Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Quantifying the pandemic: A new survey from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable paints a bleak portrait in hard numbers for the outdoor industry. [Footwear News] A disturbing update on plastic: A new study has found that ...read more
National parks reopening: The acting director of the National Park Service is currently working on a “framework for a gradual resumption of operations." [National Parks Traveler] A cautionary tale: Even that happens, however, we should heed the warnings from places like Utah’s ...read more
Just a few days after Outdoor Retailer announced that this year's Summer Market was off, organizers of the next major event on the industry's calendar, The Big Gear Show, have gone a different route. Event director Kenji Haroutunian told SNEWS late Monday that the first three ...read more
In 2016, Jainee Dial and Lindsey Davis opened the online retailer Wylder Goods with $54,000 from Kickstarter and a simple yet compelling mission: to create a unique gear-buying experience for adventurous women who love the outdoors. Now, in the middle of the coronavirus ...read more
Petzl considers itself an advocate for responsible risk management, and as such, it is taking extra precautions to keep its Utah employees safe during the coronavirus pandemic, Tom Adams, chief operating officer, told SNEWS by phone. Effective March 16, 2020, all but 15 employees ...read more
Toad&Co puts money where its mouth is: Long respected for its commitment to independent retailers, Toad&Co has announced a first-of-its-kind revenue sharing program to help brick and mortar retailers through the economic upheaval of the coronavirus outbreak. Stay calm and ...read more
After an extensive two-month search to replace Tom Adams, Gov. Herbert announced the new director of Utah’s Office of Outdoor Recreation: Patrick “Pitt” Grew. Grew spent his childhood in the mountains of Utah, skiing every weekend with his parents who both worked in the ski ...read more
Coronavirus strains Mountain House supply chain: As coronavirus panic stirs, the backpacking food company Mountain House was forced to temporarily shut down its website in response to overwhelming demand for its freeze-dried food. [Outside Online] Coronavirus travel tips: ...read more
Turning to the masses to save Modell’s: The beleaguered sporting goods retailer, which plans to close 15 percent of its stores to stave off bankruptcy, is also seeking new outside investment, an effort that CEO Mitchell Modell called “crowdsourcing at the highest level.” [PR ...read more
Grangers supercharges distribution with Sea to Summit: The UK-based manufacturer of weather-protection products for outdoor gear has teamed up with Sea to Summit for all U.S. distribution. Dire straits at Modell’s: The 130-year-old sporting goods retailer will shutter 24 stores ...read more
Challenging the narrative: A new exposé from National Geographic attacks the much-hyped and exhaustively publicized story of Colin O’Brady’s 2018 solo ski journey across Antarctica. [Adventure Journal] In memoriam: James "Jim" Lewis Throneburg, founder of the sock company Thorlos ...read more
The people have spoken. One month ago, we asked you to vote on the coolest retail shop in the nation from our list of 15 standouts featured in last year’s #CoolShop column. We received more than 42,000 votes—the largest poll participation in SNEWS history—and the results are in. ...read more
Next summer, the outdoor industry will have two trade shows to attend—or choose between: Outdoor Retailer and a brand new show. The Big Gear Show just announced that it's setting up a hardgoods-only event in Salt Lake City, Utah, featuring a consumer day and pre-show outdoor ...read more
Tom Adams, who has held the post of director of the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation (UOOR) since 2016, is moving onto to the private sector. Adams will become Petzl North America’s COO. It will be familiar turf for him: He served as Petzl’s North American sales director for ...read more
October was a historic month for outdoor recreation. Directors of offices from Maine, Michigan, Nevada, Virginia, and New Mexico joined eight other states in signing the Confluence Accords at the sixth annual Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit in St. George. The set of 12 principles ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] TLC from L.L.Bean: Using a $50,000 grant from L.L. Bean, the Trust for Public Land oversaw a major remodel of a recreation area in Ohio. The revamp includes new ...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
Black Diamond laid off 70 employees last week in its manufacturing division of the Salt Lake City, Utah, headquarters, a 22 percent reduction of the Utah workforce and 53 percent of the manufacturing division. News spread quickly on Reddit. A screenshot of a Facebook post—with ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] We broke down the Vista Outdoor boycott, with an inside look at the year-long feud and what we can learn from it. HBO and Teton Gravity Research just announced ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Outdoor apparel brand Columbia Sportswear testified in front of the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington against the proposed tariffs on ...read more
For every square foot of Gearheads Outdoor Store, there's dozens more SKUs of gear. Snowshoes, backpacks, and sleeping pads hang from the ceiling. Camp mugs, footwear, and do-dads decorate the walls. What might be classified as a neat-freak's nightmare is what Gearheads is best ...read more
In front of a room of journalists in March, Jonathan Nielsen described himself as really good snowboarder, a frequent mountain biker, and an adequate climber. The audience chuckled and the Backcountry CEO took a pause before spilling his excitement over the company's biggest ...read more
For roughly four decades, the ski industry has grappled with getting more people out on the hill. Conventional wisdom says that Baby Boomers are retiring; young people aren’t picking up the slack; there’s not enough diversity; skiing is too expensive or inaccessible; and ...read more
Despite former California Governor Jerry Brown's kibosh of a bill to create an outdoor recreation office, an advocacy group is stepping up to see the legislation through under the new administration. Next Monday, California Outdoor Recreation Partnership (CORP) will lead an ...read more
