Generosity Spotlight: Limber Grove

Limber Grove is a Breckenridge business with heart, blending nature and community to serve both locals and tourists. Founded by Mason Mitchell, it provides a platform for him and other locals to share their creative products and build connections. The business’s mission is to embody the spirit of the community and serve as a positive force within it. Over the past seven years, Limber Grove has donated $39,250 to the BOEC, offering substantial support to the Heroic Military Program. In 2023, they became a monthly donor ensuring sustained support throughout the year. The BOEC Heroic Military Program provides accessible, outdoor adventures for veterans recovering from service-related injuries, as well as for their families.

Growing up and going to college on the Colorado Front Range, Mason saw the daily grind of life that sometimes takes over. He wanted something different for his own life. After Mason graduated from college, he went in search of a new lifestyle. In 2012, this took him to the mountains of Colorado where he lived in his car with his dog spending much of this time enjoying the outdoors. This was a crucial time for Mason and inspired his dream for Limber Grove. He eventually landed in Alma, a small, remote town at the top of Hoosier Pass, and began commuting to Breckenridge for work; this lasted for eight years. During this time, Mason’s interest in business and tourism grew. 

Every day after work, he would head home to spend as much time as possible with his pup, exploring the forests and creeks of Park County where he lived. Together, they enjoyed watching the birds and wildlife and experiencing the changing seasons in the high alpine climate he now called home. This new lifestyle transformed his perception of life, offering a stark contrast to city living and shifting his focus toward what truly mattered.

With this immersion into nature, his love for the mountains and the life he was creating for himself helped define his future. His time outdoors was full of hiking, biking, skiing and fly fishing. He would spend hundreds of hours out in the river surrounded by trees during his fly fishing trips. Through these adventures, he found a spiritual connection with the outdoors, the kind of awe you feel when you see the sunrise from the top of a 14,000 ft mountain. It gives you the very special feeling of the spirit of nature. When he built his company, Mason took the feeling he experienced in the outdoors, building a company with a purpose and meaning and incorporating the soul of this outdoor-focused community into his products striving to find that connection with nature. 

In 2014, he began selling hats out of his van, which is how he spent the next five years, until he raised enough money for a retail shop in Breckenridge. When he first started building Limber Grove, he wanted his brand to symbolize perseverance and mental health, in addition to the outdoors, which is what inspired the name of his company. He explains,

“Our company was named after a local trail that leads to a high alpine forest of ancient and gnarly pine trees. To us, that place symbolizes the challenge of life and is a reminder from nature that growth and perseverance can create something amazingly beautiful. This is the core of what we find meaningful and why we connect with the BOEC.” 

Having experienced mental health struggles himself and witnessing them in his family and friends, he understands how the meaning of life can become a profound question for those facing such challenges. Drawing from his experiences, Mason was uniquely positioned to address the mental health challenges often seen in beautiful mountain towns by revitalizing the community through a deeper connection with nature, where it serves as both medicine and nourishment for the soul.

This connection is something he discovered in his own life in the mountains and now expresses through his brand, sharing this vision with both his customers and the community. It’s the same connection that draws visitors and residents alike to the mountains—a search for true meaning and a deeper perspective on life through a bond with nature. Everyone has their own experience and meaning that they find through the outdoors in different ways and on different paths. These experiences go beyond skiing or biking; they reflect a shared connection with nature that unites us all.

Mason states,

“It is beautiful when someone perseveres through adversity and finds the sunshine beyond the storm. These stories give people the fire, and inspiration to continue through their own challenges. It’s a fuel for the spirit more important than food and water.  The [BOEC Heroic] Military Program resonates deeply because skiing is such a freeing experience that lifts the soul.”

Mason is proud of the support he gives the community and shares his passion for the BOEC with his customers. 

Limber Grove has expanded from working with six local artisans to collaborating with 200 local vendors, in addition to offering their own products. They also employ over 15 locals who contribute to creating goods for the store. This business fosters a connection between the mountain artisans of Summit County and both visitors and residents, providing a space where shoppers can purchase items or souvenirs that reflect the spirit of the area. Lindsay Riggs, one of BOEC’s field staffers, creates earrings and ceramics that are sold at Limber Grove.

The future is full of exciting growth for Limber Grove. On Memorial Day of 2024, they opened a second store in Salida, Colorado. Opening before Christmas,  Limber Grove Alpine Outfitters will open next on Main Street in Breckenridge. Limber Grove will be selling Romp skis created in Crested Butte and working with a local artist who has created beautiful designs based on local mountains such as Mount of the Holy Cross. The story of the skis and the local artist who represents the environment of the artwork sit next to the skis in the store to show the transformation from canvas to ski. This store will be featuring Colorado-made skis and backcountry skins, avalanche gear, etc. Through these new ventures, Limber Grove will be able to build on the impact and mission they have been pursuing. 

Thanks to Limber Grove and other generous donors focused on the Heroic Military Program, in the last year, BOEC has been able to serve 191 military members and their families through both winter and summer programs. This includes over 250 adaptive ski and snowboard lessons taught to military veterans and their families and eight rafting trips and mountain retreats serving veterans and their families through the Wilderness Program.

Be sure to stop by Limber Grove for truly local holiday gifts. They are open 9AM-9PM and located at 222 S Main St, Breckenridge, 143 N F Street, Salida or 203 N Main Street, Breckenridge (coming soon) or online at https://www.limbergrove.com/.

To support BOEC and become a monthly donor, please visit BOEC.org/give.