Alpine Start Outfitters (Meindl)

Great customer service. They found some great Meindl boots to fit my wide feet

I bought a pair of Meindl boots from this store that I paid $588 for. The purchase and the boots fitting were made under the recommendations from staff. I wore the boots for a few hikes ranging from 15km -20km each and they were not breaking in to my foot. I took them back for fitting twice in that period with no improvement. I have owned several pairs of stiff hiking boots and have never had extreme blistering and skin loss like this. The boots just did not fit! The store’s return policy is only 14 days in which the boots would have to be in perfect condition for and they don’t give store credit outside of that. I spoke with a manager that was not willing to do anything other than try again to make them fit. The staff are not trained well enough, nor did I see equipment to properly fit these high end boots. Sadly this is the only Meindl dealer in town. If you buy a pair of boots from this store that do not fit you will be stuck with them. I recommend that you go to a store like MEC where you will end up leaving with a pair of boots that fit one way or the other.

Bought a pair of Meindl shoes last week. Got some extra advice for fun trails around Banff. Great customer experience (they really take the time to let you try and test all the different fits) and very satisfied with my boots so far!

I've gone more since MEC has stopped being a co-op and is American. Excellent selection, great staff- knowledgeable and available, local:), and also prices are decent. Just an FYI Alpine Start Outfitters if you enter outdoor shops" on google maps your store doesn't show up....may wanna change that!"

A frustrating customer experience. We had an immediate failure of a $300 sleeping pad we purchased for a 3 week expedition film shoot and so brought it back when we returned to Vancouver. The staff explained that we would have to deal directly with thermarest. I explained that this would perhaps not be the fastest and most appropriate way to deal with it as it was hunting season and time sensitive to have a replacement. Could they just replace the product they had sold us and follow up with the manufacturer themselves? They insisted they wouldn’t do that. 2 months or more later and at the very end of hunting season after we had given up & replaced the sleeping pad elsewhere I called again out of curiosity and irritation, to be told “oh we were going to call you soon. No reply on your repair from thermarest so we can give you a new one and follow up on the repair ourselves”. This was the VERY SOLUTION I had SPECIFICALLY suggested initially. It was now the end of the season, we had already replaced it and I had again had to chase them up. They presented this solution as some sort of amazing customer service to us that we should be thankful for. It was not, we were not.We have since purchased a set of battery packs from them, one of which has failed after only a few months. Upon calling them 2 weeks ago I was told a manger would call back shortly to discuss and resolve. Obviously, as per, this did not happen. I called again today and was told “oh you’re thermarest guy!”…. Their solution was the same as with most things they sell in store… “if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own mate”. USELESS.Frustrating management, sarcastic tone, failure to return calls, and it can be VERY difficult to even finish your sentence when on the phone with one particular member of staff who has either an inability or unwillingness to listen. We won’t be shopping here any more as there simply is NO real benefit to doing so & it usually results in frustration.

I had been searching for boots at 3 different stores. Found shoes that fit well, but wasn’t quite satisfied. I finally stopped in at Alpine Start and right when I entered the door was offered help to find shoes that not only fit right but would be perfect for the situation I was purchasing for. I’m not sure her name but a wonderful woman with a knee brace was of amazing help! We found great Meindl shoes that fit like a glove!! Thank you for your amazing help! The personalized service and knowledge from the staff separate this store from the rest! 10/10 recommend. I won’t be buying shoes or equipment anywhere else in BC!Big thanks!

I chanced upon Alpine Start Outfitters while looking for backpacking boots. What a breath of fresh air! Their staff are friendly AND knowledgeable - what a rare combo. They spent the time to get me fitted with the right boot. Holy smokes did that make all the difference for my two 8-day backpacking trips this summer. I was walking on clouds rather than hobbling along with blisters. Thank goodness!! All this to say, I highly recommend this store!

I don't write too many reviews online but my experience at Alpine Start was definitely worth taking 5 minutes out of my day. All three of the staff I talked with in there were great. They knew their products inside-out and got the perfect balance between helping me out and leaving me alone to browse. I felt no pressure in there and as a result walked out a happy customer with exactly what i was looking for. Thanks and see you again!

I have a 12 year old pair of Meindl boots from AJ Brooks needing a sole repair, Alpine Start sent them to the factory. After the original timeline passed I had to call them every few weeks for an update, the last time I called they said my boots had been sent back unrepairable (a few months past the expected timeline). I went to the shop to pick them up and there was no explanation from the factory or the staff. Given the factory said the boots were unrepairable I expected staff to try selling me a new pair, but they didn't offer anything. I was surprised that they didn't try showing me new boots to replace them. I found a repair shop in the BC interior who repaired my boots and I expect a few more years out of them. Not happy with the customer service or salesmanship, I like Meindls but I would find another shop next time.