Chalet Sports is a locally owned and operated business located in downtown Bozeman. Opened in 1950 by August “Gus” Gnehm from Switzerland who originally came to the US in 1939 to represent his country at the world’s fair in New York. On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and began what would become the Second World War. As a result, Gus found himself unable to get home safely, and decided to head out west. By 1941, on a trip to visit a friend Gus found himself in Montana. Liking the area so much he decided to stayed for a while and coached skiing. On December 8th, 1941 the US joined World War II, and Gus enlisted and was stationed in Colorado. Here he met his wife, Nikki, and they decided to move back to Montana when the war ended. After working in a local ski shop for a few years, he and Nikki decided to open their own shop called the Sport Chalet in 1950. Their main product focus centered on ski and alpine equipment for the local area. Their store eventually came up for sale in 1977, when the current owners took over. In 1982, the new owners decided to change the name of the store to Chalet Sports and relocate it to its current location in Downtown Bozeman on historic Main St. Today, the shop is still at the corner of Main and Willson, and now carries a wide variety of alpine ski equipment and apparel. In the summer the Chalet carries both road and mountain bikes, footwear and a variety of apparel to enjoy the outdoors. Product lines are chosen to suit the needs of the entire family for all seasons. Chalet Sport is proud of being a locally owned and operated store serving the Bozeman community for many years to come.
