When Randy Young visited the Colorado mountains his senior year of college, it was love at first sight. The Ohio-born entrepreneur changed his zip code and proposed career direction as his love for the backcountry simultaneously immersed him in the four-season mountain lifestyle with its biking, fishing, and of course, skiing.
“My love for outdoor recreation led me to working in gear shops and eventually opening a backcountry specialty store in Carbondale with one of my first backcountry ski partners, Doug Stenclik,” says Randy.
Fast-forward 12 years, and now Randy owns and operates Cripple Creek Backcountry, with stores in Aspen, Avon, Carbondale, Denver, Seattle and Silverton. His stores offer in-person and virtual appointments, expert boot fitting, ski tunes, ski mounts and more. Recently, Cripple Creek Backcountry merged with Basalt Bike and Ski. Between the two, they’re known as the go-to place for equipment and clothing for ski touring, split-boarding, telemark skiing and cycling.
“We meet customers right where they are, whether they’re brand new to skiing and biking or a lifelong skier or cyclist. We’re a resource to our customers and help them to pick out and purchase the right gear,” says Randy. And the customer service and technical acumen of his team have set his operation apart. “As soon as we get that gear picked out, we hustle to get it fitted, mounted, tuned or whatever it may be, as soon as possible so that customers can get back outside.”
Randy acknowledges that his superpower is finding ways to have fun during challenging times. Unlike many others, Cripple Creek Backcountry’s business had a major uptick during the pandemic.
“Being in communities were people value the outdoors and make it such a priority to get outside is really special,” says Randy. “I love sports and gear and when sports are more enjoyable because I have the right piece of gear it makes my day that much better. It’s pretty awesome when we get to do this for our customers.”
The same way in which Randy gets to know his individual customers and their unique needs was the same criteria he was looking for in a banking relationship, when he ultimately chose Alpine Bank.
“We wanted to work with a local bank for a business acquisition,” says Randy. “We reached out to a couple of different banks, but Alpine Bank actively sought out our business then made the whole process very smooth and straightforward.”
www.cripplecreekbackcountry.com www.basaltbikeandski.com
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