Rocky Mountain Outfitter was started in 1976 right in the heart of Main Street Kalispell, Montana by Don Scharfe. An intrepid mountaineer, he wanted to provide like-minded adventurers with the gear and knowledge they needed to enjoy the iconic landscapes of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness–the very things that drew him to this area in the first place.

In five decades, not a whole lot has changed.

When people walk into our store, they’re reconnected with the roots of Montana’s outdoor community. The walls are festooned with seemingly ancient climbing gear and backpacks, and the library upstairs is stocked with stories and guidebooks long since discontinued. These items serve as equal parts documentation and inspiration for the new generation of mountaineers looking to test themselves against this legendary landscape.

Though we are a business, we function a lot more like a family. We have never existed to turn huge a profit, become a mega-conglomerate retailer, or race to keep up with the rapidly evolving outdoor industry. Instead, we’ve always worked to be the next best place people could go when they weren’t outside.

This goal still rings true today: we want to provide people with an experience that feels more akin to a hike in the quiet backcountry with friends–where they leave with more in the tank than when they walked in–than how it normally feels walking through your standard big-box outdoor store.

Now, under the ownership of longtime manager Jandy Cox, we continue to serve this amazing community we call home. And as long as there are mountains to play in, we hope to continue helping anyone who walks through our doors do exactly that.