Wild Iris Mountain Sports History

Wild Iris Mountain Sports was founded in 1990 by Amy and Todd Skinner with two major tenets in mind: to employ climbers, and provide outdoor equipment for the Lander community. The shop quickly became a gathering place for locals and visitors seeking to enjoy hiking and climbing in the Wind River Mountain Range.

The shop first opened in a small house on the corner of Third and Lincoln, as an outlet for Todd to sell his used climbing equipment to finance future expeditions. In late 1991, the store moved to a Main Street location four times the size of the original house with a brand new sign featuring our iconic flower logo next to “Wild Iris Mountain Sports”. Over the following years, the store continued to grow which led to a new location at 333 Main Street in 1998, and again in early 2013 to our home of 166 Main Street. Our new location allows us to provide our community with an extensive selection of equipment for all outdoor pursuits, and lets us host large fundraising efforts. Since the early days, Wild Iris has grown to include an extensive selection of men’s and women’s apparel, camping equipment, footwear, gifts, books, and maps.

Now here in 2025, 35 years after it’s inception, It is widely regarded as Central Wyoming’s best source of area knowledge, hiking, backpacking, camping, and climbing gear. Every year, Wild Iris hosts several fundraising events to help give back to key local non profits in Fremont County. We have partnered with many nonprofits such as: Central Wyoming Climbers Alliance, Search and Rescue, Wind River Alliance, Lander Climate Action Network, The Nature Conservancy, Alpine Science Institute, Wyoming Outdoor Council, Lander Care & Share Food Bank, Lander Spay and Neuter, and Lander Pet Connection, and many more.

Wild Iris Mountain Sports also fundraises through another opportunity with the environment in mind with our refuse a bag program. By refusing a bag, the customer has the option to donate the cost of a bag to any number of local non profits, and over the years, Wild Iris’ Refuse a Bag program donated thousands to local organizations.

Wild Iris Mountain Sports is more that just a climbing shop. We are a cornerstone business for the Lander community that helps locals and visitors alike hit the trail and have a blast on the vast mountain playground surrounding Lander. To this day, we are still locally owned and operated and deeply value personal connection with our community. Thanks for shopping local Lander, it truly means the world to us!