THE GEAR ROOM
We are two brothers, Chris and Kevin Gmitro and we own a climbing/skiing gear shop near the Wasatch Mountains just outside of Salt Lake, UT.
As far as our origin story goes, we like to believe that Utah chose us. Having grown up in Tucson, Arizona, we soon tired of skiing the single chairlift in the Sonoran desert. We stuck our thumbs up on the side of a highway in pursuit of a mountain range to call home.
After some solo journeying stints, living a part in Bend and Moab, the rugged ridgelines of the Wasatch front drew us back together. Reunited under the same roof for the first time since childhood, the brotherhood of the rope strengthened our confidence and trust in one another and have been in the Wasatch/Salt Lake Area since 2006.
Our Climbing/Skiing Consignment shop known as The Gear Room started in November 2014 after the infamous “Flip of a coin”.
On a family climbing trip to the Dolomites an idea was floated to create a community oriented climb/ski shop. An environmentally conscious brick and mortar store that would re-home the tons of equipment and apparel generated by the Salt Lake community. The counterargument: A farm to table restaurant. At the end of the trip, over a “few” beers, a coin flip ended the conversation, and The Gear Room was born.
Our mission is to enable our community to recreate responsibly in the mountains while reducing waste through gear redistribution and repair.
Today we resell a metric ____ -ton of used equipment for the Salt Lake community. We also mount and tune skis/snowboards and resole over 1,500 pairs of climbing shoes annually. It’s not uncommon to receive a call at the front desk from a climbing party lost on route looking for a descent in the Wasatch. It’s a first stop for many out of towners looking for ski & climb information and new gear.
When planning a visit, be sure to save time for banter. A simple question like “Where should I ski or climb tomorrow?” is bound to elicit lengthy responses from our experienced team, and the regular guides, professionals and dirtbags that call The Gear Room their favorite store.
