In my quest to meet people, I have acquired a Social Dictator, and joined req leagues of some office mates. The basketball req league hasn’t worked out well, mainly because I joined before I knew I would be moving sooner than expected and thus ended up missing most of the season while back in Chicago. We’re in playoffs though, with the first game tonight so I should be able to play at least one game.
Another office mate needed some players to round out his req league slow-pitch softball team. W00T! I haven’t played softball since high school, and since Vancouver is a sports desert, any connection to baseball is greatly appreciated. I eagerly agreed and even tagged along on a couple errands.
On Friday, it occurred to me that softball requires a little bit more equipment than basketball. Like a mitt, and batting gloves. I was skeptical about being able to find such things here but, it turns out, there are general sporting goods stores like Sport Chek that sell baseball/softball stuff. Not very exciting, actually, and a rather limited selection. Hockey gear? In droves. Still.
Out of pure curiosity, as it didn’t look like a typical sporting goods store, I ventured into The Mountain Equipment Co-Op and stood in stunned silence for a few minutes.
You know how, say, at the Sports Authority, there’s a section with some camping gear. Another section for weights. Basketball. Baseball. Shoes. Clothes in the middle. Random stuff, sometimes. Unless it’s something general, you’re better off looking online.
The Mountain Co-Op is one gigantic store devoted to all things outdoors. Camping. Running. Hiking. Water sports of all kinds. Gadgets. Gear. First aid kits. A warehouse devoted to any kind of outdoor activity that comes to mind. It’s rather impressive the amount of stuff that relates to outdoor activities. Backpacks. Day packs. Sleeping bags that are decided more complicated than I remember. All kinds of insulation and ways to fold up into a small duffel. Tents, which I didn’t investigated too closely. Hiking specific clothing, and clothing for any type of weather.
Reminds me of the Kiefer Swim Shop.
Vancouver is quite the outdoorsy city, which is fine on sunny days like yesterday. What The Mountain Co-Op seemed to miss was rain gear. Umbrellas. Rain coats. Boating dress for which I’m sure there’s a specific name for that type of clothing. I just can’t think of it at the moment.
Either I missed the section, or The Mountain Co-Op carries everything but. Then again, it did have a fair amount of waterproof clothing that ranged from warm to cold weather.
There was a part of the store I didn’t get a chance to explore, the water sports section, that looked intriguing. There’s something….standup paddle-boarding I think it’s called, that I’ve seen out in the bay a few times and am rather interested in trying out. The Mountain Co-Op might very well be a good place to see what the equipment looks like and what other gear might be needed.