LOWA Boots has partnered with the Sierra Club and Sierra Magazine to open a Demo Center at the flagship Clair Tappaan Lodge, on top of Donner Pass in California's Sierra Nevada. Hikers will be able to enjoy a day in LOWA boots at no charge. For every subsequent questionnaire filled out, LOWA will make a donation to the Sierra Club's initiative to upgrade the lodge and take it off the grid. The center will officially open Memorial Day weekend and stay active until Columbus Day.

“The Demo Center will allow consumers to try at no charge before they buy,” commented Peter Sachs, general manager of LOWA in the U.S. “Our goal is to help potential customers realize the benefit of top quality footwear designed specifically for the terrain as opposed to everyday-casual or basketball-type shoes frequently seen on the trails. Hikers will have more fun, enjoy better support and comfort and thus be inspired to continue enjoying the outdoors. At the same time, we can contribute to the Sierra Club's goals for the Lodge. It's a win-win.”

Lodge employees will receive training from LOWA so that they are prepared to help hikers choose between seven different models, including one for juniors. There are literally millions of potential customers from Northern California to the Reno, Nevada area that can reach the lodge as an easy day trip. The goal for both LOWA and the Sierra Club's Lodge is to convert as many as possible into LOWA aficionados and Clair Tappaan users and contributors. A network of nearby trails offers miles of hiking. The well-known Pacific Crest Trail is only a mile away and can be reached right out the back door of the lodge.

95% of LOWA footwear is produced in the center of Europe, following the strictest environmental laws in the world. They are the only outdoor footwear manufacturer in the world to be granted the prestigious ISO 9001 status that holds them to the highest quality construction and process standards. Their company mantra to reduce, reuse and recycle is synonymous with the Sierra Club's mission to "explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the Earth.” “We are very excited to create this program for LOWA as a supporter of Sierra magazine,” commented Kristi Rummel, Sierra Magazine's National Advertising Director. “It lets us share this opportunity with our members who will appreciate LOWA'S support of the Sierra Club and the product quality they bring to the table,”

Clair Tappaan Lodge is the Sierra Club's flagship lodge and offers a wide-variety of outdoor and environmental education programs. The lodge was built in 1934 by volunteers of the Sierra Club as a state of the art building and named after Clair Sprague Tappaan, a longtime official of the Sierra Club. Clair Tappaan was a club outing leader and sat on the board of directors, even holding the position of president for a term from 1922-24. Clair Tappaan embodied the ethics of the Sierra Club by introducing new members to the wonders of the Sierra and then turning these new members into strong advocates for the wild places of the earth. To learn more about the lodge go to www.sierraclub.org/outings/lodge/ctl. The Clair Tappaan Lodge community thanks LOWA for their partnership as we look forward to the “greening” of the Lodge.

LOWA Boots LLC, with headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, is a partnership with LOWA Sportschuhe Gmbh founded in 1923 and based in Jetzendorf, Germany. The U.S. company, launched in 1996, sells, markets, and distributes a complete line of four season outdoor footwear for walking, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering as well as everyday use. In addition, LOWA offers collections of specialized footwear for field sports and professional task force use.