I think people derive
happiness not from things,
but from experiences and
relationships. Our whole
business centers around
giving back to the
community.
happiness not from things,
but from experiences and
relationships. Our whole
business centers around
giving back to the
community.
BACKCOUNTRY & NORDIC SKIING
HIKING & BACKPACKING
TRAIL RUNNING
ROCK CLIMBING
HIKING & BACKPACKING
TRAIL RUNNING
ROCK CLIMBING
Alpenglow Sports is an original California Mountain Shop that has been providing locals and visitors with inspiration, local knowledge and the best equipment to enjoy the great outdoors since 1979.
Based in Tahoe City, we take pride in being community, socially and environmentally responsible to ensure Lake Tahoe stays one of the best places to play, visit, and live in California.
Based in Tahoe City, we take pride in being community, socially and environmentally responsible to ensure Lake Tahoe stays one of the best places to play, visit, and live in California.
MEET THE STAFF
Brendan Madigan
Owner
After graduating college in Virginia, and a stint pursuing professional soccer in the Netherlands, Brendan moved west to chase dreams of untracked powder. He began working at Alpenglow in 2003 as a part-time employee and mostly full-time ski bum. During this time he was lucky enough to fall under the influence of legendary Alpenglow-ers Dave Nettle, Aaron Zanto and Mark Kircher. These veterans taught him the value of pre-work dawn patrol and what it meant to live a fully-realized life in the mountains. He eventually moved into full-time work at the shop and finally ownership in 2011 when he purchased the shop from original owner Don Fyfe.
As the second-ever Alpenglow owner, Madigan feels a tremendous responsibility to give back to the mountain community that has built the shop over the last forty years. Everything he and the Alpenglow team does is meant to honor this long-standing community-centric business model.
Madigan’s life work revolves around cultivating community through a rich and connected retail experience. He is a highly experienced creator/founder of a litany of high-end, large-scale experiential events in North Lake Tahoe, California. These include the Alpenglow Mountain Festival, the Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series, the Broken Arrow Skyrace and Afterglow, A Mountain Storytelling Podcast.
While ownership and a debilitating auto-immune disorder have admittedly reduced Madigan’s time in the skin track, he’s found new and fulfilling passions through Alpenglow’s community events. Marrying his wife is the best decision he has ever made and he will always think fondly about skiing knee-deep powder off the summit of 20,320-foot Denali, the tallest peak in North America, a swift car-to-car alpine ascent of Mt. Rainier’s Liberty Ridge and regularly backcountry skiing 7000+ feet… before getting to work at 10am . He is fascinated by the concept of building something bigger than himself and loves painting the collective life canvas that is Alpenglow Sports.
As the second-ever Alpenglow owner, Madigan feels a tremendous responsibility to give back to the mountain community that has built the shop over the last forty years. Everything he and the Alpenglow team does is meant to honor this long-standing community-centric business model.
Madigan’s life work revolves around cultivating community through a rich and connected retail experience. He is a highly experienced creator/founder of a litany of high-end, large-scale experiential events in North Lake Tahoe, California. These include the Alpenglow Mountain Festival, the Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series, the Broken Arrow Skyrace and Afterglow, A Mountain Storytelling Podcast.
While ownership and a debilitating auto-immune disorder have admittedly reduced Madigan’s time in the skin track, he’s found new and fulfilling passions through Alpenglow’s community events. Marrying his wife is the best decision he has ever made and he will always think fondly about skiing knee-deep powder off the summit of 20,320-foot Denali, the tallest peak in North America, a swift car-to-car alpine ascent of Mt. Rainier’s Liberty Ridge and regularly backcountry skiing 7000+ feet… before getting to work at 10am . He is fascinated by the concept of building something bigger than himself and loves painting the collective life canvas that is Alpenglow Sports.
Jeff Dostie
Manager
Jeff epitomizes the definition of a soul skier. His story begins a few miles north of Detroit, Michigan, where his passion for skiing started very young. He spent his evenings watching Aspen Extreme and dreaming of skiing the big mountains out west. In his teenage years, he was hired in-house at the local Ford automotive plant. Acquiring such a position is a big deal in the Detroit community and usually goes hand-in-hand with long-term stability.
However, Dostie couldn’t shake the Aspen Extreme ski dreams. He quickly realized that he had to chase these dreams and moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, chasing the dreams that Dexter and TJ from Aspen Extreme had set forth for him. It was in Steamboat that he realized he truly belonged in the mountains.
After four amazing years in "The Boat,” Dostie realized that he need bigger, better and more rad terrain. His nights were spent frothing over the seminal ski film “Walls of Freedom” and knew that Squaw Valley USA was the place to head. At first he was intimidated by the terrain, but quickly embraced the free-skiing capital of North America and became a Squaw regular. Later, a season in Chamonix forever impressed on him the rewarding nature of skiing steep and treacherous terrain. Nowadays Dostie can be predictably found at any number of West Shore trailheads, usually at 5am. Following the footsteps of previous Alpenglow-ers, Dostie is famous for burning multiple backcountry pow laps before arriving back to the shop for our 10am opening.
For Dostie, summers are all about staying fit for winter. He enjoys pushing his physical limits and thrives on fitness, skiing fun lines and great snow … usually with friends. His wife Sarah and dog Sunny make all days and activities better …. and Jeff will always be known and loved for “making fun happen.”
Jeff is our manager, hardgoods and accessory buyer. He possesses an uncanny ability to memorize binding weights (down to the gram) and shares an unbridled passion of helping others chase their own dreams.
However, Dostie couldn’t shake the Aspen Extreme ski dreams. He quickly realized that he had to chase these dreams and moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, chasing the dreams that Dexter and TJ from Aspen Extreme had set forth for him. It was in Steamboat that he realized he truly belonged in the mountains.
After four amazing years in "The Boat,” Dostie realized that he need bigger, better and more rad terrain. His nights were spent frothing over the seminal ski film “Walls of Freedom” and knew that Squaw Valley USA was the place to head. At first he was intimidated by the terrain, but quickly embraced the free-skiing capital of North America and became a Squaw regular. Later, a season in Chamonix forever impressed on him the rewarding nature of skiing steep and treacherous terrain. Nowadays Dostie can be predictably found at any number of West Shore trailheads, usually at 5am. Following the footsteps of previous Alpenglow-ers, Dostie is famous for burning multiple backcountry pow laps before arriving back to the shop for our 10am opening.
For Dostie, summers are all about staying fit for winter. He enjoys pushing his physical limits and thrives on fitness, skiing fun lines and great snow … usually with friends. His wife Sarah and dog Sunny make all days and activities better …. and Jeff will always be known and loved for “making fun happen.”
Jeff is our manager, hardgoods and accessory buyer. He possesses an uncanny ability to memorize binding weights (down to the gram) and shares an unbridled passion of helping others chase their own dreams.
Janice Pilkington
Sock & Insole Buyer
Janice grew up in Quebec after her parents moved the family there from England when she was a toddler. After College she moved to Toronto and spent 10 years in the corporate world. She eventually came to her senses and chucked it all in order to spend more time skiing in the mountains and windsurfing on the ocean. She ultimately moved to Tahoe in order to be closer to family. She ended up in Tahoe City because she had visited North Lake Tahoe a decade earlier and fell in love with the small mountain town in an extraordinary location.
Janice thrives on the sheer multitude of recreation opportunities in North Lake Tahoe. In the summer trail running and backpacking are her main passions. She’s an accomplished ultra runner and has her sights set on the Western States 100 Endurance Run. In the winter her passion is skiing — from resort to backcountry to nordic. She’s even been known to put on some snowshoes now and then… because anything that tough must build character. In the shoulder seasons she tries to fit in a windsurfing trip in order to get her saltwater fix.
Janice gets excited about getting folks outfitted with the right equipment so that they can take their activities to the next level. She loves talking about gear and finds fulfillment by helping customers get the right stuff for their adventures. When she started at Alpenglow a few years ago she was impressed by the unique character of the shop. She loves being an Alpenglow family member and always strives to maker her unique contribution to the look and feel of the shop.
Janice is the sock and insole buyer at the shop and can talk about stitch count and sock design for ages. She also lends her artistic approach to merchandising the store.
Janice thrives on the sheer multitude of recreation opportunities in North Lake Tahoe. In the summer trail running and backpacking are her main passions. She’s an accomplished ultra runner and has her sights set on the Western States 100 Endurance Run. In the winter her passion is skiing — from resort to backcountry to nordic. She’s even been known to put on some snowshoes now and then… because anything that tough must build character. In the shoulder seasons she tries to fit in a windsurfing trip in order to get her saltwater fix.
Janice gets excited about getting folks outfitted with the right equipment so that they can take their activities to the next level. She loves talking about gear and finds fulfillment by helping customers get the right stuff for their adventures. When she started at Alpenglow a few years ago she was impressed by the unique character of the shop. She loves being an Alpenglow family member and always strives to maker her unique contribution to the look and feel of the shop.
Janice is the sock and insole buyer at the shop and can talk about stitch count and sock design for ages. She also lends her artistic approach to merchandising the store.
Hadley Gibson
Outreach Coordinator
A native of Colorado and Maine, Hadley arrived in Tahoe in the winter of 2016. She spent her childhood climbing trees and running away from porcupines, and feels most at home when she’s outside. After four years of living in Boston, Massachusetts, Hadley decided cities weren’t really her thing and headed out west to see what all the fuss was about.
Hadley has been skiing since she was three and credits her former ski racing mother for her love of the sport. She also enjoys hiking, rock climbing, swimming/floating and in recent years has gotten on the backcountry skiing bandwagon. She enjoys talking to customers about avalanche safety and encourages potential backcountry skiers to go with others who are more experienced and educated then they are….. and to take your avalanche safety class!
Hadley has led backpacking trips for college students, broken her pinky when she first tried surfing and can still play the piano with the finesse of an 8th grader. She spent seven months living in a van in New Zealand, where she worked on a dairy farm. Her favorite food is vinegar.
Hadley is our event outreach coordinator and social media maven. She is often found penning beautiful press releases and social media posts for all Alpenglow events.
Hadley has been skiing since she was three and credits her former ski racing mother for her love of the sport. She also enjoys hiking, rock climbing, swimming/floating and in recent years has gotten on the backcountry skiing bandwagon. She enjoys talking to customers about avalanche safety and encourages potential backcountry skiers to go with others who are more experienced and educated then they are….. and to take your avalanche safety class!
Hadley has led backpacking trips for college students, broken her pinky when she first tried surfing and can still play the piano with the finesse of an 8th grader. She spent seven months living in a van in New Zealand, where she worked on a dairy farm. Her favorite food is vinegar.
Hadley is our event outreach coordinator and social media maven. She is often found penning beautiful press releases and social media posts for all Alpenglow events.
MIles Heaps
The Glue
Miles is one of the few born and raised Lake Tahoe locals. He (and his family) were customers long before he began working at Alpenglow in 2016. He’s enjoyed seeing things at the shop “from the inside” and is an avid trail runner, sub three-hour marathoner, biker, skier and hiker. He’s grateful to have grown up in Lake Tahoe and influenced by the amazing recreation opportunities the area has to offer.
With two not-so-former ski bums as parents, Miles was on the slopes at about the same time he learned to walk. In middle school he joined the cross-country running and Nordic teams and in high school (North Tahoe football rules!) he joined the Far West Nordic team. He raced at the national level with head coach, Alpenglow family member and current executive director of Tahoe Cross Country, Ben Grasseschi. After college in Santa Cruz, Heapes was immediately drawn back to the mountains.
Working at Alpenglow has allowed Miles to give back to the community he loves, whether helping at the Winter Speaker Series or helping someone find a new trail to run. It’s also given him ample motivation and opportunity to get outside more and explore the few trails and zones he doesn’t know…. all while trying to test gear and keep up with Dostie.
Miles’ diverse and engaging skill set has allowed him to function as the “glue” at Alpenglow. Whether figuring out computer issues, checking in preseason orders, running the sound for the shop’s Afterglow podcast, or setting up for Winter Speaker Series and other events, Miles derives a plethora of satisfaction from keeping the wheels turning and up-to-date.
With two not-so-former ski bums as parents, Miles was on the slopes at about the same time he learned to walk. In middle school he joined the cross-country running and Nordic teams and in high school (North Tahoe football rules!) he joined the Far West Nordic team. He raced at the national level with head coach, Alpenglow family member and current executive director of Tahoe Cross Country, Ben Grasseschi. After college in Santa Cruz, Heapes was immediately drawn back to the mountains.
Working at Alpenglow has allowed Miles to give back to the community he loves, whether helping at the Winter Speaker Series or helping someone find a new trail to run. It’s also given him ample motivation and opportunity to get outside more and explore the few trails and zones he doesn’t know…. all while trying to test gear and keep up with Dostie.
Miles’ diverse and engaging skill set has allowed him to function as the “glue” at Alpenglow. Whether figuring out computer issues, checking in preseason orders, running the sound for the shop’s Afterglow podcast, or setting up for Winter Speaker Series and other events, Miles derives a plethora of satisfaction from keeping the wheels turning and up-to-date.
Mike Grobicki
Sales Associate
Mike can trace everything in his life back to a single moment - receiving his first snowboard on his sixth birthday. Mike grew up in eastern Massachusetts, a stones throw away from the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It wasn’t long before he became proficient at riding pristine and icy conditions that New Hampshire is known for. He spent several winters in high school working as a snowboard instructor, mostly so he had a good excuse to go riding seven days a week. He attended college at the University of Vermont, where he chose classes based on what would allow him to maximize his time in the mountains.
A trip to Lake Tahoe during his senior year in college resulted in two realizations. One, riding powder is the most fun thing you can do and two, icy groomers don’t exactly prepare you for riding multiple feet of snow. He undoubtedly knew that from then on he would always live in the mountains.
After graduation, Mike worked a variety of jobs, bouncing between Vermont and Massachusetts. Eventually he landed at Eastern Mountain Sports, kicking off his career in outdoor retail. He worked for EMS as a supervisor for a number of years before moving on to being the assistant manager at Central Rock Gym in Cambridge, MA. In May 2018, he packed up his life up and moved out to Tahoe City to join the team at Alpenglow Sports.
A trip to Lake Tahoe during his senior year in college resulted in two realizations. One, riding powder is the most fun thing you can do and two, icy groomers don’t exactly prepare you for riding multiple feet of snow. He undoubtedly knew that from then on he would always live in the mountains.
After graduation, Mike worked a variety of jobs, bouncing between Vermont and Massachusetts. Eventually he landed at Eastern Mountain Sports, kicking off his career in outdoor retail. He worked for EMS as a supervisor for a number of years before moving on to being the assistant manager at Central Rock Gym in Cambridge, MA. In May 2018, he packed up his life up and moved out to Tahoe City to join the team at Alpenglow Sports.
Julie Schnoor
Shipping/Receiving Guru
Julie Schnoor grew up in Grass Valley, California and managed Mark Sports for 10 years. She moved to Tahoe in 1998, and has been a buyer and shipping manager for ski shops since. She has been with Alpenglow Sports since 2015, primarily doing shipping & receiving. She has two teenage boys and in her spare time volunteers with Placer County Search & Rescue serving as the Motorcycle/ATV Team Leader where she assists mentoring Wilderness Survival and Wilderness First Aid Courses. She also enjoys backpacking, hiking, and skiing and will be doing her second 26K at Broken Arrow in 2019.
Sunny
Shop Dog
Jason Layh
Book & Map Buyer
ason all but literally grew up in a tent. Born and raised on the cusp of temperate rainforest and the agricultural hinterland of southern Australia, chasing kangaroos and collecting lizards was just a part of life. Raised by educators and adventurers Jason had, by the age of 10, probably spent more time camping and exploring in the Australian outback than most ever will. This culminated at the age of 12 when he spent 8 months straight living in a tent as his family took a year to circumnavigate the Australian continent.
At the age of 20, Jason took a job tending bar in the Australian ski fields and a spark was lit. The ski bum lifestyle grabbed hold tight and he would spend the next 8 years doing back to back winters north and south of the Equator. The winter of 2001/02 would be Jason’s first taste of Tahoe after having spent a few winters living in interior British Columbia. He would spend the next five years sea kayak guiding in the Olympic peninsula, surfing in southern Mexico and the winter seasons in Fernie, B.C, Bariloche, Argentina and Tahoe.
Having called Tahoe City home since 2006, Jason now splits his time between his family, backcountry and Nordic skiing in the winter. His summer is spent swimming, mountain biking and camping.
Jason is our book buyer, window dresser, shop dog wrangler, beacon specialist and ski gear tester.
At the age of 20, Jason took a job tending bar in the Australian ski fields and a spark was lit. The ski bum lifestyle grabbed hold tight and he would spend the next 8 years doing back to back winters north and south of the Equator. The winter of 2001/02 would be Jason’s first taste of Tahoe after having spent a few winters living in interior British Columbia. He would spend the next five years sea kayak guiding in the Olympic peninsula, surfing in southern Mexico and the winter seasons in Fernie, B.C, Bariloche, Argentina and Tahoe.
Having called Tahoe City home since 2006, Jason now splits his time between his family, backcountry and Nordic skiing in the winter. His summer is spent swimming, mountain biking and camping.
Jason is our book buyer, window dresser, shop dog wrangler, beacon specialist and ski gear tester.
NEWS & AWARDS
North Lake Tahoe Community Award
SNEWS Innovation Project Episode
North Lake Tahoe Community Award
