SNEWS Your source for outdoor, snow sports, and adventure travel news
An editor's note in the spirit of transparency
Dear friends and colleagues, First, I hope this note finds you healthy and safe and in good spirits during this surreal time in our lives. The ripple effects of the coronavirus on our industry—on all industries, really—is equal parts terrifying and heartbreaking. But we will get ...read more
How to save your local gear shop
As the coronavirus crisis spreads, independent retailers are hurting badly. (Even before this pandemic, many were losing business to Amazon and other direct-to-consumer competition.) Shops are now empty, workers have been sent home, and cash flow is drying up. At the same time, ...read more
Live updates: Everything you need to know about coronavirus and the outdoor industry
This is SNEWS' live blog covering all the latest news regarding the coronavirus and the outdoor industry. We will be updating this page as news breaks. We also urge you to contact us if you have any new information concerning the coronavirus that hasn't appeared on this page. ...read more
This company has responded to the coronavirus with nearly unbelievable speed
It's no surprise to learn that David Billstrom, the CEO of Kitsbow, worked as an EMT for 38 years before taking over as head of the premium cycling apparel company in Asheville, North Carolina. As the coronavirus emergency has developed in recent days, Billstrom has responded ...read more
Recent Press Releases
Since 1984, SNEWS has been the outdoor industry’s most trusted source for trade news, company and retailer profiles, outdoor politics and issues, gear trends, and important interviews with power players.
Catch up on all the stories that are making news in the outdoor industry
Don't be a backcountry cov-idiot
Skiers and snowboarders, we get it. You want to be outside right now. You weren't ready for the season to come to such an abrupt end, as it did in Colorado and virutally everywhere else. You're tempted to pull out your backcountry setup and keep the fun going yourself. Plenty of ...read more
Industry Buzz: Outdoor companies make medical supplies, Everest, national park closures, RockyMounts
The best of SNEWS: Top stories we've published recently Should Outdoor Retailer be cancelled?: We asked you if the OR Summer Market should go on as planned, be postponed, or be cancelled all together. Sixty percent agreed on one definitive answer. What do you think? Eddie Bauer ...read more
Eddie Bauer and Flowfold commit to emergency mask production
As the White House resists calls to mandate the production of masks and other resources to fight the coronavirus, some companies have stepped up voluntarily to help. In the outdoor industry, Eddie Bauer and Flowfold are among the first. "Just a few days ago, we learned that some ...read more
Poll: Should Outdoor Retailer cancel, postpone, or go on?
As of today, our industry's largest gathering is still on the books for June 23-25 in Denver. But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, it's pretty clear that the show will not go on as planned in just 13 weeks. Mountain Hardwear took a proactive stance: President Joe Vernachio and ...read more
Industry Buzz: Olympics postponed, SIA, national parks, backcountry skiing, "Naked and Afraid," getting outside safely
The best of SNEWS: Top stories we've published recently Incredible community support: In just four days, customers of Alpenglow Sports in Lake Tahoe purchased $75k in gift cards from the retailer to help keep cash flowing. (To help spread similar efforts, share our new campaign, ...read more
Alpenglow sells $75k in gift cards in just four days
Sometimes people will blow you away with kindness…if you just let them. The coronavirus crisis has had a crippling effect on so many retailers and small business owners and made them realize how vulnerable their businesses are unthinkably unexpected forces. Brendan Madigan, owner ...read more
Industry Buzz: OR, Vail Resorts, coronavirus aid, quarantine activities, Sweet Protection
The best of SNEWS: Top stories we've published recently Save your local gear shop: We've launched a new campaign to keep independent retailers going through these uncertain times. Read a letter from SNEWS' editor-in-chief, Kristin Hostetter, about the initiative. In this ...read more
Brands launch efforts to bolster retailers
The specter of layoffs and permanent closure hovers over small, independent outdoor retailers even in the best economic times. With the coronavirus dampening consumer spending and forcing temporary shutdowns, disaster scenarios are closing in for local shops whose every sale, ...read more
Inside Voices: A virtual support group for small outdoor businesses
Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow and editor-in-chief of SISU magazine, doesn’t mince words. “I really just want to curl up in bed all day, and I’m having a hard time pulling myself away from CNN,” she says. Gurecki knows that she is far from alone, and that the ...read more
Yes, you can still go outside
We are living through a scary, confusing, and consequential moment. Many of us have never routinely considered the existential and ethical implications of, say, going to the supermarket or setting up a playdate for our kids. Life inside the pandemic has proven itself a minefield ...read more
KEEN commits to giving away 100,000 pairs of shoes
When it became clear five days ago that the coronavirus pandemic was not just alarmist, but that it would be devastating for our country, the leadership at KEEN circled up (via ZOOM) to decide what the company could do to help. They talked about how they could leverage what ...read more
Emerald Holding, Outdoor Retailer's parent company, has taken a big hit
Emerald Holding, Inc., the parent company of Outdoor Retailer and one of the outdoor industry's largest event organizers, has released some dismaying numbers as the coronavirus crisis continues to rattle the economy and disrupt plans. Among the group's most consequential recent ...read more