Outdoor Retailer: Day 3 - Women Who Dare

In a quiet meeting room at the Marriott across the street from the high paced energy of the trade show floor, I found myself in the presence of 5 climbing legends. This was not your ordinary gathering of climbing greats, it was better. The 5 athletes sitting in the front of the room represented decades of experience, record breaking ascents, pioneers in the sport, successful examples of leadership, and they were all women.

Kitty Calhoun, Lynn Hill, Kate Rutherford, Brittany Griffith, Angie Payne and Deanne Buck. (L-R)

When planning my schedule for Outdoor Retailer (OR), this event had come on my radar from the Outdoor industries Women's Coalition (OIWC). The event was described as follows:

Join OIWC and a panel of elite female climbers to discuss the qualities of great leaders- both in climbing and in business. You will also have the opportunity to meet Chris Noble, author of 'Women Who Dare.' 

OIWC executive director, Deanne Buck, will moderate with panelists Kate Rutherford, Angie Payne, Brittany Griffith and Kitty Calhoun. [Lynn Hill was on the panel as well]. The panel will discuss Centered Leadership - a theme OIWC has been focused on this year and that is tied in to a McKinsey Report on successful women leaders and the qualities they embody. Their model ties in very well to traits climbers naturally embrace and cultivate. A couple of the themes that might be included in this panel include how successful leaders find meaning in their work or how they manage energy to build to success.

Inspiring athletes, legends in their fields of expertise offering leadership and business advice... aren't opportunities like this one of the main reasons to attend a trade show like OR?

The answer is, yes!

The conversation easily flowed covering leadership, communication, success, failure, fear and courage and how these relate to life, athletics, careers and goals. Each woman drew upon her personal experiences as a climber to provide valuable insights into leadership, pursuing a non-traditional path, the roles of fear and failure in finding success, and the importance of supporting and being supported by those around you. 

Over the past couple of weeks since returning home from OR I often find myself thinking about this conversation, finding inspiration in things they said, remembering lessons from stories told, and sharing these bits of wisdom with women I know.

I am finding the courage to go after the things I really want. Trusting what feels right. Breaking things down into pieces to get to my goal. Remembering to keep trying and working on the project when it doesn't go as I planned... both at the crag and at my desk.

A big thanks to Kitty Calhoun, Lynn Hill, Kate Rutherford, Brittany Griffith, Angie Payne for being Women Who Dare and OIWC for putting the event together.

Book signing of 'Women Who Dare'

The women of 'Women Who Dare'

Outdoor Retailer: Day 2 - 3 Things To Check Out

Summer OR is so big that it overflows into over a huge area across the street from the Salt Palace with 3 giant tents, two outdoor water tanks (one for flyfishing and one for paddling) and a tailgating area.  And this is in addition to filling all of Salt Palace as it does in the winter. The Pavilions tend to house the newer and sometimes smaller companies. Here are 3 things that caught my eye and I am looking forward to trying.

Aquabot by Lunatec: Designed and created in San Diego, CA this addition to your water bottle came from the desire to stop wasting the precious water you have just took the time to filter when camping. The cap turns your existing Nalgene or Camelbak bottle into a pressurized super soaker with 3 settings: jet, shower or mist. It allows you to drink from an upright bottle without sucking or tipping, wash dirt off things with a high pressure spray or cool off with a mist function. Sound cool? It is. They currently have a Kickstarter campaign going and you can be first in line for your Aquabot when they come out this fall.

Scrubba Wash Bag, MSRP $54.95: Basically there is not longer an excuse to be a dirty stinky backpacker or traveler. The Scrubba Bag allows you a solution to efficiently and effectively wash and clean your clothes when on the go. 

Dogger Jogger, MSRP $48: Need to get exercise your high energy pup and would love to take them on a bike ride with you? We have all see the people riding their bikes while holding the leash... crazy! Or the contraptions that have them attached hands free to your seat post... seems like a difference in opinion of which way to go will bring you both down. Bill, the inventor, wanted a safer alternative and created the Dogger Jogger.  Check out this new safe way to take a ride with your four legged best friend. How does it work? 

Outdoor Retailer: Day 1 - Inspired

Amidst all the cool new products and overwhelming amount of outdoor gear, clothes, and business being done, what really stood out today was how much "good" is happening at this trade show. Some of my favorite non-profits American Hiking Society, Outdoor Industry Women's Coalition (OIWC), the Sierra Club, and many others are at the show working on partnerships and bringing awareness to the amazing work that they do.

There are also a lot of companies out there already supporting these types of groups and issues that are so important to the outdoors. Starting at 4 pm each night different companies host Happy Hours as benefits to various groups. Among these, Black Diamond hosted a Happy Hour and book signing of Women Who Dare by Chris Noble to support OIWC. After the show was over we were invited to an event hosted by Klean Kanteen celebrating their 10 yr anniversary. This company was founded on the premise that they wanted to make a change and in the past 10 years have given back 1 million dollars to support great groups and causes such as 1% For the Planet,  5 Gyres, American Hiking Society, and Outdoor Afro to name a few. Think about that a company so committed to the environment and the outdoors that they are willing to donate 1 million of their profits to support what they believe in.

Serious inspiration everywhere. And to close out the show I was able to meet another person who is really trying to make a difference and bring awareness to global issues through his photography, Corey Richards.

Sometimes it is not about the coolest new gadgets.

Looking Back @ my 2nd OR Daily Assignment

My OR Daily assignment for the day: "Question of the Day."

In honor of the U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell's keynote speech, "The Future of Recreation, Conversation and Youth Engagement" at the OIA Industry Breakfast on Day 1 of  the show, I was tasked to ask show attendees; "As U.S. Secretary of the Interior, what issue should Sally Jewell tackle next?"

Although this seems like a straight forward question it was one that people were not prepared to answer first thing in the morning on the first day of the show. I did meet a lot of nice and interesting people, some of whom were kind enough to answer the question. My photos and quotes that I collected can be found on page 16 of the Day 2 OR Daily. A digital version can be found here."

This was a really fun assignment and getting to see your work in print makes all the hard work worth it!

The Life of a Backpacker Reader Reporter…

The Life of a Backpacker Reader Reporter at the worlds coolest outdoor show. For those that don't know I was chosen to be part of the 4 member Backpacker Magazine Reader Reporter Team for the 2014 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show, an updated . This means we are at the show helping the editorial staff for Backpacker Magazine and the OR Daily (the trade show publication they produce each day of the show).

Upon arrival we were surprised by an awesome welcome package!!!

A new Fall14 day pack by Osprey, Keen Dry Trail Runners, an Icebreaker Baselayer (my FAVE!), socks-socks & more socks!, snacks, AVEX vacuum sealed tumblers and the latest Backpacker Magazine hot off the presses!

We also received a Montane pedometer and hat right before we left for the Mountain Demo Day (Day 0) which was awesome as I wanted to see how many steps I take each day. BTW - Day 0 total 6, 265!!!!

I was working with the OR Daily staff for my first day at the All Mountain Demo. My assignment for the day was finding people for the "People You Should Know" (page 84) article and international attendees for the "Global Affair" piece (page 79). The Day 1 edition can be found online at: http://www.snewsnet.com/trade-show/outdoor-retailer-daily-winter-market-14-day-1/

I am also posting show updates to Backpackers FB page and to the AdventurUs' Twitter & Instagram. Look for #brrt.

The Ultimate 10 Essentials from Outdoor Retailer Winter 2013

The "10 Essentials" are an established list of items that, in an emergency situation in the wilderness, you would be glad you had. This list is based on feedback from numerous people who had been in life threatening situations. One should always have these items in your pack whenever you step on or off the trail. There are MANY options for each of the categories and there is often not a right or wrong item. That being said, we here at the AdventurUs offices decided to keep our eyes peeled at Outdoor Retailer to find the best and coolest items to complete your "10 Essential Systems" list, with some style. 1) Navigation - We know there are many fancy new options out there, but we believe having solid map and compass navigation skills is important and therefore feel a manual compass is important. Our choice the SuuntoMC-2 global compass.

2) Illumination- The Goal Zero Solo, solar powered, compact flashlight, no need for concern over spare batteries. Just hook this guy to the back of your pack and charge as your go.

3) Sun Protection - Sun Bum Pro sunblock, 30 or 50 SPF. This all natural sun care product is non-greasy, non-migrating and recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation that caught our eye because of their great packaging. They also have chapstick in great flavors with SPF to protect your lips. Just as important as protecting your skin is protecting your eyes. We love Optic Nerve and chose their "Roger That" sunglasses to protect our eyes. They are ideal for snow travel having removable side shields and polarized lenses and have a price point that won't break the bank!

4) Nutrition - The hardest part of having these bars as an emergency product is that they are so yummy you will want to eat them! NOW energy bars are gluten free, all natural and loaded with Chia Seeds! All of the flavors were great, but the energy bars are top choice for calories and protein.

5) Hydration - We love the Vapur anti-bottle because it becomes super compact when empty, has an easy open lid when you wearing gloves and a drinking spout that won't spill all over you. At the show they unveiled their newest line which is a Vapur bottle with a slim filter built-in allowing you to collect and drink water safely from any source!

6) Insulation - The new Patagonia Nano Puff Hybrid is awesome, puffy and fleece, why choose when you can have the best of both worlds.

7) Fire - ReadyFuel Utility Flame and a Bic lighter, done! The cool fire starter gel lights easily, burns hot enough to boil water and leaves only sand residue behind. Stay tuned for a video with more about this cool product.

8) Emergency Shelter - Introducing the NEW Sol 2 person Emergency Bivy, for you and a friend or your gear, allows you to cuddle and keep warm, and is the size of a Red Bull can. TINY! Is this too big? :) Then you can get even smaller with the 1 person Sol Emergency Bivy.

2 Person 1 person

9) Repair Kit and Tools - We wanted to highlight the ultimate multi-tool that we found. We talked to the rep at the Wenger booth and after telling him what we were looking for he did not hesitate when recommending the Wenger EvoGrip S18 in Yellow. This knife had all the tools you need, great grip and the yellow make it hard to lose! The scissors are self sharpening and the S-version has a safety mechanism on the blade making it hard to chop your finger off when opening and closing it... very helpful.

10) First Aid - This may not be the smallest and lightest option, but the Day Tripper Mountain Series Medical Kit is well-organized and a complete package. Adventure Medical Kits has a full line of products ensuring that you will find a solution that works for you.

Winter OR a Success

The AdventurUs spent the last 3 days in Salt Lake City at the Winter Outdoor Retailer show. We walked and talked and walked some more! Stay tuned for our upcoming posts on the "Ultimate 10 Essential List", "Things We Covet", "Coolest Things that Fit in your Pocket!", "What the? aka The Double Take List". Can a sleeping bag fit in your pocket?  What could help you during a zombie apocalypse? Can you boil water and cook food with no fuel, fire or electricity?

We will answer these questions and more!