Marmot Mountain Works is closing

[tvashtarkatena]

Do you see, Otzi? Do you see what happens when you don't carry the 10 essentials?

[num1mc]

And I remember gb as a basic student, under my expert first-year intermediate tutelage.

[num1mc]

We also had pre-Big Wall Bob, before he was drummed out of the corp by Patty Murray's brother

[CascadeClimber]

Hey Jon it was Wilderness Sports on Northup, I used to know the guys who ran it. How long ago did they close?

 

I want to say it was around '95 they closed.

 

No, they closed after High Mountain Rendezvous, and that closed in 97 or 98. Wilderness was a year or two later. Swallow's Nest opted to not move off Capital Hill when REI did. Feathered Friends did. It's obvious how that worked out.

 

I am still in frequent contact with three people who worked at HMR and hear from a few more every once in a while. That was a good shop with great staff.

[num1mc]

Swallow's Nest opted to not move off Capital Hill when REI did. Feathered Friends did. It's obvious how that worked out

 

Swallows Nest was never ever ever ever on Capitol Hill.

 

Ever ever ever.

 

 

[num1mc]

A quote from Clark Gerhardt about the Swallows Nest from Super Topo

 

 

Stumbling on this thread was a blast from the past and brought back great memories. I became the 3rd partner in the Swallow's Nest in 1972 about three months after Bill and Mike turned on the lights at the 55th and Roosevelt store. I like to think it was because of my climbing ability but the real reason was they needed money for a big order of Galibier Super Guide boots. We were open several nights a week, jammed in the old one chair barber shop location. We moved to the Boat St spot sometime in late '73 or early '74--it became famous not only for the good advice and gear but for the pot belly stove, barrel of peanuts and old couches where climbers from all over the world congregated until well past our 10pm closing. Louise Bearsley and her Swallow gear were a big part of our success and I considered her the fourth partner(note, I have an old cagoule which I recently had a local seamstress copy in new ultra-lightweight siliconized fabric--once again part of my standard alpine kit). The Nest had many notable firsts--EB's, pile softwear(Helly Hansen), Terrordactyl's, belay links(Penberthy and Sticht)and much more. We moved to the Gasworks Park store in about '76 and Dave Page co-located with us. The key to success was our climbing/skiing staff---Greg,Paula,Jim,Vic,Tina,Van,Dusan(and others)---and our customers, many of whom went on to be among the very best climbers in the world. I sold my share in '78, went to UW grad school and moved to San Francisco in 1980. Retiring to the Idaho mountains in 1999, I got back into climbing--almost like the old days, but older, slower and not so run-out. Call me if you are passing thru the Sun Valley area, I'm in the book--it would be good to tap into the old Swallow's Nest vibe. cheers,clark

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1183970/Boat-Street-Swallows-Nest-Seattle-appreciation-thread

[num1mc]

The demise of Wilderness Sports

 

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/81210/Wilderness_Sports

[JasonG]

I wonder if the guy with the old Swallow's Nest van in my parents neighborhood (Crown Hill/Ballard) was one of the partners described from the early days? I don't know his name, but I believe he was the or one of the owners when it closed for good. The van's paint job is faded and peeling, but still legible. I've been driving by it to visit my parents for over 20 years.

 

 

[num1mc]

Lock passed away last year. Looks like he had some money, his home is listed as the Highlands

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=winlock-miller-lock&pid=176010930