Gear Junkie Giveaway

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Our favorite gear tester extraordinaire, Mr. Stephen Regenold, aka The Gear Junkie, has a a pretty damn sweet contest running on his site right now. Simply submit your name and you’re entered to win one of five all- expenses paid REI group adventure trips for you and a friend, plus a sh**pile of free gear.

1. Mount Washington Winter Climb
2. Sequoia Winter Mountaineering Clinic
3. Yosemite Snowshoe Trip
4. Ice Climbing Basics in New Hampshire
5. White Mountains Hut-to-Hut Snowshoe
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Pretty sweet. As they saw in this election season, vote early and often. Enter here.
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Fact or Fiction: Backbone truths, near truths and not exactly the truth.

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Dennis Lewon to head up new Glamping Magazine

Word on the street is that Dennis Lewon may leave his post at Backpacker to head up the recently launched Glamping magazine. Glamping is a form of glamorous camping as reported on in the USA Today, ABC News and the LA Times. Dennis was quoted saying, “I have always considered camping sort of glamorous and over the years have grown sick of sleeping on the ground.”

Perhaps the best SWAG ever

Swag is loved and disdained. It has been described by one infamous gear editor as “a river that flows through my office.” So, who might be qualified to rate swag as the best ever? How about a PR person – Nate Simmons, who has experience giving out over a decades worth of swag. In an unequivocal statement today Mr.Simmons exclaimed, “this is the greatest swag I have ever received, ever.”

The object of his affection?

BD’s new Custom telemark boots.

Comfy enough for all day wear

Comfy enough for all day wear

Posted in: Client News, Outdoor Industry News, Skiing \ Tagged: , ,

Beijing Olympics VS. Outdoor Retailer

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I don’t know how fencing works, I have no idea why on earth there is synchronized diving and the fact that rhythmic gymnastics (Will Ferrell dancing with a ribbon in Old School) is still a part of the games completely baffles me. As a youngster in Kansas, I so looked forward to the Olympics, especially the opening ceremonies, which we would always watch as a family.

This summer, I cast them off as a waste of time and during the first week of the games, attended Outdoor Retailer instead. A similar concept of international sports discussions, new technology and clever advertising, but on a much smaller scale. It occurred to me the other night after a long day at OR, while having been sucked in to the men’s swimming finals that the two events are, in fact, quite similar. Continue Reading →

Posted in: Musings, Outdoor Industry News

Conservation Alliance Launches Social Networking Community

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From the Conservation Alliance website- Click here for Full Press Release– The Conservation Alliance will launch a new initiative called ConservationNEXT, which is designed to give individuals in the outdoor industry the opportunity to engage with Conservation Alliance grantees, and provide a place to connect with each other on-line. The ConservationNEXT site will officially go live on August 8, 2008 at the Outdoor Retailer show.

Conservationnext.com will be the focal point of the Alliance’s effort to encourage individual involvement in conservation efforts. Conservation NEXT was inspired by a challenge posed by writer Terry Tempest Williams, who spoke at a Conservation Alliance event in 2007. She asked all members of the crowd to consider, “What are you doing to continue the legacy of conservation?” A group of five committed people answered Williams’ call to action, and founded ConservationNext, dedicated to creating the next generation of environmental stewards.

“ConservationNEXT will let us build a community of people within the outdoor industry who want to become more actively involved in the work of The Conservation Alliance and our grantees,” said John Sterling, Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance. “This is a beautiful example of how a small group of passionate advocates can widen the concern of their hearts in the name of all that is wild,” said Williams after hearing about the response to her challenge. “The next generation of leaders is now ConservationNEXT. They inspire me and I know they will inspire others. I cannot wait to see how they will take their concerns and put them into creative actions on behalf of America’s wildlands.”

Posted in: Environment, Outdoor Industry News