"I have been in and out of Alpine over the last two weeks doing lots of demos, trying to decide on what I want, The staff downstairs led by Brian was absolutely great, offered lots of information, always interested in my feedback, and accommodating. Also got a chance to see a couple of times where they fixed a customers bindings right on the spot, and if the fix was small they sent them off with out a charge. Even when busy they were friendly and gave great service. Jamming tunes too! Same with the new owner and sales staff upstairs. Owen in particular was extremely informative and helpful when it came to a final decision. Some of the reviews here raised important issues, however the new owner and leadership staff really take feedback seriously and they will work it out and fix it I think. So I like REI, nice people, great sports department store, but comparing the two regarding expertise in ski equipment just doesn't make sense to me. So I'd say give the new owner a chance to work the kinks out, build on what is already great, and we'll have a killer shop to work with."
-Dana Christensen