The Big Number: Mt. Everest season begins
Graphic by Corey Buhay
The big number: Outdoor industry brings millions of jobs to US
Find out more about Capitol Summit and how you can attend from the Outdoor Industry Association. ...read more
Number Cruncher: The greenest presidents
WHEN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA STEPS OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE, he’ll be leaving some big shoes to fill. Half a billion-acre shoes, to be exact. Our current POTUS made headlines again last week when he designated the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the ...read more
Number Cruncher: The Real Wild Effect
In the years following the release of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, first as a novel and then as a star-studded Hollywood production about one woman’s journey on the Pacific Crest Trail, the number of PCT hikers quadrupled. Publications from The Wall Street Journal to Mashable suggest ...read more
Number Cruncher: Climbing gyms are on the rise
The number of climbing gyms in the U.S. is clambering upward, having more than doubled in the past decade. In 2015 alone, the U.S. indoor climbing industry saw 10 percent growth, according to data from the Climbing Business Journal, with 40 new gyms bringing the total up to 381 ...read more
Spider silk: The next big textile trend in outerwear?
The North Face Japan is working on a parka made from synthesized spider silk, aiming to introduce it commercially next year. The North Face Japan is going back to nature: Its newest project is an insulated winter coat with an outer shell made of spider silk. A prototype of the ...read more
Number Cruncher: Hispanics outspend all other groups
The outdoor industry is overwhelmingly white, but white consumers aren’t the biggest spenders. According to OIA’s ConsumerVue research, for example, Latino outdoorists spend about 27 percent more annually than the average outdoor consumer, and Asian and Pacific Islanders spend ...read more
Number Cruncher: Helmet use at all-time high
Ten years ago, anyone with a plastic hat glimmering in the sunlight faced sneers from lidless skiers. Today, it’s the opposite. About 78 percent of resort skiers and snowboarders wear helmets, according to recent data by the National Ski Areas Association. A good thing, too—the ...read more
Number Cruncher: How safe are our public lands under President Trump?
Donald Trump’s party might be bent on selling off public lands, but no need to panic just yet: Even among Republicans, not everyone is behind the movement. The GOP declared a new platform priority at the Republican National Convention this July: returning public lands to the ...read more
Number Cruncher: Hungry fires leave the USFS budget starving
Blazes are growing more costly – both to forests and to the Forest Service’s checkbook. In 1991, fire suppression consumed only 13 percent of USFS allocations. Last year, it devoured over half—52 percent—for the first time, according to a 2015 USFS analysis. On average, the ...read more