The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head), Justin Housman is back on the mic!

Monday's on THE ROCK FIGHT are for stories to hit the outdoor industry and now Saturday's are for the adventure community. Today on the show Colin & Justin get caught up on several stories to come out of the outdoor and gear world including:

• There have been several tragedies to hit our National Parks this summer. Falls in Yosemite and at the Grand Canyon and heat related deaths at Death Valley. How should we respond and talk about these things when they happen? (04:24)
• Deuter is partnering with Hydrapak to include bladders in several parts of their pack line. (24:52)
• Vermont skiers now have a new way to earn a season pass at the iconic Mad River Glen. (28:58)
• The Parting Shot! Justin and Colin throw one last rock. (33:33)

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Christina Henderson returns to the show to talk about the recent news to come out of The Running Event and Switchback Trade Shows.

Last week the following news stories came out of The Running Event/Switchback trade show world:

• The Running Event will be leaving it's long time home of Austin and head down to San Antonio in 2025.
• Switchback launched a digital resource for retailers called Trailheads.
• Several big brand names have committed to attending this fall's combo of TRE & Switchback including Patagonia and Lululemon.

Today Christina sits down with Colin to talk through each story and offer up details on how they all came to pass.

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Colin opens the show (01:05) by ranking the 10 outdoor shoes that appear on Footwear News list of The Greatest Shoes of All Time.

Then Colin and Producer Dave run through the following headlines that came out of the outdoor industry over the past week:

• Lolë Brands has acquired Sanuk from Deckers. But why? (24:57)
• Black Diamond is partnering with Denver based outdoor retailer Wilderness Exchange to launch a 'partner run mountain shop'. Is this the brand/retailer partnership we've been waiting for? (31:24)
• Jack Wolfskin's pull out of North America has positively affected their bottom line. Can they ever come back to the USA? (37:10)
• Parting Shot: Colin throws a rock at Star Wars. Producer Dave proves he's a big Ent guy. (41:45)

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) we’re bringing out a big gun who can speak to what is happening in outdoor retail.

Eoin Comerford, is the principal at Outsize Consulting and is an outdoor industry veteran as the former CEO of Moosejaw Mountaineering. He has a unique view on outdoor big box retail as well as what's happening in the specialty market.

On this episode Eoin joins Colin and brings some facts and figures to the rock fight to weigh in on what's happening at retailers like REI, Dick's and Eastern Mountain Sports.

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Colin opens the show talking about the negative reaction to Nike's Winning Isn't For Everyone ad campaign (01:05).

TL;DR: outdoorsy people need to relax.

Then Colin & Producer Dave hit the following headlines to come out of the outdoor industry over the last week:

• Last Friday the $5m bankruptcy sale of Eastern Mountain Sports to the UK's Mountain Warehouse was approved just two years after EMS sold to GoDigital Media for $70m (19:53)
• In addition to announcing a move of The Running Event from Austin to San Antonio in 2025, Switchback has several heavy hitting brands (Patagonia, Lululemon, Teva) signed up for their event in November (26:00)
• Also out of the Switchback camp was the announcement of Trailheads, a new digital site for outdoor retailers covering industry trends (30:49)

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) we take a look at a new outdoor organization and the impact it has had on the business of going outside.

The Outdoor Market Alliance is a group of Rocky Mountain based independent sales agencies that have established a permanent showroom for the more than 175 outdoor brands that they represent. Established as a non-profit, OMA has changed how outdoor business gets done in the region.

In this episode OMA President Steve Copeland joins Colin to talk about why OMA was formed and the impact the organization has had on the industry at large.

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) Colin opens things up by responding to listener responses to last week's episode and how REI and Dick's are growing increasingly close to being the same thing.

Then Colin & Producer Dave hit the following headlines to come out of the outdoor industry over the past week:

• Black Diamond posts a loss in the second quarter in part because of PFAS. Could this have been avoided? (16:13)
• BOA & Primaloft post second quarter gains. Is this a sign that outdoor brands are investing in their 2025 product lines? (20:17)
• Crocs makes plans to make more sneakers after the success of their May sneaker launch. After first throwing up Colin talks about why this is a good idea. (22:55)

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) we're going there.

Enter: Teresa Baker.

Teresa has been a force for change in the outdoor industry when it comes to DEI and environmental initiatives for the past 7 years. She founded the In Solidarity Project to build a more diverse outdoor industry with a core component of her work being the Outdoor CEO Pledge which is aimed at those in positions of power within the outdoor industry to create change as well as the Outdoorist Oath which is a commitment for outdoor enthusiasts to support inclusion as well as our planet.

On the heels of the announcement that Camber Outdoors is closing up next month, it was the perfect time to chat with Teresa.

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Headlines on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head)!

Colin starts the show (01:03) with his take on how REI's recently announced vendor of the year awards only show how boring they've become and the risk they're taking by trying to become everything to everyone. Justin and Producer Dave then weigh in on what REI can do to get their mojo back.

Then the crew hits the following topics:

• In a surprise bombshell that dropped this past Saturday Camber Outdoors has announced that they are closing in August. What does that mean for diversity, equity and inclusion in the outdoor industry? (22:34)
• On Deckers recently quarterly earnings call they reported that Hoka continues their meteoric growth. Why is Hoka crushing so hard? (33:00)
• The biggest threat to high mountain outdoor enthusiasts isn't altitude or avalanches...it's marmots. (39:45)

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT (an outdoor podcast that aims for the head) we take a look inside the Outdoor Industry Association's latest participation trends report.

Since 2007 the OIA has published the trends of who is going outside. And this year participation hit an all time high while core participants dropped.

And it begs the question: how will these numbers impact the industry?

In order to make sense of this trend Kelly Davis, Director of Research of the OIA and Wes Allen from Sunlight Sports in Cody, WY join Colin to dig a little deeper into what retailers and brands should take away from this new data.

Head to www.rockfight.co and sign up for News From the Front, Rock Fight's weekly newsletter!

Please follow and subscribe to THE ROCK FIGHT and give us a 5 star rating and written review wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to and follow Gear & Beer! The newest show on the Rock Fight Podcast Network.

Have a question or comment for a future mailbag episode? Send it to [email protected] or send a message on Instagram or Threads.

Thanks for listening! THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.