Uncategorized | Outdoors Starts In Here

What does a bike nut look like? Meet Brad.

Bet you were thinking about nuts and bolts. Sorry, we’re thinking about one of our resident cyclists.

Meet Brad. Brad would live on a bike if he could.

(His wife and new sweet baby girl would probably have an issue with that, so he doesn’t!).

He loves to mountain bike. It’s his favorite hobby. He loves the freedom. He loves the challenge. He loves the dirt!

And in the winter, he loves fat tire biking.

When temperatures drop and snow falls, a lot of people give up on doing the things they love to do outdoors. Not Brad. He puts the mountain bike away and gets out the fat tire bike instead. The thrill of riding a bike on snow is unlike anything else. The silence. The whiteness. The feeling of taking on nature in her winter cloak.

Fat tire bikes, with an off-road frame and oversized tires and rims, are designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain, like snow, sand, bogs and mud. His fat bike gives Brad the opportunity to continue his favorite hobby in Central Wisconsin’s winter wonderland at Nine Mile Forest or the Underdown in Gleason (to name a few.) No amount of snow is going to stop him! He says it also teaches him better handling skills for summer mountain biking.

Within the Wausau area, his other favorite places to ride are the Big Eau Pleine in Mosinee, the Ringle Trails (obviously in Ringle) and the Prairie Dells, also in Gleason. All of these locations are groomed and are within a 30-mile radius of Wausau.

Fat tire biking is extremely popular for a lot of reasons, including that you can continue to enjoy the simplicity of just you and your bike through the winter season. Need another? You can burn up to 1,500 calories an hour in soft snow (what a great workout, and because it’s not weight-bearing you can recover a lot faster than some other traditional workouts.)

Brad may not be a bike nut after all.

So come into Shepherd & Schaller and talk to Brad and to our other bike nuts. Ask questions. Tell us your biking stories, the nuttier the better. And while you’re here check out our Scott and Raleigh bikes.

Warranty Service at Shepherd & Schaller

You slipped on a banana peel and ripped your pants when you fell.
It took a lot of tries to master that Half Cab Mute Grab and you have a cracked ski edge to show for it.
Your daughter shut the car door on your new jacket and now the zipper is broken.
Rode your snowboard down the steps and into the gravel parking lot. Deep gouges to the core.
You decided not to spend on the recommended ski binding and you keep busting brakes.

It’s ok, warranty will replace it, Right?

Sorry, probably not. But if said pants, jacket, snowboard or ski has a manufacturer’s defect in materials or workmanship discovered within a limited time period, it’s a different story. The good news is, we’ll help you through the processes of requesting warranty repair or replacement. Another benefit of shopping at Shep’s!

Visit your manufacturer’s website for their warranty details and limitations. Here’s an outline of the process here at Shepherd & Schaller.:

Customer Account balances expire in 5 years. This includes Gift Cards, Warranty Deposits, Consignment Credit and Refunds.

TREES IN WINTER

One of the most beautiful sights in winter is trees with freshly fallen snow. The Pine. The Spruce. The Maple. The Birch. All decorated with the intricacies of the snowflake. The silence echoes the beauty of nature’s call to us.

Our forests have been an integral part of Wisconsin history reminding us that time passes around us as quickly as the winter wind. Sometimes we forget how lucky we are in Central Wisconsin to enjoy the many types of trees that we have. We take for granted what trees have done for our lives – from logging to conservancy, from building to planting. Trees continue to reign over our lives.

When we travel through the winter forests, we are passing not just through the trees but through a wonderland of beauty and communities – from the trees themselves to the animals they shelter. Skiing or snowboarding through the trees provides an opportunity to enjoy their majesty. Snowshoeing on a winter’s eve with a full moon is breath taking. Having the opportunity to enjoy such a playground is a blessing, one to enjoy and one to protect.

We here at Shepherd & Schaller salute the trees. We embrace the winter wonderland they provide. We encourage everyone to go out and smell the crisp air, listen to the song playing in their wind-blown branches, whisper back to them all of your secrets and wishes. They will guard your secrets well.

The forests beckon to us. They call our names. They are part of us. They are one of the many reasons we do what we do. We are here to encourage everyone to enjoy the outdoors and the trees as we do. We are here to assist in your journeys. We are here at Sheps to gear you up and send you on your journey. We are here because of the trees.

Here’s to the trees…

WINTER FUN THE WISCONSIN WAY

Wisconsin. The land of beer, brats and the Packers. The place where everyone can find something to love.

And in the winter, Wisconsin is full of….well, snow!

Wausau has the unique advantage of being almost dead center of an entire state of fun (and we love the state of fun). Within a few hour’s drive from here you can enjoy a plethora of winter activities:

Cross country skiing and snowshoeing – what a great way to enjoy the beautiful scenes created by the snow fall. Each hill you top, each corner you make, opens up an entirely new scenery for you to not only enjoy but to share with others. Marathon County Nine Mile Forest has gorgeous trails through the woods geared for a every level of skiing and offers many beautiful spots for winter photos.

Dog sledding – we all love our furry friends. And they love to play with us. How better to enjoy them and winter than to go dog sledding. A mere hour’s drive from Wausau gets you to Crocker Hills Horse and Dog Sled Trail System in Elton, WI.

Downhill skiing and snowboarding – if you need a bit more speed and an adrenaline rush, strap on your helmet and chase your rush down Granite Peak Ski Area.

You can also go ice fishing, Skijoring (yes that’s a thing), snow tubing, ice skating, snowmobiling and of course fat tire biking. Central Wisconsin has an abundance of wintery things to do and Shepherd & Schaller encourages you to get out there and enjoy them. (We can help with gear too!)

Of course, when the day is done and everyone is tired, happy and hungry Wausau has numerous places to eat, drink and sleep so you can start all over the next day.

That’s what we do here at Shepherd & Schaller. We live. We play. (We have thrown a few snowballs!). We eat. We drink. We sleep. And then we do it all again. Winter outdoor life Sheps way!

Even non-skiers have fun on the sun decks at Granite Peak Ski Area in Wausau.

NSSRA Elects Robb Shepherd Director

Robb Shepherd, President of Shepherd & Schaller, was elected
Director of the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association

At its annual meeting during the January 2019 National Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver, the NSSRA Board of Directors elected three Officers and four new Directors, including our fearless leader, Robb Shepherd.

NSSRA, founded in 1987, represents specialty snow sports retailers and advocates on their behalf on issues affecting their businesses. Their mission is to support specialty snow sports retailers, to promote the sports of skiing and snowboarding, and to compile and distribute to its members relevant snow sports industry research.

Robb previously served the ski industry for Nations Best Sports of Ft. Worth, Texas as a member of their hardgoods vendor screening committee.

“The ability to discuss, face-to-face with brand officers, what matters most to Wisconsin skiers has made a huge impact on our ability to give a big mountain experience to our customers.” Shepherd says. “Specialty retail is about expertise, passion, emerging trends and engaging in unique ways and I appreciate the opportunity to be a voice for our customers and others in our industry.”

Learn more about NSSRA here.

Shepherd & Schaller is a 70-year-old outdoor specialty store in Downtown Wausau, WI. Presenting premium gear, heritage clothing and footwear, the product mix evolves with community passions in an historic, character-filled building. Repairs and rentals.

To learn more visit shepssports.com or call 715-845-5432