Our History

Ski Cellar Snowboard was founded in 1946 by Mr. Al Compton.  The original store was located in downtown Calgary before finally moving to our present 17th Avenue location in 1956.

Originally our store was a general sporting goods store catering to the hunting and fishing crowd.  However, in the mid 1960’s, the basement was renovated to sell and service skis – hence the name Ski Cellar came into being.  Hans Reinhardt ran the ski department and, by the end of the 60’s, we were no longer selling anything but ski merchandise.  The equipment department still resided in the basement while the clothing department took over the main floor, and the rental and service shop moved to a basement location four doors down. 

In the early 70’s, Al Compton sold the store to Hans Reinhardt, who in turn brought in three of his employees as partners.  The 1980’s saw the addition of the Ski Barn as our rental and demo location.    Located on the highway across from Canada Olympic Park, it was an ideal spot for Carrera to use as a host centre during the 1988 Winter Olympics. 

In the 1990’s Hans died in a tragic traffic accident and his wife, Joan, took over as a partner and the store continued to grow. The Ski Hut, formerly Norm’s Ski Hut, was added as a location in 1992.   Shortly thereafter, all three locations began operating under the Ski Cellar Snowboard name.  The ownership group eventually grew to eight – Joan, Ed, Jean, Don, Brian, Peter, Dan and Betty -- each bringing a unique set of skills and expertise to the company.  While most of these partners have now retired, they remain loyal Ski Cellar Snowboard ambassadors in our community.

We pride ourselves on being a locally-owned, independent, ski and snowboard retailer.  We now have four Calgary locations and a staff of nearly one hundred during the peak season.  A significant number of our staff has been with us over 15 years, which brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in both skiing and snowboarding. 

Top quality product, excellent selection, and knowledgeable staff have kept Ski Cellar Snowboard the choice of many skiing and snowboarding Calgarians.  We are not just a shop for the experienced skier or snowboarder -- we welcome the opportunity to introduce beginners to either skiing or snowboarding without the intimidation or confusion that can sometimes occur.

We cater to the whole family, from the beginning toddler to the active retiree, and we take great pride in having a long list of repeat customers, many of which are fourth generation.

Your Fun is Our Obsession!