(1947 – 2018)

Larry Fisher, “old man winter,” was the founder of Ski and Bow Rack in 1985 and proudly ran it for 33 years. He had a mustache that was the envy of the town, knew more about custom insoles than most people knew about themselves, had sold half the town (easily) his custom insoles, would vacuum your feet during the winter (to fit you into the Fischer Vacuum-Fit Ski Boots), and made the best homemade chocolate ice cream this side of Saturn. He was a beloved boss whose predictable answer to any salutation (“I’m doing just pretty good”) will be sorely missed.

Brittany, Larry’s daughter, basically grew up in the shop. At present, she carries on her father’s incredible legacy, and while her work behind the scenes keeps Ski and Bow Rack functioning, her perpetual encouragements keep the staff happy. Well that and the fact that she writes paychecks. That definitely helps. Her husband, the great Robert Bedtke, has picked up where Larry left off in the wizard-ing world of insoles, custom boot fitting, and crazy, daring adventures. You can always count on service with a smile from Robert, and his bubbling optimism is super contagious. Pessimists beware. When their busy schedules relax, which probably isn’t as often as these busy bees would like, you can generally bet they’ll be playing on the slopes or the lake with their four children, Trent, Peyton, Eden, and Summit.

There’s only so much you can say about a guy who loves Jesus; loves his wife Heather; sons Edmund, Janner, Kian, and Corin; daughter Berea; and after that, fishing, skiing, hiking, writing, soccer, and most everything outdoors. Also, jokes. By the way, did you hear about the guy who threw his alarm clock out the window? He wanted to see time fly. Really, you can tell that he grew up here and never got away–in the best way possible. Also, what do you get when you cross a sheep and a bumble-bee? A bah-humbug. If you want more jokes, you have only to ask.

Our resident backpacking wizard, Chase has logged more than 6,000 miles across 22 states on America’s long-distance trails, including complete hikes of the AT, PCT, & the Big Bend 100, plus large parts of the CDT and Colorado Trail. He is also a NERD when it comes to gear. Seriously, ask him his opinion on WPB laminates, then grab some popcorn and watch him get worked up the way some people get worked up about politics. But if he sounds too crazy, just try talking to him. His happy smile & winsome attitude will convince you otherwise.

Chace grew up in Fort Worth, but he got to the mountains as quickly as he could. He cut his teeth fly fishing the Texas Hill Country and brought his skills up to Pagosa Springs. Despite the fact that he is 6’5”, we know him around here as “Little Chace.” He likes long walks on the river chasing trout, and if the fish aren’t biting, he can always woo them with his charming Texas drawl. In his spare time, he volunteers with Archuleta County Search and Rescue. We kinda like him, and we know you will, too!

Born in Albuquerque and raised in Phoenix, Andrew moved to Pagosa to pursue his passion for the outdoors after completing his degree at Arizona State University. Andrew is our favorite kind of adventure buddy, the guy who greets every opportunity with an enthusiastic “Heck yes!” While the rest of us make excuses about “having too many hobbies already,” Andrew quietly goes about snowboarding, bow hunting, packrafting, hiking — you name it, this guy does it. We don’t know where he finds the time!