Gary Neptune, who climbed the Diamond on Longs Peak in the early 1970s with little beta, no guidebook and only a homemade hammock for sleeping on the rock face, couldn’t possibly foresee what his future outdoor gear store in 2026 would look like.
Neptune had founded Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder in 1973 and watched the evolution of climbing and outdoor gear over the years. Early in his retail days working at Holubar Mountaineering, there were few choices when it came to gear for climbing and skiing.
He sold what the industry had to offer. Meanwhile, he cross-country ski toured and raced around Colorado. He was on the first ascent up the North Ridge of Snowmass Peak in 1963.
Today, Neptune’s storied history in Colorado’s outdoors industry lives on in his mountaineering shop in south Boulder…