Family Oriented Outdoor Focused

Timeline & history

The Alpine Haus Story is one of resilience, dedication, and a deep love for outdoor recreation. Established in 1976 by Vince Zimmer the business began as a ski store with a clear mission: to offer exceptional service and get people out on the mountain or water with the right gear. Almost 50 years later, that same mission continues to guide the Alpine Haus with a reputation built on quality products, expert service, and a genuine commitment to customer experience.

1976

The Beginnings

Vince ran the Alpine Haus expanding the business beyond just winter sports gear. Alpine Haus’ primary focus was winter sports, but he also dived into water sports, skate, and soccer over those years. The shop originally opened in the fall of 1976 off 27th avenue and then in the mid 1980’s moved to its current south hill location on the corner of 30th and Regal. As his watersports and boat business grew, he moved the ski shop out to the valley for a few years before returning it to its original corner on the south hill.

2011

Challenging Times

For thirty-five years Vince operated a successful ski/board shop building the company in many facets. His venture into watersports, and eventually boat sales and service turned out to be something he couldn’t walk away from. In 2011, he decided it was time to enjoy his winters off and split the business, retaining the boat business but selling the ski/board shop to his store manager. The store lost sight of its vision during the next few years but maintained a presence in the community.

2015

New Beginnings

After four years of ownership the store did not look like it did under Vince’s ownership and had taken a turn for the worse. Drew and Rachel were approached to purchase the Alpine Haus in November of 2015. They both had retail experience and had just moved to the area after spending 7+ years in Boise, Idaho. That first winter they had a steep hill to climb to get products ordered, build back the trust of the customer, and prove this shop could get back to its glory days.

2017

Re-Investment

The tune shop was completely overhauled with high end machinery and a well-trained team. They also boast one of the largest season lease ski/snowboard programs in the Inland Northwest. With an “always say yes” mentality, the business went from doing 300 leases a year to over 3000. This growth spurred from the desire to get families out on the mountain affordably to help grow the sport.

2024

Expansion

In 2024 The Alpine Haus officially expanded from their store on the South Hill and added a second location on the Northwest side of Spokane. The stores are about 25 minutes apart and are designed to mirror one another. Along with the new location they expanded their product and service offerings into the bike market. With a full-service bike shop including service, sales, parts, accessories, and more they believe this will make them a more year-round focused business with the ability to retain higher levels of staff and not be so seasonal. After almost 50 years the Alpine Haus has showed its resilience to change and continues to adapt to the market. Their goal remains the same as it was when Vince took his vision from paper and sprung it into action. The mission will continue to focus on exceptional products and services to help get people/families out on the mountain, water, or trails with the right gear.