff to your house even if it is not in the store or on the web. You just have to ask is all. Werd up.

[bobinc]

Jim is the ultimate anti-salesman, which is both amusing and a bit challenging. It's funny for me to look around my garage and realize how much of the stuff I now own I've purchased from Jim in the last 5 yrs.

 

If you are in the market for tips on the best jazz, PMS is also the place to go...

[Cpt.Caveman]

I have to agree with bob about anti salesman. Plus i get to demo all the ice tools and crampons before I make a buying decision. Saves me time and money

[Dave_Schuldt]

quote:

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Originally posted by thelawgoddess:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

They do have a nice store.

---

i agree.

i used to go in there just to look around. now i do a little more than just look around.

---

I thought that was you working there, looks I am right!

[mattp]

quote:

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Originally posted by To The Top:

Jim does a nice job of offering stuff to climbers, not just those that want to look good walking around downtown

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He definitely serves a different market than REI. Somehow, it looks as if he can make a go of running a real climbing shop while I had heard that there was no money in it and that the big stores sold lots of fleece because that was the only way to survive.

[slothrop]

More props to Jim's shop: I bought some Acopa shoes from him (after he urged me to get down from climbing on the shop's bench to try 'em out) and a few months later, the rand started to peel away. PMS offered to reglue the rand for free. I got them back from the shop today, good as new.

[plexus]

My fiancee's Acopa shoes just had one tongue rip out of one of them the last time we went climbing . The nice thing was we bought them in Mexico, where they are made, and spent about half the price they sell for up here . It's funny seeing how much stuff is marked up big time in the states.

[pope]

Support the local shops. Jim does a nice job of offering stuff to climbers, not just those that want to look good walking around downtown.

 

 

I many cases I think buying local in order to support the local economy or be patriotic is a joke, such as when choosing between a Japanese or American automobile. Why go out of my way to spend hard-earned dollars on a pile (the price of which about doubles when you include the continued trips to the mechanic)?

 

At PMS (I'd have chosen a store name with different initials), you not only get quality equipment at a reasonable price, you also get to talk to somebody who knows the hills around here pretty damn well, and I haven't talked to a snotty or ignorant salesman there yet. It's inconvenient for me to drive up there, but in the Tacoma area, all we have is Marmot and REI. REI's recent holiday catalogue just put me over the top. I just can't stand going in there, snaking my way past Christmas Smoked Salmon and K-2 board games in an attempt to find somebody who can cut me a little webbing.

[Cpt.Caveman]

RE: you also get to talk to somebody who knows the hills around here pretty damn well

 

Yeah here he is gettin some in the hills -

 

[Figger_Eight]

Pro Mountain has to be, pound for pound, the best climbing shop in the state.

[freeclimb9]

If you want to support your local, buy shoes and clothes there. That's the stuff from which they make most of the dollar to pay their bills.

 

[iain]

They seem to be quite opposed to BD products on their website. Just an observation. I've heard BD can be quite trying to work with as a reseller.

[Greg_W]

I like the fact that Jim stocks brands that other stores don't; it provides alternative choices to the BD/Marmot/TNF/Mtn.H'ware stuff out there. I also like his "lightweight" gear tips and analyses.