Backcountry.com is a pure online retailer focused on outdoor gear for the serious recreational athlete. The site aggregates only the best outdoor gear from top brands such as The North Face, Oakley, Burton, Rossignol, K2, and more than 200 other powerful brands.
The idea for Backcountry.com came from a series of brainstorming sessions where Jim Holland and John Bresee were trying to understand how a love of backcountry skiing and the Internet could be combined. Bresee ran a Website for his ski resort newspaper and had come to understand both the power of the Internet and the futility of trying to make money from a content site. After much research—and backcountry skiing—it was determined that it would be possible to bring together a community of backcountry skiing experts who sought the best gear available.

Backcountry.com was founded in 1996 with a $2,000 investment and the company reached profitability in its first full calendar year, 1997. Backcountry.com has enjoyed sustained triple digit growth every year since.

During the first few years Backcountry.com faced serious challenge from a collection of well-funded competitors. Companies like Fogdog, MVP Sports, Planet Outdoors and Altrec.com offered the promise of e-commerce riches to large outdoor vendors who were willing to drop ship or share the operational burden. Backcountry.com stuck with the tried and true tactic of firm orders, holding inventory, on-time payment, and great customer service. While the online retailer faced initial resistance from outdoor vendors who questioned their means, company by company, over seven years, Backcountry.com has built a network of well over 200 vendors who believe in their model.

Backcountry.com now services tens of thousands of visitors daily via its world-class website. As of September 2005, orders began shipping out of our new state-of-the-art 200,000 square foot distribution center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company has been recognized as a Top 50 Website by Internet Retailer Magazine, as #93 on the Inc. 500, featured on CNBC’s Squawk Box and profiled by the Associated Press and Business 2.0.

“We started with baby steps, however, and never spent more than we had,” said Holland. “We still focus on making things add up month by month (not 5 years from now). We don't take our growth and our situation for granted and recognize that we must always be evolving. The only constant is change.”

The company mantra, however, is the same as it was in 1996, “We use the gear we sell.”

Testimonials:

I have to start by telling my little story...I was on a serious mission to find a new jacket for spring in Anchorage. I found THE jacket at a local sporting goods chain store for (gasp) $129.00. There was no way I wanted to pay that for a jacket even though I LOVED it!! I thought for sure that I could find the jacket online for cheaper. I couldn't!! I searched online all weekend for it and everyone sold it for the same amount. I accepted the fact I would never own the jacket. Well, I decided to take one last look online and found your site. I was a little hesitant about placing an order with a place I wasn't familiar with, but found a jacket I liked and thought it looked similar to the one I wanted so I went ahead and ordered it. That was on a monday. On friday my package arrived and I was so impressed that it arrived here so fast!! And lo and behold it was MY JACKET!! It was the exact same jacket I fell in love with and for only $76.95! So, I will be back to your site! The price was great, the shipping time and cost were fabulous, and I was impressed with the order confirmation e-mail I was sent, as well as the follow up e-mail I received yesterday!! You guys are GREAT!!! Thank you!!! -- Happy in Alaska

Because you guys could ship overnight to Chicago as late as 4pm local time, you made me into a hero. My long lost girlfriend and love of my life from 18 years ago and I where recently reacquainted and she found herself having to travel to the windy city on such short notice that packing carefully was impossible. It was freezing cold and driving rain when she arrived there without any sort of cold weather jacket. I surprised her with your shipment of a gore-tex jacket that arrived by lunch the next day. She was warm and dry and able to concentrate on the business at hand for the remaining 4 days of her trip. I had called MAJOR MAJOR sporting goods catalog stores and none of them could get what I needed shipped in time. You did, and have made me a hero for life and a favorite topic to anyone who will listen to her go on about what a wonderful man I am. You guys gave me a very high reputation to live up to, and I am grateful to you and for the opportunity. I will be coming to you guys first from now on. Thanks a million, warmest regards, -- Cameron

I want to tell you how impressed I am with every aspect of my purchase. The shipping was fast, the price was fair and the product was exactly what I ordered. I got such a good deal and liked the boots so much I ordered a second pair 3 weeks later!
I will recommend backcountry.com to everyone I know. As long as you're online, you can count on my business. -- Peter Winston, Lake Park, FL

Excellent service from beginning to end. Well designed website and online order system. I appreciate the order confirmation and shipment notification emails. Plus the package arrived on time in a correctly sized and undamaged box. Great "customer-minded" attitude and style. I would definately do business with you again. Aloha, -- Dave Watumull

I love the backpack and you guys really did a great job having it shipped to me way faster than I could think of. I will definitely come back and purchase stuff from you guys. Excellent service, great prices, and number one customer service makes Backcountry.com the best place to shop. Keep the good work up!!! Thanks to each and everyone who helped in having my product shipped and delivered to me. -- Felix Brenya

Nothing but praise! You are as good as it gets now, and I am sure you will stay on top. -- Larry Jones

My friends and family have ordered from you, so I decided to order from y'all too! My jacket was delivered within a week of ordering it. The customer service department was very nice over the phone. I will definitely order from y'all again. Thanks so much! -- Emily Feagin

This is a compliment to your customer service department. Yesterday I placed an order with your company. There was a discrepancy and I received a call (actually 2 calls) from your department to verify it. I thought they were great. It would have been easy for them to just process the order as it was but instead the time was taken to clear up the problem. I wouldn't hesitate to order again from Backcountry, in fact I have passed along your website to my sisters (all 5 of them order from on-line sites). Thank you and keep up the good customer service! -- Mary Hewitt