As Cathy Hay and her husband, Jack, prepare to celebrate the 85th anniversary of their Alpine Sport Shop later this year, they know there are many to thank: a loyal customer base from around the state, a coterie of dedicated staff, and perhaps most importantly, the pioneering vision of Cathy’s late father, Thurlow Woodcock. 

It was Woodcock who not only moved the Saratoga business from its original location at 138 Spring Street to its current locale on Clinton Street, but who was also the visionary behind the new shop’s authentic chalet-style building. 

Alpine Sport Shop was opened in 1941 by skiing enthusiast Ed Taylor and his wife, Jo. Ed served during World War II in the 10th Mountain Division—the nation’s first specialized mountain warfare unit—and it left him with a life-long love of the sport. Skidmore College (all-female at the time) was still at its original location on the city’s East Side near Congress Park, and the Taylors wisely decided to expand the inventory at their nearby store beyond ski equipment to include women’s clothing. That move ensured a never-ending parade of happy students, who bought up wool skirts, loafers, and button-down sweaters as fast as they were put on display.  

When Woodcock and his wife, Dorothy, took over the business in 1966, Skidmore was poised to move to its current location—a 900-acre campus set between North Broadway and Clinton Street. Cathy said her father saw opportunity to follow the customers to that side of town, even though naysayers had their doubts about a retail store sustaining itself in a comparatively remote location.  

“There were no developments around the area like there are now and not much drive-by traffic,” Cathy says. “But my dad had such a vision and knew what he wanted. I remember him sitting at the dining room table writing out plans on graph paper when I was in 8th grade.”  

The construction of the new store required the demolition of an existing two-story house and the clearing of land for the 5,000-square-foot building. “Eventually, he got his dream structure,” says Cathy, “and he did 90 percent of the work himself.” 

More than 50 years later, that structure still stands—a testament both to its owners’ business acumen, but also to the charming slope-roofed building that, a half-century later, still hasn’t gone out of style.  

“The steep roofing with big overhangs on the sides and heavy timber construction are all designed to bear the heavy snow loads you’d see in places like Austria and Switzerland,” says architect Michael Phinney, an avid skier and longtime Alpine Sport Shop customer. “Jack, Cathy, and their kids are all expert skiers and the nicest people. The fireplace is always going, and there’s always a bowl of popcorn waiting.” 

Indeed, one of the biggest draws for skiers and boarders who could very easily choose to do their shopping online is the store’s fireplace, where customers are quick to congregate on cold winter days. It’s that in-person experience coupled with the one-on-one service you can’t get from a website that keep Alpine Sport Shop’s dedicated customers coming back year after year. 

These days, customers travel from as far as Lake Placid to shop, but in the beginning, Cathy says her father had to come up with ideas to draw people from a distance. Example A: For eight years, the store offered Graduated Length Method ski lessons on an indoor ski deck (a mini ski hill set up inside the building). “My dad never did anything small,” Cathy says with a laugh. 

Since discontinuing its women’s clothing, Alpine Sport Shop has narrowed its focus to skiing and snowboarding equipment, as well as accessories like gloves, hats, and base layers. For those unsure about investing in their own pair of skis, the basement is filled with equipment for lease, and for those who already have a set-up of their own, the store offers waxing and sharpening services through the fall and winter.

As the Hays prepare to close the door on their store’s 84th season (Alpine Sport Shop shuts down in April and reopens in mid-August), they’re thankful they’ve been able to steward the now-iconic building into the 21st century and beyond. Cathy credits a team of longtime employees, including her and Jack’s daughter, Julia, for keeping the business current and fresh for an ever-evolving market.  

“We’re passionate about what we do and we love it,” she says. “Basically, what we’re selling is fun.”