I did not have a good experience at Bentgate. After waiting 15 minutes for someone to help me with rentals, the man that I thought was going to help me, measured my foot, brought out the ice climbing rental boots and walked away without helping me any further. I then waited another 10 minutes for someone else to help me as the first guy seemed to disappear. The first guy that helped me also told me he was going to cut me a deal on rentals and not charge me the weekend fee since I was just going to be climbing on Sunday but when it was all said and done, I ended up paying $70 for their weekend price all due to the fact they are closed on Saturday's. I will not be going back to this place and I definitely won't recommend it to others. Incredibly poor customer service and very poor prices. read more

Good prices and no shipping or sales tax shipping to WA State. Look for periodic coupons.

Super friendly and knowledgeable staff, go here when you are looking for higher cost higher performance gear the big chains don't carry. I got a top of the line Gore-Tex Pro Arc'Teryx jacket (the winter before last) and still love it. To this day I still haven't found any other retailer that carries it. They also offer lots of ski and winter rock climbing gear, and I'm talking about stuff beyond simply clothing. read more

I have been in this shop several times, as I live in Golden. They have always acted very elitist to me and never had the equipment I was looking for. The young lady I recently talked to about skis acted astounded that I would be looking for a heavy duty back country ski with fish scales for trail climbing. She said there was no such thing. Guess what? I bought just what I wanted somewhere else! Unless you want to go in and deal with attitudes, avoid this place. read more

I had a great experience at the Bent Gate. My boys and I drove here from Kansas City to get one on one personal service. I'm new to the sport and needed someone's time to walk me through it all. Nick was excellent! He spent hours with me explaining every piece of gear, from where it was made, how it was made, why it worked a certain way, how it worked, and when I would use it. He could have sold me the moon and I wouldn't have known any better. Instead he only sold me exactly what I needed based upon what I told him I was going to do. I couldn't be happier with my experience and have purchased twice more from them online since my visit. read more

I'm writing this review to let you know that they don't sell bike locks here :-(. This is definitely something that has to be done a a proper bike store. That being said, they have great rock climbing equipment and are walking distance from the CO School of Mines and it is centrally located in downtown golden. The cashier located near the front of the store is very knowledgeable about the equipment sold there and can quickly direct you to what you need. read more

If you are a Tele Skier then this is the place to go. They have a wide selection and the staff is very knowledgeable. They took the time to fit me in at least 5 pairs of boots and gave me all kinds of tips. They moved so make sure you look at the address before you go. read more

Knowledgable staff. Good active shoe and gear selection. If your searching for new ideas and great gear come here, especially if you're tired of the same old same old at REI. read more

Best Backcountry Mountain Shop in Colorado!!! This IS the place to shop for Climbing, backpacking, and ski mountaineering gear!! The staff is very knowable and friendly. You can tell that the staff has a passion for the products they sell. They can give you a good shopping experience. They have the best gear to help you have fun!!! read more

this was the best, most thorough tele boot fitting I have ever experienced. Even though I am older than most of the people that come through Bent Gate, the young enthusiastic staff didn't act bored and helped me with boot selection then took the time to expertly mold the heatable liner to my feet. I would definately recommend Bent Gate read more

First off, I want to thank Bent Gate for taking me seriously as a female athlete. I have been in many high end sporting good stores around CO and the country, and i don't take this for granted. Bent Gate's knowledgeable staff and great selection are worth the drive. Their prices (at least in regards to ski stuff which i bought) were comparable if not better than similar stores in the Front Range and the mountain counties. I bought an entire AT setup at Bent Gate. I'm just getting started in AT, so I had many questions. Matt Fries helped me with everything. He was very patient and knowledgeable. It is frustrating when you go to buy equipment (especially expensive equipment) and you have questions, but know more than the people selling the gear. This was not the case with Matt. He not only helped me find the set-up that was best for my needs, he spent time getting my boot fit perfect. So far after 3 trips i have had no issues or blisters. There are ski shops closer than me in Boulder, but the next time i need anything ski related, i will make the trip to Golden. Its well worth it. Great evening hours make this possible even after work. read more

Great staff, very helpful and huge selection of gear. We went for tele boots and got personal attention for about an hour. The only problem with this is you may have to wait for someone to help you but once you get someone you'll be in good hands. If your serious about gear then you at least got to check them out before you buy anything from anywhere else. read more

The Bentgate is the best outdoor shop I've ever been to. The staff is stoked to be there. They are stoked about the gear. They seem to be an inexhaustible supply of information. If they are paid commission, you'd never know it. Their repair shop is top notch. They'll even throw in last-minute stuff without any grief. Now that the positive is out of the way, I want to try and give specifics of why the guys (and girl) at Bentgate kick so much ass... I've been to shops everywhere from California to Moab to Salt Lake City for emergency replacements, repairs, and purchases. The common denominator for all of the other shops is a not-great attitude. You get the elitist, "I don't have time for you because you don't climb 12b/c on gear like my awesome self" attitude or you get the "I'm an outdoorsy person that works at an outdoorsy shop, and I have the personality of a sack of rocks" one syllable grunt answers to questions. Bentgate is the opposite of that. Every single employee there genuinely appears excited to help. They WANT to help, but they aren't trying to sell you things. They will happily and excitedly tell you about any piece of gear, but you NEVER feel pressure to buy. They just rock. No brick and mortal store can compete with the interwebs on price, but Bentgate comes pretty close. Especially if you hit their sales. I've actually been able to beat Backcountry.com prices during their sales. Anyhoo, go spend money there. Support the awesomeness that keeps brick and mortal stores alive... read more

I've seen better gear shops, I've seen worse gear shops. Depending on which staff member helps you out you could have a great experience or leave feeling you knew way more than the staff. I do like the local feel and great ski selection. read more

Bent Gate Mountaineering has become my favorite store in the world. They have the high-end gear that you don't find at REI. I am gearing up for a month-long expedition into the Andes Mountains to climb Mt. Aconcagua. These guys know this equipment thoroughly because they own it and use it themselves. I trust their recommendations, respect their dedication and greatly appreciate their level of customer service. I can vouch for Bent Gate Mountaineering without hesitation. To the owner I say, "Kudos to you on your store and especially your employees, as they speak volumes to your credibility and integrity. Also, please consider giving a raise to both John and Matt, and see to it that neither of them ever has a reason to leave." Sincerely, Ryan Pierce. read more

Worst boot fitting ever! This place is hit or miss with the staff and if you happen to get one of the bad ones the owners WILL NOT stand behind their product. More expensive is NOT better in this case. I went in to get AT boots, I am a relatively experienced alpine skier but know little to nothing about AT. I was told by the sales person that I have been in boots that are a shell size to large from me for the last fifteen years, and that AT boots are supposed to fit super tight. I told him they were too tight, but he assured me that the boots will 'pack out' and fit great. I protested again, and the informed me 'we can always make boots bigger, but if they are too big there is nothing we can do'. The first time I skied them they were so painful I had to quit within an hour. I went back, they attempted to reheat mold them, skied again, same result. At this point I was pretty sure Bent Gate had no idea what they are doing so I went into another AT shop in Breckenridge. The guy in Breck takes one look and says 'this shell size is way too small , I could punch out the boot so you could ski in them, however, you will never be able to hike or skin in these things.' I took them back to Bent Gate and asked them to exchange for a shell size up. They refused; however, they offered to sell me another boot at cost. They have huge profit margins, so the boot was discounted by almost 30%. Having already invested $2200 in AT gear that I could not ski I figured it was my only option. Turns out they had fitted me two shell sizes too small. My family used to spend around $8,000 a year there and after my experience has agreed to never give them their business again. Moral of the story is "If we sell you boots that don't fit.... We will be happy to sell you another pair that might." read more

Great service. Just getting back into skiing, John was extremely helpful and patient with my boot fitting. He was super helpful in answering my questions and making sure I got the right boot, not the most expensive boot. I'll gladly come here for my future skiing needs. Thanks John! read more

Not sure what's going on with Bent Gate but over the past year they have lost me as a costumer. I have been in on FOUR separate occasions and received ZERO customer service. Employees were either stretched too thin (at least four people waiting around to try on ski boots and another five or six waiting for help with skis) or too busy playing on their phones to assist customers. When someone did get around to helping me, they had basically no knowledge regarding their ski inventory. I have been a loyal customer for several years but have been so turned off by my experience over the past year or so that I'll be taking my business elsewhere... read more

Took my Tele ski in for some help and the guy that helped me out was great! Great service, very helpful, will continue going back there. Thank you! read more

Unbelievable assistance trying on climbing shoes. My toes were worn out after trying on every shoe on their wall. Which means the person helping me drug every one of them out to me. Smile on her face the whole time. Though I left empty handed so I could think on it they were still very kind. I'm planning on heading back tomorrow to make my final decision. I've also purchased a harness and climbing pack here and was treated to the same type of service. Non-pushy, chatty, informative help. read more

These guys saved my arse when I needed a set of skis, pronto. Didn't even think to look into them until one of their competitors in Golden never called me back several times for a very high-end ski I was looking to acquire. They got me the skis I wanted at a good price (lower than their web price). I brought my boot in for the binding mount on a Sunday at 3pm and they were done with the mounting by 6pm THE SAME DAY! Pretty rad! read more

Before visiting Bentgate for the first time, I had never even heard of the company before. After a few minutes walking around the store, it was clear that they were committed to delivering the best products available for the serious outdoors enthusiast. I was greeted by friendly staff, and educated on some of the many things I was unfamiliar with. Seeing the quality of brands and merchandise, I was sure this place would be out of my price range.. However - the more i poked around, the more awesome deals I found! I ended up actually leaving with a couple of items from IceBreaker and ArcTeryx that were deals too good to pass up! This is now my go-to store for everything outdoors, climbing, and ski related.. Love it! read more

I've been going to the Bentgate store for several years, but have never ordered online from them. I ordered a pair of Salomon trail running shoes yesterday (for a great deal), and in less than 24 hours they are on my feet! I currently live in Colorado Springs and don't get up to Golden much anymore, so it's nice to know their great customer service extends to online ordering as well. I couldn't be more pleased and will continue to use their online services in the future. The in-store staff are always knowledgeable and helpful, patient and honest. I've always had luck finding whatever I'm looking for. Keep up the good work! read more

Had a wonderful experience at Bent Gate! Very competent staff who were willing to sit and chat for AN HOUR with me about all the questions I had surrounding a new ski/AT setup. Some places expect you to know everything and make you feel uncomfortable asking questions as a beginner in the AT world but these guys were very respectful. Ryan had a knowledgeable answer to every questions I asked. Had multiple sizes and options for backcountry gear--best in the front range I've seen during my research shopping. Whatever sizes they didn't have they were willing to order and call to follow up. Did not see many sales going on in the store but GREAT customer service. Only disappointment was that I have not been here before and will definitely be going back here for all my mountaineering needs! read more

Good shop. Worst hours/ schedule of any shop in the Denver metro. Close at 5 on Friday and all Sundays? Makes it hard to give them any money when you can't ever get in the door. read more

My one-year-old skis needed an edge and wax job. The folks in the back shop of Bentgate turned them around in 90 mins. I recommend the slight extra charge for hot iron application to get the wax into the base material. Reasonable price and the tech even carried my skis out to the front door. Skied the next day and the boards were like new again. I will be back. read more

bent gate has awesome, personable service, but every time i walk in there, it seems like the clientele exudes a "how core are you" attitude. they have mounted skis for me, and done a couple tunes, which i felt were a little spendy for the turnaround time. they are not open saturday, so if you drop things off on friday, count on not using them that weekend. hence the 4 stars. read more

The folks at Bent Gate seem to really know their stuff. I've always thought I knew gear pretty well, but every piece of advice they've given me has made me have an even better time outside. Check them out! read more

I'll give two stars because I had one of their employees pull shoes for me, but she seemed really unhappy to be at work and almost annoyed to be helping me. She didn't seem at all concerned about my needs or helping me get in the right shoe, almost like I was just another number. This was my first time in the store and I will most likely not return...not with such apathetic employees and many other options in the city read more

I ordered some items online. Bentgate contacted me to say that they could not fill the order because what I ordered was out of stock. I basically said, "Really?? Please make it happen." And they did. They located the items and filled the order as desired. read more

Friendly, knowledgeable, extremely helpful staff, and high quality inventory. These guys have gotten me out of a jam more than once. Expect to pay full price, to help support the quality of service you are getting. read more

Um hello! Anyone in here? Oh your all in the back by the ski shop chatting.... great I'll just help myself. No one even said goodbye as I left. read more

Every single person in this shop was knowledgeable and empowering during the buying process. My husband and I purchased trail running shoes and ski boots. They took the time to fit and explain every step of the way. They have a large assortment of clothing and gear. Highly recommend. read more

I had an excellent experience when visiting Bent Gate! Solid staff and solid gear. I went out of my way to visit again, and Nick there helped me out a whole heap! Thanks Y'all!! read more

One of the last real mountaineering shops around. Great selection, great staff..plenty to choose from.

Unfortunately, I have not had a good experiences with this shop. I've been three times over the course of two years, and I've yet to have a good experience. I really wanted to like Bentgate since it is one of only a handful of mountaineering shops in Colorado - Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder being another one. In the age of Internet commerce, a brick and mortar store is limited to only two advantages: try-before-you-buy availability and customer service. Bentgate gets two stars because it carries good brands and some of the more obscure gear. It loses three stars because the customer service is somewhere between deplorable and nonexistent. In my case, they ended up having what I was looking for, but I just left the store after being blatantly ignored while standing in front of the checkout counter. I was intending to drop about $600 for ice tools, but will order the same product off of Backcountry.com because their employees picked up the phone to talk me through the differences between Petzl and Cassin. So, even though one is online and the other has a physical presence, Bentgate still loses. And, I would argue that I've had better service at most REI locations than Bentgate, and while REI may not always carry the gear that Bentgate does, there is way less attitude among REI's employees. The other thing that is maybe a minor point, but is irritating when you are patronizing a business where you spend thousands of dollars, is that they keep the bathrooms locked up like a cheap gas station in Compton. What's happening in Golden that this is necessary? What does it say about the store's clientele that they need to resort to policies like this? At this point, I wouldn't recommend Bentgate to friends or others. It's easier to order and return items from REI and Backcountry than put up with the poor customer service at Bentgate. read more

I've been an intermittent BG customer for many years and always seem to wind up there when the gear search gets rough. Had another great experience there this weekend. I needed new liners for my AT boots. Matt Fries found exactly what I needed, did a perfect heat mold and installed Booster Straps while I waited. I had talked to Matt about boots at length the week before and not only got the info i needed but really enjoyed the conversation. I have always found the crew there to be friendly and helpful. From where I happen to be, home, work, or otherwise, it's a longer drive, but always worth the effort. Friendly, knowledgeable staff, the best gear, good prices - my first stop (and usually last) when I need gear+service. read more

I would highly recommend that anyone looking to buy backcountry gear should check out Bentgate first before going to any other outdoor outfitter. Unlike other stores, where the sales people have very little, if any, knowledge of the gear they sell, the staff at BG is extremely knowledgable. They can speak to the differences between the brands Bentgate carries and can make recommendations as to which product would work best for the customer's individual needs. In addition to the knowledgable staff and inventory, Bentgate is an organization that really connects with its community. Bentgate routinely donates to community philanthropic causes. Additionally, Bentgate hosts numerous fun events where customers can hear expert speakers, test gear, win raffle prizes, and have a fun time. Check them out the next time you need something for your backcountry adventure!! read more

What an awesome store! My salesperson (matt f) helped me choose an air mattress for an upcoming trip. He then, proceeded to offer to fix the chest strap on my pack. This included assembling the appropriate buckles, cut them to size, and make an end that would not come undone in the future. It was a complicated process for a five dollar purchase. Don't live in or near golden, but will be back. read more

These guys were great! They spent time on me and made me feel like a valued customer. I was browsing skis and I informed that I wasn't going to buy skis today, just kneepads, and they still helped me and gave me valuable information about each and every ski that would work for me. Another great trait of this shop is that they won't upsell you either, meaning they'll find the ski for you, not just the most expensive one. They will sell you those if that's what you need, but I'm an expert telemarker, but mentioned that I would like to keep a regular underfoot camber, and they found me somethings in the mid to upper price ranges, and they will let you demo 6 for $100.00 and put that towards your purchase in addition to doing a ski/binding package. They are really friendly, too and we talked a bit about Scandinavia, which is where most of their lineage, and one employee are from. They are so laid back, yet knowledgeable and professional I will definitely be a repeat buyer here! read more