Jobs at Gearhouse

Our purpose

Gearhouse exists to make the outdoors easier to say yes to. We're a Seattle outdoor club built around a café, a calendar full of trips and events, a shuttle to the mountains, and a community of people who'd rather be outside together than alone. Most of the time, gear is the gateway to the rest of what Gearhouse has to offer. 

 

Our rental library covers everything from skis and splitboards to tents, stoves, and paddleboards, so you don't have to buy, store, or figure out a whole kit before your first trip. You get well-cared-for equipment, honest advice about where you're headed, and a crew to go with. Come for the gear, stay for the people, and leave with plans for next weekend.

 

The Job

Heads up: we're not a mounting shop. The job is keeping a rental fleet healthy, not drilling new skis.

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Our racks don't stop at skis, and neither do our seasons. You'll roll from ski season straight into hiking, camping, and paddle season, all year long. It's a slower-paced counter, and you'll get to know our members over time, from folks who've summited everything to people asking what a sleeping pad is for. No wrong questions here, and nobody gets rushed out the door.​

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Plus: our best gear wranglers get bonus hours leading member trips. Think weekday ski days, shuttle runs to the mountain, and summer camping trips. Not a bad way to get paid.​

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Stuff you'll own:

The Bench (tuning & repair)

• Tune, wax, and repair skis, snowboards, splitboards, and XC skis. That includes edge work, base repair, and binding adjustment.

• Fit boots, figure out why a fit isn't working, and fix it.

• Keep the rest of the library in fighting shape: tents, sleeping bags, stoves, cook kits, packs, running vests, trekking poles, paddleboards, kayaks, and whatever else wanders in.

• Spot neglect, abuse, and plain old wear. Decide what gets fixed, what gets retired, and what needs replacing.

 

The Gear Room (inventory & returns)

• Keep everything cataloged, labeled, and back where it belongs. A tidy gear room is a happy gear room :)

• Check-in every return carefully and document any damage.

• Track down missing items and follow up with customers about damaged gear. Friendly, but firm.

• Manage orders in Booqable and Airtable, and prep and pack gear for pickups.

• Work with vendors on parts, supplies, and replacement gear.

• Sell off out-of-season and retired gear so it doesn't just collect dust.

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The Counter (customers, members & advice)

• Help walk-ups, members, and the public with patience and good humor.

• Give real, trip-specific advice. Someone heading up Rainier this time of year? You'll tell them they need crampons, not microspikes, and explain why.

• Suggest add-ons that actually help, like trekking poles for a steep decent, or bear spray in the backcountry.

• Jump in on the café side when needed. This part is tipped.

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The Biz Side ($$)

• Keep an eye on what the counter earns and what it costs, including your own time, gear wear, and repair spend.

• Notice problems before they turn into patterns, then build the checklists, systems, and processes that fix them.

• Bring ideas to management for making the counter more profitable and easier to run. You see something inefficient? Say something and have an idea of what we should do. 

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The Fun Rewarding Side (teaching & trips)

• Possibility to lead classes, clinics, demos, and skill-shares for members. Think waxing and tuning nights, "how to pack for your first backpacking trip," or avalanche gear basics. Presenting info in an approachable style to level-up newcomers to the outdoors we all love.

• Possibly pick up bonus hours hosting member trips: weekday ski days and shuttle runs in winter, hikes and camping trips in summer.

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What you should have:

• Ski/snowboard tech experience. Hands-on work as a ski or snowboard service tech, including tuning, waxing, base and edge repair, and boot fitting.

• Troubleshooting skills. You can diagnose why gear is failing from the symptoms, not just replace parts.

• Customer service or retail experience, including using a POS system.

• Comfort with admin work. You'll do regular inventory, record-keeping, and customer follow-ups, including direct conversations about damaged or missing gear.

• Works independently. You can spot what needs doing and handle it without step-by-step direction.

• Physical ability. You can lift and carry up to 50lbs safely and repeatedly, such as kayaks, paddle boards, and full ski bags.

Some nice to haves:

• Binding certification, or willingness to get certified.

• Experience with gear beyond skis, such as camping, backpacking, climbing, paddling, biking.

• Solid knowledge of Washington's mountains, trails, and seasonal conditions.

• Experience teaching or leading groups.

• Certifications such as Wilderness First Aid, AIARE, or Leave No Trace.

• Familiarity with Booqable, Airtable, or similar rental and inventory tools.

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If you read this and thought "I'm most of that," please apply. We'd rather talk to someone curious and a little under-qualified than skip them because they didn't check every box.

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What We Offer

• $23–24/hr depending on experience, plus tips on every bar shift.

• This is a tipped position as you will also be engaging with the cafe side from time to time. Tips average $15-$17/hr.

• A free Gearhouse membership with full access to the gear library. Skis, boards, rafts, racks, kits - take them out on your own time. That's the point.​​

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How to apply

Email your résumé - or a summary of relevant experience - and a few sentences on why you're a good fit to evan+adventures@joingearhouse.com, emeraldl@joingearhouse.com and seanp@joingearhouse.com.

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If it's helpful, touch on:

1. A pair of rental skis comes back with a core shot and the renter says it was already like that. Walk us through what you do, from the bench to the conversation with the customer.

2. It's late October and someone wants to rent gear for a day hike up to Camp Muir on Rainier. What do you send them out with, and what else do you ask or tell them?

3. Tell us about a time you noticed a recurring problem at work that nobody asked you to fix. What was it, what did you do, and how did you know it worked?

4. Your café, restaurant or customer-facing experience, and how you feel about bar shifts

5. The outdoor activities you know best

6. Your availability - especially evenings and weekends

7. How you heard about us
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No formal cover letter needed. Tell us what you're good at and what you'd like to get better at.

Gearhouse is an equal opportunity employer. We're building a place where someone brand new to the outdoors feels as welcome as someone who's been guiding for a decade, and we hire the same way.