Backcountry Essentials

It’s so great to have a quality outdoor gear shop right in downtown Bellingham. I found a great mix of top-quality brands for skiing, climbing, backpacking, and even a beer cooler which is the first I’ve seen at an outdoor store. They also have a full-service ski shop, boot fitting, rentals, an awesome map rack, and an entire floor of great deals on samples and used equipment and clothing. Plus, the staff was super friendly. Highly recommend a visit.

Never posted a Goggle review before, but want to let everyone know what an incredible boot fitter Megan at Backcountry Essentials is. The whole staff have always been so great, knowledgeable, and welcoming. But the boot fitting experience was next level! I had two appointments with Megan to get me in the right boot and she was fantastic. From all of the measurements she took of my feet, to her extensive knowledge of the boots themselves, to the time she took to ask questions about each boot I tried on, it was all fantastic. There was zero pressure to purchase and so much information shared. And now I'm in a fantastic pair of boots. I will be recommending Backcountry and Megan to everyone from here on out.

As a new-ish skier, I finally decided to invest in a proper alpine set-up and I’m so glad I got it done at Backcountry Essentials. Everyone here has been so helpful and welcoming. I never felt dumb or out of place. Last weekend I skied in my new set up and had the best time!

I would also recommend Megan for boot fitting. I had one ‘boot fit’ else where before and it was a total waste of time and money. Megan really put in the effort to help me understand what’s going on with my feet and legs, and did such a great job with making my boots fit. I feel like I have so much more control, now. The only ‘downside’ is that I no longer get that feeling of euphoric relief from taking off my boots at the end of the day, but that’s obviously not a bad thing! I never thought I’d be able to spend five hours straight in my boots — never even had to undo the buckles! Thanks so much, Megan. This was a game changer for sure!

Top notch rental place! I was very well taken care of when I went in to rent ski gear (you do have to make an appointment) and they were very patient and helpful given I am a beginning skier. The workers were very nice and understanding, and they were very patient in trying to get me the perfect sized gear. Additionally, I only planned to rent them for a day, but on the day I planned to ski, the mountain was closed due to harsh weather, so we planned to go the day after instead. I called them and explained the circumstances and they were again VERY polite and understanding and they easily let me keep them an extra day with no additional charge. I am so thankful for their accommodation and understanding!

I rarely do google reviews, but I had to make an exception for this Backcountry Essentials:)

I had a boot fitting done with Megan. The time was well spend measuring my feet, assessing my boot requirements, and making adjustments to the boot I ended up selecting. In the end the boots fit great. It was through and confidence inspiring. Scheduling was quick and easy. I will definitively be back in the future.

We were passing Bellingham on our way to mt Baker and wow such a grate store, I was amused with the selection of equipment, competitive prices, great clothing options on the second floor, and of course the staff was absolutely cool and easygoing. A fridge with beer was the cherry on top! I wish I had the same store in my city.

Just wanted to put a shout out to Backcountry Essentials for their knowledgeable and friendly staff and excellent customer service. I've both rented and purchased ski equipment from the shop over the years and have had nothing but an awesome experience. Keegan and Luke (and other BCE staff) recently helped me navigate a ski/binding failure over the last month including navigating the ski warranty process with Salomon, diagnosing the cause of the ski/binding failure, and providing me awesome loaner skis while I wait for my ski/binding situation to be resolved. Between the knowledgeable and friendly staff, wizard ski techs and the boot fitting prowess of Megan, Frank, and Pete, BCE is the North Sound shop to purchase gear from (although I know people that live in Seattle that make the commute for boot fitting services alone). Another plus, there is usually a sweet dog in the shop to pet while you shop.

I had a ski boot fitting/consultation with Megan and she was AWESOME!! She is super knowledgeable about the ski gear world and got me set up with the perfect boots. She wasn't pushing to sell and seemed like her main priority was educating me. The appointments can take about 1.5 hours, so it's a good thing she was so fun to chat with. Bonus points for her adorable shop dog! Thank you Megan!!

Love the upstairs section. Lots of great deals. Picked up a few things and the guy working the counter was pretty chill. Nice place to shop.

Megan was amazing! I had a boot fitting with her and she taught me so much valuable information. She is so knowledgeable and kind. Highly recommend!

This is my second year renting skis for the season at Backcountry Essentials, and it has been a consistently great experience. The staff are friendly, approachable and super helpful, especially to a relatively new skier. It’s a great spot.

I had a boot fitting with Megan. It was easily the best fitting experience of my life, and I can’t believe that ski boots can be this comfortable. I could not recommend her any more highly!

It's my favorite outdoor store in Washington. The crew here is amazing. Super knowledgeable. I go here every time I visit Bellingham.

Went in for a boot consultation with Megan and she rocked it!!!! She was incredibly knowledgeable, thorough, and patient to make sure I left with a pair of boots that was gunna make my feet (and soul) happy leaving the mountain after hours on hours of skiing. Thank you Megan! Can't wait for the mountain to open and test them out :))))

I bought some used touring boots that really didn't fit my feet right and Pete made them super comfy and was very patient with my stupid questions. Thank you!

I had multiple friends and family tell me I had to get fitted for ski boots with Backcountry Essentials, and I now understand the hype! I set up an appointment with Megan, one of their skilled boot consultants, and she guided me through a thorough fitting. First looking at your stance and where you put weight on your feet, assessing which inserts are the best fit and modifying as needed, assessing where pressure points are felt in each boot and finally molding the insert to your specific fit. It was such a thorough process, and Megan took care to explain each step along the way. They offer a customer satisfaction guarantee as well, so if after all that the boots still aren't right for you, they'll adjust them as needed to achieve the perfect fit or you can return them, adding peace of mind to your financial investment.
Cannot recommend this local business enough!
Seriously, if you're in search of new gear, this is the place.

Yep, I really appreciate places that 'recycle ' in any form, and this place does. Parking is hard, and the staff is hardworking...

We love to shop here. Great ski equipment great service we love Frank and Bella.

The folks here are super knowledgeable, super helpful. Great selection of new equipment and a quality used goods section upstairs. Had a terrific experience buying used touring boots and getting them fitted by Megan and Frank. Best customer service in town by far!

Lovely gear store with an amazing used section that has a surprising amount of good name brand gear for far cheaper than retail.