If you attended Outdoor Retailer Winter Market this year, you know that it was a great show that epitomized the industry’s resilience and hope. Many long-time exhibitors were there along side many new exhibitors launching their products OR.
Despite the huge amounts of preparation that goes into each OR show, SOAR, like the rest of the OR operations staff, doesn’t have time to rest on its laurels when the show is happening in the Salt Palace.
We start before day one managing the periphery of the show to make sure only qualified media get badges and that their press needs are me once they’re inside. We help journalists work around the show director’s very busy schedule and step in as spokespersons when needed. We get up at 4:30 a.m to coordinate early morning shows on the floor, with hair brushed and smiles on our faces. On occasion, we double as models for exhibitors’ product, feeling a little embarrassed and mostly excited when attendees point and ask “Weren’t you on T.V. this morning?” We get a little jealous when attendees ask us about the discounted lift tickets they can purchases with their OR badges, not sure of the next time we’ll be able to hit the slopes.
Though we don’t do as many laps around the show floor as most retailers, the 12-hour day catches up with us once it’s time to party with the industry. Still, we party on. The Woolrich Fashion show made us want to dance (we may have acted on that impulse) and industry’s enthusiasm over the Canada Goose Cup was super fun to watch. We talked to Pam Theodosakis about Prana’s hockey win the next morning as we prepped her to speak about Project OR on camera with a local TV studio.
Of course, between these appointments we are writing like crazy so we can keep media in the loop about the news of the show. We each manage to get away for a few moments, though, to admire amazing new products on the show floor, talk with exhibitors and see how the Project OR designs are developing.
Even though there is still snow still on the ground and in the mountains, we’re shifting our attention to Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, running August 2-3, 2010. Even more exciting times for SOAR and the outdoor industry are on the horizon.
Here’s to warmer weather and more hot products!
Credit Matthew McDermott
Outdoor Retailer ended in late January on a high note with both industry attendance and optimism up from winter 2009. In the midst of writing orders and thinking about upcoming selling seasons, though, the industry as initiated dozens of efforts to provide relief for Haiti after its devastating earthquake.
Manufacturers across the Winter Market show floor offered product to an industry Haitian relief effort coordinated by Terramar, Sierra Trading Post & Eric Larsen. The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) also partnered with Americares to get first aid kits, water purification systems, headlamps, tarps and hydration containers willing donated from manufacturers in the outdoor industry to Haitians in desperate need of essential supplies. (See below for more information on getting your product to Haiti via Sierra Trading Post and Americares).
In an industry that highly values authenticity and social responsibility, it’s no surprise that the outdoor industry mobilized so quickly to aid Haiti. It employs individuals with just as much strength and heart as the products it manufactures- prepared to be put to work at a moments notice. These qualities and others make SOAR super proud to be part of the outdoor industry.
In fact, we see these qualities in the outdoor industry year round. We associate with outdoor industry leaders that support advocacy groups and let their passion for their sport drive their compassion. SOAR has had some fun and rewarding opportunities to work on a pro-bono basis with non-profits like Bikes for Kids Utah and Trips for Kids. We get to see how much work goes into each event and initiative. Every donation, vote of confidence, re-tweet and sponsorship makes a difference.
Let’s all continue to heed OIA’s call for the industry to “dig deep” during this and every time of crisis and need.
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Click here to read about the partnerships forming in the outdoor industry to help Haiti.
To donate this urgently needed product/equipment contact Randy Weiss at Americares at (203) 658-9527 or rweiss@americares.org. All donations will be delivered by air and sea directly to the region by Americares.
Outdoor Retailer exhibitors are invited to donate show products to Haiti via Red Cross if it can arrive at Sierra Trading Post by FEBRUARY 8, 2010. All packages should be sent to Sierra Trading Post Robin Jahnke/Haiti 5121 Campstool Road Cheyenne, Wyoming 8200.
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The outdoor industry is abuzz on Twitter, contributing comments, queries and suggestions to all participating manufacturers, buyers, retailers, media and advocacy groups in the 2010 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market through the show’s aggregate feed, ORWinter. Since SOAR launched Outdoor Retailer into the Twittersphere for the 2009 Winter Market, the outdoor industry has channeled much of its conversation through the platforms the show has provided. Attendees and exhibitors getting ready to travel to Salt Lake are using #ORWinter in their Tweets about the show to create dialogues and relationships before they even step foot into the Salt Palace. They can also follow ORShowLive to keep up with OR-specific event announcements that will help them make the most of their time at the show.
The ORWinter conversation will continue throughout the show as attendees Tweet about the new products they’re seeing, the people they’re meeting and the industry events they’re enjoying. Outdoor Retailer sponsor Channel Signal will display these conversations, too, on four 50-inch screens strategically placed around the show.
They’ll toggle between the ORWinter Twitter feed and the top five mentioned exhibiting OR brands. Look for them while you’re there. It will be convincing visual evidence of how social media permeates even the outdoor industry and a reflection of how fast the conversation can shift, especially when there are thousands of people participating.
Next to the monitors will be a directory of 200 exhibitors on Twitter.
If you’re interested in attending the show, January 21-24, please register at outdoorretailer.com. See you there!
Tags: Outdoor Retailer, SOAR Communications
Yeserday the season’s first snowflakes fell around SOAR’s office near Salt Lake City. We’re ready for the slopes and powder that await us (see image below)! Winter is something to look forward to in the state with the greatest snow on Earth, and here’s why:
- 13 ski resorts, most which are less than 40 miles from Salt Lake City
- Nearly 400 inches average annual snowfall at the resorts
- Nearly 27,000 skiable acres
- More than 1,100 ski runs
- Snowboarding allowed at 11 out of the 13 resorts
Ski (or snowboard) on!
Information gathered using information from SkiUtah’s 2009-2010 Utah Resort Facts
Tags: First Snow, SkiUtah
SOAR Communications is in no danger of being overtaken by a tsunami, with thousands of miles east and 4,000 feet above the California coast. Still, in this world of unpredictable weather patterns, knowing how to survive a tsunami could be an important life skill. Here are some tips I’ve summarized from Beverly Goodman, PhD., geoarchaeologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Damon Tabor used her as one of his sources in his National Geographic Adventurer article on tsunami preparedness.
- If you live less than 25 feet above sea level or within one mile of the shore, map out an evacuation plan.
- Sign up for early alerts text messaging from the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning center.
- Make a “grab-n-go” survival kit readily available.
- Quickly make your way inland to high ground if you see the ocean water dramatically recede.
- Find shelter in a concrete building no less than 10 feet tall.
- If you get caught in the wave, swim hard, keep your legs up and get out of the water asap.
You can read Tabor’s article on tsunami preparedness in the August/September issue of National Geographic Adventurer or find it at adventurer.nationalgeographic.com.
Tags: coast, disaster, survival, Weather
I contributed an article about cycling in SLC to Momentum Magazine’s September issue. Interested in reading it? You can find it here:
http://www.momentumplanet.com/cities/cycling-salt-lake-city
Mayor Ralph Becker at the 2008 Bike Bonanza
Our "Best Of Utah" Route
I was skeptical moving away from my California paradise to the arid and hot and cold Utah desert. But this red rock, Wasatch state has proven itself in the year that I have lived here. This past weekend Utah re-wowed me as I spent three days taking my parents up and down Eastern Utah for their first visit. You could call it a “best of trip,” starting with mole at Salt Lake’s Red Iguana (killer Mexican food, really). The folks had fun with the Utah altitude hiking up to the Timpanogos Caves, driving through Castle County to Arches National Park, seeing Delicate Arch that graces the Utah license plate, riding the chair lift at Sundance and poking around art galleries in Park City.
And there are several bests we didn’t have time to do, like float down the Provo River, make our way through slot canyons, eat Navajo Tacos, snow skiing or sleep under the stars.
So, I’m living proof that you can drive nearly 600 miles in one weekend with your parents and finish the trip happy…as long as you have a group of adventurous spirits and an amazing state like Utah to tour.
Tags: Moab, Salt Lake City, Timp, Utah
Slovenian wears its MTB-friendliness on its flag of independence and on the Pohorje Mountains in Maribor, Slovenia, the host city of last-weekend’s MTB World Cup race.
You can check out footage of the Maribor event on YouTube. If you love Slovenia like I do, you won’t be able to help but cheer when you see the clip of the Slovenian flag.
A recent Mountain Bike Action article called Maribor “one of the friendliest and most intimate stops” for the Mountain Bike World Cup. The Cup’s two-year hiatus from Maribor didn’t stop passionate and rowdy Slovenes from turning out to cheer on the riders racing down “the sunny side of the Alps” June 20 and 21.
Slovenia and its people somewhat embody the hardcore spirit of mountain biking. Being a small country (population 2 million) at a geographical and cultural crossroads has made Slovenia susceptible foreign occupation multiple times in the past several centuries. Still, Slovenes are strong and proud people with a very distinct cultural heritage- a heritage worth fighting for. And they did fight for it, gaining their political independence from the Soviet Union 18 years ago tomorrow, June 25.
Vse Dan Državnosti, lepa Slovenija! Na Zdravje (Cheers)!
Goblin Valley with castle formation in the distance.
Standing in Goblin Valley is a bit eerie. If you get there before 9 a.m., it is easy to feel that you are the only non-petrified person around for a hundred miles. You feel even more alone at standing edge of the valley’s precipitous cliff staring into the flat desert land ahead that starkly contrasts the enormous and stout goblin formations surrounding you. I had a lot of fun maneuvering my way through the maze of goblins last weekend. I suggest you include it in your trip itinerary if you’re headed to Moab or Lake Powell.
While attending the first annual Salt Lake Bicycle Summit this weekend, I had the chance to meet the fabulous Tara Mckee, organizer of the 2009 Cycle Style Show-Salt Lake City.
The Cycle Style Show is a local outdoor fashion show that will show off functional and fashionable commuter cycling clothing and accessories (see preview here), in action, on some really cool commuter-friendly bikes.
Whether attendees currently commute into town for work, to shop, to hang with friends or (gasp!) do not ride a bike at all, this show is sure to inspire folks to dust off the bikes in their garage and get out on a bike this summer.
The Cycle Style Show is Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Gallivan Center in SLC. Hope to see you there!
Courtney enjoys the signs of Spring on the Electra Amsterdam with the tulip design
Tags: bike fahion show, bike fashion, Bike Month, cycle style show, family event, Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah Bike Month
