Some instructor buddies recommended Pinnacle for a base grind. My daughter has a race this weekend and a hand tune wasn't going to cut it, but we live in an area where it's tough to get a good tune. Things didn't break right and we weren't able to get them in to leave them over night so we had to come in the day we were rolling out of town. Jack was very understanding and took care to get them turned around for us quickly. Most shops would have hustled it and done a botch job but they came out super slick. Grateful to my buddies for a stellar recommendation and to Jack in the tune shop for living up to it! Thanks again! read more

Pinnacle is THE shop for buying, demoing, or renting ski/snowboard equipment near Stowe, VT. While Pinnacle offers the largest demo supply in the State of Vermont, the Shop's welcoming and knowledgeable staff truly set them apart from any other business. Special thanks to Mike @ Pinnacle, who's subject mater expertise, patienence, and genuine personality, made the visit (including the 30 min detour) all the worth the while. After discussing four different ski options with Mike, and two days of demos, I opted to purchase a pair and could not be more thrilled. Thank you Mike, & Pinnacle, for such a pleasant customer experience and successful purchase of my first pair of skis! read more

Had an amazing experience today visiting the store to learn about snowboards. They're definitely a lot less common up this far north and I am a recent transplant to New England so it's been hard to find places that offer snowboards or have people that can walk you through what you need. Talked for a long time with the young man that worked there, and he graciously took part of his lunch time to walk me through everything that I would need for snowboarding, different brands he recommended, and just overall snowboarding knowledge to help me get started on my research. I will definitely be back.! read more

Several friends rented skis from here and had a very smooth experience. They were able to reserve the gear online and show up to get sized. Pick up and drop off went well and we didn't experience any hiccups. They had a very competitive price for rentals, not only with places in town, but with the ski resort. Shopping wise, they had a great selection of everything you need; balaclavas, hats, gloves, Stowe gear, and all. We got some great finds here! Note: 2 of our guy friends who were sized here were undersized for their boots. The person fitting them focused on the toe mobility, but both people complained about constraints and pain on their calves, even when the latches were at the first buckle. When sizing, consider all parts and ask your helper questions about the overall fit. read more

I am very unsatisfied with the service I received at this store and as a result of my experience, would not recommend anyone making a purchase here. Be very careful that if you buy an item on sale- you cannot return it (they did not tell me this before). The employee who acted so friendly and nice the day before, was extremely rude and cold to me when I tried to make a return less than 24 hours later (unworn item with tags and receipt!). It's crazy that once I said that I was freezing cold in this jacket that I can't return, they tried to upsell me on a 3x more expensive jacket! (Also on sale which means it's non refundable). They also tried to sell me a men's jacket... um. What?? Ironically, this store does not know the research that people actually spend more money when they can easily return items! (Look it up guys!!!) The experience was so bad I can only laugh. I would rather sow a jacket by hand with items I forage in the garbage than to step foot in this store ever again. read more

The staff could not be nicer and more professional. They went out of their way to find us the best demo skis and set us up with a brand new set overnight in time to ski the next morning. They'll continue to get my business. Great job to all of the staff ! Couldn't be happier. read more

Very mediocre customer service. Tried to buy xc skis online. Appears they have no idea what they are selling, can't advice on fit of what they have and end up just sending pictures of stickers for me to decide. Took two weeks to get my questions sorted - turnaround time to get an answer is 2-3 days. Then I placed an order and... silence. Checked in few days - and now they tell me that their processing time is 5-7 days cause they have "high volume of orders". Didn't tell me this before I placed an order though. I decided to cancel order - not prepared to wait, don't know what else this guys forgot to tell, don't want to waste time returning and looking for other skis if they screw up the order. Wouldn't recommend, very disappointing buying experience. read more

Very professional and helpful. Not the cheapest, but not the worst. We keep going back for tuning.

Great experience renting bikes from here! The shop is on Mountain Rd, around mile 4 on the north end of the Stowe Rec Path. We were greeted immediately and fitted for our bikes. The man behind the counter was very informative giving us recommendations of places we should visit. He ended up charging us $20/person for 4 hours after we used the 20% off coupon we found at the Stowe welcome center. Highly recommend biking the rail on a Sunday so you can stop at the Farmers Market and some of the breweries! read more

Great experience with the boot fitters at Pinnacle! Last Christmas vacation my son was miserable in his boots so we brought them into a shop in Vail. They didn't even look at his current boots but sold him a new pair with custom insoles. We went back to the same shop several times while we were there to have them adjusted and nothing worked. The fitter at Pinnacle looked at the insoles and his feet and immediately saw the problem. He shaved down one side of the custom insoles. I figured, there was no way that was it, but we went skiing for two days afterwards and still no pain. Thank You!!! read more

I rented snowboarding gear here and bought a few miscellaneous items. The rental was very well-priced at $30 for the day. I'd never snowboarded before, but the gentlemen here asked me a few questions and had me tricked out in a mere 15 minutes or so. The board and boots I rented were good quality, too (my instructor noted that the Pinnacle folks seem to have improved their gear in the last few years). Dropoff later that evening was incredibly quick and easy (maybe 2 minutes total for them to look up our names and quickly inspect the gear for damage). My only complaint is that some of the retail items upstairs didn't have prices marked on them. This is how I came to own a pair of $26 socks. Now, they are really nice, really warm, really pretty socks, but I probably wouldn't have bought them if I'd realized they cost so much. Still, all things considered, I'd recommend renting your ski or snowboard supplies from Pinnacle. They have an adorable dog. read more

SkiEssentials Stowe - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Stowe, Vermont

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Ordered something from SKiEssentials.com which is really Pinnacle's ecommerce site. We needed a different size and went to their warehouse which is 5 miles from Pinnacle shop, expecting to return it. When we got there, the lady at the warehouse was nice enough to go and get us a different size and do an exchange at the spot, within literally 5 minutes. I would expect this at a store but not at a warehouse. Talk about a customer service experience!!! read more

Excellent ski boots fitted by the guys. Welcoming and polite staff. Made our skiing Stowe trip better. Thank you Pinnacle!! read more

SkiEssentials Stowe - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Stowe, Vermont

I came in during a weekday to talk about some skis and goggles and everyone was helpful. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly, and didn't push me to buy the more expensive products just because. They took time to understand what I needed at length, and were very patient with my questions. They actually narrowed it down for me and I ended up being very happy with my purchase and the process. They got my skis ready overnight so I could use them next day and I was thrilled with the whole process. I'll definitely come back again when it's time to purchase ski equipment for my family. read more

Was told by the gentleman at the front desk he would make my skiis "as good as new" and proceeded to pick up dull skiis with prominent and large scratches on the bottoms. When I voiced my displeasure to the gentleman I had previously spoke with I was met with a poor attitude and claims that there was no way possible they weren't sharp. Would not use their ski tuning services again. read more

Always excellent, customer focused service. Yes, I live in Denver where you can't throw a rock without hitting a ski store and I still get gear from Stow Vermont. I patronize the store for a second reason. The YouTube online content is outstanding. I have learned a lot from Jeff and Bob talking through ski design, build, ski material, performance... People that give so generously and back it with excellent customer service have already earned my business. Thanks Ski Essentials. read more

Good experience renting skis, boots, and poles from here. My boyfriend and I reserved rentals online a few nights before, which saved us $15 per day and made picking up our rentals that much quicker. The staff was friendly, helpful, and efficient. Had we not taken time looking for socks and hats in the shop upstairs, we easily would have been in and out in 10 minutes. Dropping the skis back off was even easier, just run them in downstairs before close and you're all set to go, no additional paper work or anything. As for the skis and boots themselves, they're just like anything you would get from any other rental place. We did the Gold package, which is a step up from the basic/beginners equipment you get with the standard package. The skis were great; the boots were slightly uncomfortable, but that should be expected. read more

T.H. stopped in around 9am on a Saturday to pick up his rental gear before heading out to the slopes. Having done an online reservation ahead of time, this should have taken a bit less time but the shop was crazy busy. We ended up waiting around 30 to 40 minutes to grab his gear but the workers moved fast and clearly were hauling @ss to get all the orders completed. That being said, we realized afterwards that we should have rented his snowboarding gear from the Darkside Burton shop down the street. Pinnacle has a lot more skiing gear than anything and some snowboards, but if you're a snowboarder and want to try the latest and greatest gear, heading down the street might be a good choice. My other friends, N.S, M.Y, and B.Y all loved their skiing gear and said it held up very well despite icy conditions and hard use. read more

Just bought skis from them, through their ecommerce site which they call Skiessentials.com. Chose them because of great video product reviews + helpful telephone support + very good pricing. Skis just arrived in perfect condition, exactly as advertised, with bindings mounted. Based on my experience, you can feel safe in ordering from this company. read more

My wife and I needed skis and poles as we traveled from Seattle. Not only was Jim and the rest of the staff positive and helpful, they got us into great demo skis instead of typical rentals. The shop also had a great inventory of warm accessories for the VT cold. Finally, they gave us great recommendations for getting in and out of the ski hill and where to eat. read more

We had a great experience at Pinnacle Ski & Sports. My kids were first time skier/snowboarder and we were looking for a cheaper way to rent for an expensive first day on the mountain. We got there right about the time the lifts opened, and they moved us through quickly. We were all three set up and out the door in about 10 minutes. The return process was great as well, even though they were fairly busy. They took all of our belongings, checked us out, and we were on our way. My only complaint would be that the helmet rental was almost as much as the skis (OK, it was about half the price) and we thought they were included in the rental package. I didn't actually book the rental myself so I won't blame them for that, probably just a misunderstanding on my part. They were friendly and helpful and seemed to know the business! read more

I bought equipment through skiessentials.com (their online store). Mike A was absolutely amazing at getting me exactly what I needed. His ongoing communication with me went above and beyond anything I have ever experienced in a customer service situation. He was able to ship my skis to me quickly and they were well packaged. I normally shy away from ordering skis and ski equipment online but my experience with skiessentials.com has changed my mind and I highly recommend them if you need/want to order online. Unfortunately, resorts closed down early (due to COVID-19), so I am unable to give on-snow experience with my new skis but I'm looking forward to opening day. read more

When you're in Stowe, VT skiing, you have a couple of choices for renting gear--either do it at the resort or do it in town before you head to the slopes! My advice is to do it in town and save a few bucks... and there's no place better than Pinnacle Ski & Sports. This place beats the rental prices at the resort by half--what a deal. Plus, they have a great, friendly staff that can help you figure out what gear is best for you. Note, they also carry an awesome selection of winter sports accessories like gloves, googles, etc. And, not only do they have a great variety to choose from on this stuff, they also have reasonable prices... so check 'em out! read more

Pinnacle carries best collection of skiies. I never demo skies before but found they are super helpful. They explained characters for different pairs pretty clearly; services were quick and very professional. I swapped one of the pairs to another during my second day of skiing - including driving from the Mansfield parking lot and back to the slope with new skies only 40 mins - that saved my day. 5 out of 5. Pinnacle gets everything I need for ski demo. read more

I'd happily recommend this shop to anyone who needs to rent ski gear and equipment. Context: I was on a ski trip with some friends who live in Vermont. We headed to Stowe (my first time) and since I didn't bring any gear, I stopped by Pinnacle to rent the essentials. To sum it up, the store had it all: easy parking, friendly employees, and a lot of top-of-the-line gear. It was a premium experience all-around, and anyone who is looking to rent/buy ski equipment should check this place out. read more

I've been going to Pinnacle for gear, tunes and Demos for 15 years, and the staff there never lets me forget why I keep coming back. Dave - the owner - and Steve - manager of the Demo and Tune operation - are unbeatable with their knowledge and customer service, and they're just great guys. I cannot recommend this place enough for service, selection and knowledge...they are a great example of what I love about Stowe. read more

SkiEssentials Stowe - Jackson Hole - Outdoor Gear Near Me - Stowe, Vermont

My husband rented skis and boots from here for a couple days, reserving the rentals online in advance which saved us money. The staff was extremely helpful in fitting him for his boots and skis, and answered all his questions as he was a very curious first time skier. Really thankful that we rented from here, as he would not have been as confident on the slopes if he wasn't sold on the equipment he was using. Lastly, when we visited, we had general questions regarding sizing and upgrading personal (non-renting) equipment, that the staff also answered. Even with all the questions, we were in and out! Would definitely go back here to rent or buy in the future. read more

Wish I had read the reviews before shopping here. Like others have noted, the management of this business are uncaring, dismissive and rude. Customer service is nonexistent, and they have no interest in helping resolve an issue, or in anything other than making a sale. I buy a lot of ski gear, but won't spend another dollar here. read more

Staff are extremely helpful but management was very unreasonable regarding rental refund when I had unforeseen circumstances, including a child being sick. The amount of money in question was immaterial to me, but the lack of expressing any understanding combined with the rote response was harsh and lacked attempt to forge an on-going relationship with a potential long-term customer. All the other dozens of people I encountered in my time in Stowe were extremely helpful and understanding, so given the many choices, I would go to an alternate place. read more

Summer visitors to Stowe: you really ought to ride the Stowe bike path, and if you need to rent bikes, rent them from Pinnacle. They were super nice, very efficient (we had our bikes and we're leaving on our ride no more than 4 minutes after we arrived!), and the bikes were comfy and worked great (we rented the basic mountain bike 18 speeds, not the cruisers with the crazy handlebars). And when we returned the bikes a couple minutes over an hour they were generous and only charged us for the hour, when they were well within their rights to charge more. The shop is right next to an access to the bike path, which runs along the river. No need to plan how long you'll be renting for - just get the bikes and enjoy. read more

This past weekend my girlfriend and I had a horrible experience at Pinnacle Ski & Sports. DO NOT GO HERE!! About two months prior to our vacation, I made reservations for our rental skis for my girlfriend. When we showed up on Saturday morning the shop was incredible busy, which was not a surprise, but their rudeness was. They lost our reservations so our rental skis were not ready. We showed up at the shop at 9am and hoped to be out of there in 20mins to be able to make a lesson at the mountain at 10am. I completely understand there are technology issues, but that's not my fault and we shouldn't be sent me to the back of the line. We finally got out of the rental shop by 9:45 and yes, we missed the lesson. Again, I understand that things like this happen, but there was no sense that the people in the rental shop felt bad. Stress levels were high, but again you're in a customer service business. My girlfriend is new to skiing and therefore their rudeness didn't help her anxiety at all. The worst part of the whole experience was they gave us the WRONG SKIS. We requested 135cm skis since my girlfriend is very new and feels much more comfortable on shorter skis. Since we were rushing to try to make the lesson, I didn't examine the skis incredibly well, so I'll take a little responsible for that one. We noticed the error after she took two very shaky runs. Pinnacle gave us 149cm skis! We needed to go to the rental shop on the mountain and rent all new equipment, which cost us another $55. Again, not entirely Pinnacle's fault, but their attitude when we got back to the shop and explained what had happened was unacceptable. They accused me of scamming the system since there snow on the skis and they did not offer any apologize at all. No 15% off our next rental or anything. They were just really rude. Yes, the rental price can't really be beat, but if you're new to skiing at all, DO NOT GO HERE!! Extremely rude and unprofessional!! read more

This place has horrible customer service. They are totally rude. we paid for demos and the lady double charged us because the guy hadn't changed the paper work. I pulled up the charge on my statement but she wouldn't even look at it. I was a good customer and had even bought ski pants and a helmet. I totally regret it. DO NOT GO HERE! read more

This is a great rental shop with good deals. We heard about them because they had brochures in our hotel lobby which advertised a $24/day rental deal. We came a little after 8am on a Saturday, and the place was pretty busy. They seemed to have a good method to the madness, though, and we were fitted with our rentals and checked out in about 30 minutes...for a busy holiday weekend, I guess that isn't too bad. As a bonus, they have a very cute golden retriever that you can pet while you wait. Both my boyfriend and I were very happy with the skis and boots we rented, and for the price, it's a great option if you'll be skiing in Stowe. read more

The prices and service when we got there was pretty good. 4 of us rented boots and skies there. Unfortunately one of our friends had a bad accident and broke his leg on the slopes. His brother spend whole night and day in the hospital. We returned the skies and I explained the situation hoping they will refund the money at least for one day but a lady refused saying we had to return it prior night which was impossible for us. We got demos skies for 4 days 4 people, it was substantial amount and one day for one person shouldn't make such a problem. It was not about money but just the they treated us. read more

Pinnacle is as good as it gets for ski rentals and great gear. We demo'd this season's equipment, the tune up was perfect, and the approach to getting ski/condition/skier aligned is well done. Super people and great vibe. Definitely the place to get your gear while in Stowe! read more

If you are looking for boots, this is the place to go. Matt and the rest of the guys are extremely skilled at fitting boots and they take pride in their work. Pinnacle is also a great place to get season rentals and the latest gear. They have a HUGE collection of Skida apparel which is awesome. Check online for any discounts before you go! read more

Living in Colorado you would think I had my choice of ski shops? But Vail has purchased the best ski shop in town and things have changed. Needed a new pair of skis /bindings and Pinnacle had the best pricing. I ordered online on this past Sunday and they were delivered the following Saturday. Everything as ordered and mounted. Very pleased and highly recommended. read more

From the moment we walked in to the rental area we sensed tons of attitude from the staff. Don't work in a rental shop if you're a ... We rented at 11 am and tried to return at 11 am two days later due to rain and lift closures from wind. It was not possible for us to ski. We were charged for a full 3rd day of rentals, this is bad business! Will never rent from here again. Could have given a half day discount at least and this review would be very different. A friend of ours who rented from Stowe was given a full refund for the day. read more

Great people, good rental prices, non-gross rental stuff - amazing. The people were really helpful and friendly, which goes a long way for a novice like me. You can pick up your stuff the night before (or reserve online if you know what you need) and get a little bit of a discount. The actual rental gear was all pretty nice and fairly new, which was awesome compared to places I rented from last year. They have a lot of stuff in the store upstairs too if you were looking to buy, even things like sleds and gaiters. Plus, this place is open way later than most of the others around - when we went, I think they were open till 10pm. Definitely recommend! read more

Had everything you could think of to ski and snowboard but it was all pricy mountain mark up I would call it...