Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 43
Feature .02
O
n Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, the Colorado Avalanche
Information Center (CAIC), which provides avalanche forecasts and accident reports for the state,
sent an email blast to its constituents urging people
headed into the mountains to take " extra care " and to " pay special attention to the avalanche forecast. " Ethan Greene, director
of the CAIC, wrote: " Since Friday, three Coloradans lost their lives
in avalanche accidents, and 132 avalanches were reported. One
hundred and eight avalanches were triggered by people in the last
week. More people die in avalanches in Colorado than any other
state, and, this year, conditions are especially dangerous. "
Early season avalanches-and fatalities-
are hardly unheard of. Between 1950 and
2019, 144 people died in avalanches in the
United States in the month of December, according to CAIC. But this winter is different
for multiple reasons. For one, the snowpack is particularly bad. " People are using
avalanche-safety strategies that have worked
in recent years, but current conditions require additional caution, " wrote Greene.
Furthermore, the pandemic has caused a
historic rise in winter backcountry use.
The heads of the Outdoor Recreation
Offices in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico
confirmed that public lands across the West
were hit hard during the summer and that
they're seeing continued user increase as they
move into winter. " We saw up to 10 times as
many people taking river trips, camping, and
hiking last summer, and a lot of them were
brand-new users who hadn't recreated outdoors since they attended summer camps or
did Boy Scouts, " says Utah's head of outdoor
recreation, Pitt Grewe. He adds that the state
is concerned about an increase in backcountry skiers, riders, and snowmobilers. " But
our real concern lies with the family that
wasn't really active until this summer and
then discovered hiking, and now they want
to continue those new habits, trying to find
adventures they can do in the winter. "
Axie Navas, director of the Outdoor
Recreation Office in New Mexico, says
that, similarly, the state's backcountry
use is going into overdrive. " We're seeing
growth in all types of winter activities, " she
says. " But the biggest uptick is in skiing
and snowboarding, especially backcountry skiing and riding facilitated by easy
access from resorts. " Some of what's accessible is phenomenal backcountry skiing-
for those who understand the dangers of
wild snow. " But for most of the year, this
terrain is incredibly sketchy, and, currently,
New Mexico doesn't have the avalancheforecasting infrastructure of other states. "
says Navas. " We have one forecaster for the
entire state. "
There are some hardcore folks in the
backcountry who are capable of doing their
own forecasting, but Navas fears the state is
going to see an increase in people accessing
the mountains-many doing so without an
adequate understanding of avalanches.
In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis has been
encouraging people to spend more time in
the outdoors as a healthy way to mitigate the
physical and mental effects of COVID-19.
" That's maybe one reason our numbers have
been trending upward, including many new
users who've never had an outdoor mentor
or knowledgeable community to learn from, "
says Nathan Fey, director of the Colorado
Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry. " In
the summer, this has led to people making
mistakes like camping in a spot once and
leaving all of their gear behind. " But the consequences could be much higher in the winter-as the early avalanche deaths and slides
have shown-and many winter backcountry
novices simply don't understand the inherent dangers of the snowpack. " It's a challenge
to get in front of new users, " says Fey.
FORTUNATELYALL THREE STATES, PLUS A
multitude of avalanche professionals, gear
shops, brands, and others, are joining the
effort to educate users about the dangers of
winter backcountry recreation, and how to
recreate safely. The Utah and Colorado recreation offices both declared Backcountry
Safety and Avalanche Awareness weeks in
early December. Navas' office kicked off a
six-part speaker series with an online discus-
sion with representatives from the University
of New Mexico International Mountain
Medicine Center, NativesOutdoors, Silverton
Avalanche School, and Taos Avalanche
Center addressing avy education and resources for New Mexicans looking to sled,
ski, ride, and hike this winter. Fey wrote a
" Winter Backcountry Pledge, " which he says
addresses " the best talking points from the
Know Before You Go campaign, Recreate
Responsibly, and Leave No Trace-Care For
Colorado Principles. "
Grewe's office has partnered with the Utah
Avalanche Center to post avy professionals
at the trailheads of the state's busiest winter
backcountry areas, " just checking in, saying,
'Do you know the avy report said danger is considerable? Do you have your beacon, shovel,
and probe?, " Grewe says. Because plenty of
newcomers, like the family wanting to transition from hiking to snowshoeing, don't have
a clue what an avalanche forecast is and have
never heard of beacons, shovels, or probes.
Many brands are stepping up to the plate to
help educate their customers about backcountry safety. Utah's WNDR Alpine, in collaboration with Evo, is offering day- to three-day-long
backcountry skills and avalanche clinics in The
Wasatch, Cascades, and Rockies with purchase
of a pair of their skis. s. Evo is offering a suite of
backcountry-education videos as a free add-on
with a purchase. Coalition Snow, in partnership
with Trew Gear, is offering free backcountry
education events when you become a member
of the Coalition Clubhouse. And multiple guide
services, outdoor education providers, and avalanche education experts have beefed up their
backcountry safety offerings in response to
unheard-of demand, like the 800% increase of
avy-class students that local Pete Stone says has
happened in Jackson, Wyoming.
It's all for possibly the best cause ever in the
outdoor industry. Meanwhile, Grewe suggests that those who have avalanche training
attempt to gently mentor those with less experience. " When I'm out, I try to communicate
kindly, " he says. " It's easy to share my thought
process in a way that opens up communication, which is getting lost as more people enter
the backcountry. The ski industry has been
pushing the powder panic button for decades,
but what would ruin my day more than someone in my skin track is if I were involved in an
avalanche or rescue or to have a traumatizing
experience in the backcountry. " O.R.
January 2021 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 43
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
RETAIL 101
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
THOUGHT LEADER
INSIGHT
PERSPECTIVE
RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
FOLLOW THESE ACTIVISTS
UNDER PRESSURE
THE WINTER SHOW GUIDE
BREAD + BUTTER
GEAR GALLERY
HOT PICKS
THE VIEW
FIELD NOTES
#SHOPLIFE
#REPLIFE
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Outdoor Retailer - January 2021
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 9
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 10
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 14
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 16
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - RETAIL 101
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 24
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THOUGHT LEADER
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - INSIGHT
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 29
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - PERSPECTIVE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - RESEARCH AND RESOURCES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - FOLLOW THESE ACTIVISTS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 36
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - UNDER PRESSURE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 43
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE WINTER SHOW GUIDE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 46
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 48
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 51
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 52
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 54
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BREAD + BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - GEAR GALLERY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 58
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 60
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 62
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - HOT PICKS
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 66
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 70
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 72
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 73
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - FIELD NOTES
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - #SHOPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 77
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - Cover4
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