If anybody has been delighted by the early snow of autumn and the promise of snowy slopes this winter, it's Harvey and Reserl Chalker, founders 45 years ago and owners to this day of Alpine Sports, a downtown ski equipment and apparel store.

"It's very encouraging so far," Reserl Chalker said.

"We talked to Benny Abruzzo (owner of the ski operation at Ski Santa Fe) and he said about 80 percent of the ski slopes have been groomed," Harvey Chalker said. "They're getting ready to make snow."

"We're very optimistic," Reserl Chalker added. "You have to be in our business. It's just like being a farmer."

The Chalkers discussed their business in the basement of their store at
121 Sandoval St. Alpine Sports' sales floor is at street level, while the offices, ski conditioning shop and Internet sales are on the lower level.

The bulk of sales takes place in the store, but Internet sales, which only started a year ago, have been doing well, thanks to the efforts of Amaya Chalker, Harvey and Reserl's daughter. Amaya Chalker is also a nurse at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.

"She's the only one of us who's computer literate," Harvey Chalker said.

A good deal of the Internet sales are e-mail orders from customers in England, Spain and Portugal, thanks in part to the weak U.S. dollar, which makes U.S. goods cheap by comparison.

"It's cheaper for them to buy from us," Reserl said. "They can save quite a bit of money."
In addition to Internet sales, other changes in the ski business include the fact that skis these days are much shorter than they were a few years ago.

"They only come up to your chin now," Harvey Chalker said. "It used to be they were over the top of your head."

In addition, the price of skis has gone up over the years, with a top-of-the line model costing as much as $1,500. "The ones we carry aren't that expensive," Harvey Chalker said. "We can sell you a good pair of skis for between $400 and $800."

Alpine Sports also carries snowboards, which range up to as much as $600, although "we can sell you one for a lot less," Harvey Chalker said.

As for ski clothing, Reserl Chalker said it's now "more practical" than it used to be, being water proof and breathable as well as stretchable.

Ski boots and bindings have been improved as well, making it much less likely that skiers will break bones if they fall, Harvey Chalker said. "We see more joint strains now than broken ankles."

One thing hasn't changed, and that's Alpine Sports' being named numerous times by Ski magazine as one of the top ski shops in the Rocky Mountain region and in the country.

"We're proud that they recognize we're doing a great job," Harvey Chalker said.

Harvey and Reserl Chalker may be in their 70s, but don't expect the couple to retire any time soon.

"We've not set a date for retirement," Harvey Chalker said. "Skiing is our passion — we enjoy it."

But he added: "If somebody were to come around and say they wanted to buy the store, I would certainly talk to them. But it's not on the market."

Harvey Chalker is 74, with Reserl "close behind me," he said.

The Chalkers met when Harvey was on ski patrol while in the U.S. Army back in the 1950s in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a small town in the Bavarian Alps with a U.S. military recreation center. It was also the hometown of Reserl Chalker.

The two married and became ski instructors at the Santa Fe Ski Area before opening a retail shop offering skis, ski clothing and related items in a log cabin next to what is now the Totemoff Bar at Ski Santa Fe.

They later relocated to Marcy Street before moving to their current location on Sandoval Street in 1971.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.