Russel "Holly" Hollenbeck

Owner, aka "Boss"

Lisa Hollenbeck

Owner, aka "Boss Lady"

Holly and Lisa pilot this good ship Alpine, but they know that the wind in her sails comes from the hard work of their outfitters and their support staff.  Take a moment to get to know your local outfitters and sneak a peak past the "Employees Only" door to meet the buyers, marketers and other behind the scenes characters.  Choose a category below:

Todd Oswald

Marketing Director

Alpiner Since: 2001

What's Your Passion? 

I love to paddle. Haven't been able to do it as much as I used to be able to due to the birth of my daughter in 2005. I got started, as many Missourians do, on the Meramec (and it's tributaries), the Current and the Big Rivers as a kid with the boy scouts. In 1999, while in Santa Rosa, I began kayaking extensively along many of the rivers along the Northern coast of California. I started white water kayaking in 2000 and fell instantly in love.

My family loves to camp so we try to get everybody out into the "wild" a few times a year (as time allows us). I've also hiked and backpacked extensively in Yosemite National Park in California. 

Over the past five years, though, my passion has really turned to trail running and pushing my special needs daughter on road courses. I've run six half marathons and one marathon on the road and countless other distances on trails.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:" 

Yosemite National Park in California. There is no other place in the world like it. I'll never forget the first time I took my family there. Watching the kids' mouths drop open as we came around the bend and Yosemite Valley spread in front of them. It was priceless.

I discovered more about my self in that place then probably any single location I've ever visited. Yosemite taught me that my body could handle 16-20 miles of hiking in a single day, that I could take on the mountains and be okay, that I could accomplish things I had only dreamed about.

A close second place would be the Saint Francis River near Fredericktown, Mo. The "home" whitewater river for most St. Louisans. A gorgeous taste of rushing water less than the 100 miles from our home.

Favorite Book: Not sure I can pick just one... Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections"; Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One"; Stephen R. Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and Stephen King's "Bag of Bones".

Little Extra:  I'm married to my wonderful wife, Michele, with six kids, including our youngest who is one of only a handful of people in the world with a specific deletion on chromosome 6. She has been a constant inspiration for our family and for people around the globe. If you do any running, you may find us all on the course with "Team Katy" bibs on our backs and a big stroller in front of me.

Favorite Gear:

• In clothing: Mountain Khaki, The North Face, Saxx and FITS Socks.

• In footwear: Altra, Brooks and Sanuk

• In bike: Specialized

• In paddle: Werner Paddles

Lisa Quisenberry

Events and Race Director

Alpiner Since: 2017

Bonus:

• Graduate of Oklahoma State in Recreational Therapy and Management
• Wilderness Education Association Leader
• Certified Ropes Course Instructor
•  

What's Your Passion? I love being in the outdoors! My top five outdoor interest are; cycling, skiing, backpacking, kayaking, and gardening.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  The Colorado Rockies!

Favorite Book: North to the Pole, The Celestine Prophecy, A Life Without Limits, Age Is Just A Number

Favorite Gear: Superfeet

Alex Kuntzman

Events and Race Director

Alpiner Since: 2015

Bonus:

• Competed in and finished the MR340 twice

• I have been on TV 8 times.  Hi Mom!

What's Your Passion? I am a avid fan or being out on the water any moment I can.  If it is kayaking on the Mississippi river or participating in the MR340 you will find me there.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  West Tyson park

Favorite Book: My favorite book is actually a trilogy, Lord of the Rings.  I grew up with my father reading this series to me when I was a young child.  The obsession grew from their.

Favorite Gear: Deuter

Perry Whittaker

Race Director

Alpiner Since: 2012

What's Your Passion? I'm a kayaker, a hiker, and a biker (road and mountain). I'm also heavily involved with organizations that clean our local rivers and build hiking trails.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  I paddle on the Mississippi River a lot. I frequently paddle between St Louis and Cape Girardeau and there aren't words to describe the peace I find while I'm out there. I've taken a bunch of Scout troops on that trip and I really enjoy teaching them about the history of our awesome Mississippi (native Americans, early explorers, steamboats, and ghost towns).

Favorite Book: I mostly read books about science or history, but I'm a huge fan of Mark Twain.

Favorite Gear: My garage and basement is full of the awesome products we sell! I can't pick a favorite.

Emily Korsch

Race Director

Alpiner Since: 2014

Bonus: My teams have finished as the top-5 adventure racing teams in the country in 2016 (3rd) and 2017 (4th).

What's Your Passion? My passion is adventure racing! I got started with endurance cycling events, which morphed into triathlon, which morphed into adventure racing, and I'm here to stay! Adventure Racing is a team sport where the entire co-ed team uses mountain biking, paddling, off-road running, and other outdoor sports to complete an unmarked course using map and compass to navigate. I've participated in races from 4 hours to 5 days, all over the country and the world.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Locally, I love the Berryman Trail and the entire Ozark Trail system. You can run or ride bikes, there are nearby streams to paddle, and the terrain is rugged and honest. There are no shortcuts!

Favorite Book: "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein

Personal Website: http://www.emilykorsch.com

Favorite Gear: Salomon Speedcross shoes, and Superfeet orange insoles. A match made in trail running heaven.

Erl Erlandson

Castlewood AR Organizer

Alpiner Since: 2015

What's Your Passion? Adventure Racing and riding bikes.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Bluff view and Zombie trails

Favorite Book: "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein

Favorite Gear: Arc'Teryx

Angela Roam

Camping / Climbing Buyer

Alpiner Since: 2007

Bonus: Graduated from University of Missouri in Fisheries & Wildlife

What's Your Passion? I enjoy fishing, paddle boarding and gardening. Also observing wildlife is a hobby of mine.

My parents got me started with fishing and gardening when I was a small child. 

Paddle boarding I started thanks to the Alpine Shop!

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Currently...Minnesota

Favorite Book: Any Dan Brown book

Favorite Gear: I swear by Eagle Creek Pack-It accessories when traveling. They help keep everything organized and easy to locate. Plus if TSA has to check your bag you can rest easy knowing all your items won't fall out all over the place!

Richard Orr

Paddlesports Buyer - Environmentalist dedicated to saving all the best wild places and creatures left on the planet.

Alpiner Since: 1979

Bonus: 

• Former state senate candidate
• Public/Private Lands Chairman for the Conservation Federation of Missouri
• Former board member of the Open Space Council

What's Your Passion? I began with hiking, camping, caving and canoeing in the Ozarks and now I do all that plus whitewater kayaking, biking, traveling nationally and internationally and photographing all the places I go.

What is your Dream Adventure? Travel the length of the Nile in Egypt and the Sudan.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Favorite Book: Desert Solitaire

Favorite Gear: Current Designs Kestrel 140 kayak

Annie Wardenburg

Buyer's Assistant

Alpiner Since: 2016

What's Your Passion? I love hiking and camping and snorkeling. I recently went whitewater rafting for the first time in 20 years and now I'm trying to figure out how incorporate that into every vacation I take.

What is your Dream Adventure? My dream adventure is to snorkel in Hawaii.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Close to home, nothing clears my head like a walk through Queeny Park. I also worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park so that is a place that's near and dear to my heart.

Favorite Book: "The Ruins" by Scott Smith

Favorite Gear: Eagle Creek packing cubes and folders.

Janice Slover

Controller - Accounting, Inventory, Human Resources, & Payroll

Alpiner Since: 1996

What's Your Passion? Outdoor Photography

What is your Dream Adventure? Some where I haven't been.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  My own backyard

Favorite Book: "Montana Sky" by Nora Roberts

Favorite Gear: Patagonia

Donna Schott

Accounting Assistant

Alpiner Since: 2000

What's Your Passion? Hiking, camping and sailing

What is your Dream Adventure? Bareboat sailing in the Caribbean

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  It varies, right now Skagway, AK

Favorite Book: Gone with the Wind

Favorite Gear: Patagonia

Tyler Buchholz

Controller's Assistant

Alpiner Since: 2014

What's Your Passion? I wasn't the most outdoorsy person when I started here, but I am getting to love it more and more. Camping is currently my passion, but I am going to be pursuing paddling as my next hobby.

What is your Dream Adventure? I would love to take time to travel and backpack through Europe. The Black Forest is at the top of my list.

Favorite place to "Get Outside Yourself:"  Having lived in Michigan for a few years when I was younger, I really enjoy the area around Lake Michigan. The UP, and Sleeping Bear Dunes are also great places to get outside yourself. Especially as an escape from Midwestern muggy summers.

Favorite Book: Either the Lord of the Rings trilogy or Silmarillion, I can't remember how many times I've read those books. Self proclaimed Tolkien nerd here.

Favorite Gear: Oboz makes some amazing boots and shoes!