Expedition Denali is history in the making, another first for the books and a step in the direction of changing the world we live in. This National Outdoor Leadership School expedition will take nine mountaineers to the top of Mount McKinley this June, making them the first all-African-American group to summit Denali. Of course, reaching the top of North America’s largest peak is not the ultimate endeavor; Expedition Denali’s most significant objective is to inspire people of all colors to experience the outdoors. This statement from Expedition Denali’s Kickstarter Campaign gets to the root of the ascent:

By 2019, it is estimated that minority children will become the majority in the U.S. These kids will become the leaders of this country and the world, and a staggering majority of them don’t feel the outdoors is a place for them.

In an effort to connect as many people as possible and inspire diversity in the outdoors, a documentary film will be made telling the story of the summit. Here’s just part of what the film itself will capture, from Kickstarter:

This group of climbers will do more than climb a mountain. At an elevation of 20,320 feet, extreme altitude and harsh weather aren’t the only barriers Expedition Denali is determined to break through. On the 100th anniversary of the first Denali summit, Expedition Denali is a symbolic step forward, encouraging people of color—and particularly African American youth—to participate in and become inspired by the vastness and beauty of nature.

The good news is that Expedition Denali, with support from The North Face, REI, and the Foundation for Youth Investment, has actually exceeded its Kickstarter Campaign Pledge, thanks to donations from people all over the world. Of course, we can all help by spreading the word about what an amazing, inspiring and world-changing expedition this is. Be sure to follow Expedition Denali on Facebook for updates, news and information and to share the updates that inspire you.

Osprey Adventure Envoys, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, adventure, causes climb, diversity, Expedition Denali, Foundation for Youth Investment, kickstarter, NOLS, North America, outdoors, rei, summit, The North Face

Osprey is proud to announce that we will be attending the action-packed Dominion Riverrock Festival in Richmond, Virginia during the upcoming weekend of May 17-19. We’re super excited to be a part of the only festival of its kind, one that combines the best of both the outdoor adventure and the music worlds. Throughout the Fest, there will be endless competitions in biking, hiking, running and climbing, as well as performances by top notch artists such as Toots and the Maytals and many more!

Not only will there be on-going comps, music and fun, we’ll be there hosting our own events. One such activity will be the infamous Osprey Packs bola ball toss, which you can play to win a pack! All proceeds will be donated to the Blue Sky Fund, which makes your chance to win a pack that much better. We’ll also be selling packs in alliance with Blue Ridge Mountains Sports at a killer 20 percent off, and our very own Osprey Athlete Ben Clark will be guiding hikes with Virginia Trail Blazers and signing free posters throughout the weekend.

If you’re in the area and looking for a mind-blowing good time with loads of things to do, stop by our booth to check out the packs, get a poster or try your chance at bola ball for a good cause! Connect with the Fest on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share the #riverrockrva love!

Bike, Events, Music Festivals, Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Retail Promotions, contest, travel ben clark, biking, Climbing, Dominion Riverrock, festival, hiking, music, Osprey Packs, outdoors, running, Virginia

You may have already heard the news. Regardless, we’re proud to shout it out! Veteran Osprey Athletes Alison Gannett and Timmy O’Neill were both given the honor of being nominated Best Outdoor Personalities by Elevation Outdoors in its annual Best of Colorado poll.

The Colorado-based magazine Elevation Outdoors serves as the area’s guide to outdoor recreation. What’s more, it celebrates what’s best in outdoor sports and gear and who’s doing the most amazing things in the world of outdoor adventure. Here’s what Elevation Outdoors had to say about our very own Alison and Timmy:

Best Colorado Outdoor (female) Personality winner Alison Gannett is a World Champion Extreme Free Skier, an accomplished mountain biker, surfer and inspirational speaker. An Osprey athlete since the late 90’s, Gannett is a global cooling consultant helping companies and individuals find cost-effective and meaningful solutions to reduce climate change impacts.

Longtime Osprey Athlete Timmy O’Neill was named Best Colorado Outdoor (male) Personality. O’Neill’s resume includes climber, comedian, slackliner, lecturer, drummer and coffee drinker. This year, O’Neil was named executive director of Paradox Sports, an organization helping disabled individuals enjoy life to the fullest through climbing, biking, surfing and paddling.

“It is fantastic to see Elevation Outdoors and its readers recognize Alison and Timmy,” said Osprey’s Director of Marketing Gareth Martins. “We are huge fans of Alison and Timmy with great respect for them as both athletes and activists. We can’t wait to see where this season will take them!”

You can read the entire Elevation Outdoors Best of Colorado 2012 list here!

Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, adventure adventure, Alison Gannett, athletes, Best of Colorado, Colorado, Elevation Outdoors, Osprey Athletes, outdoors, Timmy O'Neil

It is funny to me how goal setting can be such an indomitable force. Sometimes I have to strive for something really impossible just to find my motivation, while other times I’ll set my sights too low and be greeted by successful dissatisfaction. I’ve found that balance is harder than executing, especially when the factors are out of your control and dictated by nature. But not this summer… this summer in the mountains has been one of the best, and it just keeps on giving.

Read more…

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Osprey is proud to support the Conservation Lands Foundation and we’re excited to get more people outside and exploring our National Conservation Lands this summer. Please join us in helping to protect these incredible places by becoming a sustaining donor of the Conservation Lands Foundation for just $10 per month. The Conservation Lands Foundation works to protect, restore and expand the National Conservation Lands. Pack for adventure with an Osprey daypack — yours when you become a monthly donor by July 4, 2012. Kick off summer. Donate today!

Conservation, Events, causes Conservation, Conservation Lands Foundation, fundraising, giveaway, National Conservation Lands, outdoors

Unless you’ve been living in a deep, dark cave… You may have noticed that there is a lot of cool stuff going on out there. So, we thought it was high-time we started rounding up some of our faves each Friday. Every month, we’ll be choosing a theme that fits with the Osprey lifestyle. Now that it’s October, we find ourselves looking up at the sky looking, waiting for signs of winter… so we’re dedicating this month to that big, beautiful sky. Welcome to the Osprey Friday Round-Up!

We’ve become big fans of photographer Ben Canales over the past few months. He recently won the 2011 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest and his ability to capture the night sky is pretty incredible — he also applies that skill to moving pictures and is the brainchild behind some killer time lapse production for Uncage the Soul, based in Portland, Oregon.

So in honor of inspiring some fall adventures, which hopefully take you to the kind of places where you can spend hours gazing at the night sky, here are a selection of starry photos.

Images: Ben Canales

Friday Round-up nature photography, outdoors, photography, stars

Unless you’ve been living in a deep, dark cave… You may have noticed that there is a lot of cool stuff going on out there. So, we thought it was high-time we started rounding up some of our faves each Friday. Every month, we’ll be choosing a theme that fits with the Osprey lifestyle. We kicked off the month with 5 Point Film Festival, and we’re counting down the days to Mountainfilm in Telluride, so this month we’re devoting it to… you guessed it: film! Welcome to the Osprey Friday Round-Up!

We know that we dedicated this month to showing our favorite film clips on our Friday Round-Up, but we had so much fun on our backcountry trip last week, that we decided to post a photo gallery this week instead. Each year, we rally a group of our Osprey staff, reps and friends and head to the backcountry near our headquarters in Cortez, Colo. This time we hit up Monument Valley and Bullet Canyon in SE Utah. Here’s just a sampling from our adventure. To see the full slideshow, please check out our Flickr page here.

Happy Friday!

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23 Feet is film about a community of people who have made the conscious choice to live simply in order to do what they love in the great outdoors. Three women set out across the west in their 23-foot-long, 1970 Airstream to search for the stories of people who have turned their backs on the creature comforts of society to live in school buses, vans, and other small spaces. From an inspiring campfire chat with legendary Yosemite climber Ron Kauk, to hearing the powerful story of a woman who changed her whole life for surfing, 23 Feet gives an intimate look at the ups and downs of dedicating your life to your outdoor passion.

Read more…

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Make a pledge of support for our friends at Dryland Community Radio KSJD and you just might win a trip to Mesa Verde National Park! The trip includes a guided tour by land and air, ranger-led backcountry hike and dinner and lodging. More details here. One lucky winner will be drawn on Friday, April 29, so make your donation soon!

More over on the KSJD site!

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For 10 years, a dream lingered, but the clutter of modern living pressed it into submission. Still clinging to the pull of wild places and adventure, Fitz and Becca Cahall revived their youthful vision of summits and faint trails by abandoning work and the city for the wilderness. The Love Letter follows a pair of climbers in search of new and classic routes along the difficult to reach stretches of the Sierra spine, focusing not just on the summits themselves, but the process of attaining them. In the clutter of the modern world, can wilderness still restore the human spirit? We would like to think so.

We caught up with Fitz Cahall, one of the masterminds behind The Love Letter, and asked him some questions…

It sounds like The Love Letter was a dream in the making for a long time. What first sparked your inspiration for this project?

I was 22 living in a van that I didn’t own in Yosemite. We were scrambling to find a camp spot and this woman came up and said she had room in her campsite for another car. She was a scientist doing a project in the national parks. She was pretty old — 32. So ancient, I know. Oddly during that time, I’d keep running into her in the Sierra at various parks and campgrounds. She told me about this three week climbing trip she and her husband had done in Sierra and I thought that’s pretty cool. I thought about that trip a bunch then, but I never had the focus required to do a trip like that. I told Becca about it a while back and it was just always something that stayed in the front of my thoughts.

Later I found that Muir had done a similar trip. David Brower, the father of modern conservation, did an 8-week continuous climbing trip in 1934 and followed a similar course. He ticked off 54 peaks in that time. These men began their careers as climbers and writers and evolved into powerful voices. It’s not to say that I think I’m John Muir or David Brower, but they are certainly heroes of mine, and if I can some do a fraction of what they did for the American West, I will be content.

Read more…

Osprey Culture Climbing, fitz cahall, inspiration, interview, outdoors, Q&A, the love letter, video, wilderness