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Sex, power, and the outdoor industry, Part II
In 2005, Sarah* was wrapping up her fifth year as a seasonal guide for a wilderness camp in the South. Normally awkward and shy, she had blossomed there, growing into a gifted leader and teacher. She had spent the last five years fixing trails and teaching her young charges how ...read more
What you missed: Day 1 of Outdoor Retailer
Happy Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. We hope your Day 1 has been packed with discoveries and fruitful meetings. Here are a few of the things you might've missed: Afdhel Aziz, author of Good is the New Cool, was the keynote speaker at the Outdoor Industry Association Breakfast. ...read more
Cool find of the day: Vericool Ohana Coolers
In December 2018, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam—more commonly known as Styrofoam—was officially banned from Maui's shores. Darrell Jobe, who was vacationing on those pristine beaches the same weekend, was completely on board with the idea. Upon entering a store to find a ...read more
HER Voice
The outdoor industry is a progressive one. It is filled with idealists, people in search of no less than a better world. We publicly take stands for environmental conservation, for clean water, and social justice. We risk our reputations, we speak out, and we moved our biggest ...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
The future of sample cups at Outdoor Retailer
Sample cups just might have the shortest lifespan out of any disposable product. After one sip or bite, they're tossed into the trash. But a new program debuting at Outdoor Retailer offers a sustainable alternative. Vessel Works, a stainless steel reusable cup service, has teamed ...read more
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle your trade show booth.
The (expertly cleaned and newly waterproofed) gauntlet has been thrown. This year, Nikwax is renouncing wasteful trade show culture with a sustainable—and completely recyclable—booth. Originally, the waterproofing and gear care brand wanted new digs to help support messaging ...read more
The Outdoor Industry Salary Report
In January 2019, SNEWS launched a comprehensive outdoor industry salary survey in partnership with Category One to gather concrete data on salaries of people working in the outdoor industry, from sales to PR, from marketing to gear design, from retail to media, from athletes to ...read more
One Day. One World. One Trail. One feel-good video to kick your weekend off right.
On April 27, 2019, Merrell sent 23 photographers and filmmakers all around the world to capture the global diversity that exists on the trail. "The trail is a great unifier, and our goal with the One Trail project is simply to demonstrate that," says Strick Walker, CMO at ...read more
Industry Buzz: MSR 50th anniversary, DuPont, Oboz Footwear, a 10-year old on El Cap, and more
Smart marketing: In honor of MSR’s 50 anniversary this year, its PR company, Verde Brand Communications, dug deep into the archives and posted three press releases from 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. It’s a glimpse back in time to when the company was “an organization of persons ...read more
Trade show report: Grassroots Connect Show
The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance worked hard and played hard at this year’s 25th anniversary show in Knoxville, Tennessee. On the first night, during a festive and nostalgic happy hour, dinner, and awards ceremony, members, staff, and special invited guests of the Alliance ...read more
Because dirtbags don't have to actually be dirty
Jonathan Ballesteros, founder and CEO of Geyser Systems, created his product when he was faced with a blind date after spending five days in the Australian outback with no shower. As he frantically scrubbed away at the layer of grime covering his body with only a washcloth, he ...read more
Meet this "merry-making" experiential marketing platform
Elevator Pitches are written by the company and edited for space and clarity. They do not express the opinions of SNEWS or its editors. Ride the elevator with MJ Carroll and Alyssa Seemann, co-founders of Revelry Experience. Now more than ever people are spending money on ...read more
How one East Coast surf brand learned to embrace fickle water
East Coast waves are notoriously fickle and the surf is often plagued with flat spells, but for surf and skate brand Jetty it was just an excuse to follow their own line. This soon became Jetty's "calling card"—thriving from the challenges of bipolar seasons and changeable ...read more
A predictable shell for unpredictable weather
When Mother Nature shows us who’s boss, having a layer that can stash away, but do battle when needed, gives us confidence to get outside year round. I enjoyed a number of hikes this spring in South Dakota’s Black Hills. But outdoor enthusiasts in the area know that storms ...read more
Industry Buzz: Scott Crook, Canada plastic ban, The North Face film grant, Vice President Mike Pence, and more
Non-profit outdoor alliance Maine Outdoor Brands announced that it has elected Jenny Kordick as full-time executive director. Kordick comes from The Wilderness Society in Washington, D.C. and Maine, and will officially start the week of Outdoor Retailer. Scott W. Crook, ...read more
The retail community mourns the loss of Pack Rat owner Scott Crook
Scott W. Crook, outdoorsman, limerick enthusiast, and co-founder of Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away on June 10, 2019. He was surrounded by those he loved as slipped from one adventure to the next. The byproducts of his kindness, honesty, and ...read more