Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web MEC forges ahead with sale: Defying the pleas of co-op members who oppose the company’s sale to an American investment firm, MEC leaders pushed ahead with the acquisition this week, saying the deal must close. [Coast ...read more
For over a decade, BACKPACKER has sent a team of expert gear testers to a far-flung wintery zone for an intense week of ski touring, camping, and debate to bring you the season’s best products with our annual Editors’ Choice Awards. “It’s always challenging,” said Gear editor ...read more
[This is part one of a three-part series.] Strictly speaking, you don’t need to justify making durable products for the outdoors. “It’s just the right thing to do, to make equipment that isn’t going to fail in the field,” says Mystery Ranch project manager Luke Buckingham, ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Six-month inclusion training: Leaders at Snowsports Industries America have agreed to participate in a half-year program focused on improving DEI in the winter sports industry. The power of outdoor voters: A new ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web REI ranked best employer for women: Employees rated the retailer the best employer for women in the U.S. [Forbes] Brown Folks Fishing tackles racism: The group has released a new pledge, Angling for All, that “seeks to ...read more
The Active Living Group—a family of publications recently acquired by Pocket Outdoor Media in Boulder, Colorado—has gone green. The group announced last week that it has partnered with Cooler, a technology company that enables businesses to calculate and neutralize the climate ...read more
L.L.Bean wades into U.S. wholesale: The legacy brand has announced that, for the first time, it will enter into wholesale partnerships in the U.S.—starting with Nordstrom, Staples, and the sporting goods store Scheels. [Business Insider] Coronavirus in Yellowstone: Tests have ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Outdoor industry, pay your interns: Jon Stewart explains why unpaid internships propagate inequality, a reality many outdoor companies might do well to consider. Parks grapple with safety: Americans are impatient to visit ...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
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 Words aren’t enough: Social media posts are a start, but we need far more than lip service to address structural racism in America. [Backpacker] Fund BIPOC nonprofits: Kula Cloth has announced a collaboration with artist ...read more
When the world began shutting down this spring due to the spread of coronavirus, the staff at Backpacker magazine, one of the outdoor industry's media staples, immediately recognized the need to start building community among its audience. People were desperately missing the ...read more
With summer backpacking season fast approaching, a classic hikers' debate has stirred once again: What do you do about toilet paper on the trail? This year, the question is a little more topical than usual; TP has never enjoyed a moment in the spotlight quite like this. Still, ...read more
When it comes to ecommerce, few factors influence buying decisions as powerfully as reviews. Studies have shown that 95 percent of consumers read online testimonials before making final purchases. Traditionally, those reviews have existed in different channels—consumer reviews in ...read more
In a crazy way, remote working has brought us here at SNEWS and Active Interest Media (our parent company) even closer together. Throughout the crisis, our CEO, Andy Clurman, has hosted weekly town hall meetings to keep us all up to speed on everything from media industry trends, ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Letters to Trump and 50 governors: The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable sent letters to the president and all 50 governors asking for tariff relief, stimulus aid, and “essential business” classification. Modell’s buys some ...read more
This story is the first of three examining how the path to equity and inclusivity in the outdoor industry is full of halting steps. Diversity is an easy sell. Make the outdoors more welcoming? Sure thing. Be more progressive? Done. Widen the industry's consumer base? But of ...read more
According to the staff at Backpacker Magazine, gear testing is the best job in the world. “We are lucky people, and we take it seriously,” says Editorial Director Shannon Davis. “Our test team of more than 140 field scouts and staffers put in thousands of bag nights and even more ...read more
Gear brands are taking advantage of the adventure travel boom—and not by making duffels. The United Nations World Tourism Organization has recorded robust growth in the number of international tourist trips over the past three years, and outdoor brands are jumping to ...read more
For most people, the first week of any job entails meetings, paperwork, introductions, a building tour, and lots of administrative details to contend with. But Shannon Davis's first week as BACKPACKER's new editor-in-chief was much more, well, BACKPACKER. The team spent last ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Editors' Choice: BACKPACKER announced the recipients of the 2019 Editors’ Choice Snow Awards, including the Montbell Ignis Down Jacket, Smith 4D MAG, Sweet ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] The world premiere of Teton Gravity Research's Winterland was last night in Boulder, Colorado. The theater was full and fans lined up for autographs from some of ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] The North Face today opened a new store in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, after unveiling an updated global retail strategy. The brand is ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] One of our own: SNEWS Assistant Editor Amelia Arvesen was featured in Voyage Denver's Most Inspiring Stories. She talks about how she came to the outdoor ...read more
