During winter, warm layers become essential for getting through the unpredictable weather.

Founded in the effort to bring quality outdoor clothing and variety to the area, Backcountry Lark strives to feature a wide selection of Patagonia brand attire from outerwear to yoga pants.

Tonda Lark, owner of the store, wears the Patagonia line personally. Upon noticing no store on the Palouse carried a variety of his go-to brand, he said he decided to sell the line himself, helping customers find the right product to suit their individual needs.

When asked about his favorite part of winter, Lark said he enjoys spending time in the backcountry.

“The ability to get outside, take in the serenity,” Lark said. “At a resort or in the country, it’s really quiet so you can hear the birds chirping if they’re out. If you’re out in the backcountry just hanging out, you can collect your thoughts and focus on many different things. That’s my take on winter.”

This winter has been especially busy, Lark said. Many people come in for base layers, jackets, caps and various other items. Many products work well year-round, so Lark manages to keep a healthy stock, he said. He can also special order specific colors or sizes if needed.

Best-sellers this year include men’s and women’s Nano Puff jacket, which has synthetic insulation, allowing it to do very well in wet conditions, Lark said. Capilene (a patented breathable material) base layers, down sweater jackets and caps are also very popular.

For those spending a lot of time outdoors, Lark recommends starting with the right base layer to keep skin dry and comfortable during outdoor activities. For students on campus moving back and forth between classes, down sweater jackets or Nano Puff jackets make good options for staying warm in general.

Anticipating exactly what folks want presents the biggest challenge, Lark said. It requires predicting what colors and styles they would want, and he said it also comes down to the weather, so he keeps an eye on the weather reports to see what people are going to need.

For example, it’s supposed to get very cold next month and the shop is low on warm hats, so Lark said he might order more in anticipation of that.

With both WSU and UI so close, new students who have moved to the area might have heard about the brands at Backcountry Lark, so Lark finds out their individual needs and matches the right product for them.

Whether customers need a general product to cover all of their activities or something that just covers a specific aspect, he strives to find just the right product.

Having a customer come back after buying something to say it works perfectly is the most rewarding part, Lark said, especially in the winter, when there are so many options out there.

Lark also mentioned that students will get 10 percent off their purchase, including special orders, when they show their student ID.