Vibe Spring2025 - Flipbook - Page 54
THE GEAR DOC
of North Conway
Giving Outdoor Gear New Life
By Lily Hartman
T
his past February, a customer entered The Gear Doc with a broken
Salomon boot. “The Gear Doc”
glanced at the boot, and said he could
fix it in just a couple of days. Rich Page,
also known as “The Gear Doc” in the local
community, is the owner and founder
of the gear shop. As a town that is full of
outdoor enthusiasts, whether you’re a
climber, skier, or hiker, everyone breaks
a piece of outdoor equipment eventually.
That is where Page comes in handy.
Page fixes and sells gear for climbers
in the New Hampshire White Mountains
do it,” says Clarke. “I feel like it saves people a lot of money around here, and gear’s
expensive, so that’s really important.”
Page runs The Gear Doc on his own. In
the 1970s, he spent summers in Colorado
working at sewing factories and climbing
rocks in Estes Park with his buddies; he
also became part of a rescue team. His
passion for climbing led him on several
expeditions. He has summited Mount
Denali six times and completed over 20
climbing trips to Alaska. On the side,
Page enjoyed being a mountain guide
and taking people ice climbing. From
and beyond. Outdoor enthusiasts head
to the shop when they need gear fixed,
whether a zipper, snowshoe, or something else. Whenever customers come
into International Mountain Equipment
(IME) with a broken piece of gear, another outdoor sports store in town, Autumn
Clarke, an employee at both IME and The
Gear Doc, sends them to Page.
“It’s a great thing to recommend Rich
because there’s someone in town who can
1982 to 1988, Page owned his first gear
shop, Buzzard, in Estes Park. In 2012, he
opened The Gear Doc.
“I had been fixing gear, putting extensions in packs, and doing sewing prior to
this factory work,” he says.
The shop is tucked away in the village
of North Conway, right off Reporter Court.
Upon entering the store, customers are
greeted by Page with a smile. A variety of
climbing gear is scattered throughout the
store: backpacks, hats, and gloves hang
from the wall, camping equipment sits
on the shelves, and outdoor clothing is
located in the middle of the room. There
is a sewing machine in the back, candy in
a bowl for customers, and music playing
from the speaker.
Not only does Page fix broken gear, he
also sells gear and apparel by Mountain
Equipment, a British outdoor clothing
brand, and Savage Gear. Clarke, who
has climbed all through NH and in AK,
has been wearing gear from the shop
before she even began working here.
The Gear Doc is tucked away in the village of North Conway, right o昀昀 Reporter Court.
Not only does Rich Page 昀椀x broken gear, he also sells gear and apparel by
Mountain Equipment, a British outdoor clothing brand, and Savage Gear.
54
She has worn the Savage Gear Bullseye
pack heading up Cannon and Eagle Cliff,
saying it’s durable and waterproof, a sun
hoody by Mountain Equipment that is
comfortable, and a pair of zip pants that
fit her perfectly.
“I’ve had a lot of problems trying to find
insulated, full-zip pants that fit me,” says
Clarke. “[Page] tries to specifically target
some things that people may not be able
to find otherwise.”
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