Boardwise is a spot on, cool ass store of surf, skate and snow wear, hidden away slightly on…read moreLochrin Place, but easy to find once you know where it is, obviously. A brilliant shopping gem to have some knowledge of if you're very good at any of the sports mentioned, or just very cool, either of the two options will do. The shop is laid out over some fairly extensive premises, and filled with sporting goodies of an advanced level, and as usual when I'm in a shop surrounded by clothing that's a million times cooler than I am, I just stand looking in awe of all the sexy plus gnarly ski jackets, which are impossibly out of my price range anyway. Although if you do come along here when the sales are on, you can absolutely grab something bargainous. You'll find tons of brands here, including Analog, Animal, Billabong, Special Blend and Addict Clothing, in menswear, ladies wear and children's sizes.

Considering it's the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh doesn't have many ski/snowboard / extreme sport…read moreshops. But Alas! There's always Boardwise! I used to come in here practically every week with my brothers, as they were really into snowboarding and roller-blading (remember that phase?!) . The other week I came in here just for a look, and I was shocked at what they had! Sure, whenever I used to come in I would sit in the corner and sulk that I wasn't getting to go to my shops so never really noticed their ladies selection. Talk about school-boy error! They have a great range of bikini's, summer dresses, flip-flops, hoodies, bags and sunglasses! Yeah it's a bit summer-orientated, but summer is on its way afterall. They have a good selection of guy's stuff too - infact, there is more for men than women, but plenty of both. I came out of Boardwise with an amazing red Quicksilver summer dress and a really bright bikini, all for under £30. It's definitely the sort of place I'll go back to, to begin my summer!

I am from Colorado and wanted to buy a particular set of backcountry skis and bindings, in…read moremid-February, 2019. As this was mid-ski-season, I could not find any US-based shops charging less than full price (MSRP). Freeze Pro Shop (Edinburgh, Scotland) offered my gear at a 38% discount, with free shipping. I didn't want to wait for 2 weeks(+) for my gear, so I paid $45 for expedited shipping. I ordered my gear on a Tuesday afternoon and it was on my doorstep in Colorado on Friday morning... with bindings mounted!!! I'll be recommending Freeze Pro to my friends.

This snowboard and ski store is alarmingly cool, so much so that when I crept in a few months ago…read morelooking for clothing for a ski trip to France, I felt woefully inadequate, as it was more than clear from my hesitant behaviour round the shop, and also the embarrassing moment when I crossed into menswear and tried on a man's ski jacket by mistake, that I was a huge amateur that's only just managed to conquer the art of keeping my skis parallel. That was a bit of a long sob story wasn't it? I'm giving you the chance to make a better impression than me, by telling you in advance how ridiculously awesome all the gear in here is (and that ladies wear is on the right of the shop, not the left.) They have the best selection of winter headgear I have ever seen, with some brilliant florescent numbers going on, plus snowboards and skis, and all the brands you would expect, like Burton, Analog and Oakley. I managed to get a fleece plus a Burton ski jacket in the sale, massive bargains, and they achieved the miracle of making me look cool on the slopes, well at least before I actually physically started skiing anyway.

I came in here a little bit bright eyed looking for a present for my dad. He was going skiing the…read morenext day and it was his birthday....what's a gal to do?! So I asked a few really friendly sales people and was directed up some stairs to find myself in snow sports heaven. I must have looked as confused as I was, because within a few minutes I was getting help from one of the sales advisors,she was lovely! We managed to pick out things that my Dad would use and he loved them If I ever go skiing I'm definitely coming here, they are so lovely!

The first thing you'll notice about the items in here are their excellent value for money. At the…read moremoment it is sale time, but nevertheless you can get a decent fleece for £5 and let's be honest you're not going to beat that price very easily. Heading further into the shop you'll discover that it is a very credible camping goods supplier and this good value does not infer poor quality with many of the well known brands on offer here. Generally if you want a camping items you'll be likely to find it here and thanks to the helpful staff, finding anything shouldn't be much of a problem.

Trespass is located in Ocean Terminal and is great for all your outdoor needs from camping gear,…read morewaterproof jackets to walking boots. As soon as you walk in you will see the wall almost completely dedicated to hardcore footwear. This isn't the largest branch of Trespass I've ever seen but if it's outdoor getup you're looking for they have a pretty extensive range and the staff are helpful and knowledgeable too.

In the last couple of years, train journeys to Oban past the rolling countryside, plus a fishing…read moretrip last summer, have combined to give me a new-found interest in the great Scottish outdoors. I'm determined to walk the West Highland Way before too long, though realistically it's looking like next summer before I'll get a chance to do it. When I do strap a pair and take the trip though, Trespass will likely be my first stop for camping stoves, a tent, and a nice pair of hiking boots. They have pretty much everything you'll need to survive a short trip to the wild.

I get really sentimental when I walk past Route One because it reminds me of being about 15 and…read morereally fancying skater boys with curly hair and beany hats and trainers that look like cartoons. We would sit in the middle of route one on the shoe trying-on bit (could someone let me know what the real name for this is, please?) and watch out "boyfriends" try on Vans jumpers and stare longingly at wheels for skateboards. I have no use for it now as I don't try and pick up teenagers that often, but it still makes me happy that it's there.

I used to think Route One was the coolest, most interesting shop in the world. I no longer think…read morethis, but I do still receive their quarterly catalogue through the door from those 14/15 year old days. It's mostly skating apparel, including jeans of all fits, baggy t-shirts, beanies and, of course, hoodies. Hardly any of the styles or brands are my thing at all anymore, but a lot of people of all ages are into it and Route One is a great place to visit to find stuff like this. They also sell all you need to set up a decent skateboard, including good bearings and trucks as well as tool kits to make life easier setting them up. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable about this sort stuff so if it's your thing then it's the place to come.

Last month, the Princes Street branch of Mountain Warehouse was my shop of the month. After…read morereceiving excellent customer service and picking up an excellent picnic set bargain I've been singing it's praises ever since. I was intrigued as to how the branch in the St. James Centre measured up and so I popped in for a browse. To my delight, they still had the excellent sale on where many items have as much as 70% off! That is my kind of sale! Although much smaller than it's Princes Street counterpart it still has a varied selection of stock and everything is very well organised. It was a bit cramped though, especially as there was a woman in shopping with the biggest pram I've ever seen for the tiniest baby. They had an excellent range of camping stools with polka dots on them and I was very tempted to buy a few as they were the exact match for my picnic set. After realising that I'd have to carry them about Edinburgh all day I decided against it and instead went for a camping torch in the shape of a bumble bee. Excellent. The queue was quite large but instead of getting flustered, the staff were very friendly and I heard them giving pretty much every customer advice on how to get the best out of their purchase and how to keep it in it's optimum condition for longer.

I had a blast buying quality ski jackets and boots for our family's winter activities this year!…read moreAside from the already discounted tags, a further discount was added at the counter. They have all kinds of winter gear, camping gear and other sports gear. The staff helping us was very polite and provided advise as to what works and not and as I bought all these bulky jackets, he made sure that I was comfy in carrying all of them. Can't wait to try them on and see the rest of my family's reaction when I got them the bargains! Looking forward to the winter!

Despite being huge, GO Outdoors has rarely delivered exactly what I was looking for, and the…read moresavings aren't great enough to justify the compromise. For those unfamiliar, the store runs a 'discount card' scheme under which, for £25 a year, you get a reduced rate on everything. In my view, this is just a transparent marketing ploy - the unreduced prices are extortionate, while the 'discount' rates are merely reasonable. The staff, when I've asked for help, haven't seemed particularly interested or well informed. I'm aware this makes me sound like a snob, but this is the kind of place you'd go to buy a festival tent that you'll use once and throw away. Imagine a giant Millets, but with less atmosphere. Tiso down the road may have a smaller stock and be a bit more expensive, but more often than not I'll leave with the thing I went in for.

Generally disappointed by the cycling section - there wasn't much to choose from and I was confused…read moreabout price (I thought this place is a discount store?!). If you're into your bikes then I would give this place a bit of a body swerve and opt for one of the local independents - you'll get a way better standard of service and probably better selection of whatever it is you're looking for. Saying that, I suspect this place caters well for walkers as there was a lot more on offer for outdoorsy types. Tents, trews, shoes, socks, tops and hats galore. Also lots of camping gear and stuff of that ilk. I think I'd be happy to come back here for general outdoor stuff (think Tiso) but any bike bits will likely be a disappointment.