Amelia Arvesen

Snowboarding wouldn't be the sport and community it is today if it wasn't for Jake Burton Carpenter. The OG snowboarder and founder of Burton Snowboards died on Wednesday night at age 65 from a recurrence of cancer. Employees learned of his death through an email sent by Co-CEO ...read more

Outdoor businesses are running out of wiggle room for tariffs on all types of products, as duty after duty gets added to the cost of doing business with China. Some brands are turning to their last resort—raising prices. “The China tariffs are looking more and more like a giant ...read more

Compared side by side, Winter Park and Buena Vista are pretty similar. They're both mountain towns in Colorado located next to glorious natural resources, and they both have small populations and tight-knit communities. But Dave Blazer is excited to learn the nuances between the ...read more

Not only is Backcountry apologizing to smaller brands impacted by its trademark litigation, the online retailer has formed partnerships with at least three so far as part of making reparations with consumers and the outdoor community. On Monday night, Wild Barn Coffee—formerly ...read more

Anabelle McLean believes there are two reasons people don't wash their outdoor gear: They either don't know how or they don't carve out the extra time. Because washing your ski pants or sleeping bag requires more than just mixing them in with your jeans and T-shirts. Her new ...read more

Backcountry CEO Jonathan Nielsen said he received an online threat from someone last week after he released a public letter of apology regarding the company's trademark-enforcement strategy. The Park Record reported that the online retailer's general counsel reported the threat ...read more

What would you do with $100,000? Queena Bergen, a software engineer turned poet and motivational speaker, said she would quit her job to travel the country "to bring motivation, inspiration and poetry to the forefront of any conversation."  "I want to help people believe that ...read more

'Tis the season for pop-up shops and exhibits, where shoppers have one more choice to find their holiday gifts. Customers nowadays are attracted to buying experiences and many brands are looking for ways to stoke desirability through their own seasonal stores in addition to ...read more

For most people, the first week of any job entails meetings, paperwork, introductions, a building tour, and lots of administrative details to contend with. But Shannon Davis's first week as BACKPACKER's new editor-in-chief was much more, well, BACKPACKER. The team spent last ...read more

Circulating a letter of apology was the first step. Now, Backcountry CEO Jonathan Nielsen says he is making personal calls and visits to repair relationships with companies hurt in the online retailer's trademark litigation over use of the word "backcountry." Nielsen confirmed ...read more

As controversy swirls and customer outrage mounts around how Backcountry is defending its trademark, the Utah-based online retailer has potentially lost thousands of customers in its fight for the use of a single word that the outdoor industry loves to use: “backcountry.” The ...read more

Led by its Relentlessly Responsible mission, PrimaLoft has discovered a way to bond insulation fibers without using a high-heat oven, reducing carbon emissions by as much as 48 percent. The new technology is called PURE, which stands for Produced Using Reduced Emissions. It ...read more

It's not even 8 a.m. one Thursday morning in mid-September and people are erupting with laughter at Mountainsmith's headquarters in Golden, Colorado. I'm gathered around a pot of coffee and a pile of backpacks with a lively bunch of writers and Mountainsmith employees before we ...read more

In this parody film trailer, two climbers discover an unassuming gear hack for getting to the top of their project. A group of friends in Washington spent a weekend creating "Dundee," a funny reminder to "take the sports we love a little less seriously," producer Freya Fennwood ...read more

In its fourth year, Darby Communications' Stand Up Initiative isn't slowing down. The small PR agency is expanding the pro-bono service by joining forces with another Asheville-based agency, Status Forward. Instead of one lucky nonprofit per quarter, the team will select two ...read more

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) sent an urgent policy alert on Tuesday, urging members to write to lawmakers in Congress using its letter generator.  The U.S. House of Representatives is slated to vote on three key pieces of public lands legislation, the Grand Canyon ...read more

Celebrating 45 years in business, Skinny Skis is a Jackson Hole institution. It first specialized in Nordic and cross-country skis, but has since expanded to serve runners, mountaineers, and other high-endurance and high-performance athletes living in and visiting the resort ...read more

SOG (Studies and Observations Group) is in the midst of legal action against unauthorized online sellers, who are damaging the brand's reputation. The Lynnwood, Washington-based knife and tool brand has already issued cease and desist letters to the most nefarious offenders and ...read more

While Kathmandu analyzed its use of recycled plastic in its 2019 Sustainability Report, more striking was the New Zealand brand's focus on combatting modern slavery through ethical business practices. To do that, Kathmandu in its eighth annual report outlined plans to work more ...read more

New Mexico isn't just miles and miles of barren desert: There are plenty of outdoor adventures to be had. Axie Navas will tell you. It's now her job to promote the state's outdoor recreation opportunities and uplift its outdoor business as the first-ever director of the Office ...read more

Half-Moon Outfitters breathed new life into a 15,000-square-foot auto parts building by relocating its Greenville store and inviting three other businesses to share the space. The location is now home to one of eight Half-Moon stores along with Grace Coffee Company, Circa ...read more

In 2009, Jahmicah Dawes and his college friend embarked on a road trip from their home in Texas to California in a 1986 Datsun truck. His friend's only rule was that they couldn't stay in hotels. Dawes thought he meant they'd be staying at friends' houses—not camping. Sleeping ...read more

REI's stock rooms just got deeper. The retail giant announced last week that it will be enabling select brands to ship orders directly to customers, making it easier for customers to get the right products, colors, and sizes through REI.com. The new shipping program is starting ...read more

Within an hour of disembarking a small plane at the Redmond Municipal Airport near Bend, Oregon, I find myself in the woods at the front desk of my hotel, LOGE Camps, for the weekend. Except it doesn't feel like a hotel. There's a cafe and bar, where a group of mountain bikers ...read more

When Starbucks moved to Yosemite National Park, more than 25,000 people signed a petition against the coffee giant setting up camp and 80 percent of SNEWS readers opposed it. Petitioners said multinational corporations and amenities would rob the natural place of its essence. But ...read more

Should negotiations between China and the U.S. stay on track, outdoor businesses could be spared from multiple tariff hikes over the next two months. On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he had reached "phase one" of a trade deal with China, one that includes a halt ...read more

New Hampshire followed in the footsteps of 15 other states by creating its own office of outdoor recreation, signed into legislation on Thursday by Gov. Chris Sununu. “New Hampshire’s low tax environment and booming economy are a beacon for business in the northeast,” Sununu said ...read more

North Carolina's Outdoor Recreation Industry Office has a new leader—and it was an obvious choice.  Amy Allison steps into the role after working as marketing and PR manager at Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) and co-founding a coalition of outdoor brands based in Western North ...read more

Leading up to the second annual Women-Led Wednesday on Nov. 27, Cassie Abel is building her directory of companies either founded by or led by women. She’s calling any businesses with women at the top to join her community of more than 300 brands of all sizes, so far representing ...read more

Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is more than one month into its search for a new executive director to replace Amy Roberts, who started at The North Face in the last week.  In the meantime, Eagle Creek Co-Founder Steve Barker will serve as the interim executive director. He ...read more

Patagonia has used the same booth for trade shows for the last 15 years. You know the one: It's all corrugated metal, wood panels, natural cement floor, and messaging about sustainability. Patagonia is, of course, known as a sustainability leader within the outdoor industry, but ...read more

In 1986, Bob McCain thought Jackson, Mississippi, ought to have its own outdoor equipment shop. His home state might not have massive mountains, but trails, waterways, hill, and views are plentiful. Buffalo Peak Outfitters is now in its 33rd year, as a Grassroots Outdoor Alliance ...read more

When Phil Powers took over as CEO of the American Alpine Club (AAC) in 2005, his membership had lapsed, not out of any deliberate protest, but simply because he had forgotten about it. He was no doubt an active climber, although he didn't see the relevance or benefit of the club ...read more

Less than a year after the International Ski Federation (FIS) president denied human-caused climate change, the organization last week signed onto a U.N. climate change initiative. It means Protect Our Winters' campaign worked.  In February, Gian Franco Kasper in an interview ...read more

Among the millions of people striking for the climate over the past week were pro athletes, and outdoor activists and brands with the unifying message: Lawmakers must act on the climate crisis and stop denying it's fact. Signs were scrawled with messages like "There is no planet ...read more

When Beverly Lucas and her family returned from the Sea Otter Classic bike show in California this April, she sat her four teenagers down for a mini focus group. "Besides biking, what else do we like to do as a family?" she asked them. At the time, she was in the middle of ...read more

After a six-year hiatus, the On-Snow Demo by Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and WWSRA will return to Winter Park Resort in Colorado for the event next February. So far, 1,000 retailers from 39 states and six countries are confirmed for the largest national and international ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Picture Organic Clothing and Almo Films just dropped a new kind of ski film. "Shelter" is full of ski stoke, but also a sobering look at the recent changes the ...read more

When Alison Hill landed in the Bahamas only days after Hurricane Dorian, destruction surrounded her. The LifeStraw managing director was on one of the first seaplanes to reach Grand Bahama Island, and she was equipped with LifeStraw products and other water filtration systems to ...read more

New Mexico became the 13th state to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation in April, and on Monday, the first director started work. Veteran journalist Axie Navas will lead the state's efforts to create a booming outdoor recreation economy, along with the first-of-its-kind ...read more

At the United Nations Climate Action Summit on Monday, Greta Thunberg in a fiery speech condemned world leaders for their denial and inaction on climate change. She accused them of stealing her dreams and her childhood with their "empty words" and by prioritizing "fairytales of ...read more

With almost every company nowadays using greenwashing words like sustainable, eco-friendly, biodegradable, and nontoxic to describe products, it's getting more complicated to separate the wheat from the chaff. But a new certification will accredit the true leaders, adding a ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com National Cleanup Day is tomorrow. If you're participating, make sure to tag your photos with #trashtag, a movement created by Steven Reinhold of Appalachian ...read more

Once again, the government considered the outdoor recreation economy a significant part of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product, this time breaking out statistics in each by state. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) put outdoor recreation at 2.2 percent, or $427.2 billion in 2017, ...read more

Patagonia and Burton are among the businesses closing stores and offices on Friday to demand that the government call for a climate emergency, marking the start of the week-long, youth-led Global Climate Strike. Millions of people across the world are walking out of their ...read more

Up until July 2018, the last time I'd been around 16 other women in the woods was as a teenager at Girl Scout camp. So when I was invited to the Project16x women's leadership summit in Telluride, Colorado, needless to say I felt a little self-conscious about being new to the ...read more

Time is running out. Scientists predict that the snowcap atop Africa's Kilimanjaro could be gone in only a few years, maybe as early as 2020. And that's only one of the many mountains seeing drastic ice melt linked to climate change. "My home mountain range in the Indian Peaks ...read more

It's a regular Sunday morning in Bend, Oregon's old Box Factory building: pairs eat sweet and savory treats at Foxtail Bakeshop & Kitchen, men sit still as hairdressers trim around their ears at West Side Barber Shop, and groups of people sift through consignment backpacks, kayak ...read more