KORE Outdoors Podcast

Jen Loofbourrow is the founder of Alpine Fit, an Anchorage-based brand focused on making functional outdoor apparel. As the name suggests, Alpine Fit has created multiple fits for its apparel so that customers can find the perfect size for them.

In this conversation, we discuss the challenges that come with creating multiple fit styles and how this is an advantage that smaller brands have over larger ones. Jen talks about her experiences working for Lululemon and how the different seasons of her career prepared her for launching Alpine Fit.

Links:

• Alpine Fit Website
• Alpine Fit on Instagram

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Wylie Robinson is the co-founder and Chairman of Rumpl. Up until November of 2024, Wylie was the CEO of Rumpl. In 2024, Wylie stepped down as CEO and brought in Josh Simpson to be the General Manager of Rumpl.

This conversation covers the early days of Rumpl, building a brand, riding the wave of changes in social media, balancing the wholesale and e-commerce channels as well as how to build a team.

Show Notes:

• Jeremy Koreski Old Growth photo 
• Shawn Palmer - mountain biker
• Rumpl's original Kickstarter page with iconic image
• Rumpl website
• Rock Fight podcast episode with Wylie Robinson & Josh Simpson

Connect with Wylie on LinkedIn

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Bill Amos is the Founder & CEO of NW Alpine based in Salem, Oregon. NW Alpine has been producing technical outdoor apparel in the US since 2010. For many of those years, NW Alpine produced everything in-house and was the contract manufacturer for several other brands.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• How alpinism prepared him for entrepreneurship 
• Starting a USA-made brand in response to the 2008 financial crisis
• Lessons learned from starting, growing and eventually closing a factory
• Why manufacturing in the US is critical for the future of the economy

Learn more about NW Alpine and see their gear: NW Alpine

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn:  Bill Amos

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: Christian Rawles

Want to get in touch? Send an email: [email protected]

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Lloyd Vogel is the CEO of Garage Grown Gear, the online retailer that has become the go-to site for ultralight backpacking gear as well as the place to discover new brands and craft gear makers.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The Importance of Differentiation: Why specialty retail needs to focus on unique, valuable, and convenient offerings.
• Taking Risks to Stand Out: How embracing lesser-known brands can lead to success in the outdoor industry.
• Lessons from GGG’s Journey: The role of strategic partnerships and supporting vendors with innovative solutions like small loans.
• Building a Thriving Audience: Tips on leveraging giveaways, email lists, and existing communities for growth.
• Long-Term Focus vs. Trends: Why following trends can be risky and how to ensure your brand evolves with the market.
• Advice for Founders: Lloyd’s tips for outdoor entrepreneurs on making impactful moves and focusing their energy where it matters most.
• A Changing Landscape: Lloyd’s thoughts on the current reckoning in outdoor gear retail and what it means for small businesses.

Want to get in touch? Email us at [email protected]

Show Notes:

• Garage Grown Gear
• Senchi Designs
• Virginia Foothills Designs
• Inbox When Ready - email inbox manager
• Light Phone - mobile phone Lloyd uses

You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn: Lloyd Vogel

You can connect with Christian on LinkedIn: Christian Rawles

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Brendan Madigan is best known for his role as the owner of Alpenglow Sports, an independent outdoor retail shop in Tahoe approaching its 50th year of business. But Brendan's real superpower is his ability to build communities.

Brendan also runs the Winter Speaker Series which will hit $2 million raised for local charities in 2024. He's the co-owner and race director of the Broken Arrow Sky Race as well as the co-founder of TrailCon. 

Here are a few of the topics that Brendan discusses in this conversation:

•  How he is building a community of customers through Alpenglow Sports and the events that he runs 
• Why specialty retail shops have a responsibility to give back to their community
• How trains and retains longterm staff at Alpenglow
• The important role that challenger brands play in the outdoor industry

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

• The Act of Listening with David Isay
• Raide Research
• DPS Skis
• Start With Why by Simon Sinek

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Cam Brensinger is the founder and CEO of NEMO Equipment, the outdoor equipment company renowned for its innovative tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags.

In this episode, Cam shares some of his mountaineering adventures that led him to start NEMO. He also tells the story of spending 12 years and $10 million before reaching profitability and how he's continued to buy out investors on his way to building a family-owned brand that will last for decades. Other topics in this episode include:

* The bravery that comes from ignorance 

* How adventure brings out the best of us

* The benefits of being a privately-owned company

* Patiently growing NEMO with close to zero ad spend

* Why ‘how we do things’ is more important than ‘how much’

* Vision and values as guardrails 

* The importance of having people who will challenge you
* Lateral and linear design processes

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Casey Shaw is a product designer who has played an important role in outdoor apparel design and fabrication through his work at Cloudveil, Arcteryx and Patagonia. There’s a good chance he has contributed directly or indirectly to one of your favourite pieces of outdoor apparel.

This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about how Casey approaches product design, how he thinks about innovation and the stories behind some of his favourite projects. He truly is a polymath and this conversation barely scratches the surface of his wide-ranging interests and skill sets. Here are just a few of the interesting topics he covers in this conversation:

* Why climbing is the best activity for testing apparel

* Tuning racing motorcycles & sound frequencies

* Designing for a very specific activity leads to better products in general

* Using cleverness (instead of money) to solve problems

* The story of creating the Atom LT for Arcteryx

* Working for Yvon Chouinard

* Designing the worlds best down parka

* Having a process for problem-solving

* Measuring is as important as making

* The theory of comfort

* Risk with discretion can be a tool

* Finding the sublime balance in life and innovation

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Eoin Comerford was the CEO of Moosejaw Mountaineering for 12 years, from 2012 to 2024. During his time at the Michigan-based outdoor retailer, he launched many new initiatives including the Outdoor Accelerator, a topic discussed in this episode. He also led Moosejaw through an acquisition by Walmart and, later, by Dick’s Sporting Goods. 

Eoin is currently an advisor to, and investor in, early-stage outdoor brands. He is the Principal at Outsize Consulting where he spends his time advising founders and working with retailers and investors in the outdoor industry. A few of the topics covered in this episode are:

• Three things every founder should focus on
• The advice Eoin gives every founder he works with
• Pitfalls to avoid when raising investment capital
• How to create a plan to profitability

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Raquel Vélez is the founder and CEO of Alpine Parrot, a company that makes technical outdoor apparel for sizes 14-30, which, until now, has been a category that the outdoor industry has all but ignored. Raquel has a background in engineering and she used her experience working with Bay Area tech companies to springboard her journey into entrepreneurship. In this conversation, she breaks down how apparel patterns are made and why previous methods for creating plus-size apparel didn’t work. She also discusses the important role that mentors, peers and her time in accelerator programs have played in keeping her going through turbulent times.

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere

Georgia Grace Edwards is the co-founder and CEO of outdoor apparel brand Gnara. She is a driven business person who has raised millions of dollars for her company by winning pitch competitions and winning over investors. 

Gnara is well-known for its patented Go Fly zipper technology, which allows women to pee outside without removing clothing. They produce their line of apparel, like the popular Go There Pants, as well as license their Go Fly technology to other brands.

In this episode, Georgia Grace talks about the power of pitch competitions, how to grow customer loyalty by being transparent, and why solving a real problem is the best inspiration for facing the challenges of growing a brand.

Gnara has recently launched a second Kickstarter campaign for its Go Free Leggings.

The KORE Podcast is a production of the Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. Learn more about KORE and the podcast: https://koreoutdoors.org/podcast/

KORE Outdoors gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

#koreoutdoors #craftgearfromhere