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Kristin Hostetter
SNEWS is your trusted source for all outdoor and adventure travel trade news. We break important outdoor news first, so if you want to stay ahead of the curve, SNEWS is your site.
Aside from the fastest, most accurate and authoritative outdoor industry news, outdoor gear news, and outdoor retail news, you'll also find stories and interviews that will give you a deeper understanding of the outdoor and adventure travel industries.
Not only do we talk to the movers and shakers of the industry, we're also always on the lookout for newcomers onto the outdoor scene who can provide fresh perspectives.
We don't shy away from controversial outdoor issues, but we treat these issues in a fair and balanced manner.
In an email sent to REI staff members last week, CEO Eric Artz reportedly confirmed plans to lay off 400 retail employees by Wednesday, cutting the company's 13,000-person customer-facing workforce by roughly 3 percent. Though SNEWS was unable to obtain a copy of the email, ...read more
What’s in a name: Racist climbing route names, tone-deaf brand terminology, and other instances of offensive language across the outdoor space are being examined anew. [The Colorado Sun] Speaking of language: It’s time to rethink how we talk about skiing, and the subtle ways our ...read more
Retailers across the nation are reopening, people are out shopping again, and everyone is wondering just how safe they are, say, sitting down to try on a pair of shoes or getting fitted for a pack. Throughout the outdoor industry, most (if not all) major brands have poured ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Building anti-racism in the outdoors: Transforming the industry will require immediate, deliberate, and sustained action. [Outside Online] MEC in trouble: The Canadian retailer announced more layoffs as a direct result of ...read more
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance dropped some big news this week. The specialty retailer advocacy group added 10 new member companies to its nationwide roster in a single stroke, one of the biggest spikes since the organization's founding in 1994. According to the association's ...read more
James Edward Mills has written for years about issues of diversity and inclusion in the outdoor space, most notably in his book The Adventure Gap, published in 2014. He has contributed to SNEWS many times—about the best way to approach DEI efforts in the industry, how to set the ...read more
When it comes to promoting DEI in the workplace, companies now, more than ever, are hungry for guidance. That was the idea that precipitated the release of Camber Outdoors' newest DEI tool, the Workplace Anti-Racism Action Agenda. Published last month, the agenda represents the ...read more
Appalachian Trail pipeline cancelled: Construction of a highly controversial natural gas pipeline that would have crossed the Appalachian Trail at multiple points was cancelled due to possible litigation costs. [BACKPACKER] Yosemite’s new cultural outreach ranger: 33-year NPS ...read more
In matters of social activism at a corporate level, outdoor companies are often some of the first to throw their hats into the ring. Our industry has a long history of putting people before profits, and that often translates into downright enviable employee perks. Patagonia ...read more
The system for naming climbing routes is about as unofficial as it could possibly be. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the first person to climb a new route simply makes up a moniker, starts using it, and eventually it catches on. There is no vetting process, no checks and ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Rock and Ice publisher steps down: A shocking admission by the publication’s leader precipitated the resignation. Anti-environmentalist heads Bureau of Land Management: William Perry Pendley, a noted climate denier, was ...read more
On July 1, 2020, Pocket Outdoor Media (POM), the leading endurance sports media platform, acquired SNEWS and many of our sister brands within Active Interest Media’s Active Living Group, including Backpacker, Ski, Climbing, Warren Miller, Yoga Journal, and others. Read the full ...read more
Color the Crag, a climbing festival for communities of color hosted at Horse Pens 40 in Alabama, isn't the most storied or historic event on the industry's climbing calendar—it was founded just three years ago, in 2017—but it's unquestionably one of the most unique and ...read more
It's nine o'clock on a Monday morning. Tom Wolfe sits down to start his week. He checks his email, then his Google AdWords account. He fires off a few text messages to clients, asking how they're doing. Still fine. Nothing new. He gets ready for a Zoom call. This might sound ...read more
Now that Pride month has come to a close, brands across the industry will once again begin taking down their rainbow logos, packing them away until next summer. There's no question we've come a long way in our celebration and amplification of LGBTQIA+ people in the outdoor space ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Grants for marginalized communities: In Solidarity Project, the organization that oversees the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge, has announced a grant program to support underrepresented and underserved people in the outdoors. ...read more
As the outdoor industry works to rebound from the pandemic, many companies are looking for innovative ways to connect with consumers and to make back what they’ve lost in profits. The answer is simple: connect with Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). Nearly half of ...read more
Today is a very special day for us here at SNEWS. Our print publication, The Voice, heads to the presses this evening despite major pandemic-related disruptions to the production process. We're very proud of everyone on the team for getting the issue across the finish line ...read more
A young woman injured in a 2017 accident involving an ENO hammock has sued the brand's parent company, Eagles Nest Outfitters, for unspecified damages to be determined at trial. Erin Field, 23, was paralyzed from the neck down after a brick chimney—to which an ENO hammock had ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Rose Marcario on the Facebook boycott: The former Patagonia CEO gives her thoughts on the outdoor industry’s refusal to accept Facebook’s moral lapses. [Fast Company] Will MEC survive the coronavirus? The pandemic might ...read more
Staying safe while traveling is of primary importance for many outdoor participants right now. As summer kicks off, quarantine restrictions ease, and people across the country start planning trips, adherence to a sensible set of safety measures will be critical for containing the ...read more
National parks and racism: How managers of public lands can help our country’s shared treasures be more inclusive for all. [National Geographic] Diversity in cycling: These organizations are fighting to broaden representation in the sport and make it more accessible for everyone. ...read more
What a tough dichotomy the media’s facing mid-year, 2020. Media consumption is at an all-time high and content engagement continues to rise at unprecedented levels due to coronavirus and more recently, protests in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Yet media houses are ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web $2 billion for sustainability: Amazon has announced the creation of a new Climate Pledge Fund to invest in sustainable technologies and work toward the ecommerce giant's goal of carbon neutrality by 2040. [TechCrunch] Rue ...read more
