The Weekly - July 30, 2020 - 12

FEATURE

base, representing the widest range
of experience within your brand's
guidelines and expertise is important," he says.
And watch your language. Eddie Bauer intentionally calls the
outdoors a playground, not an
arena. "Conquering-based culture
only validates extreme outdoor
experiences," says Huang. "If you
don't cast a wider net, it's a missed
opportunity. Let people in, and let
them define their outdoor experience. Then reflect those choices in
your product pricing, sizing, and
how you position content."

Don't Be Elitist
Historically, outdoorists had to
look a certain way and fill a bingo
card of extreme pursuits in order to
be welcomed.
It's an outdated model. Mother
Nature doesn't discriminate
based on age, skin color, body size,
economic percentile, or ability.
Blackpackers trips are all multigenerational, with participants
from 2 to 72 years old years old. "If
you don't get the parents involved,

"IF YOU WANT TO CONTINUE A COMMUNITY'S
INTEREST IN THE OUTDOORS, REFLECT
THAT COMMUNITY IN YOUR LEADERSHIP,
PROGRAMMING, AND OUTREACH. IF YOU DON'T
KNOW HOW TO GET MINORITIES INVOLVED,
FIND PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE
DOING THAT WORK AND DEFER TO THEM."
-Patricia Cameron, Blackpackers

kids have nowhere to take it home
to," says Cameron. "And, you learn
a lot from your elders. When you
gain knowledge in a community, in
a shared experience, it gives you a
community with which to continue
having those experiences. And the
learning continues more naturally
when it resembles a family unit."
Furthermore, brands that restrict
sales channels are missing markets.
"The industry needs to understand
where people are most likely to
become active participants, and
Walmart, Target, Fred Myer, and
other mass-market and mainstream
merchants are those shops," says
Huang. "Bypassing wider distribution channels excludes participants."

12 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

The Need Is Greater Than Ever
"People who needed assistance
getting outdoors before COVID-19
due to economic distress or health
issues need help even more now,"
says Cameron. "If you want to continue a community's interest in the
outdoors, reflect that community
in your leadership, programming,
and outreach. If you don't know
how to get minorities involved, find
people in the community who are
doing that work and defer to them."
Granite Gear's Groundskeeper
program, which has picked up
1,117 pounds of trash since 2017,
has expanded to include weekend
and urban warriors. OGE partners
with Burlington, Vermont, climb-

ing gym Petra Cliffs on LGBTQ+
Climbing Nights, which include
group belay lessons.
Eddie Bauer is hiring a director
of diversity and inclusion and
reaching, broadening, and diversifying its guide team, working
with the EB Group activists on
cultivating outdoor experiences
and looking for a more welcoming community of like-minded
outdoor enthusiasts. This is along
with the company's All Outside
initiative, which strives to define
and invite outdoor experience as
broadly as possible.
Granite Gear's general manager has gone online, hosting Hot
Minutes, short video interviews
with diverse outdoor advocates
and enthusiasts.
All these initiatives show these
brands are in it for the long haul.
And they just scratch the surface
of what's possible. "There's more
we can do," says Donohue. "We're
committed to continuing to learn,
to push the boundaries, and to be
creative in supporting any and all
who want to get outside."

CO U R T E SY PAT R I C I A CA M E R O N

Participants in
a Blackpackers
event in Colorado practice yoga
before hitting
the trail.
The Weekly - July 30, 2020

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