Andrew Weaver

Market projections indicate that now is a very good time to get into CBD, and Kelty seems to have taken notice. The Colorado-based camping brand, owned by Exxel Outdoors, launched a new line of CBD products yesterday—a collection of sprays, lotions, and salves billed as recovery ...read more

It was with great sadness we confirmed today that one of the most beloved figures in our industry, the legendary polar adventurer Eric Larsen, has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  Known and cherished by many of us for his big heart, generous spirit, and true passion for ...read more

Outdoor Retailer's second run of its digital trade show went live today, kicking off with a flurry of education sessions and thousands of attendees registered to show up. Unlike the group's traditional in-person shows, which take place over the course of a week, OR Winter Online ...read more

The latest pandemic stimulus bill, passed by Congress in December, has opened the door for many small business owners to access new relief loans through the Paycheck Protection Program—money that can be used to pay employees and keep the lights on on. If you're a small business ...read more

After 10 years building its foothold in the U.S. snowboard market, California-based Jones Snowboards announced today that the brand will start selling apparel for the first time later this year. A new line of outerwear including jackets, bibs, pants, and base layer pieces will ...read more

It's time for a fresh start. The team at SNEWS is taking the day off to recharge, reset, and ready ourselves for a year that promises to be better than the last.  Today, as we all look ahead, we'd like to thank you for your continued support of all that we do—our daily effort to ...read more

The pandemic has not been kind to independent sales reps. With in-person meetings cancelled for months on end, reps have had to navigate business in 2020 without (arguably) the most powerful tool in their professional arsenal: the ability to show products directly to potential ...read more

President-Elect Joe Biden has tapped New Mexico representative Deb Haaland to lead the Interior Department, a move announced Thursday afternoon. If the Senate confirms her nomination, Haaland would become the first Native American to lead the department—and the first to hold a ...read more

Get ready for round two, everyone. After debuting its first all-digital trade show this summer, learning from industry feedback, and making tweaks to the format, Outdoor Retailer is ready to go forward with its second iteration of the online show in just a few weeks. A ...read more

Colorado-based active lifestyle publisher (and SNEWS parent company) Pocket Outdoor Media announced today that its rapidly growing team has gained two new members: Micah Abrams and Sierra Shafer, formerly of A360 Media. Abrams—who joins Pocket to supervise editorial strategy for ...read more

Ten months after launching its activist-focused One Outside program (formerly called All Outside), Eddie Bauer announced this week that it has hired four new community leaders to join the initiative, doubling the size of the program. Ron Griswell, the founder of HBCUs Outside, ...read more

For the first time since their introduction in 2018, REI's groundbreaking Product Impact Standards—a series of requirements companies must meet if they wish to stay on the retailer's shelves—have received an update. Initially conceived to support ethical production practices and ...read more

Every year, the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) puts on a contest to identify the brightest up-and-comers in the field of outdoor media. Open to students in grades 6 through 12, the Norm Strung Youth Writing Awards are presented to 12 winners: six in high school and ...read more

If you want to get to know Lise Aangeenbrug, OIA's executive director who stepped up to lead the organization this March, there's no better place to meet her than on the trail. A passionate outdoor adventurer with a professional background that has included stints at the ...read more

At this point, it's something of a tradition in the outdoor industry: Every year on Black Friday, just as predictably as shoppers outlay vast sums of cash for new gear, we can all count on Patagonia to release an attention-grabbing sustainability campaign encouraging them to do ...read more

In an internal memo circulated to employees this week, Dick's Sporting Goods has announced that Todd Spaletto, the former group president of Wolverine Worldwide and global president of The North Face, has been hired as president of Public Lands, the new specialty outdoor chain ...read more

In a call with investors last week, the outgoing CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods, Ed Stack, announced a new initiative for his company, set to begin in the latter half of next year. As early as August 2021, Dick's plans to open two outdoor-only retail concepts, called Public Lands, ...read more

As president-elect Joe Biden begins naming officials to fill his cabinet, leaders in the outdoor industry are keeping a close eye on individuals who will influence climate policy over the next four years. Most notable thus far: John Kerry, whom Biden has tapped to fill the newly ...read more

Additional reporting and writing by SNEWS contributing editor Kiran Herbert On October 31, 2019, The Colorado Sun broke a huge story that became one of the year’s biggest scandals in the outdoor industry. According to the Sun, the large online retailer Backcountry.com had engaged ...read more

Pocket Outdoor Media, the Colorado-based active lifestyle publisher (and SNEWS’ parent company), announced an expansion of its team this week. Five new editors, formerly of Bike magazine, will join the company immediately and begin work on a new mountain biking print publication ...read more

Well, that didn't take long.  Public lands advocates cheered this summer when the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), which guarantees permanent financial support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), was passed. Now, just a few months later, a top official in the ...read more

Snowsports Industries America has officially released its annual participation report for the 2019-2020 season—a data-driven glimpse into the demographics of Americans who recreated outdoors last winter. While it's notoriously difficult to use data like these to predict trends ...read more

Let's get this out of the way first: The election of Joe Biden as the nation's 46th president is, without question, a positive development for the outdoor industry. If enacted, the likely policies of a Biden presidency—including forward-thinking climate action, greater public ...read more

The numbers are in.  The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) came out with its annual report today dissecting the importance of the outdoor economy across the nation. Officially an analysis of the agency's Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account, which measures "economic activity ...read more

VF Corporation, the parent company of Smartwool, Timberland, and The North Face, announced today that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire the direct-to-consumer streetwear company Supreme. The deal is set to be completed before the end of the year. Supreme, ...read more

"If there's any pattern to all this, it's to expect delays. Which categories, brands, or products—that's anybody's guess. It's best to just assume everything will be delayed and end up pleasantly surprised if it's not." That's Eastside Sports owner Todd Vogel's take on the state ...read more

As recently as two weeks ago, organizers of the SHOT Show—the industry-adjacent hook and bullet trade show scheduled to run in January—said the event would go on as planned in Las Vegas. Late last week, that position changed as show managers announced the gathering would be ...read more

Reggie J. Miller, the DEI leader whose career has included executive positions at Walmart, Tyson Foods, Sam's Club, and most recently VF Corporation, has accepted a new role as vice president and global chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at McDonald's. The news of ...read more

Earlier this month, The Conservation Alliance announced that it would end its association with Bank of America over concerns about the institution's commitment to environmental protection, abruptly severing a partnership that has lasted for years. "Today, we are announcing our ...read more

It's been 10 years since The North Face launched its widely praised charitable giving initiative Explore Fund, which has provided millions of dollars to outdoor nonprofits over the years. With a stated mission of enabling exploration and fostering a love of wild places, Explore ...read more

Access Fund, the national climbing advocacy organization based in Boulder, Colorado, made the announcement last week that four new members have joined the organization's board of directors, bringing the group's total directors to 13. The new members are Abby Dione, Tom Adams, ...read more

Sea to Summit dropped some big news today about its Spring '21 lineup. After more than three years of research and development, the brand will make its first play in the lightweight tent market with two new backpacking models, the Alto and the Telos, which customers can get their ...read more

It started with a simple request—a routine safety measure. Last month, a customer tried to enter Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, Vermont, to do some shopping. A few minutes later, he was grabbing the OGE employee's throat and wrestling him to the ground. The police were ...read more

This week, SIA announced the launch of a new campaign aimed at rallying the winter outdoor community around immediate, achievable climate action. The new initiative is called ClimateUnited, and already some big brands in the winter sports industry—Burton, K2, and Rossignol among ...read more

There's no question we're all eager to get back to in-person trade shows. Virtual events have come a long way this year, but as we've seen after multiple valiant attempts at replacing the real thing, people are still desperately hungry to meet and do business face to face. ...read more

Speaking with brands about their challenges with supply chains this year, you hear the word "whiplash" thrown around pretty often. "Roller coaster" comes up a lot, too. Both feel highly appropriate. In March and April, as retailers shut down and consumer demand for outdoor ...read more

It was hard not to see this coming. Outdoor Retailer announced today that, in light of ongoing challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 Snow Show will adapt to a completely virtual format, just as the 2020 Summer Market did in July. The original show, scheduled ...read more

VF Corporation announced today that, as part of wider organizational changes meant to better align the company's leadership, Steve Murray will be promoted to global brand president of The North Face. Murray replaces former TNF president Arne Arens, who will leave VF to pursue ...read more

Despite a large grassroots effort organized in recent weeks to save the struggling Canadian co-op MEC from being sold to an American investment firm, it appears the acquisition will proceed. This month, British Columbia supreme court justice Shelley Fitzpatrick green-lighted the ...read more

The Bureau of Land Management's controversial acting director, William Perry Pendley, has refused to comply with a judge's order requiring that he step down from his post at the agency—a job he has held unlawfully for more than 400 days.  Brian Morris of the U.S. District Court ...read more

Pocket Outdoor Media, the Colorado-based market leader in active lifestyle publishing (and SNEWS’ parent company), announced today the acquisition of three new properties: the decades-old climbing magazine Rock and Ice, Trail Runner, and Gym Climber, all formerly produced by Big ...read more

This week, a new group called the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC) announced its formation—a step forward in ending systemic racism in the running industry and running community. Funded by grants from Brooks and HOKA ONE ONE, the coalition is led by by co-chairs ...read more

Four of the outdoor industry's oldest print magazines—Bike, Powder, Snowboarder, and Surfer—will cease publication indefinitely this year, according to multiple sources at the brands' parent company, A360 Media. TransWorld SKATEboarding, another A360 Media property, will also ...read more

The outdoor industry has a long history of political engagement. Over the years, countless brands have thrown their influence (and dollars) behind causes like climate protection and the conservation of public lands. Until 2018, however, no company had gone so far as to endorse a ...read more

As the election approaches on November 3rd and state governments scramble to figure out how to keep voters safe from the coronavirus at in-person polling places, a number of large outdoor companies are stepping up to help. Answering a call from Operation Vote Safe, a nationwide ...read more

A federal judge ruled on Friday that William Perry Pendley, the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management and an outspoken climate change denier, has occupied his post unlawfully for months and must step down immediately. The ruling comes 424 days after the Trump ...read more

As retail owners, you're always looking for clever new ways to move product. One strategy as old as the business itself is "counter candy," those $5 to $20 items next to the register that are small enough for shoppers to throw in their baskets at the last second. When presented ...read more

REI announced today that the company will become Climate Neutral Certified in 2020, officially completing a goal laid out by former CEO Sally Jewell in 2006. The company has also pledged to reduce its carbon emissions—raw carbon output, as opposed to net output, which can be ...read more