Shopping may not be top of mind for many Whitehorse, YT visitors, but one local retailer is a magnet for anyone planning an adventure into the Yukon wilds. Coast Mountain Sports is an outdoor retailing giant masterminded from two stores and a Whitehorse head office in the 1990s—yup, that same chain now with a couple dozen stores across Canada.

After years crammed into a narrow dark cube of a store, Coast reopened this fall on a Main St. corner in an aging inn barely recognizable from its former self. Sadly, one of Whitehorse’s colourful watering holes closed to make way (no small sacrifice in a northern town). But where Yukon hooch once reigned, latte-sipping 30-somethings now finger merino-wool long johns.

Coast’s owners got on the enviro-bandwagon in a big way, rejuvenating what was a flower shop, children’s clothing store and the Taku Hotel front desk and restaurant into the Yukon’s first LEED-certified building. Its exterior blends with downtown’s heritage facades; green features include extensive use of glulam beams and bike lockers for Coast’s sporty staff. Surely they must’ve had second thoughts when they discovered the decrepit building had sunk nine inches at the back. The end result is a pretty swank shopping experience for a town filled with serious gear-heads.

Coast Mountain Sports is now the major retail attraction in downtown Whitehorse and the de facto meeting place for a legion of visitors. Über-outdoorsy employees—with Czech, Swedish and French accents—are as likely to dish out hiking tips as they are to recommend a pair of skis. They might also tell you about the old guy who showed up during renos inquiring about a stash of marijuana he’d hidden in the walls of the former hotel many years ago. It’s the Yukon, after all.
www.travelyukon.com