To honor Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved people were emancipated, we celebrate some of the amazing people working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors.

We have a long way to go before the outdoors—and society at large—is truly equitable. But it’s the work of people like these (listed in alphabetical order by last name) that’s taking us in the right direction.

Rahsaan Bahati

Bahati grew up in Compton, California, amid gangs, drugs, and crime. Early exposure to cycling changed the course of his life. He created the Bahati Foundation in 2009 which runs youth cycling camps, mentorship programs, scholarships, and community outreach activities. Bahati’s goal is to engage and inspire young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and using cycling as a tool for personal growth, education, and positive life choices.

Follow Rahsaan Bahati on Instagram:

Teresa Baker

Baker is a co-founder of the , and the founder of the African American National Park Event and the Outdoor Industry CEO Diversity Pledge, which asks C-level executives at outdoor companies to commit to creating, promoting, and enforcing policies that expand the diversity, equity, and inclusion of their employees, board members, and customers. She is a self proclaimed “good troublemaker” who works tirelessly to promote inclusion in all outdoor spaces.

Follow Teresa Baker on Instagram:

Kareemah Batts

Batts is a cancer survivor, paraclimber, and diversity, equity, and inclusion professional who founded the nonprofit which is the U.S.’s largest nonprofit climbing group for people with disabilities. For her tireless work with brands, events, and guiding companies on accessibility issues, she received the 2019 Climbing Advocate Award from Access Fund. Hear more of her story–in her own words–on The Daily Rally podcast.

Follow Kareemah Batts on Instagram:

Faith Briggs

Briggs is an ultrarunner, intersectional environmentalist, former sprinter, documentary filmmaker, and co-host of . ��Her goal: use media as a tool to raise awareness, and ultimately to change lives. One of her recent projects includes a series called , a three-part short documentary series highlighting how communities of color can reclaim water as a healing and enjoyable experience for all through the lens of each subject.

Follow Faith Briggs on Instagram:

Patricia Cameron

Cameron is the founder of , a nonprofit that lowers the financial barrier to entry in outdoor recreation and teaches people the basics of hiking, camping, skiing, swimming, and more. Before founding Blackpackers, Cameron struggled as a single mother with the means to take her young son outdoors to enjoy nature. She saved up money working overtime as an EMT to buy her first set of backpacking gear—an experience that motivated her to help others find the means to get outside. Cameron recently achieved her Wilderness EMT certification and launched Blackpacker’s Outdoor Skills School to teach free Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) courses, free to her community.

Follow Patricia Cameron on Instagram:

Jamicah Dawes

Dawes is the founder Slim Pickins Outfitters (SPO), the first Black-owned outdoor gear shop in the U.S. Just three years after opening, the pandemic forced the Texas store to close. It might have been for good, but a digital media company decided to create a short documentary about Dawes, his family, and his store, which launched SPO into the big time. Dawes uses his platform (which has grown to almost 32K followers on Instagram) to share family stories, product highlights, inspiration, and to uplift marginalized voices.

Follow Jamicah Dawes on Instagram:

Alison Desir

Desir is a co-founder of the , a nonprofit that aims to unite the running industry to provide resources, measure progress, and hold the industry accountable to equitable employment, leadership, and ownership positions and improve inclusion, visibility, and access for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. She’s also the author of Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built For Us and the host of the Out & Back podcast. In 2022, Alison was recognized with an Award for Excellence by Running USA for demonstrably driving positive change in the running industry.

Follow Alison Desir on Instagram:

Latasha Dunston

Dunston is a trained in scientific and preparatory medicine illustration who specializes in plein air landscape painting. Through her work, she aims to challenge the underrepresentation of people of color in the outdoors. “I want to showcase myself and the people like me who spend time on trails,” she said of her art. “We are a reflection of nature, and nature is a reflection of us.” Here at ���ϳԹ���, Dunston is one of our favorite artists to work with. She recently created a beautiful for our Earth Month celebration.

Follow Latasha Dunston on Instagram:

Latria Graham

Graham is a writer, editor, and cultural critic with bylines in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, Harvard Law Today, and ���ϳԹ���. Her writing examines the dynamics of race, gender, class, and popular culture. Graham says she uses her talents to write for publications that are “invested in celebrating the diversity of the human experience.”

Follow Latria Graham on Instagram: .

Rahawa Haile

Haile is a queer Eritrean-American writer from Miami who currently lives and works in Oakland. “Going It Alone,” her riveting 2017 story in ���ϳԹ��� about hiking the Appalachian Trail during the summer before the 2016 presidential election, led to a forthcoming book called , which will present a wider examination of freedom of movement and race in modern America.

Follow Rahawa Haile on Instagram:

Ron Griswell

When Ron Griswell attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&TSU), one of 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), he lamented the fact his school didn’t have the opportunities for outdoor recreation that he had grown to love. So much so that he actually thought about transferring to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, because of its robust outdoor program and giant gear library. “That’s when it clicked,” says Griswell. “These outdoor activities won’t come to my school unless I do something about it.”

So In 2018, Griswell founded his nonprofit HBCUs ���ϳԹ��� as a way to create more outdoor opportunities for Black students��and a more diverse pipeline of talent in the outdoor industry. Today HBCUs ���ϳԹ��� runs outdoor clubs on seven (and counting!) different college campuses, introducing hundreds of Black students to the joy of outdoor experiences and opening pathways to outdoor careers.

Follow Ron Griswell on Instagram:

Bobby and Angel Massie

Bobby Massie is a former American football player (offensive tackle) who played for the Denver Broncos, but had grown up fishing and hunting in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Angel Massie is a former journalist and TV producer with work appearing in BET (Black Entertainment Television), Complex, Vibe, and Essence, who grew up in urban Baltimore but always felt a connection to the outdoors. “We had a yard with this huge, huge tree,” she told CBS recently. “And I used to wonder to myself, I know that there has to be a place where there are more big trees like that.” Her love of hiking arose through an annual camping trip at her school, and as a young professional in Washington, D.C., she started a hiking group with destinations such as Shenandoah National Park. Today she hikes, fishes, and camps in the Rockies with her husband and their two children. After unsatisfying experiences with other outfitters, the two launched their own business, Wanderland Outdoors, in May. A guiding outfit with a diverse team (currently 11 guides and four wranglers), it is intended to make the outdoors more accessible through outings including fly-fishing trips, trail rides, mindfulness hiking—Angel is a certified Kripalu Mindful Outdoor Guide—and gourmet “excursion meals” cooked by Chef Bobby.

Follow Bobby and Angel Massie on Instagram: @wanderlandoutdoors

Eliot Jackson

Jackson is a former World Cup downhill mountain bike racer devoted to improving diversity in cycling. During his racing career, he was almost always the only Black competitor. Following the murder of George Floyd and time to reflect on his career during the Covid pandemic, he founded the nonprofit to promote education, access, and opportunities that advance diversity and inclusion in the sport he loves. One recent project, a 30,000 square foot pumptrack in Los Angeles, California, is set to open this summer. The pumptrack, which is a circular bike park with berms and rollers, will serve more than 150,000 kids and adults in the urban area who lack access to mountain biking opportunities.

Follow Elliot Jackson on Instagram:

Mercy M’Fon

M’Fon is the founder and executive director of , a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit that leads outdoor adventures and education sessions for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Through their programs, they hope to foster personal connections between members of these communities and the natural world. M’Fon is an outdoor guide and community leader who founded the organization after feeling the effects of the outdoor industry’s lack of diversity firsthand. You can listen to their story on The Daily Rally podcast.

Follow Wild Diversity on Instagram:��

James Edward Mills

Mills has worked in the outdoor industry for more than 30 years as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer, and photographer. He is the founder of the Joy Trip Project, a news-gathering and reporting organization that covers outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving, and practices of sustainable living. He is the author of and the co-writer/co-producer of the documentary film . A recent project is an online book club called , an exploration of the intersection of the natural world and the cultural identities of the human beings that live within it.

Follow James Edward Mills on Instagram:

Kriste Peoples

Peoples is a guide, runner, writer, and mindfulness meditation teacher who serves on the board of the and and is the newly appointed executive director of Women’s Wilderness, which is a nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado. For years, Peoples has been on the front lines of fighting for equality and inclusion for women, girls, and non-binary people in nature. Here more of her inspiring story–in her own words–on The Daily Rally.

Follow Kriste Peoples on Instagram:

Mirna Valerio

Valerio, a.k.a. The Mirnavator, is an ultrarunner, author, and educator who was named a National Geographic ���ϳԹ���r of the Year in 2018. Her memoir, , was a bestseller, and in 2017 she appeared on the cover of Women’s Running. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Valerio now lives in Vermont, where she has become obsessed with skiing and is working on her second book, a novel about a Black woman with Type 1 diabetes who embarks on a solo backpacking trip in the Appalachians, against the advice of her doctor and friends.

Follow Mirna Valerio on Instagram:

Nailah Blades Wylie

Wylie is the founder of , a nonprofit that helps women of color harness the power of the outdoors to create joy-filled lives. A communications strategist and community builder who has worked with businesses small and large—from startups to Fortune 500 companies—Wylie founded Color ���ϳԹ��� after moving from San Diego to Salt Lake City and feeling unmoored, without a community to support her. Color ���ϳԹ��� leads coaching, workshops and retreats to help fellow outdoor lovers feel welcome and joyful doing what they love.

Follow Nailah Blades Wylie on Instagram:

Rue Mapp

Mapp is the founder of , a nonprofit that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. In 2022, 60,000 people across the country participated in over 1,000 Outdoor Afro events to find joy and healing in nature. Last year, Mapp published her first book, .

Follow Rue Mapp on Instagram:

The post Celebrating Black Outdoor Leaders appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

The new from Leki combines the time-tested technology of world-class trekking poles with innovations that provide optimal stability and comfort. The Sherpa and Sherpa Lite come with the new Aergon Air grip designed for optimal ergonomic comfort and performance whether you are on a day hike, backpacking adventure, or snowshoeing in your favorite winter wonderland. These telescoping three-section poles are collapsible and infinitely adjustable across a massive size range thanks to the efficient and secure Speed Lock 2 Plus lever.

Features and Specs of the Sherpa Series

The Sherpa is the workhorse of the line, comprised of 18/16/14-millimeter sections providing optimal stability in even the most rugged conditions. The Sherpa Lite is constructed of 16/14/12-millimeter sections making for a slightly lighter yet incredibly durable pole. Both poles use HTS 6.5 aluminum, which provides the best-in-class strength to weight ratio. The Sherpa is adjustable from 110 to 145 centimeters, and the Sherpa Lite from 100 to 135 centimeters.

Both poles come with an extended foam grip, allowing users multiple locations to grasp the pole depending on the terrain. Choke down on the pole when ascending steep and rugged terrain and palm the top of the pole on the rubberized surface of the Aergon Air grip for descents. The Sherpa series has an adjustable, locking hand strap that can be micro-adjusted to fit each user’s hand. The Aergon Air has a built-in positive angle, helping to reduce fatigue in the wrist.��

What makes the Sherpa series more than a traditional hiking pole is the ability to swap out the baskets when the trail gets muddy or covered with snow. The Sherpa poles come with both a traditional hiking basket and the Big Mountain Binding Basket. The Big Mountain basket has a hard plastic edge, making it a cinch to clear snow and ice from snowshoes or climbing skins when backcountry skiing. The large size of the basket also helps keep the poles from sinking into mud or snow. The Carbide Flex tips bend up to 30 degrees without damage to the pole, significantly reducing the chance of breakage.

Poles for All Seasons

With this piece of gear, there’s no reason to put your hiking poles away when the seasons change. Easily convert your trusty summer hiking pole into a winter tool ideal for mountaineering, snowshoeing, and backcountry skiing. The Sherpa series from Leki is your new one-pole quiver for year round adventure. Learn more about the ��and the the .

Founded in 1948, Leki is a leading manufacturer of skiing, trekking, and trail running poles and gloves—German engineered and produced in the company’s Czech Republic factory. Leki equips over 1,000 of the world’s best athletes and brand ambassadors in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, trail running, ski mountaineering, mountain guiding, and alpine climbing. Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, Leki USA, Inc. is the sole distributor of Leki brand products in the United States.

The post The Ultimate Four-Season, One-Pole Quiver from LEKI appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Consumers don’t know how good they have it: while customer-facing e-commerce platforms make it easy for shoppers to load up their carts, B2B markets have been slower to catch up. But as the pandemic has accelerated the arrival of the digital buying age, one tool has risen through the ranks, drawing than any other.

That tool is the B2B wholesale platform . As one of the first B2Bs on the market, Elastic has more than 20 years of experience and iteration behind its powerful technology. Over the past few years, VF, Fjällräven, Orvis, Patagonia, and hundreds have used Elastic to streamline buying, increase sales, reduce costs associated with paper B2B marketing materials, and organize digital merchandising assets in one place.

So how does it all work? For starters, Elastic functions as an interactive, 360-degree digital catalog, enabling retailers and dealers to see products available in real time. The platform gives retailers a quick-service portal for writing orders and a dashboard that shows everything they’ve ordered in previous seasons. The ease of ordering has led to “tremendous growth” for Stanley PMI in small-business accounts, said director of program management Ray Brown, who manages and implements third-party SaaS solutions for the brand. On top of that, Elastic has helped standardize the way Stanley PMI’s products are merchandised. Now retailers are all “in lockstep” with Stanley’s branding, vision, and most up-to-date technical product knowledge.

“No matter what size retailer you are, you get VIP access to our portal so you know what we’re launching, when we’re launching it,” Brown said.

Here are a few more ways Elastic’s tools have revolutionized B2B shopping for brands and retailers in the outdoor industry.

Retailers Can Shop like Consumers—in as Few as Six Clicks

Gone are the days of complicated order forms. Elastic offers an intuitive e-commerce platform—think shopping carts and in-depth specs on every SKU—that lets retailers both place new orders and repeat orders in as few as six clicks. Elastic’s system also creates more intentional touch points between retailers and sales reps: when retailers place reorders, they can browse similar products that might also sell well in their shops, and their reps will be notified. This gives the reps an opportunity to increase sales by suggesting relevant related products.

Merchandising Assets Are All in One Place

Before Elastic, Brown said, retailer merchandising for Stanley’s products was all over the place. Elastic’s system allows the brand to upload photos of all its products in an intuitive library that retailers can pull from at any time. With logos and product imagery right at retailers’ fingertips, Stanley’s branding is now far more consistent across retail sites, Brown said.

Retailers Can Shop Sales—Boosting Order Size

Elastic’s intuitive B2B shopping platform automatically helps retailers qualify for tiered promotions. According to Brown, the feature has resulted in bigger orders with deeper, rather than wider, assortments. If your brand has a minimum order size for a specific category discount, for example, your dealers will see exactly what they need to add to their cart to qualify. The result can benefit both brands’ and retailers’ bottom lines. For Stanley, Brown said, the result has been 130 percent growth in North American specialty sales. Because the order processing and confirmations are far more efficient, manual ordering went down 41 percent in 2021. “We’ve also seen an increase in future ordering,” he said, crediting Elastic’s tools and incentives.

Elastic Provides Ease of Ordering Across Size Range

For retailers who stock products with numerous sizes and variations, this feature is a game changer. Take a fly-fishing shop, for example. When a shop stocks flies, it usually orders a ton of them, and in various sizes of each fly pattern. “For [retailers] to be able to see a product and add multiple sizes at the same time without having to go into different screens or drop-downs is super helpful,” said Ben Hoiness, CTO of Yellowstone Fly Goods. “All of our customers respond really well to that.” And it’s not just anecdotal: Yellowstone Fly Goods saw roughly a 10 percent increase in sales in just its first quarter of using Elastic. “The platform has really helped us grow into the modern era of selling.”

Sales Reps Have the Tools They Need to Succeed

Since it began using Elastic, Stanley PMI has noticed a significant improvement in the way its products are presented by independent sales reps, Brown said. Now that reps have a centralized place to show buyers every single product offered, they can go into meetings ready to present a wide range—far more than they can carry in physical samples. “It’s deepened our relationships with dealers and made sales reps feel more like they’re a part of our team and our family in their knowledge of the brand,” Brown said. In fact, since adopting Elastic in 2020, Stanley has seen dealer engagement with the platform grow to 87 percent. That widespread adoption and engagement, he explained, is a big reason for the brand’s growth in North American specialty stores over the past two years.

Retailers Understand Elastic

Elastic’s easy-to-use platform has already been adopted by retailers nationwide. This saves time and resources they would have had to spend on training and onboarding. That slashes time-to-market. When Yellowstone Fly Goods got on board, Hoiness said, he didn’t have to teach his retailers how to use the new system—which made the whole ordering process easier for everyone. “Already having that familiarity was super helpful,” he said.

Printed B2B Material Costs Are Virtually Eliminated

Paper waste and environmental impact aren’t the only cons of catalog production. Besides the creative effort that goes into the process, publishing print media isn’t free. Elastic has provided Stanley PMI a better solution, Brown said: the platform collects digital assets all in one place, letting dealers and retailers easily navigate through the line before, during, and after meetings to connect the dots. Stanley PMI now saves up to $100,000 per season by not producing the printed materials it no longer needs.

The Bottom Line

Since adopting Elastic, both Yellowstone Fly Goods and Stanley PMI have seen better engagement from reps and dealers, bigger orders, and more-streamlined communication surrounding brand strategy and vision. “Stanley Global sales, since 2019, have been on a rocket-ship trajectory,” Brown said, adding that North American specialty-store markets have seen particularly strong gains. Without a doubt, he added, “Elastic’s B2B platform played a key part in that growth.”��

Elastic is a best-in-class B2B and wholesale e-commerce SaaS platform. Designed to help brands and retailers connect, transact and, ultimately, grow. By increasing sales revenue and creating cost efficiencies, Elastic is optimizing every step of the wholesale process. E-commerce is taken from transactional to transformational by bringing together ERP and backend data, sales reps, retailers, and distributors.

The post How Elastic Suite Helped These Brands See Double-Digit Sales Growth appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

The event scene for the outdoor industry is changing rapidly. Consumer shows, regional buying opportunities, and hyper-focused conferences are becoming an increasingly important part of any outdoor brand’s strategy. In this new world, Outdoor Media Summit (OMS)—one of the nation’s top education conferences for media and marketers in the outdoor space—is a must-attend event.��

Here are five reasons your marketing team should head to beautiful Incline Village in North Lake Tahoe at the end of October for OMS.

OMS Predicts the Future for You

One of the show’s mission statements is to look beyond the horizon and identify what’s next in digital media and marketing. Each year, a steering committee made up of top outdoor brands and media highlight the hottest trends in the digital space. Then, the OMS team recruits the leading minds in those spaces as speakers.

Whether you’re a marketer at a brand, editor of a media outlet or creator, staying on top of trends is critical for your success as a professional. This year, some of those trends include vertical-format video, engaging with podcasters, and category SEO for Amazon and Google.

But knowing the trends is just one piece of the puzzle. OMS focuses on teaching attendees how to execute on them. Every one of the show’s breakout sessions includes a how-to component so that when you walk out, you’ll be armed with tactical execution strategies to do business better.

What OMS attendees say:

“Outdoor Media Summit is the best media event in the outdoor industry. It’s as simple as that.” —Sean McCoy, editorial director of GearJunkie

OMS Has a Unique Formula for Breakout Sessions

Outdoor Media Summit first built its reputation as a conference through breakout sessions. The show opts for a mini-presentation format (as opposed to the traditional “stools and moderator” style) where three speakers present on a topic for roughly ten minutes each. After each speaker wraps up, a Q&A session follows. OMS organizers find that this format leads to the highest engagement and greatest benefit to audiences.

The breakout sessions are guaranteed to be high value, because they’re based around one central rule: share secrets. Before speakers are allowed to present, they have to sign an agreement that says, “I promise to give up my secrets on the topic vs. speaking at a high level, speaking in vagaries, or making a sales pitch.” Without agreeing to those terms, speakers can’t make it onto the docket.

OMS Brings Fresh Media Faces

Each year, OMS scans the outdoor media landscape to identify the biggest personalities and invites them to speak or attend the show. Many of these folks aren’t your typical trade show regulars. Some are non-endemic; others are rising stars. Not only does this give an opportunity for brands to interact with fresh faces, it gives brands the chance to cross-pollinate with new media outlets that don’t show up to other industry events.��

In 2021, OMS�� brought in staff editors from Wired, the New York Times, Women’s Health, Business Insider, and more. This year the show will expand its non-endemic publications list even further. It will welcome trending TikTokers like Nelson Holland, Jeffrey Binney, and Bonjour Becky, YouTubers like Miranda Webster and Noah Kane, and other top Instagrammers, podcasters, and vloggers.

The Programming Is Top Notch

Destination marketing organizations host dozens of conferences every year, so when a team member from one describes OMS as “one of the most organized conferences” they’ve been to (see below), that’s some seriously high praise.

At OMS, thanks to the extensive planning of organizers, you won’t have to worry about things like how to get from point A to point B, what to eat, or even how to start a conversation. All you need to do is show up with your favorite note-taking device and you’ll walk out with inspiration for tackling tough marketing challenges. (You may even make a friend or two along the way.)

What OMS attendees say:

“Everything is so organized. I love the way the program flows.” —Aaron Mullin, director of communications and marketing at Visit Bentonville

“One of the most organized conferences I’ve been to.” —Carrie Cousins, director of digital marketing for Roanoke Regional Partnership

ROI, ROI, ROI

The issue of “return on events” is a growing concern, and for good reason. Brands are becoming more discerning with their spending and even more cautious about their environmental footprint. Outdoor Media Summit adheres to a zero-waste philosophy by offsetting carbon produced by travel and working closely with hotels to eliminate single-use plastic.

The event is also incredibly affordable compared to other shows. At a conventional trade show—factoring in booth pricing, labor, travel, lodging, and food—brands can easily spend five figures to attend. At Outdoor Media Summit, a Conference + Hotel Ticket (which includes two nights of lodging at a Four Diamond resort, six meals, three happy hours, and shuttles back and forth from the airport) costs less than $1,200.

OMS is able to offer this rock-bottom pricing thanks to the amazing support of its destination sponsors, including this year’s: the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau.

What OMS attendees say:

“A lot of bang for the buck for sure.” —Seyl Park, marketing manager at SylvanSport

“I went to four press events this year and OMS was, hands down, the best. The seminars were the best, the scavenger hunt was the best. The other events weren’t catered to people like me. At the end of OMS, we had more interaction than at any other event,” —Ryan Spinks, director of brand development at QuietKat

Meaningful Connections in an Authentic Setting

True connections are hard to make through Zoom meetings, conference calls, or half-hour appointments at busy trade shows. The real deal is cultivated when peers can spend quality time in small group settings (being outdoors in beautiful mountain towns also doesn’t hurt). That’s why OMS coordinates fun, small-group activities like scavenger hunts at the event.

When you fill a room with hundreds of the best marketers and media pros in the outdoor industry, magic tends to happen. That’s the core philosophy behind the OMS model.

What OMS attendees say:

“It was awesome to be in person with like-minded individuals in my field. I loved learning from experienced marketers and influencers while getting to explore a beautiful area.” —Meaghan Ruby, marketing manager at Minus33

Convinced you need to attend? Interested in learning more? Schedule a call and see if a hyper-focused media event like Outdoor Media Summit might be right for you. Email yoon@outdoormediasummit.com or kenji@outdoormediasummit.com to connect.

More questions? OMS can probably answer them . Ready to nail it down? .

The post 5 Reasons Your Brand Should Attend Outdoor Media Summit appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

A seismic shift is underway at Vista Outdoor Inc., the Anoka, Minnesota-based parent company of 39 renowned outdoor and sporting product brands. On May 5, the multibillion-dollar corporation announced it would separate into two independent, publicly traded companies—Outdoor Products and Sporting Products, each of which will operate under new names and stock tickers beginning in 2023.

In the coming months, Vista Outdoor will provide more details on what this move will entail, but in the meantime, it’s business as usual for the company’s brands—and “business as usual” this time of year means trade show season and displaying the latest gear from those brands’ award-winning production and design teams.

From the recent Grassroots Connect, Outdoor Retailer Summer market, and OutDoor by ISPO to next month’s Big Gear Show, there’s no shortage of chances to see the amazing outdoor apparel and equipment making the rounds on this summer’s trade show circuit.

But for members of the outdoor trade world who haven’t gotten the chance to admire the latest offerings from Vista Outdoor’s portfolio of iconic outdoor brands—or who have but want to learn more—here’s the rundown on the hottest gear from Bell, CamelBak, Camp Chef, Giro, QuietKat, and Stone Glacier:

Bell Helmets in April announced its all-new XR Spherical helmet, a gravel-focused cycling helmet that offers unmatched protection to riders by using a new outer shell shape and spherical technology, powered by the Mips® ball-and-socket design, to redirect rotational impact forces. This do-it-all helmet blends the ventilation of a road helmet with the deep coverage of a mountain bike helmet. .

CamelBak, the global leader in award-winning personal hydration products, recently added three new products to its Horizon Drinkware collection—the Can Cooler (three sizes), Straw Tumbler (two sizes), and Tall Mug (one size). The newly released products complement CamelBak’s already robust line of Horizon Drinkware and give consumers added options for enjoying their favorite beverages with the quality features CamelBak is known for, including 18/8 stainless steel, non-slip silicone pads on the base, and a powder-coat finish. .

Camp Chef, long renowned for industry-leading innovation, has brought another groundbreaking grill to the market. The Apex Grill, now available, combines the best of the ever-popular wood pellet grill with the time-tested option of using propane to get the job done quickly. In one unit, and in a single chamber, a griller will be able to switch fuel sources with a press of a button. So whether it’s a quick cook of grilled chicken or a well-earned smoke ring on a brisket, it will be grilling like never before. .

Giro Sport Design, the cycling world’s design leader, has announced the release of Insurgent Spherical, a bike helmet built to deliver the protection that top riders demand as they redefine what is possible in progressive mountain biking. Built around the advanced protection of Spherical Technology powered by Mips®, the Insurgent has been designed for optimum ventilation, comfort, and performance. .

QuietKat Electric Bikes, the leader in off-road electric bikes, announced at the Easter Jeep Safari the addition of the Jeep® eBike Rubicon model, featuring a 21ah battery, which provides an additional 45 percent more range than the brand’s original Jeep eBike. Premium components include an inverted suspension fork, wide-range gearing, and 6” of suspension travel both front and rear. The fat 4.8” tires and powerful electric motor can conquer the steepest and most rugged terrain. .

Stone Glacier, the newest brand in Vista Outdoor’s expansive portfolio, is proud to tout the Chilkoot 32º quilt, a sleep system that’s highly packable, lightweight, and designed for early-to mid-season backcountry hunts. With a focus on warmth-to-weight ratio, the Chilkoot 32° quilt utilizes industry-leading materials to achieve an overall weight and temperature rating that is second to none. When space, weight, and warmth are critical, the Chilkoot 32º should be in your hunting pack. .

Drop us an email to learn more about Vista Outdoor and our brands. And look for deeper dives on big changes happening at the company—the upcoming separation and new M&A announcements—plus updated brand news in future installments of ���ϳԹ��� Business Journal’s Partnership Program. Media Contact: Eric Smith: 901-573-9156, media.relations@vistaoutdoor.com

About Vista Outdoor Inc.

Vista Outdoor (NYSE: VSTO) is the parent company of more than three dozen renowned brands that design, manufacture and market sporting and outdoor products. We serve a broad and diverse range of consumers around the globe, including outdoor enthusiasts, golfers, cyclists, backyard grillers, campers, hunters, recreational shooters, athletes, as well as law enforcement and military professionals. Vista Outdoor products are sold at leading retailers and distributors across North America and worldwide. For news and information, visit our website at .

The post What’s New at CamelBak, Bell, Giro, QuietKat, and Other Vista Outdoor Brands? appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

In case you weren’t paying attention, all is not as it once was in the outdoor industry. Supply chain snafus, an increasingly dire climate outlook, throngs of newly minted outdoor adventurers, flagging tradeshow attendance, and media consolidation are all rapidly changing the landscape in our space. Each of these issues impacts the calculus of who brands market to, how often they communicate (hint: always), and the means of communication.

At WH inc., our work is to figure out how these local, national, and global issues impact your business. Our services don’t take place in isolation, but rather operate according to global conditions and trends—whether that means filling editorial and design gaps with our ; producing brand experiences that integrate sales, influencers, media, and content production; or steering clients through the evolving affiliate and pay-to-play media market. ��

We’re a potent team of PR pros, marketers, creatives, social strategists, and experiential experts partnering with brands who seek to connect with active lifestyle and outdoor consumers. Based in Seattle, Washington, with the Pacific Northwest as our backyard, we believe that passion and experience in the activities our brands support gives us an unparalleled edge in our work. Ultimately, our duty is to be our clients’ most trusted resource—a liaison between brands, influencers, and the consumers who buy the gear and experiences our brands create.

We’ve worked with for 21 years, grown with as they became a global powerhouse of brands, helped usher the�� brand from Pacific Northwest logging camps to the streets of New York City, and assisted and as they navigated the rapid expansion of vehicle-based adventure in the overlanding category.

Our ask for those joining us on this ride is to think creatively, be bold, and take risks in presenting your brand to the world. Our ideas and expertise are only as impactful as our clients’ willingness to be courageous, whether through design, experiences, or communications. ��

If you’re interested in joining us on this journey, please reach out and .����

The post Need Better, Bolder Marketing Communications? appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

Our parent company, ���ϳԹ��� Inc., this week launched , a new initiative that enables the company’s audience of 80 million outdoor enthusiasts to donate directly to 14 diverse nonprofit partners. “We know that our audience comes to us every day for advice on gear, trips, skills, recipes, and more,” said CEO Robin Thurston. “We’re excited to guide them to charities that align with their passions and deserve their financial support.”��

Users can search the platform according to areas of interest, learn about each of the 14 organizations, and donate in a few clicks. All of the donations go directly into the nonprofit’s bank accounts.

Spanning seven categories (hiking and camping, cycling, running, winter sports, climbing, healthy living, and sustainability), the first cohort of partners includes the following organizations.

“There are so very many amazing nonprofits in the outdoor community,” said ���ϳԹ���’s head of sustainability and community partnerships, Kristin Hostetter. “In this first cohort, we chose to partner with organizations that we know well and that share our focus on sustainability, climate action, and increasing diverse participation in the outdoors.” Hostetter said that ���ϳԹ��� intends to add more partners in the future and get creative on ways to deepen each partnership.

More Community Support Through NFTs

���ϳԹ��� will also launch an NFT Marketplace later this month, part of what it calls the —a metaverse alternative that aims to offer ���ϳԹ��� readers new ways to discover storytelling, connect with each other, and build a more sustainable future for outdoor media. The sale of every new NFT on the marketplace will give back up to 20 percent of net proceeds to a group of launch partners that includes , , , , , and .��

“We’ve partnered with some incredible creators with aligned values of getting everyone outside—Jack Johnson, Chris Burkard, Sasha DiGiulian, Malik Martin, Brittany Pierre, and Irene Yee,” said Christopher Jerard, VP of ���ϳԹ��� Creator Studio. “We can’t wait to bring their visions to life in Web3 and give back to nonprofits that support their missions, and ours, in the process.”

Said Burkard, the well-known photographer and outdoor athlete, “I’m really excited about embarking on this new adventure into the Outerverse with ���ϳԹ���. The fact that they’ve incorporated a nonprofit giveback into the program is significant and I can’t wait to see where the journey takes us.”��

“The mission of getting everyone outside aligns with everything I’ve done, and want to do, in my professional career,” said DiGiulian. “Working on this new creator marketplace is an adventure I’m excited to be a part of.”

Thurston, looking ahead to the next phase of ���ϳԹ���’s trajectory, sees plenty of bright and exciting times ahead. “We’re striving to build digitally enhanced communities and experiences that encourage more people�� to get outside, while rewarding our creators and nonprofit partners,” he said. “Our Web3 technologies are built on a highly energy efficient blockchain to minimize environmental impact. We have neutralized the carbon impact of every transaction, and a portion of all profits goes back to organizations that support sustainability, access, and inclusion in the outdoors.”

The post ���ϳԹ��� Inc. Launches New Programs Aimed at Giving Back appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

On June 1, Best Day Brewing, the brand bringing great craft beer taste and a heavy dose of adventure to the booming non-alcoholic beer market, announced expanded distribution into Oregon.��

“With our brand being born from the outdoor lifestyle, Oregon was an organic next step for us, as it’s home to so much natural beauty and opportunity for adventure,” said Best Day Brewing founder and CEO Tate Huffard. “In taking an incredibly precise approach to our brand growth, we felt that Oregon fits so seamlessly with Best Day Brewing and we are excited about the expansion.”

Best Day Brewing, distributed by, can now be found in Whole Foods and Mac Market in Oregon, with more locations to come.��

“This is an exciting new territory for us,” said the brand’s director of sales, Freddy Goepel. “We are thrilled to be in good company with so many great local Oregon breweries and to be working with a company like Maletis, who has generations of incredible experience in the industry.”

Founded in 2021, Best Day Brewing believes that life is chock full of great moments that deserve to be enjoyed without being slowed down. Committed to create a true craft-style beer, Best Day Brewing utilizes proprietary technology to slowly remove the alcohol so that no flavor is sacrificed. Best Day Brewing is inspired by those who get out and enjoy the world around us—the surfers, the farmers, the hikers, the skiers, the bikers—and strives to provide them with a beer that pairs with whichever adventure they’re embarking on.����

Best Day Brewing’s current product line includes the Kolsch and West Coast IPA. In addition to this new distribution, the entire line is available for nationwide shipping on BestDayBrewing.com and in select retail locations in California and Colorado. Follow @bestdaybrewing on Instagram for the latest brand updates. For sales inquiries, please reach out to Freddy Goepel: freddy@bestdaybrewing.com.

The post Best Day Brewing Launches in Oregon appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

In the early days, there was no gathering place for the outdoor industry. In fact, there was no outdoor industry. There was no trade association and no trade show.

The “outdoor industry” as we know it today was born in the ’60s out of the post-World War II economic boom. This was an era when many Americans had leisure time and discretionary income, and wanted to explore wild places. Some call this period the ‘Back to Nature’ movement, coinciding with cultural trends in art, film, music, and a growing environmental awareness. The gear used back then was mostly Army-Navy surplus gear that was sturdy enough but not friendly for venturing deeper, higher, and further into the outdoors. Early pioneers of higher-quality gear catered to rich adventure seekers climbing and skiing the high mountains. L.L. Bean, Holubar, Eddie Bauer, and REI were early suppliers of mountaineering equipment.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s, companies like The North Face, Chouinard Equipment, Patagonia, Jansport, EMS, ���ϳԹ��� 16, and Kelty started innovating gear that helped people go deeper into the outdoors.

Super Show Era: Late ’60s through Early ’80s

Eventually, these outdoor companies started attending an annual tradeshow called the Super Show. Based in Chicago, the Super Show was everything sports related. This was our industry’s first experience with tradeshows; we were blended into the sporting-goods world, a generalization that eventually became cumbersome and illogical—outdoor buyers had to hunt and peck for outdoor gear among basketballs, jockstraps, and aisles of irrelevant products.

Efficient Order-Writing Era: Early ’80s to Early 2000s

In 1981, Action Sports Retailer opened its doors with Outdoor Retailer following suit the year after. These shows represented an era of efficiency in order writing. For three days, a retailer could meet with several dozen of the top brands and write many of their orders for the coming year. Some brands, including Prana and Arc’teryx in the early days, were only available for order writing at tradeshows. Retailers could replace weeks of individual brand visits, meet with the hottest new companies, and write the bulk of their orders in a single three-day trip.

In 1989, Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America was founded and eventually evolved into Outdoor Industry Association, the industry’s first official trade group. What started off as a band of entrepreneurial companies was becoming an industry.

Conventional Show Era: Early 2000s to 2020

As the internet arrived, retailers no longer needed face-to-face meetings to place orders. This is when the value proposition of tradeshows changed from sales-driven to marketing-driven. Events like Grassroots Connect and regional rep shows maintained their purpose as order-writing shows, while discovery, networking, and trend spotting happened at national events. This also marked the period when shows grew the fastest.

This new marketing value proposition encouraged brands to go bigger and louder with their exhibits; booth sizes expanded to attract the attention of investors, competitors, buyers, and media. The shows became a place where brands demonstrated their business strength and cool factor to the broader market. This was very different from the previous era, in which booths were designed for maximum efficiency for line presentations with retailers. Pipe and drape was replaced with custom lighting trusses and CAD-designed modular builds. Booths sometimes cost upwards of six figures, even though they were pulled out of storage just twice a year and usually replaced every couple of years, as messaging and colorways changed.

The Present: Post-Pandemic Reevaluation

The last two years have taught us that, at least in the short term, outdoor companies can drive sales and marketing with few or no in-person events. During this period of reflection (and booming sales across categories), many companies have reevaluated whether they actually need tradeshows. But as this evolution takes place, one thing is becoming clear: our industry still wants to gather, we just want to do it differently than before.

We’ve learned that the conventional model no longer serves the industry; it’s expensive, wasteful, doesn’t work for the retailer, and doesn’t connect with outdoor professionals in an authentic way.

represents a dramatic departure from the conventional model; we want to deliver a retailer-centric event at an amazing value to exhibitors that captures the spirit of outdoor culture. We have deep experience in producing meaningful outdoor events. As current and former retailers, we know how to drive value for the retail audience. As a small but mighty team of outdoor industry players, we bring authenticity to every touch point of the show experience. We’re still learning a lot, too; as this new show model gains attention and traction in the broader, more inclusive outdoor-recreation scene, we remain nimble and we’re always listening closely to what our community wants.

Our value proposition as a show is simple. First, we’re focused on specialty retailers. Second, we break down the old categorical silos between bike, outdoor, paddle, and motorized. Last, we deliver maximum value with a new financial equation that emphasizes people—and the gear that gets people outdoors.

The Future: Focus, Format, Flexibility (and Less Fluorescent Lighting)

Focus is the key for future events. Being all things to all customers isn’t a successful business model. Outdoor business is too broad for everything to happen under one roof and most organizations simply can’t get all their business done at one show. We believe that, in the future, outdoor companies will attend more events focused on particular needs.

Some of these events will have a hyper-focused value proposition, some will be consumer events, some will be trade-only, and others will belong to a new blended category that we call B2Both. Curation will be key, and with more show models to choose from, more sophisticated ROI measures will evolve.

Changes in the show landscape will continue as the new value of face-to-face emerges. Brands are already investing in mobile showrooms and popup vehicles that can be used year-round and serve as booth, meeting space, billboard, and key-account relationship driver all in one. Booth sizes will shrink by going outside, and they will generate less waste, both in cost and in environmental footprint.

Flexibility will be the new norm. Events need to be ready to pivot quickly in response to consumer needs, trends, and regulatory changes. What we saw during COVID won’t stop, and conventional shows that are stuck in an inflexible model won’t be able to adapt to the changing needs of the market.

To learn more about The Big Gear Show, head to . For outdoor exhibitor-related questions, contact: kenji@thebiggearshow.com. For paddle exhibitor-related questions, contact: sara@thebiggearshow.com. For bike exhibitor-related questions, contact: lance@thebiggearshow.com. For retailer-related questions, contact: dave@thebiggearshow.com.

The post A Look at the Past, Present, and Future of Outdoor Industry Trade Shows appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.

, a new venture studio backed by (Parent company of The North Face, Smartwool, Vans, Timberland, Icebreaker, and more), has launched their and are looking for passionate entrepreneurs and entrepreneurially-minded individuals who have visionary startup ideas focused on active lifestyles and mental health.����

VF Venture Foundry aims to help launch new businesses for the betterment of people and the planet. Leveraging VF Corporation’s deep industry knowledge and the team’s experience across startups, investing, and human centered design, the VF Venture Foundry works with entrepreneurs to create digitally-based startups that connect people with the outdoors, improve mental health, and promote active lifestyles. The Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge they are running this spring will focus on two areas in the wellness space:

• Personal Peak: our vision is to enable consumers, from elite athletes to those just beginning their active lifestyle journeys, to achieve a lifetime of personal performance and health peaks, regardless of age or ability.��
• Mental Reset: life can be hard, chaotic, and stressful. We are often over-teched, overwhelmed, and overworked and don’t take the time necessary to care for ourselves. We want to help people achieve a more peaceful, thoughtful, and happy life.����

Winners of the challenge become VF Venture Foundry Fellows and will collaborate with the team part-time for one to two months to further shape and improve upon their idea. At the end of the Fellowship, the top ideas and entrepreneurs will be considered for VF Venture Foundry’s full-time Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EiR) program to turn these ideas into new businesses that will transform the wellness industry. Applications for the Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge are open until April 25.�� You can learn more about VF Venture Foundry, the challenge, and how to apply .

The post VF Venture Foundry Launches ‘Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge’ Focused on Wellness appeared first on ���ϳԹ��� Online.