Category: Community

Ski Team Night 2017 is Nov. 9th

 

It’s that time again!  Shep’s Team Night is Thursday, November 9th, 2017. Shop for gear and clothing you need and meet friends and coaches to kick off our favorite season. Racers and their families get special pricing on this night.  Read on!

While we always provide team members and industry pros with special discounted pricing on ski race equipment, goggles, helmets, poles and protective gear, for this one night only you’ll also get 25-70% off all in-stock outerwear, footwear and clothing accessories.

Team members should be sure to pick up Shep’s “Racer Card” that night too, qualifying them for 40% off retail price on back shop services including waxing, binding testing, binding adjustment, Swix Hot Box, binding mounting and ski tuning. Racers presenting this card at time of purchase will also get 25% off race protective gear, race gloves, pole guards, shin guards, race helmets and ski goggles all season long.

Family members attending Team Night will be offered 25% off in-stock outerwear, clothing and footwear on November 9th too.

Wear your team/group logo to be eligible for prize drawings.  Winners will be notified by social media.

 Thursday, November 9th, 2017 – 9am-8pm

  • Special Pricing on Race Equipment
  • 40% off back shop services
  • 25% off in-stock outerwear and clothing, footwear and accessories
  • up to 70% off clearance outerwear and clothing, footwear and accessories
Wondering about events, sales and other info from Shepherd & Schaller?  Please visit our Blog and follow our @shepssports social media pages, where our events are always announced weeks in advance!

Meet the Family: Shep’s Has United by Blue Clothing and Bags

Meet the family: United by Blue
 
United By Blue is a water-friendly brand of apparel that removes a pound of trash from oceans and waterways for every product sold. And though the nearest ocean is very far away from our home in Wausau, the health of our waterways is something we can all appreciate.
 
UBB says “We created this company because we wanted to make a bigger, more measurable impact on our oceans and encourage people to do the same. So we stopped simply writing checks and started organizing and hosting these cleanups. We wanted to do our part to clean the waterways ourselves. The amount of plastic waste in our oceans and waterways is mind-boggling: 8 millions tons of plastic enter oceans each year. Plastic bottles alone make up 1.5 million tons of plastic waste annually. Plastics and other litter ultimately end up in the world’s gyres, or circulating ocean currents, and can turn into dense vortexes of trash. The most famous marine trash heap, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is twice the size of Texas.
 
That’s also why we take the care to create products that use responsible materials (like recycled polyester, which reuses plastic bottles so they won’t wind up in gyres). If you’d like to help, we’d love to see you at our next cleanup.”
 
We’re proud to partner with UBB and buying an awesome piece of their clothing (often of organic cotton) or gear bags (canvas or tech fabric)  is an easy way to lend support. Shep’s is Wausau’s home to United by Blue.

Meet the Family: Prana is at Shepherd & Schaller

Meet the Family: Prana

No one does athleisure like @Prana, and we’re proud to be their home in Wausau. Visit their site to learn more about their commitment to Sustainability, Responsibility, Traceability, Fairness and Giving Back. We like the way they operate and you will to. Here’s what Prana says, it’s why we partner with them to support your active lifestyle:

“We go out of our way to ensure the impact we make on the world is mostly confined to our aesthetic. By using materials and partnering with companies and factories that adhere to strict guidelines for safety and efficacy, we’re able to make the beautiful and functional products we love, in a way that we can all feel good about.”

Visit Shep’s for Prana’s beloved sportswear, dresses, yoga fashions and accessories. You’ll be back for more.

Our Partners Lead with Integrity. Meet the Family: Toad & Co

We are so grateful to partner with the most inspiring people and companies. We’re going to highlight them each Wednesday this season so you can see why we chose them to compliment our mission to support you in your outdoor adventures while paying attention to the greater good. We think you’ll be inspired too, by their commitment to social and corporate responsibility, sustainability and so much more. We’re all in this together. Meet the Family:

@Toad&Co
Their Mission: To lead with integrity and weave optimism
into everything they do; To create meaningful change
through socially and environmentally smart business; To
inspire people to live their fullest lives.

Formerly known as “Horny Toad” brand, they are known for organic cotton styles, a cool travel collection and their new Trail to Tavern collection. You buy they give. Click to learn more then visit us in downtown Wausau to shop their awesome clothing for men and women.

Toad’s tagline is “Keep Good Company.”  It’s fitting on so many levels.  Visit their site to learn and be inspired.  Find out why they are Good Citizens, how they Design for Good, create Access for All, their commitment to Corporate Responsibility, Design Philosophy, eCo Fabrics and Fibers and much more.

How to Care for Performance Outerwear

If you bought your outerwear at Shep’s and you’ve worn it around making great memories and looking awesome along the way, chances are it will be time for a wash at some point.

First rule: follow manufacturer’s printed instructions, usually located on a tag inside the garment. Or, visit their website for fabric and care information.  Any manufacturer’s warranty may be nullified if their instructions are not followed.

Second rule of thumb: unless it’s faux fur, don’t take it to a dry cleaner!  Their process and chemicals will ruin your waterproof/breathable garment. Happily, you can wash and maintain your performance outerwear easily  at home whenever you feel it’s time to be refreshed.  If it’s looking dirty or water is soaking through the shell fabric, then it’s a good time to launder it again.

Your performance outerwear has two lines of defense between you and the elements: the DWR finish on the face (outer) side of the fabric, and waterproof/breathable coatings or laminates on the inside of the fabric.  Waterproof/breathable coatings and laminates will last for the lifetime of your garment with proper care.  All such coatings have microscopic pores that are too small to allow liquid water to pass through, but large enough to let water vapor escape.  Dirt and grime can disrupt the waterproofing and breathability by clogging the pores, which lets water soak through and also prevents water vapor from escaping. Careful cleaning and drying will reopen these pores and restore the effectiveness of the coatings.

image: offpistemag.com/nikwax-dwr-treatment/

The DWR (durable water-resistant) finish is applied to the face side of the outerwear fabric, enabling it to resist exposure to ultraviolet light.  If you splash some water on the outside of your garment, the water should bead up and roll right off.  If it doesn’t, then try careful washing and drying to restore the DWR finish.  If careful cleaning does not restore the effectiveness of the DWR finish, you can reapply a DWR finish yourself.  We recommend Nikwax TX Direct, which can be sprayed on or washed in.

 

 

Here’s how to properly wash your performance outerwear to restore it’s appearance and function:

  •  DO NOT DRY CLEAN.  Check the care tag that is attached.
  • Unzip all the zippers and turn your garment inside-out.
  • Wash in COLD water, separately.
  • DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENERS OR BLEACH.  Fabric softeners will clog the pores of the garment.  Bleach will ruin it.
  • Use a non-detergent cleanser or very mild powder detergent.  We recommend Nikwax products.
  • Minimize soap usage.  Better few bubbles than many.
  • If you’re using a wash-in DWR restorer, add it to the wash cycle.
  • Use your machine’s GENTLE cycle, or hand wash.
  • Rinse throughly.  Even better, rinse twice.
  • Gently squeeze out most of the water.  DO NOT WRING.  Wringing the water from your garment can cause the waterproof/breathable coating to separate from the inside of the shell fabric.
  • Use a powdered non-detergent cleanser.  Liquid detergent can clog the pores in the waterproof-breathable coating.  If one is not available, use a very mild powdered detergent, and use it sparingly. Powdered detergents rinse more throughly than liquid detergents.  Gently rinse your garment, preferably twice.  If you must use a grocery-store brand, we recommend Dreft detergent, used sparingly.
  • LINE-DRY your garment until it is completely dry.  Do not hang it over a heat source, which can damage the fabric and the coatings.
  • If you want to restore DWR and did not a wash-in type, you may apply a spray-pn DWR restorer after washing.

We Offer Nikwax products alongside our great selection of premium outerwear.

Nikwax Tech Wash, a non-detergent cleanser for most outerwear

Nikwax Down Wash, a non-detergent cleanser for outerwear and mid layers insulated with down.

Nikwax TX Direct, Wash-in or Spray-on.