Valhalla Pure Outfitters - The Gear is Here

I love Valhalla!  I am so happy and feel so lucky that they opened a store in our community.  Not only do they have a wide range of every kind of outdoor recreational gear you can imagine - the staff is awesome!  Every time I go into the store it makes me feel like Norm from Cheers...

I am surprised that I still talk to some people who haven't heard of this gear mecca.  The owner and staff have done such a good job at building a business that appeals to people of all levels, abilities and interests.  Not only that, but you really get a sense that the owner and staff care about people.  Through the quality in product... the variety and diversity in branding and most importantly in the good, down to earth, active people they hire!  The staff is knowledgeable and experienced...  just ask Jim about his last trip or google his gopro footage!  They also do a great job on providing an environment where one can just go and loiter and talk about trail running, paddling, rock climbing etc...  It is the kind of store where dreaming of snow in the summer is not only acceptable, but encouraged!  Those backcountry ski types are pretty hard core...

Now this is just my outlook on the shop and based on my experiences.  Since then I have had the good fortune of getting to know the staff better and meeting the owner over a beer and a burger.  I'll say it again - the backbone to this business comes from a grass roots guy who loves recreating, racing and exploring just as much as the rest of us.  He ended up turning that passion into a store where he can give back and help support people's dreams.  Like Sarah and me.  It is our dream to go to the Alps.  And thanks to Valhalla, (and our other amazing sponsors Kelowna Cycle & IceBreaker) our dreams are going to come true this year.

Which is why I feel so lucky to have Valhalla's support and sponsorship as we venture into this epic and insane 8 day running race.  Being in alignment with business or people with similar values as mine are a key part of my business so you can see how easy it was to develop a partnership with Valhalla.  They were in 100% alignment with my #1 philosophy in life:  'treat people the way you want to be treated.' and Valhalla has done just that! 

I started this post to just tell you how much I love the new pair of La Sportiva Raptor shoes and IceBreaker shorts I picked up today, but it turned into my traditional "I love you man!" kind of blog...