Anchorage shop SkiAK will close, leaving ‘a big hole’ in the local ski community

SkiAK, which for years has provided technical gear and service to Anchorage’s alpine ski community, announced this week that it’s closing its doors.

”It will leave a big hole,” said co-owner Russell Sell, whose shop served backcountry and resort riders, alpine racers and heli-skiers alike. “It’s an institution and we have families who have been attached to this shop for a really long time.”

Sell, 72, said growing inflation, transportation costs and supply chain problems, plus the state’s struggling oil-backed economy, show no signs of improvement. He said national policies are making things worse, and he’s reluctant to pass higher prices onto customers.

“If we didn’t have inflation, and our oil and gas industry was booming and people were traveling, I’d still be in business and happy as a lark,” Sell said Tuesday afternoon, between greeting customers and offering advice on gear.

“People need diapers and hamburgers instead of skis,” he said. “We don’t want to order all this gear and find out next year people are sucking it up and getting tight.”

The decision comes as business closures in Alaska have dropped significantly, after soaring to above 1,750 statewide in the spring of 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dan Robinson, a state economist, citing U.S. Department of Labor data.

But Robinson said economic disruptions like inflation continue to be a major headache that could cause closures to tick up again.

“A lot of industries are figuring out how to deal with supply chain issues and price increases,” Robinson said. “Stuff is more expensive, and determining how much can you pass onto the consumer is tricky.”

SkiAK announced its closure on Tuesday with an email to customers, and a short Facebook post: “SHOP CLOSURE...EVERYTHING MUST BE SOLD!”

The loss of SkiAK will hit the alpine racing community hard, said Paralympic gold medalist Andrew Kurka on Wednesday.

Kurka was one of hundreds of athletes who received racing services from the shop, according to Sell.

“They went above and beyond, and they were extremely helpful for the race community and everyone,” Kurka said. “To see them go is a real bummer.”

Kurka said SkiAK provided the custom work he needed, a grind for the ski base and a tune-up for the edges, done just right for any race condition — even when he traveled overseas.

“They catered to that and they had great techs,” Kurka said. “So it helped me be victorious not just on the World Cup circuit, but on the international level and as a gold medalist.”

Sell said he and his wife, Becky, bought the shop in 2014. Until two years ago, he had also worked for decades in Alaska’s oil industry, providing drilling support services for exploration.

The shop’s roots in Alaska go deep, he said.

Its predecessor was World Cup Sports in Girdwood in the 1980s. Eventually it opened a shop in Anchorage to provide custom ski boot fitting. The name changed to SkiAK by the time the Sells, an alpine ski racing family, bought it, he said.

Over the years, he said, SkiAK provided donations and reduced prices to support a variety of groups, including racing clubs, Alaska Air National Guard rescue squadrons, Special Olympics Alaska and Challenge Alaska, which provides adaptive recreation at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood.

Sell said he doesn’t know when SkiAK’s last day will be. It still has six months on its lease at the Metro Mall in Midtown Anchorage, at 530 E. Benson Blvd., but the gear on hand could be sold well before then, he said.

Sell said he employed 11 highly skilled workers. They received annual training, often outside Alaska, to perfect their boot-fitting skills. Boot fitting at the store is a careful process that includes measurements of leg and foot geometry, a test ski and, later, a heat molding of the boot to get the perfect fit, he said.

Sell said he’s talking with people to find a way for his employees to continue using their skills in the industry.

“We’re investigating ways to allow our backshop services to survive this change to make sure our customers aren’t left stranded,” he said. “We have conversations going there and we will let public know how that will happen.”

Sell said he plans to stay in Anchorage and spend time with family. He’s most proud that he provided a livelihood for his employees and supported groups with donations, he said.

“It’s a big deal for us to make sure we’re giving back to the community,” he said.