The Buyer's Perspective | Sylvan Peak Mountain Shop

Sylvan Peak is a staple of the community of Red Lodge, Montana, and one of our largest SCARPA trail run and hike dealers. With millions of acres of wilderness at their doorstep, we took some time to check-in with the Dye family and dig into what makes SCARPA work so well for them, and how they continue to forge meaningful connections in their community.

Tell us a little bit about your shop. What sports do you cater to, and what sets it apart from other shops?

Sylvan Peak was started 33 years ago, in our small mountain town community. The owner, Mary Ellen, created most of the clothing herself, with tons of custom fleece clothing, nylon shorts, etc.. for kids and adults. Over the years, gear and clothing needs were added to the shop selection, eventually ending up as we are now, a full blown outdoor shop catering to backpackers, hikers, trail runners, cross country skiers, and the newest addition of paddle sports. It truly has stayed a small town, family run business, with a staff full of active outdoor gear junkies. Sylvan Peak is run now by 2nd and 3rd generation family members, each having their own skills in gear knowledge, buying, marketing, innovative changes, all while keeping the feel of a hometown shop where the locals are treated like family. Mary Ellen, at age 84, is still sewing and making. 

What value does SCARPA bring to your selection that other brands don't?

SCARPA as a brand fits our shop perfectly. We go heavy on trail running, light hiking and backpacking boots especially. The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, all 1 million acres strong, is our backyard and playground.  Our staff is able to fit the right shoe on the customer with confidence that the SCARPA will hold up to the abuse and hard use of our locals in these mountains. SCARPA as a company fits well with Sylvan Peak. It’s so refreshing to work with the customer service person at SCARPA who knows the product, understands our shop, and answers emails and phone calls almost immediately. That's not the case with 90% of our other brands, believe me...

Which shoes are you currently carrying from SCARPA, and why?

Kailish Plus, Kailish Trek, Rush Trek, Rush GTX Mid, Rush GTX, Spin Planet, Rapid, Spin Infinity, Crux..  probably forgot a few... We could easily just sell a whole shoe wall with this selection and be just fine. The customer wants brand choice, so we give ‘em a few other brands as well. We strive on fit and function, so each customer is encouraged to spend time trying on shoes and be confident that they chose the right one, with our staff's help.

Where have you seen growth in the trail run category over the past few seasons?

Category growth - trail running. Hiking and backpacking have always been a big thing here, but trail running is relatively new in our 33 years of business. We don't have much pavement around here anyway, so not much road running at all. Trail running and endurance running have grown, as well as everyday hiker use of a trail running shoe vs a big hiker. Our longer trails now see trail runners as a common thing daily! There was just a 30K and 50K trail run event this last weekend.

What’s the most frequently asked question about trail running shoes that you receive from customers and how do you address it?

We get asked how long trail runners hold up. Our locals especially beat them up pretty hard! Tons of miles of hard use and abuse. Its so easy to talk about SCARPA with these customers, as our staff does a great job of abusing their footwear on a regular basis, and SCARPA ends up a standard go to favorite.  

What, if any, strategies are you using to bring new customers into your store these days?

Our region has been through some major changes in the last few years, with forest fires and major flooding. Sylvan Peak took it on to be the "go to" information place for trail conditions, road closures, mosquito reports, basic trip planning help etc. We post trail report updates weekly on our website, along with an emailed version directly to people's inbox. The information from the report is a combination of information from the Forest Service, Wilderness Rangers, our own staff on their daily adventures, and trusted customers with detailed information. Whatever information we post, it has to be accurate. The whole business community in our area uses our report to have updated information for their customers as well.  Our staff spends lots of time pouring over maps, detailed trip info, bear country education, which leads to Sylvan Peak being the go to place for supplies and gear in our region. I had a lady in the shop the other day, asked for me (Marci) and said she was from Utah and came all the way to see me as she heard I was the most patient hiking boot fitter in the region. Our shop hours in the summer are 7AM to 7PM, with the customer service in mind for those leaving on trips early in the morning and needing last minute supplies and information.  We have become the go to spot, and we strive to keep that high level of customer service providing area visitors and locals with what they need. Some customers, especially from bigger urban communities, are so amazed that we are more than willing to spend hours with them on information and education. This is what sets us apart, the high level of over the top customer service. All of our staff are fantastic stewards of the backcountry, and don't want to see it trashed or treated badly. We also have multiple friends on Search and Rescue, and by providing more education on the area, maybe we can prevent a rescue or two by educating a new user on the area.

Any upcoming or past trips that you’re particularly stoked about?

Our crew is always out on trips - so to ask if there is a certain one? Hmm, that's hard. We live with the wilderness at our back door, and easy access to five major river drainages. And then there's Yellowstone… Our crew always has their own plans for river trips, day hikes, crazy ass trail runs, multi pitch climbing as well as an evening at the local crag, and a few multi day backpack trips in the works. We live and work and run a business in an amazing area, where we can plan an amazing trip and pull it off in a few days. Most people that come to visit may have had that same adventure planned for years as a destination vacation. We are so very lucky to live in Red Lodge! Sometimes our hardest decision is what trail to take for a quick after work run or hike. All of us at Sylvan Peak have big plans for trips. Some may be beyond the planning and permit stage, and some may be just in dreamland still, but the adventure planning is always in the works!