Second Ascent

Everything you would want out of a Seattle neighborhood gear shop. Enthusiastic and helpful staff. They help you personally and really take the time to answer your questions and direct you to the right products. Great sample sales, smaller selection of consignment. I appreciate how involved in the community they are by hosting events, speakers, and having an in-​depth knowledge of local outdoor areas.

Wide selection and informative staff are the highlights. The low points would be the store itself — kind of dated, a little dingy in some places (or at least poorly lit), and the store’s organization: we had to keep moving off the bench when trying on climbing shoes so that the store associate could get to the boxes under it.
Prices are ok — not super cheap by any means, but you can find some things for much better prices than elsewhere, mostly bikes though. I got the shoes I tried on for $ 20 cheaper on
. But hey, I got to try them on here and got the associate’s well-​informed opinion.
And yeah, good luck finding parking.

Outstanding customer service. Great deals. No douchey bros here. THANK GOD. Don’t spend your money at any other outdoor retailer in Seattle!

If you’re into the outdoors, this place will hook you up with lots of awesome gear. Seriously, I saw everything here — clothing, shoes, backpacks, climbing gear, bikes, and pretty much anything else your little camping heart could want.
They sell new and gently used items, which is fantastic. Prices were what I would expect, but I saw lots of great deals, too. When we went, they were having a crazy amazing sale on Arc’Teryx gear where stuff was like 80% off. If you know anything about Arc’Teryx, then you know how frikkin’ amazing that is because that stuff is expensive. Great quality, but expensive. I really wish there had been something in my size that I needed because I would have purchased it in a heartbeat.
They were also having a sale on Chaco sandals when I went. I think those things are uglier than sin, but I know they would make great camp and water crossing shoes, so I’ve been looking into getting a pair. The sale they were having was pretty awesome and I almost bought some, but decided against it at the last second. Dumb.
After browsing through all the clothes, I took a look at all their other gear. They have all kinds of winter outdoor gear here. I know nothing about skiing or snowboarding, but they had a lot of stuff, so I’d check it out if you need something. They also had a ton of stuff for backpacking and rock climbing, two activities I definitely participate in. The backpacks they were selling were excellent quality — if I didn’t already have a good backpack, I would have picked one up here. Their bike section was pretty rad, too.
Normally I would recommend REI for all your outdoor activity needs, but definitely give this place a shot if you’re in Seattle. I think you’ll find pretty much whatever you’re looking for and it might even be on sale.

I stopped by here after shopping the Sunday market and found an awesome ski helmet to buy. Frank helped me make sure I had a good fit and packed it in the box nicely for me. I received excellent customer service and will certainly return when I need some other gear! Thanks!

This has been my go-​to neighborhood shop for technical gear for 7 – 8 years now. I call the shoe guy «the Oracle», not to his face (although he’ll know if he reads this), climbing gear, clothing n all. I run into their staff at music shows, climbing gym, mountains, and restaurants-​a real neighborhood shop. My fiancée was gearing up a little, I sent her down there and she got the same treatment I have received.
Their competition is good, I just dont get the vibe I like when I’m shopping in a store. Higher level of expertise per staff member I think. I bought a road bike from them 6 years ago, and thought that might be a place they could improve… and they did. They put on great social events too. Enough from me:)

Fantastic Outfitter. Lot’s of what a Real Outfitter should carry. Great hands on service. People who know their products. A great line of products. We went to two REI locations in an effort to purchase a Neoair Patch kit with no luck or knowledge of what We needed. We were very happy to find it at Second Ascent.

Really great Seattle spot! The bike guys are super knowledgeable and helpful. I have gotten a basket for my bike from them and they really went out of the way to make sure it was going to be the right fit for what I wanted. Great customer service skills!

Great service, great selection and people that actually use the gear they sell… unlike the «big box» outdoor retailer in town. Prices are the same and you get better information for the same price. Thanks for being there for the climbing, skiing and riding community.

The bike service, at Second Ascent, is fantastic!
Isaac and Aaron know their stuff for sure… always helpful and very friendly. My kind of bike shop. Thank you!

This place is FUCKING AWESOME as a concept. The bike guys are really helpful and clearly love what they do. The selection is great, and I love the idea of new and used athletic gear. Literally my only complaint is that there are WAY WAY too many people greeting you/​staring at you when you come in and shop. Maybe this is to provide good customer service, deter theft, or maybe the folks are on comission sales? Anyway, it’s just annoying and distracting. I honestly feel like there only needs to be like 3 people tops working the sales floor, and every time I go I FEEL like 12 (I’m serious) people ask me if I’m «looking for anything specific» Go away! I’ll approach you if I have a question. Definitly almost had a panic attack here :/

Most of the times when we come in they don’t have what we need. When I came in this past weekend, they had what I needed but for more than the item costs online. Street parking also recently went from free to metered in this area, so just head to REI and get everything you need in one stop with free parking.

These people are the best! Always friendly, helpful and cost-​appropriate. I bought a Scott bicycle there on clearance a couple years back at an amazing price, every time I’ve taken it in for standard maintenance, they charge less than what I expect. Not only that, they take the time to adjust other small details like brakes and pedals, for free! They also called me to perform warranty maintenance on my bike because of a part recall, it cost me only a couple hours of time.
Yesterday, I got an inter tube replaced for a mere $ 17 and they told me my rear brakes were tightened for no cost. I was expecting that the outer tire needed to be replaced as well, but they told me it was fine… instead of finding ways to charge me more (like many businesses do) they find ways to take care of me and only charge me for what I need.
I’ll be a faithfully happy customer as long as their doors are open.

Updating this to give a shout out to Colin for spending more than half an hour helping me fit packs. I knew walking in that I’d get great advice and I got it in spades. I’m taking a bit of a gamble on a lighter (alpine style) pack than I thought I wanted, but I feel good about the decision and thanks to Colin’s help I also know exactly which alternate pack I’ll come back for if this one turns out to be a mistake (I’m going to load it up and take it up and down the stairs in my building to test it out more). Love this place.

Great selection on outdoor gear and cycling stuff. Knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend this place.

Second Ascent is the bomb. Probably the best gear shop in the Seattle area, along side Feathered Friends. Always love coming in here and the staff is really friendly. They don’t mind chatting about routes (hike, ski, climb, cycle) and always have down to earth recommendations. A must stop shop for those who don’t want to support large corporate gear stores.

Oh man, where do I begin? Second Ascent has everything you need for your next adventure. From skis to bikes you’ll be sure to find what you’re looking for. They have a lot of preowned gear as well. If you’re in Ballard make sure to swing by and have a look for yourself.

Very helpful staff, great prices!
I’m basically starting from scratch on mountaineering gear for the basic climbing class with the Mountaineers. I came in to Second Ascent with a big list and lots of questions, and left with a lot of high quality items and honest advice.
We spent a long time looking at mountaineering boots, and I mean they were trying so hard to find something that would be perfect for me — switching out insoles, socks, even lacing my boots for me. We got close, but nothing was quite perfect and they stressed the importance of not settling on these boots — they even called around to other stores to see who had similar boots in my size (the man at Pro Mountain Sports, on the other hand, tried convincing me that the first pair I tried on would work. «Spot rubbing on your ankle? It’ll break in…»)
I applaud the staff here for being so knowledgeable and honest. I’m in Tacoma but I can’t wait to make the trip up to go back!

so this place is pretty legit. I was looking for a place that would mount my telemark skis which I assemble various parts from the depths of craigslist. Customer service was awesome as I was greeted by a mountain man who looked the part. Heck he couldve had a fake beard, but that was the confidence I needed to trust him.
Got my skis back a week later and they look perfect.
I imagine this is what is is like when a clueless gm just grabs whatever old washed up veterans and talent they can from free agency and then telling the head coach to make it work. Second Ascent made it work.

I bought my bike here a few years ago and the staff was incredibly helpful and patient with the process. I wanted a bike for recreation and the occasional ride to work but was pretty oblivious on what kind of features I wanted. They explained the different features and helped me weigh the pro’s and con’s of each. I never felt like they were trying to make a sale.
I also rented snow shoes and poles here, they were affordable and they let you return them the following day without an extra day charge. This is the place to go for outdoor and recreational gear.