Alpine Fitness builds muscle and community with form and fun

When Alpine Fitness owner Rose Bishop moved to Leavenworth from Kodiak, Alaska, she wasn’t planning to stay. She had become deeply involved with Kodiak’s CrossFit community, and the owners of her gym invited her to open a new location in the Lower 48.

As her new business partners shopped locations throughout Idaho and Montana, Bishop temporarily relocated to Leavenworth, where her sister lived, and quickly realized it was her forever home. The move forced Bishop into a decision: leaving a town she loved, or walking out on a business opportunity. She chose the latter.

However, Bishop knew there was a gap in the upper valley that she could fill, and in her own way. Alpine Fitness would offer group workouts that focused on function and form – differing from CrossFit’s intensity – and help people “get fit for the alpine.” She was also surrounded by a group of friends that were young business owners themselves.

“I got a little push from my friends, and I hit the ground running," said Bishop.

So, she took out a loan and bought the equipment. Bishop started small, signing a year-lease in Leavenworth that could fit six members at most; the next year, she made the jump to a larger space in Peshastin, where Alpine Fitness still resides.

Still, it was a challenge. She had started off as the only coach, balancing 40 hours a week at the gym while maintaining another full-time job. Bishop also remembers being stuck at the same number of members for what felt like an eternity, unable to cross the threshold.

“I was living off of my serving job, wondering how I could keep this up. Then something would happen to make me keep going,” said Bishop. 

She credits much of that perseverance to the encouragement of friends – including fellow entrepreneurs Sarah Bertrand and Brittany Thurlow – who reminded her she wasn’t alone in the struggle.

Almost two years to the day, the tide began to turn. Memberships grew, new coaches came on board, and Bishop no longer had to teach every class herself. With more support, she could expand the gym’s offerings and focus on building community.

Now, she’s paying it forward, encouraging another friend and aspiring entrepreneur to stick with her own venture.

“I just saw a bunch of women going after it, and I kept thinking, ‘If she can do it, I can do it,’” said Bishop. “I’ve been telling her, ‘Don’t give up easily, try every avenue…Because there’s nothing different about me – if I can do it, she can do it.”

Four years later, her biggest challenge is good weather. Because her gym helps people get fit for their hobbies in the alpine, attendance typically fluctuates with peak seasons.

“The lulls are hard. Luckily, I do have a solid group that prioritizes it enough to keep it going,” said Bishop.

Over time, Alpine Fitness has not only built a base of consistent members, but also earned the trust that those who drift during peak seasons will always return. While strength training is a major draw, Bishop believes it’s the social aspect of group fitness – what pulled her into CrossFit years ago – that keeps people coming back.

While Bishop never wanted Alpine Fitness to be CrossFit, she did want to recreate the sense of community that builds from group workouts, which took time. In the early days, members were new to the style and format, and Bishop’s coaching style still reflected her CrossFit background. Her initial classes had the strict structure, intensity and competitiveness she was familiar with – a style that didn’t resonate with her new members.

“The community was just not interested,” Bishop recalled.

Bishop quickly started adjusting to what worked for her classes, remembering that getting people lifting weights safely was her only goal. Rather than enforce attendance requirements – as some gyms do – she would check in with members she hadn’t seen in awhile. She also broadened her workouts, such as adding core-specific classes, and is working on adding yoga.

As a result, Bishop has not only fostered a community of members that have learned and grown with Alpine Fitness, but she has also created a gym and coaching style that she envisioned since the beginning: one centered on functional fitness, form and fun, with an atmosphere designed to welcome all bodies and abilities.

While Bishop never wants her classes to grow too big, she does hope to eventually find a larger location that would accommodate free-use and classes simultaneously. For now, she’s focused on breaking down the intimidating stereotypes of group fitness, and highlighting Alpine Fitness as a space built on inclusivity and community.

“I really want to show people that it can be silly and fun, and not scary,” said Bishop.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media