A Ski Shop in Baton Rouge? How One of America’s Most Unlikely Outdoor Retailers Has Thrived for 50 Years

Snow does not fall in South Louisiana. It never has, and barring a biblical shift in global weather, it never will. Yet in the early 1970s, a young Louisiana State University student named Dale Mathews began loading up cars and vans, driving fellow students out of the muggy air of Baton Rouge and into the cold, thin atmosphere of the Colorado Rockies.

In those days, there were no local ski shops anywhere near the bayou. As Michael Mathews, Dale’s son and the current owner of The Backpacker, recounted in a recent conversation with SnowBrains, those early Cajun skiers headed west in whatever outdoor gear they owned. They showed up to cold mountain passes wearing heavy camouflage duck-hunting jackets and spraying Scotchgard on their blue jeans to keep the melting snow from soaking through to the skin. Dale saw two things clearly: his neighbors had a strong appetite for the mountains, but they were woefully under-equipped for below-freezing temperatures.

• Related: Why a Louisiana Skier is Attempting to Ski All 7 Continents in Less Than 1 Year

To solve the problem, Dale opened the doors to The Backpacker in Baton Rouge in 1974. His mission was simple and direct: give travelers the right parkas, the right boots, the right skis, and the personal expertise required to handle high-altitude weather safely. 50 years later, that small side hustle has evolved into a second-generation family institution operating three retail locations across Louisiana, a legendary travel operation, and an online storefront shipping mountain gear nationwide.

The story of how an independent ski shop survives for more than half a century in flat, humid country is rooted in a fundamental truth about Louisiana culture. People from the bayou love to be outside, and they love a good gathering. As Michael Mathews pointed out, the concept of alpine après-ski is not a foreign luxury to Louisianans — it is simply how they live their everyday lives back home. Gathering around a long table, cooking heavy meals, playing music, and sharing long stories after a cold day outdoors is baked into the state’s DNA. When introduced to skiing, Louisianans did not just adopt the sport; they embraced the lifestyle wholeheartedly.

That devotion led to one of the most entertaining chapters in Southern outdoor history: the story of Mt. Sneaux. Realizing that the nearest real ski slopes were hundreds of miles away, Dale built an indoor ski slope inside the very same building that houses The Backpacker’s Baton Rouge store today. He spelled it “Sneaux” — adding the classic Cajun French suffix, giving it some proper Louisiana charm. While the indoor slope eventually gave way to retail floor space, the memory remains a point of pride. Every Black Friday, the shop holds its annual “Mt. Sneaux Day,” trucking in real snow to fill the store parking lot so local kids and families can play in the drift and celebrate the arrival of winter.

The relationship between Louisiana and the Rocky Mountains becomes most visible every February. While the rest of the country is working through the mid-winter grind, schools and businesses across Louisiana shut down for a full week to celebrate Mardi Gras. For decades, thousands of families have traded the streets of New Orleans and Baton Rouge for the slopes of Colorado.

The tradition of “Mardi Gras in the Mountains” was built directly by The Backpacker. Having taken more than 25,000 skiers to the snow over nearly six decades, the shop’s travel arm organizes an annual Mardi Gras week trip to Aspen Snowmass. Michael Mathews, who grew up spending his Mardi Gras breaks on snowboards and skis, notes that the trip is a legendary affair. Guests drape purple, green, and gold beads over their ski jackets, simmer massive pots of gumbo in their slopeside condo kitchens, and host private parties in the snow.

Today, that original travel operation has come full circle. What began as Dale’s college ski club has evolved into ALPINR Mountain Travel, which organizes high-alpine holidays across the globe. It also served as the launchpad for the ALPINR World Tour, a global expedition where Michael Mathews is currently attempting to ski all seven continents in a single calendar year while flying his worn LSU window flag on every summit. The web series, broadcast on YouTube, captures the same core spirit his father cultivated five decades ago: using skiing as a vehicle to travel, experience new cultures, and build lasting human connections.

Running an independent ski shop in 2026 is a brutal business, regardless of location. Small retailers across the country face rising costs, shifting weather patterns, and pressure from corporate chains. Yet The Backpacker has endured because it was built on relationships rather than simple transactions. Families who booked their first Colorado trips with Dale in the 1970s are now walking through the doors with their grandchildren, fitting them for their very first pair of ski boots.

Independent ski shops remain the beating heart of winter sports culture, whether they sit at the base of a legendary peak in the Rockies or in the heart of Cajun country. They provide the expertise, community, and passion that keep the sport alive. You can support local ski shops by visiting them in person or ordering from their digital storefronts, like the nationwide shipping service offered online at The Backpacker.

In the end, there is no single secret to how an independent shop survives for fifty years where it never snows. It comes down to a willingness to build community, share a love for wild places, and remind people that you don’t need a mountain in your backyard to carry the mountains in your heart wherever you go.

Brought to you by ALPINR Mountain Travel