When average employees take part in “team-building” exercises with their coworkers, they might participate in a scavenger hunt or trivia game. But at Appalachian Outdoors, you might end up ascending Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in the Americas, and at 22,837 feet, the second highest mountain in the world, after Everest. It’s also known, by the way, as “the mountain of death.”

“We did that back in the 80s,” says Geoff Brugler, who celebrated his fiftieth anniversary as store owner last year. “I got a chance to do it with somebody who worked here. We still keep in touch.”

In fact, Brugler keeps in touch with many of his store’s former employees and scores of loyal customers.

“My biggest regret is not keeping a scrapbook and pictures and stories of everybody,” Brugler reflects. “We’ve had hundreds of people work here, and they’re all over the place now. A lot of memories, a lot of history, a lot of stories – a lot of which can’t be published.”

Half-a-century downtown

Brugler grew up in Lewistown and relocated to State College to attend Penn State. During school, he worked at a bike shop and as a waiter. “I couldn’t get into veterinary school,” he recalls, “but I met a guy at the bike shop, and he and I opened the store together in 1974.”

Appalachian Outdoors was located on West College Avenue “in the old Hoy Brothers building” for 26 years (the building is now used as The Standard apartment building). In 2001, the business moved to Allen Street. They expanded into two spaces in 2015, but, explains Brugler, “with Covid and everything, we shrank back into one.”

Looking back on the monumental accomplishment of 50 years in business, Brugler says, “I had no idea. It’s not a smooth path. We probably came close to going out of business at least twice.

“We have a really good crew now,” he goes on. “The business is constantly changing. It’s nothing like the business was 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 30 years ago. The ground’s always moving under your feet, so unless you are a creature of change and you want to innovate and learn and do things differently, you’re going to get left behind in this world.”

High customer care

Brugler acknowledges that with the advent of Amazon and big-box stores, “There’s a lot of competition.” But Appalachian Outdoors has been able to set itself apart through “high customer care.”

“Being a single-location specialty shop, everyone here is really focused on what we do, and that’s hard to get with multiple stores or chains; you don’t quite get the ownership or commitment,” Brugler says. “We invest a lot in training. And it’s a very intimate business, we’re very hands-on with customers, so we can provide a higher level of service and interaction with them and commitment to the community. A lot of those chain stores don’t contribute back very much, and that’s what we do, year in and year out.”

The store has hosted many charity events over the years, from pint-night fundraisers to sponsoring Clearwater Conservancy hikes and the Banff Film Festival every year at the State Theatre. Though they’re a little more restricted space-wise now, Appalachian Outdoors frequently offers clinics and seminars to entertain and inform the community.

Brugler attests that Appalachian Outdoors, along with “a group of us” – Harpers, Rapid Transit, Irving’s Kitchen Kaboodle – “have been here for quite a while.” These businesses are “involved in different parts of the community,” Brugler says. “And that’s how we survive: with service and knowledge and high customer care.”

‘The store’s really a resource’

Appalachian Outdoors staff is able to advise customers so well because, Brugler says, “We invest a lot into training. We bring in trainers from all the companies to train. And it’s a mandatory part of working here.”

What’s more, he adds, “A lot of people we hire either grew up here or are familiar with the area and are active in the outdoors, so they can tell you where to go, what to take, where the trailheads are, stuff like that. And we have an awful lot of maps and guides and books, so the store’s really a resource, if you want to get outside in this area, and you want to do it safely and intelligently, we can help out with that. We want to lower the barriers to getting outdoors. We rent equipment people may not own, and we can give them a map they may not have. A big part of the business is just to be a resource for outdoor activities.”

A super impressive adventurer

Brugler’s current favorite outdoor activity is cross-country skiing, though he’s done it all and in big ways.

“I started rock climbing back in the 70s, then got into ice climbing,” he says. “I’ve done a lot of mountaineering, traveled all over the world on a lot of trips, Alaska, Europe, South America, mostly mountain summits. So, that was one of my big passions. I went through a period of doing a lot of triathlons, but I’d say all in all, probably cross-country skiing is the thing.”

Brugler’s list of accomplishments as a world traveler and adventurer is astounding, but he rattles off memorable places he’s been and feats he’s accomplished as nonchalantly as a grocery list.

There were the 21 days he spent with his main climbing partner – 19 days up Denali (in Alaska) and two days down, the Bugaboos in the Canadian Rockies, and a hike to the Everest base camp. He’s been on a 17-day white-water trip rafting down the Colorado River, on a five-day bushwhacking trip through the Grand Canyon, climbed in South America, Mont Blanc in France, and the Matterhorn in the Alps. He was in National Geographic once, too, because “I just happened to be climbing with a really good photographer, and National Geographic published it.” Oh, he also has an offer to go to the Galapagos Islands in December.

And this list is just the tip of the summit.

“I feel pretty blessed,” Brugler says. “My kids have been fortunate to be able to sit around and listen to some stories with my climbing buddies. When you spend 60 or 70 nights in a tent on the side of a mountain somewhere, you create a bond. You’re physically challenged, you’re emotionally challenged, you’re mentally challenged, and you get through it, and it’s pretty rewarding. You don’t really conquer a mountain, you know. The mountain is good enough to allow you to be there. You conquer that mountain the same way a flea conquers a dog when it sits on its head. It’s about the same sort of thing.”

The many joys of mountaineering

Brugler enjoys mountaineering trips because they allow him to “really experience everything a country has to offer.”

On your way to the mountain, you see the sights and do “the tourist things;” then you enter the country and the backcountry and finally reach the mountain.

“You get to really experience everything a country has to offer,” Brugler says. “Then on your way out, you can see it in a relaxed fashion because going in, you have to keep yourself healthy. Sometimes you’re in third-world countries, so you have to be careful what you eat and what you drink. You have an objective in mind, but once you accomplish that, you can travel and loosen up. So, for me, it was always a great way to travel because you experience the country on a lot of different levels. You experience a culture that is away from civilization. In the little villages, indigenous people. You didn’t know the money, you didn’t know the food, you didn’t know the language, but it’s kind of exhilarating. It’s exciting, new, and different. You’re learning.”

‘It’s all right here’

Though he’s been to so many majestic places, Brugler maintains an appreciation for all Happy Valley has to offer right here in our own backyard.

“Cross-country skiing was actually bigger back in the 70s and 80s than it is now,” he says. “I think with a couple of consistent snow years, it’s probably going to come back around. You get outdoors, get a lot of activity, and I think it’s probably going to see a resurgence. And the cross-country skiing around here is amazing, and just the outdoor opportunities in general. It’s incredible the amount of outdoors and tourism in Pennsylvania. And the recreational opportunities in Centre County are really accessible – the fishing and the hiking and the cross-country skiing and the mountain biking, it’s all right here, and it’s as good as a lot of places you can go.”

‘We want to lower the barriers to getting outdoors’

Regardless of whether you’re planning to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro, go heli-skiing in New Zealand, or need some gear in which to explore Rothrock State Forest or cheer on the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium, the first place to go is Appalachian Outdoors to get outfitted.

“There has been a kind of evolution in the outdoors,” Brugler says. “In the beginning, we hardly sold any clothing; we were going to be a hardcore backpacking shop. The reality of that was that that wasn’t going to pay the bills all the time, so we got into more clothing.

“The outdoors has become a very lifestyle,” he continues, “so there’s a lot of clothing you can wear for more than just being outdoors. A lot of the clothing crosses over. The business has shifted. We can still outfit somebody who wants to go climb Denali in Alaska, but a lot of it’s lifestyle and footwear if you want to walk the dog or go to the beach or stay warm at a football game, something like that. We have a lot of lifestyle clothing that is functional, and a lot of it has a lifetime warranty. It’s better quality, and it’s good value because the stuff just lasts. It’s nice to sell things that have a long life expectancy and a warranty.”

Getting outside and exploring the extraordinary recreational opportunities Happy Valley affords will extend your own life expectancy.

“The outdoors is used so much now for therapy, for mental health,” Brugler says. “It’s a great space for people to heal, clear their minds, get away from things, be physical, appreciate nature. It’s very therapeutic.”

The outdoors are even better when you feel and look fantastic, thanks to the proper gear acquired locally at Appalachian Outdoors.