Looking for a Little Light at Alpenglow
This month CVEDC visited Alpenglow Fitness on Main Street in Montpelier, a little studio that has fought hard to last out the pandemic, thanks to both committed clients and business owner, Sky Redmond.
Photo credit: RL Photo.
Sky’s career took her from Times Argus to Vermont Life to The Nation before she returned to Vermont and opened Alpenglow in 2018. Alongside her passion for journalism, Sky always had a passion for sports and working out, but she had a particular vision for what she looked for in a fitness studio.
Photo credit: RL Photo.
Sky hoped her studio would be intentional and welcoming. She had attended workout classes where she felt intimidated and like she didn’t belong. But everywhere that she went, she also took little bits that she did want to incorporate in her studio: the urban music and high energy from spin classes in New York City while working at The Nation, and the friendliness and easy location in her predecessors in the Montpelier space. It was attending classes in Montpelier that another instructor first suggested Sky should lead workout classes. She was surprised by the suggestion and didn’t see herself in the role, but she came to realize that she wasn’t alone in dreaming of a different type of workout space.
Photo credit: RL Photo.
“I wanted people to experience this studio like getting big hug,” Sky told me when we chatted about the studio’s careful work to build up, many times over and back again, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. When I attended a barre class—and that’s ballet barre, not Barre, Vermont!—I saw firsthand that Sky had nailed it. The women in the class I attended were kind and protective. They seemed to have a variety of athletic inclinations; I thought I spotted a former ballerina or two in the bunch but also the strong physiques of those who might be weight lifters. The atmosphere was caring and kind, and a little bit fragile: this was a community who really cared about each other and really valued the work of Alpenglow, service that the pandemic had threatened.
Photo credit: RL Photo.
Keeping the special ecosystem of Alpenglow alive during Covid-19 wasn’t easy. At first the business, not yet two years old, shut down entirely to comply with regulations. Next, the assistant manager’s husband engineered plexiglass dividers to provide group workouts in safety, though the studio could only operate at 50% capacity. Drops in attendance and teacher availability caused periods of concern for the business. They weathered the storm and still offer consideration for the pandemic including special 1 on 1 cycling classes for those who are uncomfortable with a group class. Sky has worked hard to keep Alpenglow open, pursuing community support, getting the word out about Alpenglow’s barre, cycle, yoga, and combination classes and fitness retreats for employers and groups. Sky also received a technical assistance award through the Community Navigator Pilot Program and partnered with RL Photo on the gorgeous images you see in this post, to help promote awareness about Alpenglow for those stuck behind a screen.
Supporting every loyal community who works out together is, of course, a great leader. And Alpenglow is fortunate to have that in Sky. She leads her classes with the nonjudgmental, positive, encouraging attitude she described wishing for herself. The hug she wanted to create shows up in her group fitness classes, but the impulse to give that hug comes 100% from Sky. Without ever coming across as pushy or aggressive, she is vibrant and bright in a way that helps you relax into your workout and enjoy it as much as she meant you to. When we met to chat about Alpenglow, I was struck by the glaze of happiness on her face—partially due, I think, to her recent wedding in front of the Eiffel Tower which culminated a bicycle ride from Amsterdam to Paris! I look forward to many more visits to Alpenglow and to seeing all the light Sky is able to bring to her community in the days to come.
