SNEWS Your source for outdoor, snow sports, and adventure travel news
The shady world of pro deals
This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice. To read the free digital issue, access it here. Who, exactly, should qualify for a pro deal in the outdoor industry? A ski patroller? Full-time mountain guide? Retail employee? Most everyone can agree that these ...read more
Outdoor Retailer Online: Success, flop, or somewhere in between?
Love 'em or hate 'em, virtual gatherings have likely been on your mind a lot this season. From experimental, techie affairs like the Thin Air Show to smaller, more intimate efforts at connection during the pandemic, workable replacements for in-person events have cropped up ...read more
Help us make SNEWS and The Voice better
Now that the newest issue of The Voice has dropped, the team at SNEWS is taking a hard look at all we do to serve you better. We strive to bring you the outdoor industry's best, most relevant business news coverage, and sometimes that means tweaking our strategy based on honest ...read more
Get ready: Plastic water bottles are making a comeback
At HydraPak’s product testing lab, the 1-liter plastic bottle was filled to capacity with water, which swooshed like the steady beat of a song each second, for 72 hours. Dubbed the RECON, the bottle clung to the hiking imitation machine, which rapidly jiggled the bottle via a ...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
Our most popular stories from July 2020
From this point forward, SNEWS will be publishing regular roundups of the articles that drew the most interest to our site each month. July was filled with big news, from changes in the retail space to landmark legislation passed at the federal level. Here are the headlines that ...read more
First Look: Merrell Moab Speed and Moab Flight shoes
In this episode of First Look, our Editor-in-Chief, Kristin Hostetter, sat down with Erika Derylo, brand marketing manager of Merrell to discuss the evolution of the Moab franchise: the new Moab Speed and Moab Flight shoes. Some highlights we cover: The legacy of the iconic ...read more
What you get when you hire a DEI consultant
Miho Aida is a walking lesson in intersectionality. Born and raised in Tokyo, Aida has spent her adult life in the United States working in the outdoor industry. A former NOLS backpacking and climbing instructor, Aida is also an adventure cyclist, environmental educator, and ...read more
Industry Buzz: Outdoor panic buying, JAM Sessions, SOAR Act advances, GoPro's new gear line, Trail Otter, new outdoor holiday
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Panic buying, part two: Instead of toilet paper and pasta, people are now making a run on kayaks, tents, and other outdoor gear. [The New York Times] DEI-focused discussion: The next JAM Session from JAM Collective, ...read more
Poll: Do you pay your salespeople commissions?
In the Summer 2019 issue of The Voice, we explored the ins and outs of wages in the outdoor industry. We set out to answer one simple yet important question: As an outdoor employee, is your paycheck big enough? As the pandemic continues to affect wages across the industry, we're ...read more
The Great American Outdoors Act is now law
One of the largest conservation bills drafted in recent memory was signed into law today, ending a months-long process that began in June, when the measure was first approved by the U.S. Senate. The Great American Outdoors Act guarantees mandatory, permanent financing of the Land ...read more
Industry Buzz: VF Corporation, representation on public lands, Climbing for Change, interview with Newell CEO, stay safe flying
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web VF’s social consciousness: The parent company of The North Face and Smartwool snagged the top spot on Barron’s List of Most Socially Conscious Companies. Representation on public lands: Surveys of national parks show that ...read more
Former president of Smartwool Mark Satkiewicz dies at age 51
Mark Satkiewicz, partner at SBT GRVL, former GM of TOMS, and former president of Smartwool, passed away this weekend after a suspected cardiac incident during a bike ride near his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Satkiewicz was 51 years old. A much-heralded leader within the ...read more
Opinion: Brands need to double down on marketing spends right now
The pandemic has created mayhem for all of us. Earlier this spring, at Formidable Media, we received more than one phone call from clients who wanted to put their plans on hold. Some needed time to assess the damage to their supply chains. Some wanted to defer payments to ...read more
A #CoolShop that got its start out of the back of a truck
As shop owner Andrew Drummond will tell you, Ski the Whites happened purely by accident. “I never envisioned becoming a retailer,” Drummond said of founding his year-round ski, bike, and run shop with two locations in Jackson, New Hampshire. What he did want to do was ski. ...read more
Industry Buzz: SOAR Act, new REI, crisis in Bangladesh, national park tragedy, Phil Powers, Columbia, OR Online education sessions
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web SOAR Act advances: A new bill that would simplify permitting for outdoor recreation on public lands has passed the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources and moved to the floor of the House of Representatives. [America ...read more
Editor's Note: Hard truths about my racist behavior
I was recently called out as a racist on Facebook. The truth hurts. The post came from a writer whose work I declined to publish. At first, her words flung me into a cyclone of overlapping emotions ranging from shock and anger to remorse and depression. I wallowed in self-pity, ...read more