Kristen Kuchar

Ed Camelli and Brian Havertine set out to open “the next L.L. Bean” back in 1983 in Delaware. The store was originally named Country Classics, selling hunting and fishing gear, and becoming a destination for those who wanted to buy anything duck related. Seriously, anything. ...read more

Ozark Outdoor Supply opened its doors in 1972 with the most organic of intentions. “Some hippies had a vision that Arkansas needed an outdoor gear store,” said Owner Jim Frank. In the beginning, the store never really had any significant direction or management, Frank said. But ...read more

We're all on the hunt for outdoor products that are going to enhance our experiences, and beer gear is no exception. On a recent 90-degree day in sunny Colorado, I drank beer from eight different vessels (with help from a few friends) designed to keep my beer ice-cold and ...read more

When Woosah Outfitters owner Erica Lang yearns for inner peace, she does one of two things—either heads outside or creates art inspired by the outdoors. All of the designs featured in her Grand Rapids, Michigan, outdoor-focused boutique—whether on a T-shirt, sticker, or ...read more

The outdoors and beer are a perfect pair, as we’ve seen with the success of outdoor shops with taps and the abundance of stellar gear made for taking beer along on adventures. It’s not just the outdoor industry that adores beer. The feeling is so very mutual, and breweries are ...read more

Whenever Outdoor Retailer rolls around, it puts tons of outdoor brands on our radar. We find the latest products and hottest trends. But it’s also a time to be inspired by the companies that are doing fantastic things. Check out these five brands doing good across the globe. ...read more

Temperature customization threads, apparel bringing awareness to endangered land and species, the lightest solar chargers, a workwear line just for women, and a creative digital team donating their time and profits to charities—these five Outdoor Retailer newbies aren’t holding ...read more

Getting your steps in on the show floor and browsing hundreds of booths allow OR-goers to survey the trends, see what’s new and exciting, and get inspired. But why not see it in action? Denver, Colorado is home to some amazing, independent #CoolShops. Take a break and head over ...read more

Summers are shorter in Alaska, but that just means residents pack in the action while they can, said TRAX Outdoor Center Owner Mike Hajdukovich. “As soon as the snow starts melting, we play all day,” Hajdukovich said. “We go crazy. It’s summertime. It’s time to play. Alaskans ...read more

It’s no secret that the craft beer and outdoor industries often collide. SNEWS has featured a number of hybrid stores in the #CoolShop column, including The Hub & Pisgah Tavern in North Carolina, Colorado-based Shoes & Brews, and Escalante Outfitters, which exclusively serves ...read more

Next time you’re visiting Southern Utah and are in need of outdoor supplies, head over to Escalante Outfitters. If you need a morning meal to fuel your adventure or a cold local beer afterwards, you can head there, too. Want a tour of the area or a place to say for the night? ...read more

The newest outdoor shop in St. Louis, Missouri, KAMP, is doing more than just bringing cool hiking gear to the city streets. Jason and Mandi Gray, the store's owners and parents of two young boys, had two goals in mind when they opened the doors on March 7, 2018. First off, ...read more

Fred Beckey’s best friends were the mountains and everything else in his life was secondary to them, up until the climbing renegade passed away in October 2017. One man had the unique opportunity to spend the last 12 years with Beckey, when his wrinkles were deeper, gray hair was ...read more

The inspiration behind Shoes & Brews began in an all too common scene, especially in Colorado. A trio of friends at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, during one of their regular Saturday runs to local breweries, discussed starting a running shop with a taproom attached. ...read more

Courtney Matthews has been creating marketing concepts for outdoor brands since 1994. She's done stints at media outlets like BACKPACKER and Bicycling magazines, as well as at big brands like The North Face and Sierra Designs. Recently joining the Active Interest Media team as ...read more

A good outdoor growler needs to do more than simply hold beer. There’s truly a lot that goes into a high-quality beer growler, especially one that’s built tough enough for camping, hiking, or any other outdoor activity. We want something that keeps beer (or whatever beverage ...read more

Camber Outdoors is seeking applications for Pitchfest 2018. This will be the fourth go for this 10-week intensive mentoring program for women-led businesses. Finalists present at the live “pitch” event in Denver to the outdoor industries’ most influential leaders, including ...read more

DJ Paul Oakenfold, who has created remixes for The Rolling Stones, U2, Moby, Madonna, and hundreds more, has always tried to push boundaries through his music. That’s why the world-renowned, two-time Grammy Award winning British DJ trekked the highest point in the world to play ...read more

We launched TreePod Hanging Habitats via a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015 with the original product built primarily for kids to serve as an instant treehouse or colorful play space. Since then we had a lot of "big-kids" contacting us about a more adult-friendly model ...read more

This jacket is revolutionizing the technology of outerwear. Ministry of Supply, the MIT-founded apparel brand, is launching a heated jacket that can be controlled by your voice. While built-in heaters aren’t a new thing, the technology to respond to a person’s body temperature ...read more

Don’t throw those old kicks away: resole them. Vibram is making it easy, fast, and affordable. The maker of premium rubber products just launched the 2018 Sole Factor Tour with 50 dates in at least 15 states. The tour encourages customers to resole their favorite pair of ...read more

Many couples share a love for the outdoors, but these six are taking it to the next level. In some ways it makes perfect sense – they love each other, they love the outdoors, so why not turn a passion into a career? But working together has it's down side, and it isn't always ...read more

I absolutely love the outdoors, but you haven’t seen my byline in many outdoor publications before I started working for SNEWS. Instead, you may have seen it in Beer Advocate, All About Beer, DRAFT, on CraftBeer.com, or other beer-centric publications. So, needless to say when ...read more

“If you’ve been paying attention, you'll know that things aren't going very well for the planet,” says Yvon Chouinard in a new video by Patagonia. “It’s pretty easy to get depressed about it. I’ve always known that the cure for depression is action.” The devoted activist is ...read more

Snow Sports collided Outdoor in a big way last week at Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show in Denver. We teamed up with our sister mag, BACKPACKER, and let our gear experts loose on the show floor to scope out the latest snow gear for 2018/19. Marmot EvoDry Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour Ski ...read more

Ride the elevator with CEO Steven Sashen. For a casual dayhike, a heavy, stiff, technical hiking boot is overkill. The new DayLite Hiker weighs just 10.2 ounces for a men's 9, and only 9 ounces for a women's 7. We made the shoe with the same foot-first, natural movement ...read more

So much gear, so little time. There were thousands of awesome new products at Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show this year. Luckily, with the help of our sister mag, Backpacker, we had an army of gear experts cruising the floor of the show, scoping out the latest gear for 2018/19. Sit ...read more

If you didn't get a chance to make it to Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show this year, you missed more than the fantastic learning events, the awesome gear, and the fun parties. You may have also missed out on The Daily, a sweet magazine that attendees receive every day of the show. ...read more

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has created five massive national parks to preserve the Patagonia, thanks to an astounding donation from Doug Tompkins and Kristine McDivitt Tompkins. Doug Tompkins founded The North Face and Esprit and tragically died after a kayaking accident ...read more

A speedboat belonging to Quiksilver CEO Pierre Agnes was found empty on the shore of a beach in Southwest France today. Boats and helicopters have been deployed by French authorities to search for Agnes, who is 54 years old. Agnes reportedly sent a message to port authorities to ...read more

With months of buzz about Outdoor Retailer moving to a brand new city and so much time planning for the big show, it's almost hard to believe it's already over. Now that it's all said and done, we want to know – did Denver live up to the hype? Take our quick poll to let us know ...read more

We're in the home stretch! Today's editions includes: Interviews with Eric Henderson, owner and founder of Meteorite PR; Chris Baker, founder of OneSeed Expeditions and Wayfinder Co-op; and Hilde Mitdthejell, owner and chairman of Dale of Norway. The latests Gear Trends in ...read more

Hundreds gathered Saturday morning to see outdoor industry icon Ann Krcik honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Camber Outdoors. Krcik, who has attended Outdoor Retailer for half of her life, is at home recovering from chemotherapy, was not able to attend the event ...read more

The action isn't slowing down with our day three issue. Stories include: Interviews with John Walbrecht, President of Black Diamond; Bobbi Gale Bensman, Rocky Mountain Sales Representative for Rincon Group; and Jeff Wiguna, CEO and Co-Founder of Outdoor Diversity Coalition and ...read more

Elizabeth Hawley may not have been a climber, but there’s no doubt that she is an icon in the mountaineering community. The Chicago-born journalist chronicled hiking expeditions on the Himalayas for more than 50 years. Since 1963, Hawley has been documenting climbs, creating the ...read more

The day two issue is here, so dive in now. Stories include: Interviews with Cindy McNaull, Global Brand and Marketing Director for CORDURA; Jeremy Jones, Pro Snowboarder, Owner of Jones Snowboards, and Climate Activist; and Christine Iksic and Chris Kaminski, Co-owners of 3 ...read more

Between enhancing products with Gore-Tex technology and designing uniforms for the U.S. Ski Team, it’s safe to say Spyder has a lot going on these days. We caught up with J.J. Collier, design director for the brand to hear about the Colorado brand’s latest projects. SNEWS: ...read more

It's here! You can't miss the first issue of the epic show that combines Outdoor Retailer with Snow Show. Stories include: Interviews with Kim Barrett from cityWILD Denver about holistic outdoor education and how the industry can fix its diversity problem; Sue Harvey Brown from ...read more

Coloradoans love their well-made, local craft beers just as much as the great outdoors. After a long day at Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, chances are you’ll be more than ready to pop a top (or two or three). Ditch your go-to brew, and look for one of these beers inspired by the ...read more

The 2018 Winter Olympics kick off in just a few short weeks, and the U.S. team will be ready for the anticipated 20 degree weather with innovative heated jackets. The patriotic red, white, and blue apparel features hidden heating components inside the jacket designed by Ralph ...read more

An estimated 10 inches of snow fell over Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend. Under normal circumstances, that would be cause for many Coloradans to rejoice: a chance to get out into the park on snowshoes or skis. But with the government shut down, the roads leading into ...read more

With just days before the first ever Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show event, we talked with Nick Sargent, President of Snowsports Industries America (SIA) about what he’s most excited about, what to expect from demo days, and why research is a vital part of his organization. SNEWS: ...read more

Nine out of 12 members of the National Park System Advisory Board, which was established 35 years ago to advise the secretary of the interior on the management of national parks and monuments, announced their resignation Monday night. In a resignation letter, members blamed ...read more

Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office welcomes the thousands headed to Denver for Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show. It’s less than a week before the big show! To kick things off in a brand new city, Luis Benitez, Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office ...read more

We want to know which brand is your go-to for meals on the trail. You can have the best pack, and the best sleeping bag, but if you don't have good food to keep you rolling, your adventure could be a huge bust. Vote now to see the results and how other SNEWS readers are leaning ...read more

There hasn’t been a lot to celebrate in terms of protecting national parks and monuments lately, but here’s something we can get behind. President Trump signed legislation to proclaim the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site a National Historic Park during a visit to ...read more

We all know it’s not always easy sticking to healthy snacks and meals on the trail. We asked the co-owner of TrailFork to give us her best tips. Lilian Hoodes created her Boulder, Colorado-based business to help adventurers customize meals on outdoor journeys. Specify the length ...read more

I run a nonprofit called Roanoke Outside that connects people with the active outdoor lifestyle. We do this through several different channels, but our most forward-facing initiative is the GO Outside Festival, or GO Fest for short. In the past seven years, we’ve grown the event ...read more