Mountain Side Gear Rental outfitted this group with backpacking gear. (Mountain Side Gear Rental)
Summer and winter are coming together in a Golden storefront.
Slope Threads, a startup launched last year that rents ski apparel online, is taking on a brick-and-mortar presence this season, operating within Mountain Side Gear Rentals’ retail space at 15985 S. Golden Road in Golden.
Mountain Side launched online in 2010 and opened the storefront in 2017. The outdoor gear the company rents, such as camping equipment and backpacking items, is more often used during warmer weather. But Slope Threads CEO Sarah Laughlin didn’t know that when she first walked in.
Sarah Laughlin (Scott Cowperthwaite, AfterFiveMedia)
“I walked into a store like doing recon to see if he was a competitor, basically,” Laughlin said. “So I (went) to see if he was renting anything I was, and we just exchanged business cards. And he followed up with me late summer.”
Mountain Side co-owner Phil Sanchez said he had been looking to tap into the winter clothing rental market for some time.
“It’s kind of a ying and yang of what she does in the winter, what we do in the summer,” Sanchez said. “And it kind of works out very well, I think.”
Slope Threads offers ski clothing rentals for $29 to $45 per day for a ski jacket, snow pants, gloves and goggles. Orders can be shipped to a home address or ski destination in the U.S., and include a bag with a return address for easy return shipping.
The company has enough inventory to outfit 600 skiers at a time, Laughlin said. Customers also can rent helmets, and purchase socks or base layers.
Starting Dec. 1, customers will be able to pick up and drop off rentals at the Golden location in addition to having orders shipped, Laughlin told BusinessDen.
Colorado startup Slope Threads offers ski clothing rentals including jackets, snow pants, gloves and goggles. (Slope Threads)
The partnership also will allow Slope Threads and Mountain Side to ship microspikes and snowshoe rentals. These rentals range from $7.95 to $80 per day, according to Mountain Side’s website.
Slope Threads will operate at the storefront through ski season. The two companies may look to expand the partnership in the future, Laughlin said.
Laughlin said Slope Threads did about 600 rentals last season, and expects to do 4,000 to 5,000 this year through online orders and the Golden location.
The startup is working with companies and business schools to outfit large groups, and also has partnered with hospitality company Sonder and ski rental company Ski Butlers to offer ski clothing to their customers.
Mountain Side Gear Rental outfitted this group with backpacking gear. (Mountain Side Gear Rental)
Summer and winter are coming together in a Golden storefront.
Slope Threads, a startup launched last year that rents ski apparel online, is taking on a brick-and-mortar presence this season, operating within Mountain Side Gear Rentals’ retail space at 15985 S. Golden Road in Golden.
Mountain Side launched online in 2010 and opened the storefront in 2017. The outdoor gear the company rents, such as camping equipment and backpacking items, is more often used during warmer weather. But Slope Threads CEO Sarah Laughlin didn’t know that when she first walked in.
Sarah Laughlin (Scott Cowperthwaite, AfterFiveMedia)
“I walked into a store like doing recon to see if he was a competitor, basically,” Laughlin said. “So I (went) to see if he was renting anything I was, and we just exchanged business cards. And he followed up with me late summer.”
Mountain Side co-owner Phil Sanchez said he had been looking to tap into the winter clothing rental market for some time.
“It’s kind of a ying and yang of what she does in the winter, what we do in the summer,” Sanchez said. “And it kind of works out very well, I think.”
Slope Threads offers ski clothing rentals for $29 to $45 per day for a ski jacket, snow pants, gloves and goggles. Orders can be shipped to a home address or ski destination in the U.S., and include a bag with a return address for easy return shipping.
The company has enough inventory to outfit 600 skiers at a time, Laughlin said. Customers also can rent helmets, and purchase socks or base layers.
Starting Dec. 1, customers will be able to pick up and drop off rentals at the Golden location in addition to having orders shipped, Laughlin told BusinessDen.
Colorado startup Slope Threads offers ski clothing rentals including jackets, snow pants, gloves and goggles. (Slope Threads)
The partnership also will allow Slope Threads and Mountain Side to ship microspikes and snowshoe rentals. These rentals range from $7.95 to $80 per day, according to Mountain Side’s website.
Slope Threads will operate at the storefront through ski season. The two companies may look to expand the partnership in the future, Laughlin said.
Laughlin said Slope Threads did about 600 rentals last season, and expects to do 4,000 to 5,000 this year through online orders and the Golden location.
The startup is working with companies and business schools to outfit large groups, and also has partnered with hospitality company Sonder and ski rental company Ski Butlers to offer ski clothing to their customers.
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