Super helpful staff. I am new to kayaks, and they were super patient and helpful with my questions. Lot's of great advice. Good prices. And the store is so well-organized and loaded with everything. Perfect! read more

I biked all over town in search of warm weather wax for spring riding and when I stopped at Emage and they didn't have the goods, the guy working there suggested I try Confluence on my way back home. Thankfully that had just what I was looking for on the floor. I grabbed my wax and headed home happy to know that there's a shop so close by with everything I need to keep my board tuned all season long. read more

Best store for whitewater kayaking and intermediate to advanced skiing. Highly recommend.

Went here on a Monday hoping I could get my skis tuned by Thursday. For $49 I was able to get a basic tune and had my skis before 3pm on Thursday! Definitely recommend for honest evaluations of what your skis need and a fast turnaround. read more

Confluence Kayak & Ski - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Denver, Colorado

This place is great. The first time we went, we were looking for life vests for our super skinny children, which they had in stock and helped us pick the right size. (Nobody else had them in stock, we checked everywhere. And they were very reasonably priced.) Then we returned when our inflatable kayak had a leak. They fixed it quickly and we're so kind. No shame about our old, sad kayak. They're was one spot they didn't fix because it would have been really expensive to fix and it wasn't necessary for the kayak to be safe, but walked me through how to do it myself and sold me a patch kit for the future. They're just great, every time. Helpful and wanting everyone to have a great, safe time in nature. I'll be back, for sure. read more

Bought my half-slice kayak (Dagger Rewind Small) here. Knowledgeable staff. Good selection of gear. Reasonable prices.

Great Ski Maintenance Shop Came here for an edge and Wax for my snowboard and an edge, wax, and scratch full on some skis and they did great. Confluence kayak told me on the phone when I can expect to get my skis back later in the week and they were exactly right on the turn around time. I dropped off my skis on Tuesday before 5pm and it was ready by Thursday. A basic tune just edge and was is $39 and the scratch fill / power tune is $49 which is decently priced. The shop seems like a small business that cares about doing a good job and has got a laid back vibe. Would definitely return to get more work done on my skis read more

Awful Customer service. Sold my a faulty product and showed little to no care or remorse. If you want to be a small company competing with larger companies then you need to care about the customer experience. read more

Always great service with very knowledgeable and friendly staff. If you have any issues/discomfort they always tell you to bring them back and help you fix whatever you need. Highly recommend! read more

These guys went above and beyond to help me out with an avalanche pack canister. So grateful I decided to give them a call. Also the shop is super cool and has top gear at great prices! read more

Blaire, I'm hoping to get your name right. One of the coolest associates to have convinced me to buy a pink lighter. I popped in my head, because the cat was curious and frankly was blissful to see they sold Sun Bum! That's a very high quality sunscreen and I very much loved it so. This is my new favorite car sticker scavenger place because when you shop within your visit, they have stickers for grabs and I picked out a million see through butterfly car stickers for my trunk. I was wondering through the rest of the store and they have a whole lot of cool outdoor gear, all sizes, both girl and boys! I also saw a few gentlemen working on the skii boards and it looked like a mini repair shop in the corner. I was almost convinced of buying a kayak myself. read more

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Really wanted to keep taking my skis here to get worked on, but I'm done. The place is a flat-out ripoff. As the latest example, they want $79 for a binding remount. Normal price is $50 (or less) for a mount OR remount. So Confluence is charging an extra $30 literally to take out some screws and plug the holes. I called 5 other shops and every one was at LEAST $30 less for the same service. They *always* try to stack unneeded shit onto what I ask for. Coreshot repair? Oh yeah, well we need to base grind, edge tune and wax, so that $10 job? Ya you're gonna pay like $90. Edge sharpen? Oh yeah that's $40. Wait why? Because we need to wax and that's $20. No dude, I asked for an egde sharpening. That is $20. I did not ask for and do not want you to wax. Oh, hey why don't you post service prices on your website? Quit with this shit. Plus, they make you pay for service when you drop your stuff off, rather than when you can pick it up. TF outa here. read more

Stopped in for help with some fit issues I was having with some ski boots I purchased here and was helped out by Brian. He was super helpful, friendly, and worked with me even after closing to get me squared away into a better fit in my boots. I'm very appreciative and would recommend! read more

I would recommend Confluence, without reservation, to anyone looking for quality paddling or ski equipment. They stock an amazing amount of inventory, and have everything you might need. It is run by great people, and the employees are always friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. If I could give them 6 stars I would! read more

We rented two blow up river kayaks and it was a fantastic experience. These guys are awesome. So friendly, so helpful, so excited to get people into the sport. As for the weed smell, who cares. It's not their fault a dispensary moved in next store. read more

Best ski/kayak shop in Denver hands-down. Their staff is always very knowledgeable and helpful! They offer the best tune for your skis or board and can help you pick out the right gear for your outdoor needs. read more

Was referred here from another local sport store for some water gear. I didn't rent, but went looking for a PFD/lifejacket. I walked in and got great help. The customer service was top notch. I was looking for something pretty specific that isn't really for kayaking, and they didn't have it, but they helped me figure out a local place to go try it on. I really appreciated that they went above and beyond to help me find what I needed. The main reason for the lower vote is the place reeked of weed (marijuana) from the moment I stepped in. I totally get that this is Denver, and I am fine with it even though I don't smoke, people close to me do, but I hate the smell. I already hate shopping, so having something else to fuel my dislike wasn't super pleasant. Otherwise, a great kayak/water sport store in downtown. read more

I don't kayak, and don't really care to learn. So I'll put that out there so you aren't misled by my review. This has to do with a snowboard wax. I dropped my snowboard off here for an edge sharpening and waxing on a Saturday afternoon. I was very excited that a place so close to where I live can do this for me. However, I was told that it would be available for pick up Tuesday AFTERNOON. So I drove to work that day downtown and flew out the door promptly at 5pm to get my beloved snowboard. Only to be told that they needed "at least 10 more min to finish up." Umm you've had it since Saturday. The gentleman that helped me out was very knowledgeable and had some great hints, but next time I will be driving to another place. Good to see that they are A+ in the kayak business because I don't see their winter sport angle working out. read more

I just had a pool lesson with Confluence Kayak, at the recommendation of a truly awesome instructor from another outfit. Let me start with the good: The instructors were awesome. I took a rolling class with Heidi and Christine. Both enthusiastic, informative and attentive instructors. Neither let me drown. If my only contact with Confluence had been these two, this is a five star review. So, why the missing stars? Instead of reserving the lesson online, I decided to go into the store. My experience there was similar to some of the other reviewers here. It really seemed like the guy signing me up for the class wanted to be somewhere else. If he'd had even a tenth of the enthusiasm of the class instructors, this would be a very different review. Once I got to the lesson, there were two issues. First is class size. The instructor ratio for my class was 4:1. That's pretty good, but in a 90 minute class that requires a lot of one-on-one time, it can be an issue. In a half-day or full-day class it would have been excellent. But when there's limited class time, I hate to waste it paddling around waiting for my turn with an instructor. The other issue (responsible for at least 1.5 of the missing stars) was the guy co-ordinating the pool lessons. I was told to show up a few minutes early to get paperwork done. So I did. Turns out, "get paperwork done" really means "carry in five kayaks from the parking lot." I don't mind helping out, and I would have been happy to hall my own boat in. Maybe even a boat for one of the other students. But asking a paying customer to help haul multiple boats to set up your lesson is bad form. After the second boat, I kind of rolled my eyes when this guy told me there were more boats to bring in. His response was, 'that's what you get for showing up early." Really, dude? You want to get snarky with a paying customer who's helping you do your job? One last issue. The website lists the price for pool classes as $49. If you go into the store, they'll charge you $59. Who knows, maybe I got charged $10 extra for the privilege of helping haul the gear. It's still a three star review. And that should tell you how awesome the instructors were. Despite everything else, i'd still sign up for another class with those two amazing individuals. read more

I take my ski gear here regularly for tune-ups. I have done basic waxes, edge, and even serious base repair here. In all cases they have done a great job with 9/10 times a very fast turnaround..and that one slow time was pre-season so it wasn't a rush anyways. Their prices are very reasonable for tunes/repairs and the guys that work here are all really cool and knowledgable. I also like the location since its close to home. They have a ton of really nice gear for sale here too..especially for the advanced/backcountry skier types. read more

A very good kayak shop, centrally located in the Platte river district near REI's flagship store and Paris on the Platte. Good staff and instructors. Sometimes it seems like the gear could be cheaper but that's what you get with a central, convenient location. They stock a variety of brands; Jackson, Dagger, Liquid Logic, Wavesport. Good hours. One of the cool things about this shop is that if you want to demo a boat, you can just walk it over to the Confluence Park and jump in the water...errr-liquid, that flows through downtown. read more

A+ customer service and they genuinely care about their patrons. Also, they are a locally owned small business, so drive past REI and give Confluence Kayaks a shot. I use yelp a lot, but it takes something significant for me to write a review. Over the last month Brian, the manager at Confluence Kayaks, has been incredibly helpful with my backcountry ski setup for this winter. He is knowledgeable and friendly, which made my experience there fun. Do yourself a favor and checkout Confluence Kayaks for your backcountry setup this winter (they also have rentals). read more

"The kayak shop that all other shops are compared against" - unanimous My father has been buying boats from Confluence Kayaks since they opened in 1995. My brothers and I learned to kayak in gear dad purchased from this shop. Today our family still remains loyal to Confluence Kayaks. Why? Jon (the owner) and his staff are friendly, fair, and experts at gear repair. When my dad's Wavesport Ace cracked, Jon warranted it. Whenever a gasket on a drytop rips we take it to Confluence. Confluence has replaced over twenty damaged gaskets for our family. My last purchase was a Jackson Allstar. Unfortunately the boat had not shipped before our family's annual Westwater trip. Confluence let me take their demo boat for free. read more

I'm not a kayak expert but it seems like these guys know what's up. They have kayaks for sale (duh) as well as gear, but they are so much more than their namesake. They teach kayaking and will rent them out as well. Look for cute ski hats and stuff to keep you warm on the slopes. Also, they'll tune your skis and/or board and offer a bunch of other snow-related services such as: Hot Wax and finish - $15 Stone Grind Only - $20 Major Base Repair - $10/ea Topsheet Delam - $10-20 Tele Binding Mount - $25 AT Binding Mount - $35 Ski Remount Fee - $10 Climbing skins Trim and setup - $19 Climbing skins Reglue labor - $25 read more

Brian's bead has been trimmed, but he and John and Confluence kayaks have not. Ever wonderful!!!

This is a great place to find help on everything kayak related. If you are a recreational or whitewater paddler, this should be your place to rent, buy or get any advice from a very knowledgeable staff. They know the spots to go. Offer classes to develop your paddling skills and carry some of the best kayak merchandise one could find. read more

I needed to get a pair of skis remounted in a very small time frame (less than 24 hours), and this was the only place nearby that was able to provide such a quick turnaround. Re-mounting price was pretty steep compared to what I've paid elsewhere, but since I didn't really have a choice I was willing to pay a little extra. They did a great job re-mounting an old pair of bindings for me and the skis were ready to pick up exactly when they said they would be. read more

I take my skis here for all of the work that I need done. The skis always come back with sharp edges, a great coat of wax and if I ever need any base work done they have done an excellent job as well. Turn around time is very fast and I have always been very happy with them. I am not sure where the bad review came from about slow turn around time. The most they have ever needed is 2 days for my skis and that is a fraction of the time most shops need in Denver to complete a tune. Don't waste your time other places and just head to Confluence Kayaks to get the best ski tune in town! read more

First experience here was great. The guy who I expect is the owner is really helpful, friendly and fair. The new employees that are in there, though, clueless. No idea how to describe which ski tuning package was which, and what a greater price buys you. "These are the packages... pick one... they range from $15-$75." was basically what I got. Went back to pick up skis, stood there for more than 5 minutes waiting to be helped... not because they were busy from what I could tell, either. How about a "Hey, oh you've got skis to pick up? No problem, let me help you out" or "Just a second I'll get someone to help you out", instead it was more like "I'll avoid this guy and maybe he'll go away." The first time I went in for tuning, they told me a 48 hour turnaround, which they cut down to 24 hour for a nominal rush charge. When I returned, they told me 7 day turn around. Also, the prices seem to have increased from the first time. I paid almost double for the same service as the first time, though admittedly one pair of skis needed a minor P-tex repair this time. The edges, while sharp, don't have the same "factory like" finish that I've found with other shops. read more

Had my paddle board damaged upon arrival took my board here and they fixed and matched the paint as well great work and turnaround time as well read more

5 stars for some seriously stellar customer service. I had a three day weekend rental for skis, poles, and boots and the sticker price on the rental was already below most places in the area. I inquired about helmet rentals. They had never done a helmet rental but were happy to accommodate me as the first helmet rental customer. They also threw in in-helmet headphones. When I came back to return the skis, they discounted the portion of the rentals spent on the skis because they ended up being a bit too advanced for me. They also let me pay the difference for the rest of the helmet to own. read more

Doesn't matter how good the customer service is-this place is SEVERELY overpriced. $82 for a one-day rental for a tandem inflatable kayak that sinks. What an incredibly disappointing afternoon. Do yourself a favor and go buy a kayak on Craigslist for $200. read more

Great place locally owned! Gear is high end with top notch employees to help you get exactly what you need.

Huge assortment of gear everything you need from A to Z. Their staff is really friendly and knowledgable and always willing to help. Nate even went so far as to research the best options for hauling including mount kit combinations that would fit both Kayaks I ordered. Its awesome being able to get such personal service in a local shop when we live in an era of huge conglomerate superstores. These guys are the best! read more

This review is for their winter sports equipment and clothing. These guys are great, providing very friendly and accommodating service. I wanted to look at roof racks and they offered to let me take it out the door and try to fit it on my car. Or I could take it home and return it later if I didn't like it.. Helpful and knowledgeable as well. I ended up spending a long time in there looking through their other equipment. You won't find every brand here, but you will find the unique, local stuff that you're not able to find anywhere else; I've never even heard of a lot of the ski brands they have there. It's a little more expensive (if you want discounts, go to a mass marketer like Sports Authority) but it's almost like a curated collection of high quality merchandise. Well worth a visit. read more

After learning the Denver REI no longer rents AT/Tele/Ski (anything with plastic boots) I was referred over to Confluence Kayaks. They have a wide assortment of gear (lots of local stuff as well!) and got me setup in no time. The rates are good and there service and knowledge was even better. I would highly recommend. read more

Don't buy a gift card here, and check other places' prices before you buy anything. My friend gave me a gift card here for my birthday a couple of years ago. I live in another city, but was in Denver this summer and tried to use it. They told me that they didn't "think" it had a balance on it, but when I told them that was impossible, they admitted that their POS had changed "several times" in the last couple of years and weren't really sure what happened to it. After waiting around for about 30 minutes, the guy told me he didn't "want to hold me up any longer" but assured me that he would get to the bottom of it and call me back with the balance. Unsurprisingly, he never called back. While I waited for them to try figure out their POS confusion, I found several items that I really liked. After checking online, I found most of them for less than half the price on other online retailers. I asked if they could lower the price given that, and an employee said no. I understand that small shops like this cannot match prices with REI, Backcountry.com, etc., but they should really try to compensate in areas like customer service/loyalty with things like, I don't know, honoring gift cards that someone spent money on... read more

Really happy with the work Confluence did on my telemark skis. I needed new bindings mounted and some repair work done to the bases. Tele skis came back good as new. Excited about trying some of their demo skis this season as well. Looked at their rates and they seemed reasonable to me: http://www.confluencekayaks.com/svc_win.php They're a little hidden under Vitamin Cottage so you have to look. Best part about their new location: FREE PARKING!!! Make's lugging skis and boats to and from your car a lot easier. read more

The entire team at Confluence Kayaks are wonderful, so helpful and friendly. I have a pair of ski boots that are long past their retirement but I can not part from them so they need a little love. When something gets worn out or breaks on my boots, other shops have told me they are unable to fix them. However, my dear friend Brain not only can fix them them but does it right away and at the best price in town. I will always be a loyal customer and highly recommend these guys! read more

I never actually got to take a kayaking instruction from them, so this review is only on their service. I'm a kayaker from out of town and I wanted an intro to whitewater in CO on something ~Class III. I went into the shop on a Saturday to schedule a lesson for the upcoming week in person. I filled out the forms, asking all the questions, and they said they would contact me. I had to continuously call them every day, waiting to hear if I had been officially scheduled, what instructor I would have, and what river we would go to. Despite my calls, they kept on just telling me that "Person A" wasn't in the shop and I should call back. I would call back and they would tell me that "Person B" wasn't in the shop and I should call back. Finally ~5pm the night before my lesson they called (the only reason they get 2 stars instead of 1). Sorry, but I need a little more notice than that! If they're level of responsibility in scheduling/getting back to their clients is any indication of their level of responsibility on the river, I wouldn't trust them. read more