Alpine Accessories

I have been meaning to leave a long overdue review. This past February I decided to by a new set of skis and boots. I want to say the guy that helped me was named Sean but I am not positive as it has been six months now since my purchase. Anyhow, whatever his name was he was knowledgeable and helpful. He spent about 45 minutes with me just fitting me in different boots. They have a good selection of skis, snowboards, boots and apparel. I did not buy the skis on the spot that day, as I wanted to look around a bit more and shop. A couple days later I decided to take the plunge and buy myself the skis. I had mentioned that I saw the skis online for a lower price and they did not hesitate to meet the online price (with shipping charges). I am not typically a guy that goes to a brick and mortar store and picks them for info and wastes their time and then orders online (I hate people that do that), I put a value on their knowledge and time and realize that most brick and mortars carry more overhead than an online warehouse but $ 200 is $ 200, right, can’t hurt to ask. I would have still bought from them if they had only split the difference but they met the price. This has to be a tough seasonal business for a Midwest shop so give these guys a try before you just run off to the internet and order from the lowest cost place you can find.

I’m blown away by this place. I’m so impressed. I came in with my 11 year old to ask about an anti skid pad for a used snowboard we had gotten 2 weeks before from somewhere else. We are total newbies to the sport of snowboarding. Sean greeted us right when we walked in. He was pleasant, and seemed very passionate about the sport. He gave us suggestions about some pads, and then we asked him some general questions about the board. He was so knowledgeable, friendly, and explained the abc’s of snowboards to us. Our board needed a tuneup (apparently it was in pretty poor shape), and I was surprised at how affordable it was, and how quickly the turnaround was going to be. They sell used snowboards and I’m so sad that I didn’t buy my daughter’s board at Alpine instead. I think we had made some newbie mistakes. And what was really refreshing was that Sean didn’t try to sell us on things we didn’t need. My daughter wanted a new helmet, and instead of selling me a helmet that would’ve been too small on her by next season, he suggested we keep renting where we go, and buy the next helmet size up next year. He was not trying to just sell sell sell. They also have a trade in program for new boards if you buy them there, which is great. I haven’t been this impressed by a salesperson and store in a long time and will be going back in the future! Great selection of pants & coats, gloves, helmets, skis, etc etc etc. I highly recommend this place!

My wife loves paddle boarding. This place is THE only stop you need to make to get it going! We purchased a punch card for 20 rentals at Three Oaks.
The staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive and it really feels like you’re talking to family when you’re here.
At Three Oaks, the water is calm and great for practicing and gaining confidence.
I’m reserving 5 stars for the experience AFTER we purchase my wife’s first inflatable paddle board. We will definitely be buying it from here.

Great group of folks and a decent selection. You can tell they all love snowboarding and skiing and are friendly and helpful. Very knowledgeable boot fitters.
Great used gear selection! I bought my kids used gear here. Great value.
I bought a board and bindings there. They fit me for boots but I bought boots somewhere else because it was end of season and selection was tight everywhere. They did not get salty like other shops would. Instead they offered to heat mold them for free. Awesome! It’s clear they want me to come back.
I’ve been to multiple snowboard shops at feel these guys are the best.
I almost gave them 4.5 stars (not possible) because I feel they should be more upfront about setup charges over and above the sticker price. A customer needs to know about that before being rung up. However, I think they waxed it so it’s worth it! (I say I think because they did not explain what the setup was but I saw clear signs of waxing.)
Buy with confidence!

Bought a pair of high end ski boots here in Feb 2014. Store manager Sean is very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. Alpine Accessories is now my ski and snowboard source.

I don’t have a lot of experience in ski shops, but I LOVE this place. It’s not very often I experience genuine, sincere customer service. I believe it was Sean that helped my husband and I with our purchase of cross country skis. He knew so much and was really friendly-​he was just a nice guy. My husband went with used skis, new boots, and poles. They adjusted his bindings within minutes to fit his boots (he has large feet). With my new skis, they had to add the binding, but told me I could have them by the next day-​WOW! The environment in the store was very comfortable-​another customer in the store came up to us and told us how awesome the store was (she said she’s been going there for years).
Just a side note-​if you’re coming from McHenry (South on 31), both google maps and the gps on our phones told us it would be on the left. It’s actually on the right, just south of Rakow Rd.

It used to be very hard to find a ski shop with folks who know what they are talking about.
I heard of this place just before we headed out to Aspen in January and had to get bindings mounted on my 12 year olds skis (she grew out of her older skies and I did not have a jig for the binding type). The owner and I chatted up ski tech and mountains out west. The conversation was refreshing in that here was finally who knew skiing the way I know it.
I recently heard that they acquired the business next door for expansion — I will have to stop in with my old Vario P19’s for a tune up and conversation.

Awesome little ski & snowboard store, tucked into a strip plaza on south side of Crystal Lake. (Mailing address is Lake in the Hills.)
Just a tiny little store, it is packed with gear. Looks like perhaps in the summer they do wind boards, but not sure.
They have a limited but good selection of gear, ranging in price from affordable to expensive. Pricing seems to be competitive. Style selection is good, likely something for everyone.
They have ski and snowboard «packages» to get you started. They do tuneing.
We were very happy going to this store. (It’s been hard to find a ski store we like in the (flat) mid-​west area.)
Would I recommend? yes
Would I return? yes.