SILVER GATE - Just outside his office window, Jay Schifferdecker can see the aquamarine gash of The Killer Pillar, a 30-foot frozen waterfall he likes to ice climb. Out the back door, there is a Nordic ski trail he glides on almost every day, snaking into the snow-muffled silence of the Beartooth Mountains.

Schifferdecker's office is a great locale when he wants to play. But there's not a whole lot of business traffic in this remote mountain town when he's looking for pay, especially in the winter.

''It is tough to make it here,'' said Schifferdecker, co-owner of the Silvertip Mountain Center, as he stood clothed in a blue down jacket inside the chilly outdoor store, a full black beard insulating his face. ''It's definitely not for everyone.''

But with a few modern tools, some ingenuity and hard work, Schifferdecker and Laurie Hinck have carved out a living only a stone's throw from the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park; this, despite the fact that they live in a town with a year-round population of 15 people.

''Without the Internet, we'd have trouble,'' Schifferdecker admitted.

Parcel shipping companies and the decline of the U.S. dollar's value overseas have also helped boost sales of outdoor gear at the small shop.

''I've had a lot of business in Australia,'' he said. ''Europe is really growing with the weak dollar.''

One of his most distant sales was to a Moscow client who bought climbing shoes.

Although the state doesn't track Internet sales, because they're not taxed, there is another sign that Montana businesses are taking advantage of the accessibility and increasing user-friendliness of the Internet. The state's Made In Montana Web site directory adds about five to 10 new businesses a week and has a current listing of about 900 Internet businesses.

Nationally, 2006 census figures showed online retail spending for sporting goods alone was $2.3 billion, up from $700 million in 2001. Total e-commerce sales for 2007 were estimated at $136.4 billion, a 19 percent climb from 2006 sales. There seems to be plenty of room for growth, too, since e-commerce sales in 2006 accounted for only 2.9 percent of total sales.

Silvertip Mountain Center blossomed 17 years ago, one of many commercial activities that allowed Schifferdecker, 40, and Hinck, 35, to put down roots near a mountain playground where they love to ski, backpack and climb.

For Hinck, the decision meant a return to her roots. Her family owned and operated Silvertip Cabins, which were rented out in the summer. The partners recently bought back the old office - a large log cabin just off Highway 212 - and turned it into a storefront for the outdoor shop as well as a home.

''So it's like a total full circle,'' Hinck said. ''It's a little eerie. But I'm not complaining at all. It's a great full circle.''

Last year, they also bought another business across the street - the Log Cabin Cafe, where Hinck used to wait tables as a teenager.

''So that takes up a lot of time in the summer,'' Schifferdecker said.

''There's six months of no sleep, and then quiet time in the winter,'' Hinck said, so she doesn't mind that foot traffic drops off precipitously when snow envelopes the area.

Sales at the outdoor shop adjust to the seasons, with summer visitors stocking up on camping and backpacking gear as well as maps. Schifferdecker also offers a shuttle service for hikers who want their car moved to a different trailhead. In winter, Schifferdecker sells more ice-climbing gear and rents out Nordic skis. He also spends a lot of time on the phone taking orders, answering questions, offering advice and giving reports on local weather and terrain conditions.

''Internet sales are about 50 percent of the business right now, counting the summer months,'' Schifferdecker said. ''But it started out as an online business and grew and developed.''

Luckily for the partners, the growth of their business online and in the store has made their remote lifestyle easier to finance.

''That's what this store is about, trying to make it happen, make a living here,'' Hinck said. ''There're only a few choices to make money from tourists. But the Internet business makes it so it's not so feast and famine.''

Brett French: 657-1387. or french@billingsgazette.com.