Alpine Accessories donated $500 worth of warm clothing to the local clothing drive organized by the Algonquin Commons shopping center. The Winter Cothing Drive Benefiting D300 Homeless Students collected winter clothing for those in need. Alpine Accessories owners Rick and Laurie Pasturczak donated new childrens ski jackets pants, and adult insulated waterproof ski pants.
There are many ways you can get Free lift tickets or get the best prices to save money so you spend it on your gear.
Go to one of the pre-season consumer ski and snowboard shows such as the Windy City Ski and Snowboard Show. There you will find lift ticket vouchers given as well as great deals on gear and clothing at the swap.
Go on a group trip with a ski and snowboard club. You will not get a better deal than the group rates. And when you go with a club all the organizing is done for you. In the Midwest you can find a CMSC member club where you will find great deals on trips and meet many great people to go out on the slopes with.
Put together your own group to get group rates and Free lift tickets. Most areas have a minimum of 15-20 to be eligible for the group rate, and you get a free lift ticket when 15-25 or more tickets are purchased.
Depending on the resort to qualify for discounted group lift tickets you will need:
• A ski group of 15 – 20 or more
• A single form of payment (cash or credit card)
• 10 – 14 day advance purchase and Same start date for all group members
• For every 15 – 25 tickets purchased, your group will receive one FREE lift ticket
• Lift tickets can be sent to your group leader or picked up when you arrive at the resort ticket window.
Ski Patrol: Volunteer at your local area for ski patrol and you will get free lift tickets to the area you patrol at. You will also get discounts at many other areas. Go to the main ticket office and show your Ski Patrol ID card to get your discount.
Work part time at a ski area as an instructor, ticket counter, rental desk, and get free lift passes for the area you work at.
Season Passes: Many know about the EPIC pass deal. The EPIC pass ranges from $389 to $669 depending on the areas and restrictions chosen. Save even more when you buy during the summer months.
At Mount Bohemia MI you can get a season pass during their one day only sale on Dec. 3rd for $99.00 – regularly $340. So if you ski at $50 per lift ticket you break even at 2 days or 7 days of skiing at the regular rate. At Wilmot Mtn. WI the season pass is ranges from $345 to $555 depending if you buy the pass during the summer or once the snow is flying.
Early Season Deals: Get on the email list for your local area to get notification of special events and lift ticket deals. For example, from opening day to December 16th you can get a lift ticket for only $15.00 at Chestnut Mountain in Galena IL. Chestnut also has Two-fer-Tuesdays.
Cascade Mountain has a NEW- 3-day lift ticket for only $88! Buy a 2-day lift ticket for only $88 and your 3rd consecutive day is free!
Many areas offer military discounts. Be sure to bring your ID to get the discount.
Senior discounts: The age for senior rates has been creeping up since many older skiers are sticking with the sport, usually 70 and up.
Kids Ski Free: Many resorts have free lift tickets for kids 5 and under. When you arrange a ski package including lodging with the resorts central reservations, kids under 12 ski free.
Many shops offer lift tickets for a discount. Go to area ski shops or grocery stores for discount tickets.
Skiing Wisconsin has put together a great lift ticket package so you can get to know the Wisconsin ski and snowboard area resorts. For only $89.95, you can get 1 lift ticket to each of the following areas; Alpine Valley, Cascade Mountain, Christie Mountain, Grand Geneva, Highlands of Olympia, Mt La Crosse, Sunburst, Trollhaugen, Tyrol Basin and Wilmot Mountain. That’s $89.95 for 10 lift tickets!
Free Lift Tickets with Descente Ski Jackets! Descente has done it again! When you buy a Descente Passport ski jacket you will receive a book of Free Lift Ticket vouchers to 35 resorts. When lift tickets cost up to $90 you could easily make up the cost of the new jacket in free lift tickets. All you have to do to get the free lift ticket is to bring the book of vouchers to the lift ticket window and you are given a free lift ticket. It’s that easy.
The models you will find at Alpine Accessories are the Men’s Course, Hudson, Trek and Adventure jackets and the Carrie jacket for the women. Order yours now so you can start using the Free Lift Tickets as soon as the snow flies.
Geigerrig Hydration Packs also offer Passport books which includes vouchers for free lift tickets and discounts.
Let us know if you have any lift ticket deals you would like to share with us by leaving a comment on this blog.
The IBEX Ski and Snowboard Club had a special day at Alpine Accessories where their members were given one day specials, refreshments and a table set up with their upcoming trip information. Members talked to customers / hopefully potential members about the clubs trips.
Members of IBEX Ski and Snowboard Club at Alpine Accessories
Alpine Accessories has been thinking about what ski equipment you will be using this winter, since last winter!
In January our test team went to Denver for the SIA* Show and then to Winterpark to evaluate the 2011-12 ski equipment. It’s a gruelling job, but sombody has to do it.
Rick - Buyer, Debb - Email Marketing, Laurie - Buyer, Bill - Mooch, Each has 40 years skiing experience.
Many of the skis that Alpine Accessories has to offer this year, had already been selected by Rick, but he wanted other opinions. He designed a score card and listed the skis that he wanted each of us to try. Each ski was ridden for 2 runs on various terrains and consistently the same route. The results were not a surprise. Rick does his homework. Which is why buying your equipment from Alpine Accessories is the smart choice, they know their stuff!
Joey Keen - Sales staff & Ski racer (Elite Class CMSC)
So now this month, Alpine Accessories is celebrating their Store Grand Opening! The store was doubled in size over the summer and now has more room for skis, ski boots, poles, etc. All of the stuff that was selected at the SIA* Show and Winterpark is arriving. The displays as well as the website are being filled with new stock daily.
NOW is the time for you to Do Your Homework. You have 2 months before winter arrives. During that time your assignment is to; Check out the ski equipment that Alpine Accessories has to offer.
Read our comments about the skis that we tested.
And visualize yourself gliding down virgin runs.
You will not be graded on your work, but there is a test at the end. Which skis will you ride?
If you have any questions, you can cheat on the test by contacting Rick at customer-service@alpineaccessories.com
And after you have tried your new skis, please write your own review on AlpineAccessories.com. Help other skiers study for their test.
*SnowSports Industries America
Alpine Accessories is a growing specialty shop focused on skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and winter fun. We carry ski and snowboard equipment for beginner to experts, technical ski and snowboard clothing as well as fur boots and boot heaters, and accessories. There is an in-store service department for doing ski and snowboard repairs and a quick turnaround that make Alpine Accessories different than other shops. We educate the customer, offer excellent friendly service, at a competitive price.
This summer, the vacant unit next to the store was purchased and the wall between the two units was torn down doubling the size of the store. Then, a new paint job, new ceiling and new carpet installed. It was cramped before but now customers will be able move around and see more merchandise. With the additional space, many new brands have been brought in this season. And for the 2012 summer season, we will introduce the sport of Stand Up Paddle boarding as well as accessories and active travel apparel.
Last season we saw many people who have not participated in skiing for many years and got back into the sport with their family. Parents like our seasonal rentals for their growing kids. So many customers took advantage of the seasonal rentals that we ran out last season. But with more space, we were able to increase our rentals by 25%.
Our rental equipment is well serviced. All rental service is documented for each piece of equipment. Rental equipment consists of Rossignol skis, bindings & boots along with Flow Snowboards, bindings and boots. Last season we brought new Flow Snowboard with rocker, Flow rear entry bindings and Flow boots with the BOA system. The BOA system makes it easier customers to put on and remove their boots.
Alpine Accessories belongs to the Nation’s Best Sports buying group. This allows us to purchase products at the same low prices as the big box stores. But what we do better is bring in unique items and a wide variety of each category. Where the big box may only have 6 different goggles, we have over 40 goggle models to choose from. Big box stores normally carry only beginner to intermediate equipment, but at Alpine Accessories, you will find gear for beginners to experts and for tots to seniors. We also sell our products on our website www.AlpineAccessories.com .
New product for this season has arrived and put out in the new showroom. We’re ready for the snow.
Salomon rep Brian Crespo was at Alpine Accessories Ski and Snowboard Shop to update our sales staff on the new line of Salomon Skis and Ski Boots.
Salomon rep Brian Crespo talks about the BBR Ski
The 2011-2012 Salomon BBR 8.9 Ski is the shape of the future for skiing. The new patented ultra wide V shape was designed by and named after former surfer Bertrand Kraft (aka Beber, aka BBR). Beber who also was responsible for the Pocket Rocket and X-Scream skis wanted a ski that makes you feel like you are surfing, said Crespo. The graphics have a surfboard look with a cambered full bamboo wood core, vertical sidewalls and an oversized pulse pad dampening system. The all mountain 50% groomed, 50% ungroomed ski has dimensions 147/89/110 in a 176cm ski with a 12.5 radius.
Alpine Accessories test team tested this ski at Winter Park Demo days. The test team concurred this would be a ski for soft snow, powder and ungroomed terrain.
Lexi and Aspen greet Alpine Accessories customers. The girls especially like children.
Alpine Accessories Greeters
All joking aside, Alpine Accessories is PCI compliant. Our systems have been scanned by Coalfire IT Audit and Compliance Company and we use PCI Validated software from Dydacomp. You can be assured that any data you have provided in store or online is safe and secure. See our Privacy Policy for more details.
Do you want to improve your performance out on the slopes? Do you want your feet to be comfortable and warm for a full day on the snow?
For those who have problems with boots, if your feet hurt, customizing your boot to your foot is the answer. Custom Boot Fitting is helps you to find a boot that fits your needs.
First you must start with the right boot. How do you know what is the right boot for you? You can’t go by just your ability level. Your weight, strength, aggressiveness, ability level and the composition of the boot all determine the best boot that will best fit your needs and make you a better boarder or skier.
Not all ski or snowboard boots are made the same. Each manufacturer has different molds and designs. Just as you have a favorite brand of jeans because they fit your shape better than the other brand, different brands of boots have different shapes. And golf clubs or fishing poles come in different stiffness levels, so does different materials used in ski and snowboard boots.
Ski boots range in flex levels from 40 to 130. You must find the brand of boots to fit your foots’ shape and the stiffness level to fit your weight, strength and aggressiveness. To determine the proper flex, you must try on the boot and flex about 3 to 5 inches. If you flex more, you need a stiffer boot. If you can’t flex 3 to 5 inches you need a softer boot.
You also must have the correct size to eliminate any slosh inside your boots. When you are in your car going around a tight turn, you hold on to the steering wheel with a firm tight grip. Your feet are your steering for your skis or board. Boots that are too big will inhibit your reaction time from when your brain tells your feet to move, which then transfers to the motion that moves your ski or board.
And if you have high arches or other foot abnormalities a customized foot bed or orthotics may be recommended.
Sounds complicated? Go to your local specialty ski shop that will have experienced and trained technicians to fit. You’ll get to ski or board better with the right performance level to your needs.
At Alpine Accessories, Rick Pasturczak has over 30 years in boot fitting experience. As a part of our recent store remodel, a new boot fitting bench has been designed to make it easier for your to try on boots in a safe environment.
Employees of Alpine Accessories volunteered to man the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Chamber Corn Roast boot at the annual Algonquin Founders Day Festival. The proceeds from the sale of roasted corn on the cobb, hot pretzels and bottled water help fund area business development. 
