CENTENNIAL, Colo. When it comes to renting and repairing skis, one shop has been doing it longer than anyone else on Colorados Front Range: the Eskimo Ski & Board Shop.Dad was quite an innovator, said Frank Bulkley, whose father, also named Frank, opened Eskimo 85 years ago.His fathers passion for skiing inspired him to start a ski club for kids in 1939. By 1940, hed convinced a railroad company to start a ski train to Winter Park resort, shuttling children from the city to the mountains where they developed a love for snowsports.But he realized quickly that these kids needed gear. He started out with rentals out of his garage, like many small businesses, and it expanded from there, Bulkley said.During World War II, he trained soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division for a short time. But his passion remained for introducing kids to the sport. Eskimo was one of the first ski shops to open anywhere in the country, and Bulkley believes they were to first to offer season-long rentals. His father's efforts landed in the Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame.One of his priorities was to try to keep skiing affordable, Bulkley said, and thats where rentals came in. What I've tried to do is kind of maintain quality equipment at as low a price as we can."Growing up around skiing, Bulkley said his dream was to race at an elite level and run a ski shop.Its a very addictive sport, he said. While he never made it onto the U.S. Olympic skiing team, he did step into his fathers shoes to run Eskimo.Over the years, ski and snowboard technology has evolved, while expanding internet sales made it tougher for the shop to stay open.We went for years just scraping through, he said. Until they decided to focus on what they do best: rentals, repairs and educating skiers and snowboarders. The ski train to Winter Park is no longer running, and the Eskimo Ski Club had to shut down in 2018 after new owners took over the resort. But some things at the shop will always stay the same, Bulkley said.You can't do it all by yourself," he said.Bulkley grew up with his mother and father running the shop together. Then when he inherited it, he leaned on his wife to help keep things going. Now, hes passing on the reins to his own children. I feel very excited about it, said Kelly Bulkley. My brother and I are taking it over, and then my littlest brother really runs the show and knows all the things and makes it happen.When long-time customers come in, they reminisce about the days when Eskimo was located on Denvers Broadway and Belleview Avenues, and when the ski train would take them to lessons.There was shenanigans going on [on the train to Winter Park]. So, they had a lot of fun, she said with a laugh. It's fun to see parents who were Eskimos with the club bringing their kids in. For the next generation of Bulkleys, the hope is to keep the shop going as a place where new skiers and snowboarders along with experienced ones can learn and get what they need.A lot of the people moving to Colorado, they want to try [snowsports]. It's really exciting, Kelly said.But it can be intimidating at first.Our employees really help to educate people [and] steer them in the best direction based on experience and budget, she said.The shop still offers both season and daily rentals, along with boot fittings, tuning and repairs. And all these years later, the Bulkley family hasnt lost sight of the shops early mission.It really was born out of my grandfather's passion for skiing, Kelly said. Everything changes, but it's still the same, like, passion for skiing and that we want to help our community.