I’ve worked with Osprey’s Marketing Director Gareth Martins (above left and below right) for years, even traveled with him on an epic ski adventure to India, but I’ve never seen him play the sax until the Outdoor Retailer show. And he ROCKED it. Like I knew he would.

The All-Star Industry Jam was a benefit for three wonderful charities, including my own Save Our Snow Foundation. Folks that I’ve worked and played with for years, like Gareth, were suddenly transformed into new beings, shedding their outdoor personalities, morphing into a music stage presence that I only wish I could have. I would go into how I was embarrassed in choir and play tryouts, but we will skip that boring story.

Proceeds will go to our new school program — The Save Our Snow Foundation is partnering with Protect our Winters to bring entertaining presentations and workshops on money-saving solutions to climate change to schools around the US. Thanks Gareth and Osprey!

For more information, or to volunteer or help, check out The Save Our Snow Foundation or contact Alison.

Other notable performances were made by Berne Broudy of Backpacker, James Curleigh of KEEN footwear, and we danced our asses off to the band made up of the boys from Black Diamond.

Events, Osprey Athletes, causes Alison Gannett, causes, climate change, Conservation, music, Osprey, Outdoor Retailer, Save our snow, Snow, The Save Our Snow Foundation, www.saveoursnowfoundation.org

Showing support for Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance during Keep it Wild Day

We’re still recovering from last week’s Outdoor Retailer show. From happy hours to gear giveaways we had a great time. If you missed out, we’re bringing you a little synopsis.

Read more…

Events OR, Outdoor Retailer

Here at Osprey, we love that we can step right out our backdoor into the red rock of Southern Utah to play. In our humble opinion, we’ve got access to some of the best backpacking, biking and climbing this great nation has to offer — and we’re determined to keep it that way. At the end of the day, you’ve got to take action to protect your own playground… And Keep it Wild!

Take Action to keep Utah wild!

From SUWA’s blog:

Every summer the manufacturers and retailers of outdoor equipment converge on Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market – an event that this year drew an estimated 20,000 people. SUWA partnered with the Conservation Alliance to participate in the Keep It Wild day which paired environmental groups with outdoor gear manufacturers to take action to protect our natural resources.  SUWA was generously hosted by Osprey Packs, and in their booth at the show we collected over 300 postcards written by folks who were asking the Obama administration protect wild Utah. Participants also posed for photos with “Flat Ken,” a likeness of Interior Department Secretary Salazar who has the power to protect over 6 million acres of redrock land now vulnerable to oil and gas drilling and off-road vehicle abuse. The day was topped off with a party hosted By KEEN Footwear, celebrating a day of conservation advocacy at the show.

Take Action to keep Utah wild!

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Ongoing Events

Conservation Alliance Sale

WHAT: Tons of Conservation Alliance member companies have sweet gear up for sale, with part or all of the proceeds benefiting the Alliance. At the Osprey booth, you’ll find our hot, new hydration packs — the Viper + Verve 7s — up for grabs. $25 will get you a sweet new pack and all proceeds will benefit the Conservation Alliance. You can check out the full list of offerings over on the Conservation Alliance site.

WHERE: All over!

Help Save Elephants! And Win Gear!

WHAT: Elephants are being killed by poachers at a rate of 10 percent per year. With just 470,000 elephants left in the world, it means that in just a few years we might lose our wild elephant populations. So, this winter, the Epicocity Project is embarking on a forensic biology expedition to the remote jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the goal of saving wild elephants from the illegal ivory trade.

Take Action right here at OR!

1. Become a Fan of the Elephant Ivory Project on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/elephantivoryproject

2. Donate to the cause! Every little bit helps, and every single dollar goes directly to our cause — whether it’s $5 or $50.

WHERE: Swing by the Osprey booth # 5010 and drop off your donation and a business card in the box:

WHEN: If you need some extra incentives to take action, we’ve got some sweet gear up for grabs. On Day 3, August 5, we’ll pick 3 lucky people to win two awesome prize packages, including two Osprey Packs Raptor 6 Hydration Packs, a tent from Sierra Designs, a SPOT Messenger unite, Mountain Khakis, an Adventure Medical Kits First Aid Kit and some snacks from AlpineAire! So c’mon! Save some elephants today!

Great Gear Giveaway

At the show, you can answer Leave No Trace-related questions to get entered in the Great Gear Giveaway — and your chance to win some great gear! Subaru, Backpacker and Leave No Trace will be giving away product Day 1 through Day 3 at 4pm each day. Osprey’s thrown 1 Veer recycled shoulder bag and 1 Manta 20 hydration pack into the mix!

Wednesday

Keep It Wild: Take Action for Conservation!

WHAT: We all know that if we want to get wild, we’ve got to protect our playground. So visit eight member company booths to take action on behalf of a Conservation Alliance grantee. Take action at all eight booths, have your Keep It Wild passport stamped and be entered to win a fabulous prize package! We’ll be hosting the good folks from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance! Click here for details.

WHERE: All over!

WHEN: All day Wednesday, August 4th

The Uphill Challenge

WHAT: Take part in this true test of athletic ability, lung power, gusto and fortitude! Every half-hour, M.C. Elinor Fish, Trail Runner’s managing editor, kicks off another duel between two athletes on treadmills set at a 10-percent incline. The athlete covering the most mileage in 15 minutes is declared the winner of each pairing. At 4:15 p.m., the male and female athletes logging the day’s greatest distance will be declared the 2010 King and Queen of the Mountains! We’ve got Helix daypacks up for grabs for all participants!

WHERE: The Salt Palace

WHEN: All day Wednesday, August 4

Thursday August 5

American Alpine Club Happy Hour

WHAT: Osprey hosts the American Alpine Club Happy Hour. Enjoy a gin and tonic and keep a commemorative rocks glass. Enter to win a climbing pack and schwag from Osprey and the AAC.

WHERE: Osprey Packs Booth # 5010

WHEN: Thursday, August 5, 4:30pm – 6pm

Conservation, Events, Product, Retail Promotions Conservation, contests, Events, giveaways, ORSM 2010, Outdoor Retailer, Product

It’s a long way from Salt Lake City to Friedrichshafen, Germany, but the design and function of our brand new Hydraulics™ collection turned heads across two continents this July! Right before our momentous trip to Outdoor Retailer, we secured a first for our 35 year-old company when we received the Gold Award for design achievement at Europe’s biggest outdoor trade show, the July 15-18th “OutDoor” trade fair.

The new line is comprised of:

• the Manta Series: a group of three packs great for day hikes and multi-use activities
• the Raptor Series: four packs made for trail running and mountain biking

The Manta 25 was the pack that brought home the Gold!

As you can imagine, this collection is getting a lot of buzz from the bike community and several bloggers captured the excitement of the Hydraulics™ collection from Outdoor Retailer. Have a look at these sites for some sneak peaks:

BikeBiz

Bike Rumor

Adventure World Magazine

ORSM09 Digest

The jury had this report on the winning Manta 25 hydration pack:

The problem of integrating the drinking system into the backpack has been solved in an innovative way. The very lightweight design, outstanding fit and good ventilation are what make this backpack stand out from the competition. Osprey Hydraulics is a new line of backpacks with a drinking system. The anatomically formed, easy-to-fill, antimicrobial Nalgene reservoir is fixed in the frame and can be easily inserted even when the reservoir is full. The reservoir is stabilized to prevent it from bulging out and keep it close to the back. The constant pressure also makes it easier to drink when the reservoir is only half full and minimizes any water sloshing from side to side.

For more details, check out the official press release here!

Product Design achievement, Gold Award, Manta series, Osprey Hydraulics, OutDoor European trade fair, Outdoor Retailer, Raptor series

The Osprey Brand Team, a group of 10 ambassadors reporting from the field at consumer outdoor events across the country as well as reporting on adventures in their own neck of the woods, checks in with Craig Randall, our brand team member from Boulder, CO. Craig will be in the Great Salt Lake next week at Outdoor Retailer…

It’s been a little bit since our last brand team event but the next one’s a doozy – I’ll be attending the granddaddy of all retail trade shows – the one so strong even mother nature couldn’t stop it – Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2009. It’s been a couple years since my last OR but my head’s still brimming with fond memories. Let’s recap shall we?

Highlights included:

• The every-afternoon-at-3 antics from GoPro Cameras and their wildly entertaining CEO. Camera giveaways, lots of shouting, much grumbling from surrounding vendors (…ugh, not HIM again!!), and quite possibly the most varied beer offerings at the show, made their exhibit a must-see.

• The person dressed as a salmon I encountered near the Osprey exhibit. Sorta freaked me out at the time…and sorta still does. Just sayin’. I’ll watch my back more closely this year should some stinky salmon be in the vicinity.

• One afternoon when I’d just finished my lunch and could think of nothing but procuring a quick dessert, I fortuitously stumbled on the spectacle that was the “smore station.” Some company (I forget who it was) one afternoon laid out a spread of smore ingredients: the marshmellows, the graham crackers – and because open fire is off limits in the trade hall (duh) – a three foot high fountain of magical, flowing chocolate! You grabbed your ‘mellow and graham crackers, put them on a skewer, and then dunked them in the chocolate. I felt like I was in a Willy Wonka dream world. It was pure magic and so I promptly went back for thirds.

• The last night I was in town, Timmy O’Neill MC’ed a benefit show headlined by indie musician Laura Veirs. This was the first time I’d experienced Timmy’s stage antics and I was floored by how talented and funny the guy was. Laura Veirs put on a fantastic solo show, as well, using a real time effects recorder to add ambiance to the set.

If this year’s show is anything like my Summer 2007 experience, I’ll be certain to gain several pounds and a host of new memories. Say hello if you bump into me and I’ll be posting a midweek blog to give you non-attendees all the show details. Check back with us, here!

Check out Osprey’s exhibit – booth #6027  – and follow #ORSM09 on Twitter for all the happenings!

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