Amelia Arvesen

Kevin Jorgeson has been climbing since before he can remember. He said his parents tell him stories of him ascending fences, trees, and ladders. But it wasn’t until he walked into a climbing gym at age 9 that his whole world opened up and changed the trajectory of his ...read more

Colorado's outdoor recreation economy is about to get a lot stronger.VF Corporation, the Fortune 250 holding company for The North Face, JanSport, Smartwool, and other brands, announced that its moving its global headquarters to Denver, bringing 800 high-paying jobs to the ...read more

Hanging on one of the walls of Tate MacDowell's treatment center in California is a photo of the Grand Teton. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Brian McDonnell also has a landscape of the Grand in his treatment facility. Together, they decide they're going to beat colorectal cancer and ...read more

Surely one of the most anticipated movies this year, "Free Solo" is the story of climber Alex Honnold's 3,200-foot ropeless ascent of a route on El Capitan in Yosemite.The dramatic National Geographic film was shot by world-renowned photographer and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, and ...read more

NEMO and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have issued a recall for about 7,500 of the portable swinging and reclining camp chairs due to a defect that causes the chairs to collapse.The plastic joint supports, or hubs, attached to the chairs’ legs can break, ...read more

National Park rangers arrested a suspect in connection with taunting a bison—an act that was captured in a video that went viral last week.Raymond Reinke, 55, of Pendleton, Oregon, is thought to have flexed his muscles and antagonized the wild animal in Yellowstone National Park ...read more

At the new Erehwon Mountain Outfitter store, you won’t have to go outside to test the warming capabilities of a winter jacket you’re eyeing. Just step into the "cold room."The 22,000-square-foot location—the biggest and fifth in the retailer’s fleet—opened last week in ...read more

From outdated facilities to crumbling roads to well-traveled trails, many national parks are in need of facelifts with a total price tag of more than $11.6 billion. In order for generations to come to enjoy the parks' wonders and rejuvenating magic, that maintenance backlog must ...read more

Come next January, Colorado's Copper Mountain will be bustling with retailers, reps, media and brands on the Monday and Tuesday after the gathering in Denver for Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show.Today, Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the non-profit trade association for the ...read more

In the future, your favorite performance wool layer could be designed by one of ten young innovators from across the world.The Woolmark Company along with adidas have created the Woolmark Performance Challenge, a new annual competition recognizing the next generation of designers ...read more

This edition, it's all about innovation. Read stories about brands' reactions to Hawaii's ban on sunblock ingredients that damage coral reefs, one retailer's favorite picks from the show, a recap of Outdoor Industry Association's daily learning lunches, gear trends, and how to ...read more

When Kyle Parsons was walking the streets of Bali in 2004, one of his flip flops fell apart. Barefoot, Parsons went looking for a pair that really represented Bali. What he found was a pair with uppers made of grass and soles made of motorbike tires."I was really intrigued by the ...read more

My eyes must've gone wide when I walked by the BITCHSTIX booth, because the two women there just laughed. No doubt, they get it all the time. I had to stop and ask.BITCHSTIX is a lip balm company, but not just any lip balm company. Founded in 2016 by Emily Kennerk, of ...read more

Andrea Gabbard, one of the most influential and prolific outdoor industry trade writers, who not only retold stories of others, but lived them herself, died on July 15 after a fall. She was 71. Gabbard got her start as a writer after two of her colleagues at Pacific Mutual Life ...read more

The Sherpa Adventure Gear Yatra Pack is the backpack I didn’t need, but absolutely had to have. While it isn’t the most technical pack I own, it has all the bells and whistles essential for a day around town, or even for a short, cool day hike. And it's the perfect mix of trendy ...read more

When he's not obstacle course racing, surfing, biking, or trail running, Craig Cooper—former co-host of the CNBC outdoor investment show “Adventure Capitalists”— is looking for the next best company to invest in. Next week, he's joining the outdoor industry to judge startup ideas ...read more

CamelBak, a global leader in personal hydration gear for nearly three decades, has a new president.Greg Williamson fills the new role. He brings to the table two decades of experience in consumer products and large global brands, most recently serving as chief marketing officer ...read more

After teaching himself how to climb at iconic formations in California, Charles David Cole III went on to create more than 1,000 first ascents, some dangerous and solo, on big walls in Yosemite Valley.Cole founded Five Ten in 1985, which was named after the grade in the Yosemite ...read more

Longtime Patagonia employee Peter Kinnoch Noone, who was known for his gruff exterior, sharp sense of justice, and down-to-earth style of the outdoor industry’s early days, died of recurrent cancer on July 9 at his home in Ojai, California. He was 75.Noone's outdoor retail career ...read more

Established in 1994 as Trailblazer, the Connecticut chain rebranded as Denali last year. Now with seven stores along the state's shoreline as well as in Rhode Island, this outdoor retailer serves New England's hikers, runners, climbers, campers, and travelers. Amy Parulis, ...read more

The North Face has taken a new step to advance equity for all.Today, the iconic company announced its commitment as a Peak Partner with Camber Outdoors. Peak Partners contribute above membership dues to accelerate Camber Outdoors’ ability to develop programs that move the entire ...read more

The Office of the United States Trade Representatives has threatened to impose another $200 billion in retaliatory tariffs on goods imported from China. The move is the latest in a long string of tit for tat that could lead to higher prices for outdoor gear.This week, the office ...read more

Pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, a team of kayakers—with the help of a bush pilot—traverse the crushing whitewaters of three unrun rivers in Alaska. In a little over 10 minutes, Frontier of Firsts follows their experiences, from the fast and fun action on the water to ...read more

For many of us, camping during our childhoods fueled our pursuits of careers in the outdoors. But for many others, those precious times spent huddled in tents with our families were less frequent, if trips to the campgrounds happened at all.To give first time campers a positive ...read more

VF Corporation’s CEO Steve Rendle has been selected as the featured speaker at Camber Outdoors’ Thought-Leader Keynote during Outdoor Retailer Summer Market.During his keynote, Rendle will talk about the role and responsibility of purpose-led companies and the importance of ...read more

Maybe you've heard of Norrøna, but it's probably not your first choice when it comes to outdoor apparel. At least not yet. The Norwegian brand is in its 90th year of making technical outerwear for a wide range of mountain athletes—from polar explorers to downhill mountain bikers. ...read more

A lightweight camp chair with a matching carrying case and blanket, all in a playful pattern—sounds like the perfect kit for lounging outdoors in style. Helinox this year is debuting this type of colorful chair in collaboration with Rumpl, the millennial puffy camping blanket ...read more

Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) is selling off its eyewear brands, Bollé, Cébé and Serengeti.An entity controlled by a significant European private equity fund entered into a definitive agreement with Vista Outdoor, according to a company news release.Earlier this year, Vista ...read more

Known for empowering women, Camber Outdoors is broadening its mission to welcome everyone to the leadership table and achieve equity for all—not just females.Today, the organization announced a shift in its mission from, “Equality for all women in the outdoors, from the ...read more

Presented by Black Diamond, Climbing Out of Disaster is a compelling 8-minute film about how a climbing guide from Puerto Rico helps his community in the wake of Hurricane Maria in September 2017.Bryant Huffman—a 39-year-old climbing guide from Cupey, Puerto Rico—along with his ...read more

Amid months of ethics controversies, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has resigned."I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency," President Donald Trump announced on Twitter. "Within ...read more

The case of an unhappy L.L.Bean customer in Illinois has been dismissed.On June 28, a federal judge ruled that Victor Bondi failed to establish that he'd suffered harm or was unhappy with his purchase of the famous Bean boots he bought last year.Bondi sued the Maine-based ...read more

For every sentence included in a story, there's at least one left out that was just as compelling. More and more, media outlets are recognizing that their readers want to know the subtext and backstories that don't always make it to print. Tapping a new storytelling format, ...read more

A decade ago, hikers had dreams of building a 550-mile loop around the San Francisco Bay Area for millions of people to enjoy. With the support of REI, there’s less than 200 miles left to go.“You can imagine the wonder and sense of accomplishment when people go end to end on the ...read more

On Aug. 1, Indigenous Women Hike Founder Jolie Varela and a dozen other indigenous women will take their first steps on the 210-mile-long Nuumu Poyo, more widely known as the John Muir Trail in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. The three-week journey is unlike anything Varela has done ...read more

One of the biggest complaints Downlite's Chad Altbaier hears from people when they're wearing a down jacket in an active environment is that they overheat fast. And when those goose feathers get wet, it's game over. But with new technology on the scene, Altbaier hopes ...read more

The same year Jen McLaren bought her first road bike, she completed her first century ride with the Smartwool team, traveling from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, for Outdoor Retailer. She’s been riding ever since and this year on the way to Outdoor Retailer ...read more

A group of conservation organizations are trying to prevent sulfide-ore mining at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota.The Wilderness Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Izaak Walton League of America, represented by ...read more

Brick-and-mortar retail might have scored a point over mega online retailers stores today, thanks to a new Supreme Court ruling that gives states the authority to require sales tax, even if the sellers don't have a physical location in that state.But some specialty retailers ...read more

A Canadian mining firm has staked claim on land that was, until recently, part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.The acquisition comes six months after President Donald Trump slashed nearly half of the national monument along with a large part of Bears Ears ...read more

What's happened to Jim Lamancusa is every startup owner's dream. Since launching Cusa Tea in May 2017, the company has rapidly expanded distribution of premium instant tea packets to more than 750 retail locations in the natural grocery, conventional grocery and outdoor ...read more

For those of us with 9-to-5 jobs, getting outside is an after work, lunch break, and weekend ambition. But L.L.Bean is challenging us to take our fresh-air intake a step further.“We believe that getting outside is an integral part of every day,” said Eric Smith, L.L.Bean ...read more

Snowsports Industries America (SIA) wants to know from suppliers, retailers, media, and other attendees the next best dates for on-snow demo dates in 2019. Traditionally, the demo day is held the two days immediately following the Snow Show. But because the newly-combined Outdoor ...read more

With people continuing to buy pallets of bottled water, the cycle of single-use products seems continuous. But Polartec has found a way to repurpose the waste.On Wednesday, the brand shared what they’ve been working on: 100-percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) Power Fill ...read more

When my boyfriend splurged on a fancy new camp stove to complete our ever-growing glamping kit, he made me a promise—that he’d serve up stacks and stacks of pancakes for everyone at the campsite. I wasn't going to let him get away without making good. During our Memorial Day ...read more

Right around the corner from our desk at SNEWS, our friends at BACKPACKER Magazine are celebrating a huge win in the world of media.The Association of Magazine Media today at a conference in Boston named the Get Out More Tour the 2018 Imagination Awards (IMAG) winner in the ...read more

When Cailin O’Brien-Feeney attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, more than a decade ago, he was introduced to backcountry skiing, went on his first overnight rafting trip on the Rogue River, and explored the wonders of the redwood forests and Sierra Nevada ...read more

As two fires rage in southern Colorado, employees of Durango’s Backcountry Experience are driving to the front lines to deliver wildland boots, sleeping pads, and other essentials for emergency responders.“This is not something I’ve asked them to do but they’re doing it to be ...read more