REI announced yesterday that it has sold its new, 400-square-foot office complex in Bellevue, Washington, to Facebook for $390 million, less than 30 days after putting it on the market and just three months after the outdoor retailer boycotted the tech giant for its handling of ...read more
From the outside, you might not guess that Brown's Outdoor—a cozy little shop in Port Angeles, Washington, at the northern tip of the state—is one of the oldest family-owned gear retailers in the country. The vibe of the place is decidedly unpretentious, the digs modest and ...read more
Before the pandemic hit, summer 2020 was supposed to mark the grand opening of REI's new eight-acre headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. The move was long awaited and eagerly hyped. Plans for the new location, which included a 380,000-square-foot office building and trendy ...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
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Vail CEO gives back: The chief executive of Vail Resorts, Rob Katz, has pledged an $11.7 million donation to support coronavirus relief efforts, racial justice reform, and other causes crucial to the moment. U.S. Ski and ...read more
Asolo's changing of the guard: Asolo ends one era and begins another as industry veteran and longtime U.S. general manager Bruce Franks retires, handing the reins to Bill Lockwood, who will assume full control after the 2020 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Filling Jake Burton's ...read more
Mountain Gear, one of our industry’s premier mountain shops, will be closing its doors in the coming months. The decision to close weighs heavily on founder and owner, Paul Fish, who said that the realization that it was time was both came somewhat sudden but also a long time ...read more
SOG (Studies and Observations Group) is in the midst of legal action against unauthorized online sellers, who are damaging the brand's reputation. The Lynnwood, Washington-based knife and tool brand has already issued cease and desist letters to the most nefarious offenders and ...read more
Meet the future of the outdoor industry. These four are already pushing the boundaries of representation, inclusivity, creativity, and gear, and we can't wait to see what they accomplish next. 1. Art Latasha Dunston, 26, freelance illustrator @jitterbug_art Baltimore-born ...read more
In early May, a sign on Ascent Outdoors' main door suddenly marked the end of an era. "We will miss you," the sign read. For more than 20 years, the shop in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood was a meeting spot for the outdoor scene, and its shuttering was devastating and shocking to ...read more
Mountain Hardwear has fully launched its high-fidelity Augmented Reality shopping app, featuring its completely redesigned equipment line. The app is meant to limit time needed to visit retail stores, decrease difficulty of in-store setup, and limit the guesswork of online ...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
Six of the top 10 greenest cities in the U.S. are in California, according to a new survey by WalletHub. The personal finance website ranked the 100 most populated cities based on the current health of the environment and residents’ environmental-friendliness. “San Diego has an ...read more
It was a shared appreciation for simple living that led friends to peg Chris Gerston and now-wife Erica Gerston as ideal blind date material.“The common thread was that we both did a lot of living out of our cars,” Chris Gerston said with a laugh. From the start, both Gerstons ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Before Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison, nobody had climbed to the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse—the world's fourth tallest mountain—then skied down the 7,000-foot ...read more
After only one full day of mourning the Land and Water Conservation Fund's expiration, hope is restored in the program's future. Today, Sen. Maria Cantwell's (D-Washington) legislation to permanently reauthorize and fully fund the LWCF passed through both Senate and House ...read more
A 2016 survey conducted by the National Park Service found that less than 20 percent of park visitors were non-white. For many reasons, including economic and safety issues, the outdoors can be intimidating, particularly for people of color. Chevon Powell, founder of Golden ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Want to learn how the tariffs affect your business? Outdoor Industry Association's Rich Harper is hosting a webinar on Sept. 13 that covers why the Trump ...read more
If the outdoor industry had a constitution, the Confluence Accords would be it. After seven months of collective effort, representatives from the eight states with formal offices of outdoor recreation gathered on the roof of a downtown Denver hotel yesterday to sign the accords, ...read more
Last week in Asheville, North Carolina, a roomful of delegates from around the country (and a few call-in attendees) took the next step in the Confluence process—a multi-state initiative to develop a national platform for the outdoor recreation industry. It was a ceremonial ...read more
A decade ago, hikers had dreams of building a 550-mile loop around the San Francisco Bay Area for millions of people to enjoy. With the support of REI, there’s less than 200 miles left to go. “You can imagine the wonder and sense of accomplishment when people go end to end on the ...read more
Vail Resorts just got even bigger with the acquisition of four ski resorts. The Colorado-based owner of ski areas announced Monday morning that it has entered into a purchase agreement with Triple Peaks, the parent company of Okemo in Vermont, Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire, and ...read more
Don't go a day without reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? We've created a new form where you can submit tips and story ideas. During a Tuesday tour of Peaceful Valley Ranch at Theadore Roosevelt National Park—a former dude ranch in disrepair ...read more
A Pacific Northwest brand’s billboard of two bears getting frisky didn’t last long. About eight hours after it was erected Monday, the billboard company replaced The Great PNW’s design with a more PG-rated (and, frankly, forgettable) logo. But some motorists had already taken ...read more
