Backbone Media Returns to the Big Apple

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Twice a year, a critical mass of Backbone’s PR and media teams trade the Rocky Mountain corridor for skyscrapers, pavement pounding and a much wider array of cuisine. If you were in the NYC area last week and spotted a group of guys and gals rocking plaid, denim and athletic shoes, it was probably us – and no, we weren’t trying to pull off the Lumbersexual look.

Despite the rain mist, the event saw over 75 journalists, bloggers, photographers, stylists and publishers throughout the day. This showroom provided a platform for brands to reveal what is in the pipeline for fall and winter 2015. Fifteen brands were in attendance this year and covered a wide array of categories including fashion, active lifestyle, mountaineering gear, cycling, technology, deep-sea fishing apparel, and more.   Participants were Smartwool, Eddie Bauer, POC, Les 3 Valles, YETI Coolers, Polartec, Hoka One One, Vibram, American Pistachio Growers, Stio, Stower, Distiller’s List, Walls, Grundens and FluidStance.

This year we were lucky to have a hosted happy hour featuring fresh fish hor d’oeuvres from Grundens and premier cocktails from Distiller’s List.

For Eddie Bauer, last week in NYC was a double-header!  Following the Backbone Showroom, the brand held a launch reception for the new Eddie Bauer Limited Edition Collection by Ilaria Urbinati at Freemans Restaurant. A menswear line aimed at combining the heritage and original aesthetics of the brand with modern silhouettes and styling, the event targeted the who’s who of men’s design, fashion and style.

Attendees from GQ, Men’s Journal, Details, Conde Nast Traveler, Esquire, WSJ’s Off Duty, WWD, and many others made efforts to see the new collection. The notable celebrity stylist who has built her career ensuring the men of Hollywood are dressing the part, Urbinati’s long-time friend and client James Marsden stopped by to show his support of her line.

All in all, it was a busy week for Backbone in the city, and it never ceases to amaze us  with how tired you can get from walking around zero-pitch landscapes all day!

Until next time NYC,

Alison Nestel-Patt & Katie Wolitarsky

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Posted in: Backbone Adventures, New York Event, Outdoor Industry News

American Pistachio Growers Dinner with Jeremy Jones

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1479517_10152084647760530_214732620_nThe American Pistachio Growers (APG) hosted an intimate dinner with professional big mountain snowboarder and APG athlete ambassador Jeremy Jones last month in Boulder with leaders in snow sports media.

In an effort to tell a deeper story with active lifestyle media on the growing partnership between Jones and the American Pistachio Growers, the Backbone Media team worked with culinary experts at Frasca Food & Wine on Pearl Street to craft a pistachio themed evening full of great food and conversation.

Boulder continues to lead the country as a hub for active interest media. Frasca was the ideal venue to bring this community together with APG nutritionist Becci Twombley and Jeremy Jones for conversations regarding snow sports and nutrition. Courses including a raviolo with celery root, ricotta, black truffle and parmesan reggiano, capesante with scallop, cauliflower, blood orange and pistachio and finally crostata di fragile – a strawberry tarte with pistachio gelato.

University of Southern California nutritionist Becci Twombley spoke about modern sports nutrition – and the importance of pistachios – for winter sports athletes. Jeremy discussed his recent trip to Nepal and filming the third installment of his film trilogy with Teton Gravity Research. Jones stressed the importance of proper nutrition and his “recovery window” when he returns to base camp after extended periods filming in the most remote locations.

Twelve members of the media attended, representing titles such as Snowboard Magazine, Humber Sport, the Atlantic, the Associated Press, ESPN, Mountain Magazine, SKI/Skiing, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Outside Magazine and the Active Interest Media House. We were psyched to reconnect with old friends and make new acquaintances as well!

Becci Twombley & Jeremy Jones

Becci Twombley & Jeremy Jones

Sue Jotblad from American Pistachio Growers, Kim Beekman from SKI Magazine and Sharon Houghton from Active Interest Media

Sue Jotblad from American Pistachio Growers, Kim Beekman from SKI Magazine and Sharon Houghton from Active Interest Media

Doug Schniztspahn from Elevation Outdoors Magazine & Radha Marcum

Doug Schniztspahn from Elevation Outdoors Magazine & Radha Marcum

Marc Peruzzi from Mountain magazine & Jayme Moye

Marc Peruzzi from Mountain magazine & Jayme Moye

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Chris Thompson & Sam Bass from SKI Magazine/ Skiing Magazine and BackboneMedia's Amanda Boyle

Chris Thompson & Sam Bass from SKI Magazine/ Skiing Magazine and BackboneMedia’s Amanda Boyle

By: Amanda Boyle

Posted in: Client News, Colorado, Outdoor Industry News, Snowboarding, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , ,

What is Native Advertising?

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What’s all the talk about native advertising?

Dan Vaughan from Competitor Group explains native ads and the trend toward real time video.
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We were excited to share the Competitor Group POV following OR. That sparked a great conversation internally at Backbone. Below we’ve included our thoughts and an update:

“Native” comes in all shapes and sizes, when done right it is that perfect alignment of advertisers’ and publishers’ message. It should be seamless, and it should not be obvious. The voice between brand and content should be cohesive.  We think some of the following examples do this well, and others have a ways to go. It is up to you to decide what is going to be the best fit, and we invite responses and discussion regarding this emerging hot topic.

Backbone Associate Media Director Page Kelley recently put together some links native advertising to spur discussion within the media team. “Native” comes in a lot of shapes and sizes, so these kind of run the gambit. If you have additional comments or questions please feel free to reach out to Page at the link above.

  • The Yahoo! homepage recently launched native placements.  These placements are designed to look like any other article, but they are shaded in yellow to indicate that they are sponsored.
  • Wired and Olympus cameras:  this example is much more seamless and a less obvious integration.  Wired and Olympus partnered on their Spring Camp edit, which featured a variety of different products and content.  The catch was, all the photos used in the section were taken with an Olympus camera.  The banners within the section are no longer Olympus, but for a program like this, they would typically have 100% share of voice at the time of launch.  Their logo remains, as does the subtext below the fold that all photos were taken with Olympus.  This is a much more subtle approach to “native”/content integration.
  • Buzzfeed:  Probably the most widely referenced when it comes to native.  Just go to their homepage, and you will find (similar to Yahoo approach), sponsored stories shaded in yellow for brands from Slimfast to Virgin Mobile to Levis.  The idea here is for a brand to link themselves to highly shareable content that somehow ties to the messaging and personality they want to communicate.  i.e.:  Levis and creativity.
  • Afar:  This is an example of placement that doesn’t perfectly fit in the definition of “native” as easily as the above cases.  This is more about the actual banner placement, rather than the brand contributing to the content on the page.  Afar is able to take a standard 300×250 banner, and help it look like a piece of content within their site.  When the brand messaging aligns with what readers are already consuming, this can be highly effective.  Their homepage layoutis a great example of this tactic.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology, Uncategorized \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Big Idea Day | Summer OR Recap

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On July 30th, the day before the start of the Outdoor Retailer show, Backbone hosted its first-ever http://theygotodie.com/alfa.php Big Idea Day (BID). The concept behind BID was simple—bring together the most influential media outlets in the active lifestyle space and ask them to present their lens into the future of media, the outdoors and adventure. In a marathon of seven, one-hour sessions, Backbone met with Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, National Geographic, GearJunkie, Active Interest Media (Climbing, Backpacker, Ski, Skiing, etc), the Competitor Group (Velo, Triathlete, etc) and Mountain Magazine.

Backbone isn’t stopping there, and we already have plans to follow the same format with partners like Wired, ESPN, The Atlantic, Rodale, Demand Media, Google, Sports Illustrated and On the Snow to name a few. Below is a summary of what we learned. http://cyberblogue.com/xmrlpc.php  

Partnerships

  • Without question, publishers are eager and open to partner with brands in new and creative ways. Almost every media partner now offers video production capabilities. Many are building slick, customized branded content for big and small brands alike.
  • For example:
  • Brands used to rely on media to deliver audience and scale. Now, through social media, many brands have their own audience that rivals the reach of many media outlets. The unique value proposition media offers today is engaging content with third-party validation.
  • A buzzword for 2013, Native advertising is advertising that is done in a style or format that is indistinguishable from editorial. This means greater collaboration between brands and media.
  • Regardless of whether it’s the brand or the media partner delivering content must be authentic in order to be valued.

Content

  • While short stories, slide shows and lists like Buzzfeed delivers are driving a lot of digital content, there is still a demand for long-format journalism, especially if it incorporates multi-media elements and a beautiful presentation. For example this 5,500 word story on Outside.com is one of the most popular on the site right now. 

Urban, Fitness, Technology

  • Obstacle racing, Cross-Fit and exercise in general continues to be a major U.S. trend. In many cities, people are using social media to schedule large scale fitness meet ups – or fitness flash mobs.
  • Marketers need to point their ideas beyond the outdoor niche. Consumers are becoming more urban. How can we engage and excite this segment? Whether it’s running, yoga, or SUP—there are many urban adventures to be had. Several media partners offer popular urban outdoor events.
  • Bike commuting is exploding in the U.S. Cargo bikes are everywhere. Ally cat races, gran fondos and gravel grinders are proving to be popular alternatives to traditional road racing.
  • Half marathons continue to be the fastest growing race segment but the explosion of fad runs (color runs, rave runs, neon runs, zombie runs, etc.) is unmistakable.
  • No longer is it a debate of whether technology belongs outdoors. Fitness is changing along side technology with the introduction and increased usage of mobile apps like Strava and Map My Run.

Social — bridging the social conversation to reality 

  • Use and create local events to create a 1 to 1 relationship with consumers. Bring people with common interest together for an afternoon run, happy hour, scavenger hunt — something that fits your brand’s voice.
  • Scalability: Don’t cross your fingers and hope that people attending actually capture the moment with the right hashtag. Instead, make sure you have the right people and partners on the ground to capture the moment and distribute your branded content beyond the event.

Thank you for your interest in our Big Ideas. For more information please check out these posts:

 

Posted in: Case Study, Client News, Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology \ Tagged: , ,

Backbone Voted Top 100 Best Places to Work

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In the most recent issue of Outside, Backbone is listed as one of top 100 Best Places to Work alongside a few of our clients: Boa Technology, SmartWool, Horny Toad, and New Belgium Brewery. Here is what they had to say: view on outsidemag.com

Location: Carbondale, Colorado
Number of Employees: 31
Digs: Large open work spaces and a huge gear room stocked from floor to ceiling with the latest outdoor products from the 40-odd brands Backbone represents.
Culture: If you’re an elite skier, mountain-biker, climber, backpacker, runner, or fly-fisherman, but don’t quite have the inclination to go pro (and live a dirtbag existence), chances are you’ll fit right in. More often than not you’ll find employees working in running clothes or a bike kit after just returning for a lunchtime run or ride. Backbone has a standing rule that employees can ski (or cycle or fish) in the morning as long as they return to the office by mid-day to get their work done. And as media representatives for many of the most recognizable brands in the outdoor industry, employees also have access to outdoor gear that everyone is encouraged to demo (product research).
Sweet Perks: Yearly all-staff charges (Backbone staffers don’t “retreat”) —camping in the summer and backcountry skiing in the winter. Plus, there’s a kegerator stocked with New Belgium beer (one of the brands they represent) and a fleet of New Belgium cruisers to get around town.

We are thrilled to be a part of the roundup, and yes there are some incredible athletes under the Backbone roof, but working here is about way more than free gear and lunchtime bike rides. I polled the staff on their favorite things about Backbone on and off the clock. I created a bar graph to sum up the top responses.

That about sums it up. :-)

Beyond the obvious, our team had some more serious recommendations for why you should work here.
1) CLIENTS– My college professor used to say “A lemon is a lemon- no amount of glitter will help.” Nothing is better than good product. We are lucky to have clients who are constantly innovating and pushing the limits of what is available in the industry. They keep us on our toes, give us great stories to tell, and become friends off the clock as well. When you are talking about your clients every day, all day, this makes all the difference.
2) CROSS POLLINATION--(no not like that..) We manage social, PR, and media for our clients as well as doing a large amount of marketing consulting, and a range of other assorted consulting so there is always something new to learn to strengthen your personal skill set and mix things up.
3) BACKUP– There is always someone to cover you if clients need help and you are out of the office, on vacation, etc. so you can relax, turn your phone off and know that things are being handled.
4) GOOF FACTOR– some offices are serious and we are very serious about our work. We work our asses off in fact, but when you’re cranking on work and a bit stressed, this is one of the funniest groups of people you could hope to share an office with.
5) PROPS– We work hard and people notice- there are lots of high fives both inside and outside of our office for our hard-earned successes. Backbone generates over 2.5 billion impressions annually for our clients, we buy over $20 million in advertising annually, we have run over 30 social campaigns this year, and we manage a unique suite of services for over 50 industry leading brands in the active lifestyle, hook and bullet, travel, and beer markets. We are very proud of the reputation that we have built and stand behind the work that we do.

Thanks so much to Outside for recognizing us in this issue, we are going to go drink some Fat Tire, and play some ping pong to celebrate.

Posted in: Backbone Adventures, Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media

Who is Backbone Media?

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People ask us all the time “What exactly does Backbone do?”

It’s a legit question, as we offer custom services for each of the 35+ brands we represent with work far reaching beyond our PR, social/digital and media focus.

Looking beyond our defined scope of services we range from researching media plans and markets to creative concept and execution/management of branded experiences in FB and mobile apps. We build partnerships and help coordinate events, like the Sylvan Sport/Jordan Romero tour and participate in them when time allows as evidenced here at the recent Teva Mountain Games. Kudos to Ian Anderson and Sage Williams (Greg’s 10-year old daughter) for competing in the Bouldering Comp.

Ian takes Silver in between penning PRs (press releases not personal records)

We recently worked with Teton Gravity Research to launch the Co-Lab a $100K open source video contest, launched apps providing triple digit percentage gain in engagement for Ocean Kayak, SmartWool, New Belgium/Pandora, Redington and Snowmass/Instagram and as always kept the press flowing with releases and news from SNOCRU, Black Diamond, Eddie Bauer, MIPS, Big Agnes, La Sportiva, Horny Toad and others.

And coverage? Yes, blocking and tackling is what we do everyday – right after crossfit workouts and before mid-day bike rides, travel to NYC showrooms, sales meetings and R&D. Whether Inc.,  Oprah or Outside – it’s all in a days work.

BD athlete Angel Collinson in Outside Mag

So, “Who is Backbone?” No doubt, Backbone is defined by the acumen and quality of the people we hire. We’re proud to announce a number of new hires. Danielle Grivalsky comes to Backbone with previous experience from MRI, and as the Research Director from Men’s and Women’s Health (Rodale) for 12 years. Danielle will integrate with the media team bolstering research and planning.

Mike Shea joins the PR team from Ripple Media, an industry leader in on-mountain resort advertising. Mike is wicked fast on a bike and part of the shaved legs men’s club at Backbone. James Logan and Brian Kinslow, interns, are fulfilling critical support to our entire crew and working on ongoing research projects.

New business continues to roll in on the media side via collaboration with agencies such as Hammerquist on Taos, and on the PR side work with MIPS Sweden AB, brain protection systems, Avalanche Ranch and Crystal River Meats a Carbondale based healthier and more sustainable food source. Say what? No, we are not going all Zuck on you here – and only eating what we kill with our bare hands. Simply put, Crystal River Meats is all about serving the local economy and putting food on the table while respecting uncompromising land stewardship. It is a great local story that scales as Crystal River supplies meats to local restaurants, regional farmer’s markets, Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage.

With more exciting news waiting in the wings, we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming now.

See you out there.

Posted in: Client News, Interesting Read, Outdoor Industry News, Social Media, Technology

Showing My Best Side

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I’m new to the outdoor industry. My colleagues here at Backbone Media call me the FNG. Even Gary, our UPS guy, calls me the new guy because he hasn’t learned my name yet. For those of you who haven’t met me or don’t remember a time before golden Aspen leaves and dreams of endless face shots, here is a little background.

I’ve done PR and marketing for years but was recently reminded how tied together work and lifestyle can be. Take advertising, for example. When a brand wants to run an advertisement that includes people, they typically hire models and pay them handsomely.

So, when a buddy of mine from Ski.com asked me if I’d help him out by posing for a few photographs that might make it into an advertisement, I jumped at the chance. I pulled my ski gear out of storage and put it on in August. The heat was brutal but I sweat it out and braved the embarrassment of doing a photo shoot at a popular spot in Aspen. In the summer. In ski clothes. I looked like a real fool but figured that the payoff would be worth it.

Time passed and I forgot all about the embarrassment of the photo shoot and my buddy Dan never mentioned anything to me about it. But yesterday, an advance copy of the November issue of Outside arrived at the office and it was like Christmas around here. Everyone at the Backbone office scrambled to hold the issue and pore over the pages. I did the same and much to my surprise, I found a picture of myself gracing the pages. Only this time I was not being humiliated in an Aspen park wearing my ski gear in the middle of August. I was standing amongst beautiful snowy peaks choosing boxes off a supermarket shelf, determining which resort to visit this winter.

Ski.com Ad with CoryIt’s amazing what can be done with Photoshop. The ad came out beautifully and not only will it run in Outside but it’s also on Ski.com and will also appear in Freeskier, SnoWorld, and Mountain Magazine. The ad shows my best side so only I (and a few select friends, and colleagues, and oh, nevermind…) know that it’s me.

Needless to say, I didn’t get rich by modeling for Ski.com so I’ll stick to my day job at Backbone Media. Hopefully my status as the new guy is starting to fade and I’ll just become part of the crew.

Posted in: Outdoor Industry News, Skiing

Are you gonna party, OR are you gonna party?

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Since we are in countdown mode until this year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, and quite a few of our clients will be attending, and throwing bashes, we thought we would do a roundup of all the beer-drinkin’, beat-droppin’, boat racin’ events that we have going on. If you have additional events to include in this list, please add them in the comment section and we’ll update the post. See you in SLC!

TUESDAY, AUG. 3
9-10am — Free breakfast smoothies made fresh by the guys at Honey Stinger, booth 37153
1-2pm — Haagen Dazs ice cream at Polartec, booth 36059
4-6pm — Happy Hour hosted by Teva and Waterkeeper Alliance to benefit Save Our Gulf. Teva booth #7001
4-6pm – Keg at Polartec, booth 36059
4:30-5:30pm — Keg at SmartWool, booth #34111
4:30-???? – OR launch party and keg at Bamboo Bottle Company, booth #BR347

WEDNESDAY
9-10am — Free breakfast smoothies at Honey Stinger, booth 37153
1-2pm — Haagen Dazs ice cream at Polartec, booth 36059
4-6pm — Happy Hour to celebrate Teva Mountain Games and Teva’s new Gnarkosi, SUP giveaway, Teva booth #7001
4-6pm – Keg at Polartec, booth 36059
4-5pm — Jordan Romero, the youngest person to summit Mt Everest, hosts a slideshow and book signing at SOLE, booth 36037
4:30-5:30pm — Keg at SmartWool, booth #34111
7-9pm — Honey Stinger is sponsoring a showing of Race Across the Sky, the acclaimed film chronicling the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race, featuring Lance Armstrong, at Brewvies Cinema Pub.

9pm Teva’s Pair for a Foot launch party at Club Elevate, featuring Dilated Peoples


Here’s a teaser, they’re kind of a big deal.

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THURSDAY
9-10am — Free breakfast smoothies at Honey Stinger, booth 37153
1-2pm — Haagen Dazs ice cream at Polartec, booth 36059
4-6pm – Keg at Polartec, booth 36059
4-6pm — Teva Happy Hour, with head-to-head Boat Races (harness your inner college student) from 4-6pm at the booth, #7001
4:30-5:30pm — Keg at SmartWool, booth #3411

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

VholdR and ContourHD – exploding the myth of press release professionalism

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Fully armored and only 4.3 oz. Your phone weighs more than that.

In our little alternate universe here in Carbondale press releases follow a predetermined ebb and flow defined by brevity and succint facts. That’s kinda how a release needs to be delivered to our audience – they’re busy, and beside that, who really wants a barrage of exclamation-point saturated sophomoric drivel from overly-caffeinated, prone-to-fits-of-Daffy-Duck-like-enthusiasm 12-year-olds? I don’t…even though I pretty much am that coffee guzzling juvenile delinquent looney tune, I get those releases all the time from an overly bro’d-out bike industry guy in SoCal at least twice a week…and each and every time I need to restrain myself from calling him out on his egregious abuse of exclamation point protocol.

You WILL read the Verteblog...

You WILL read The Verteblog…

Yet sometimes, you need to let it out. This is one of those times. And since this is our blog and you’re here voluntarily (and arguably you are…unless you’re sweating through some sort of Kubrickian nightmare), we’re going to explore the full range and spectrum of human emotion as we reveal the latest addition to the Backbone client list. Or at least I am. In other words, I’m gonna let the stoke out.

You see, we just added VholdR to the roster. They make a series of unassumingly sexy high-definition video cameras, which stands along the review of the best motorcycle helmet cameras that you can mount (mind out of the gutter now) on your helmet, goggles, handlebar, boat, moto, street rod, top-fuel funny car or just about anything else you could imagine. The ContourHD 1080p units that we’ve been playing around with all come with a software suite called “Easy Edit” that allows for simple connectivity and the immediate commencement of “oohs” and “aahs” (or heckling as the case may be) from your colleagues, your friends or your mom.

The late, great Anne Ramsey

And if your mom’s a heckler, I apologize. That’s kind of sad.

The video is rad. It’s super-crisp with options to shoot in 720p or 1080p, a 135-degree perspective and once again, all you need to do is plug your camera in to your computer to enjoy or share your exploits…and that’s a big deal. Aside from the clinical box that press releases demand to be housed in, we live in a place ripe with backcountry adventures and are fortunate enough to call some of the best gear brands in the world friends, colleagues and clients. The new stuff from VholdR is amazing – and the POV perspective allows all of us to share our adventures in whatever exploit floats to the top of the to-do list around lunchtime, be it riding, climbing, skiing or fishing.

So I’m stoked. We’re stoked. It helps that the VholdR folks are great people. And I’d be lying if I said that we didn’t walk away from our get-to-know-you meeting with glazed eyes and dippy smiles smeared across our mugs. Because as cool as they are today, it pales in comparison to what they have cooking for the next couple of years.

Prepare to be amazified. I know I am.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled bone-dry press release. Gotta throw a bone to the fun-haters.

MikeMac

VholdR/ContourHD Selects Backbone Media to Manage Public Relations Effort
Carbondale, CO agency to execute brand communication strategy
VholdR/ContourHD, manufacturers of the world’s first and smallest wearable high-definition camcorder have selected Carbondale, CO based Backbone Media to oversee and integrate brand communication efforts. Backbone will support ContourHD’s media communications, product placement, branded content and social media strategies.

“Contour has gained great acceptance at retail and with consumers in multiple markets,” explains Marc Barros, Founder and CEO.”We have significant new product innovation, partnerships and plans for 2010 and  believe Backbone will help us convey our brand ID and messaging effectively.”

“Every once in a while there’s a breakthrough product that nails it in terms of consumer need, design and function” states Backbone’s Penn Newhard. “The ContourHD camera brings together POV technology allowing people to capture and share their experiences in a clean and easy-to-use format.”

Seattle-based VholdR produces the ContourHD, the world’s first high-definition wearable camcorder. With the introduction of ContourHD1080p, it’s also the first to shoot and share 1080p video. Both the ContourHD and ContourHD1080p feature amazing video clarity, a wide angle lens (135°), single button simplicity, and a click to share online experience.

 

Visionaries. And they can hang, too.

 

Posted in: Biking, Client News, Gratuitous Client Plug, Outdoor Industry News, Skiing, Snowboarding, Social Media, Technology

Mr. May Goes to Washington

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This past week I had the distinct pleasure of accompanying Outdoor Alliance (OA) team members during a series of meetings on Capitol Hill. A broad coalition of top industry advocacy groups, including the American Canoe Assoc, the ACCESS Fund, American Whitewater, the American Hiking Society, IMBA and Winter Wildlands Alliance, OA’s mission is to promote conservation and stewardship of our public lands and waters through sustainable human powered recreation.

I’ll admit, that’s a mouthful so I’ll frame it a different way. OA is a dedicated group of climbers, skiers, paddlers, cyclists and hikers fighting for the places that sustain them – not to mention you, me and our industry as a whole. In this instance our fearless friends stepped out of more familiar climes – on belay, in the backcountry, on the trail and/or river – to roll up their collective sleeves and take the outdoor community’s message to Washington.

The goal in D.C. was a simple, but important one. To meet face-to-face with key decision makers, policy chiefs and Senate staffers to add the human powered recreation community’s voice to the myriad of discussions happening on the Hill. Not just because OA feels that protecting our public lands is the right thing to do – of course it is – but to illustrate that there is a real economic benefit to land and water conservation thanks to the over $700 billion and 6.5 million jobs that outdoor recreation contributes to the national economy.

In two days of meetings with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Dept. of Interior, Center for Environmental Quality and numerous Senate offices topics ranged from Climate legislation and Forest Service Planning to federal and state Roadless Rulings and Land and Water Conservation funding. Throughout it all, it was clear that Outdoor Alliance is a welcome partner in crafting a 21st century vision for our public lands. In fact, the beltway was noticeably abuzz over the recently signed Presidential Memorandum launching the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative and frequent conversations across the agencies turned toward Outdoor Alliance playing an important role in moving the initiative forward.

All in all, it was an incredible glimpse behind the curtain in our nation’s capital and an astonishing opportunity for Outdoor Alliance to make sure our voice is represented for generations to come.

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