Wasescha has two halves, divided by the entrance to the Hotel Cresta --- one does gear rentals, the…read moreother does clothes and gear retail. Besides the normal skis and snowboards, the rental shop has XC skis and snowshoes, but not many of either --- they ran out of size-Medium XC skis, leaving me on larges. The rental staff is mostly competent (although the younger staff don't know their way around the XC gear yet) and mostly friendly (one woman was too swamped to be nice). The retail section has a mix of outdoors clothing, Aspen/Vail-style "resort wear" (aka fuzzy boots), and some Alpine Touring gear. Not an impressive rental shop, but it worked well enough for our uses.

From the owner: Der grösste Spezialist für Bergsport und Outdoor der Schweiz. Alles für Hochtouren, Klettern,…read moreWandern, Skitouren, Klettersteig, Schneeschuhe, Expeditionen und mehr.

You guys, this place it awesome- it`s really an outlet. And…read morefor Zürich prices, this is as cheap as it gets! They have new and gently used gear, clothes, and shoes- for Christmas or every day, this is the store to choose! I got new hiking boots for only 59 Franks, elsewhere was at least 200, for that I`m giving thanks! The snowshoe selection downstairs had new and slightly used, but not enough sizes from which I could choose. But I`ll totally come back, for warm or active wear, it`s just the coolest store with prices beyond compare!

My wife described this as halfway between an REI and an LL Bean, and I think she's got it about…read moreright. The gear selection mirrors REI well, but there's a fuller clothing line, especially at the more casual end --- and I still haven't figured out the kid's fishing pool. A touch of Cabela's, perhaps? The staff is helpful, and will happily break out their (sometimes rusty) English if need be. We mostly shopped in German, but once you start looking for books in English the conversations tend to follow suit. Picked up a new hostel liner for hut-to-hut hikes, didn't find the book we hoped for, and figure I'll be back next time I need some ski gloves.

Good selection and the staff are fairly nice - but they have a very strict return policy. I had…read morebought a slightly-too-small day pack and came back a few days later to see if I could return the one I had - very well preserved - no visible signs of use - and give them more money to buy the bigger one. No, and the face I got was akin to "how dare you even think you could give us more money for a bigger one." I ended up buying the bigger one anyway, because I needed it, and will gift the smaller one to a friend sometime.

The famous Swiss store for mountain equipment is a good address if you're into outdoors activities…read more In the last few years I bought some jackets, t-shirts, head lamp etc... and I'm quite happy with the quality of these products. In the Zurich store I recently bought a winter jackets and some snow boots. The service was simply great. The staff there always have a smile in their face, which is quite important for me when I go shopping, and they took the time to answer my questions. One thing I've appreciated is the tips the lady gave me in order to make a choice easier. At the end I chose a jacket which suited my needs and was cheaper then the model I had look previously. If they don't have your size they will simply order it without any obligation from your side to buy the item. It's true that Mammut clothing and equipment are not cheap but I think it's still worth the money. The store is also very well located near the Zurich HB on the Löwenstrasse. It can be reached within 2 minutes.