Mountain Hardware, Software and Moonlight Hikes Mountaineering Store is Outdoor Mecca

Author: Jonathan White

Going into its fifth year of business, the Middlebury Mountaineer on Mill Street in Frog Hollow continues to be a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.
For those looking for the newest and best set of telemark boots or a Patagonia windbreaker to buffer this fall's rapid descent into winter temperatures, this is Mecca on the banks of Otter Creek.
When the Middlebury Mountaineer opened in 1998, it introduced several new lines of outdoor products to the local outdoor clothing and furnishing market. Mountain Hardwear, Marmot and Dansko — the latter being the maker of popular outdoor-inspired clogs — are the notable new names that the store brought to Middlebury. Co-owner Steve Atocha says that the store also helped fill a void in the local market by being the first outdoor store to stock clothing and items for paddle sports.
A visit to the Middlebury Mountaineer in late October reveals stocks of Mountain Hardwear coats, warm sweaters, wool hats and an array of boots for telemark and powder skiers. Atocha changes his inventory depending on the season. Summer supplies tend more towards paddle sports and fly-fishing.
Atocha has added Patagonia products and gear to the store in the last year. He also says that the store has moved forward with telemark equipment, noting that this sector of the outdoor sports and apparel market is enjoying continued growth, while the snowboard and ski markets have stagnated. New Scarpa telemark boots and G-3 high-end telemark binding are among the new items available for the upcoming winter season.
Two years ago, the Middlebury Mountaineer launched professionally-guided expeditions from its base in Frog Hollow through an affiliate, Green Mountain Adventures. The company offers fly fishing outings, caving, flat-water kayak tours, winter excursions and adventure daytrips for kids.
Atocha is hoping that a white winter will encourage people to come out for snowshoe trips and moonlight treks of frosty mountain trails. Green Mountain Adventures supplies all the gear for the outings, including hot chocolate, trekking poles and headlamps for the winter moonlight tours.
According to Atocha, Green Mountain Adventures was an instant hit and continues to grow. Despite this summer's drought and low water levels in local streams and rivers, fly fishing interest has risen dramatically. Atocha also believes that business has benefited in light of travel patterns after Sept. 11. He sees more tourists from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York passing through to enjoy Vermont's wild areas.
In terms of ability levels and familiarity with outdoor recreation, Green Mountain Adventures caters to all levels and talents.
"We run the gamut from beginners to those who have been fly-fishing for years," Atocha said in reference to the fly-fishing trips the company sponsors.
As a graduate of the University of Vermont, Atocha is well-versed in the recreation amenities Vermont offers.
An ardent fly-fisher and, before discovering fishing, a climber, Atocha believes that Otter Creek and the Middlebury Gorge offer excellent fishing opportunities. The Otter itself is stocked frin anglers. Atocha also enjoys the streams in the mountains surrounding Lincoln and Ripton for brook trout fishing.
Atocha also believes that the Northeast Kingdom is a paradise for outdoor sports — being both exceptionally beautiful and well off the beaten tourist path.
Co-owning the Mountaineer with his wife, Marion, was initially a bit of a roller coaster for Atocha. Getting established in the Middlebury community took some time back in the late 1990s, but Atocha says that with business going well and with the success of Green Mountain Adventures that he hopes he can stay in the outdoor recreation business as long as possible.
For more information on Green Mountain Adventures' trips and schedules, as well as the Middlebury Mountaineer's gear and apparel, visit the store's Web site: middleburymountaineer.com.