The Mountain Games will be returning to Vail, Colorado this weekend from June 6th through June 9th, 2013, when professional and amateur athletes from around the world will come to Vail to participate in the nation’s largest celebration of adventure sports, art and music. The athletes will compete in nine sports events and 25 disciplines for more than $100,000 in prize money.

There will be sporting events ranging from various kayak competitions, rafting, mountain, road and slopestyle biking, world cup bouldering, fly fishing, stand-up paddling, slack lining, trail, mud and long distance running. If that isn’t enough to choose from, there will also be a big air competition for canines, as they compete for the longest measured distance into the pool.

While you’re there, don’t forget to check out Gear Town, where Osprey will be posted up with incredible 20 percent off sales in celebration of the Go Pro Mountain games! The packs will range from technical daypacks, to our revamped hydration line and stylish line of active everyday packs to fit your specific pack needs. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at the Gear Town location then head over to our retailer store, Ptarmigan Sports, located in Edwards to receive the same killer deal on our larger pack line.

Visit the Osprey booth at the Bouldering World Cup to check out all that is new for 2013, score some free daily giveaways and cheer on your favorite athlete with the Osprey crew! Speaking of giveaways, Osprey has teamed up with Ruffwear and will be doing a Day Pack for You and Your K-9 Companion! Come by either the Osprey or Ruffwear booth to enter.

On Saturday, Osprey will also have an in-booth poster signing session with Osprey athlete and Pro Mountain Biker Macky Franklin from 4-5 PM in the Gear Town booth location.

So whether you’re competing, spectating or dancing to the live music, be sure to stop by our booth to check out the various sales and giveaways going on all weekend!

Events, Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product, Southwest Colorado, adventure, video art, deals, festival, games, GoPro, Macky Franklin, Mountain Games, music, Packs

Come celebrate the AT with Osprey

Osprey will once again be attending Trail Days from May 17-19 in gorgeous Damascus, VA and we’re stoked to see you there!

Throughout the event, Osprey and hikers will be celebrating the art of hiking with live music, a hiker parade and free meals to feed the thru-hikers that may be stopping on their way thru to Mt. Katahdin. Whether you are a thru-hiker yourself or just in town for the weekend, be sure to stop by the Osprey tent for free pack and gear repair all day, every day! We will have our warranty/repairs team on hand to provide your repair needs to get you back on the trail. We will also be a full display featuring all of our newest packs and a smokin’ 20 percent off retail sale through Mt. Roger’s Outfitters to kick-off hiking season! Don’t forget to swing by the booth to learn how you can win a free pack, happening daily throughout the weekend.

Last but not least, dont miss a live perfomance from Old North State at the Osprey’s Tent City Location! Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Check them out!

Events, Osprey Athletes, Outdoor Activities, Product, adventure, causes, travel Damascus, gear. Mount Katahdin, pack, thru-hike, Trail Days

If you are in the Big Apple May 3rd and 4th, don’t miss the chance to attend the Bike Expo New York as there will be more than 60 vendors attending, one of them being yours truly, Osprey Packs! This event is great for road bike aficionados, and we’ll be showcasing and selling our recently redesigned line of hydration packs.

Over 50,000 spectators are expected to attend and admission is free and open to the general public. Hours of the show will be from Friday, May 3rd from 10 a.m. -8 p.m. as well as on Saturday, May 19th 9 a.m.-7 p.m., so come after work and check out the product tonight or head over first thing tomorrow. The event takes place at the Pier 36, 299 South Street, Basketball City, New York, NY.

Want to know a little bit more about what to expect? Here’s the rundown from last year’s awesome Expo:

In keeping with its mission to provide free bicycle education in New York City, Bike New York held several of its signature Learn to Ride classes throughout the event. Garnering more than 43,000 attendees, Bike Expo New York 2012 presented by Eastern Mountain Sports was the most attended inaugural consumer bike expo in the country.  BE NY carried an unmistakable New York flair with street signs, carpeted bike lanes and even a massive Verrazano Bridge suspended from the ceiling.

We hope to see you this year!

Bike, Events, Outdoor Activities, Product, Retail Promotions, Uncategorized Big Apple, Osprey, Osprey Hydration, Osprey Hydraulics, Osprey Packs, road biking, Roadies

The Sea Otter Classic proved to be bigger than ever this year as the 22-year-old event brought together racers, fans and bike companies from around the globe to start the spring season with four days of festivities, races and all things bike. The attendance was staggering this year; it’s grown exponentially since 1991, when only about half a thousand gathered around the course, to nearly 65,000 people attending, all in the name of love for our two-wheeled friend, the bicycle.

This year, there were a variety of races from road races to downhill mountain biking. Sea Otter serves as the first race to kick off the season as top pros in North America and from around the world flock to Sea Otter. However, all of the events are also open to amateurs so if you want to race your bike, you have the chance!

One of the greatest things about Sea Otter is that it is open to the general public, which allows everyone to check out and demo different bike product for the upcoming season from a wide range of vendors. Osprey teamed up with Cambria Bike shop for a four-day sale of Osprey Hydration packs and demos.
Osprey mascot Talon also made an appearance at the event as he cheered on our Osprey athlete Macky Franklin and even had a photo shoot with the Sea Otter himself!

Start planning your trip here for next year as everyone is welcome!

Photo via Alex Strickland

Bike, Brand Team posts, Events, Osprey Athletes, Outdoor Activities, Product, Uncategorized Bike, biking, Laguna Seca, mountain biking, Osprey Athletes, Osprey Hydraulics, Osprey Mascot, road biking, Sea Otter Classic, Sea Otter Classic 2013

Today marks the kick-off of the Red Rock Rendezvous, and its 10 year anniversary, at Red Rocks Conservation Area in Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. The event is a veritable extravaganza of outdoor adventure, which includes back-to-back clinics focused on climbing, mountain biking, trail running and more. Powered by Mountain Gear and yours truly, Osprey Packs, we’ll be there to help celebrate and make it as unforgettable an event as ever!

Osprey Packs will be providing mountain bike clinics through the weekend at Red Rocks with the likes of Osprey Pro Athlete Alison Gannett and Osprey Amateur Athlete Jeff Fox. We’ll have demo bikes from our friends at Trek Bicycles and much more.

Saturday’s bound to be a big day, with Osprey-sponsored climbing clinics instructed by Osprey Athletes and pro climbers Majka Burhardt and Beth Rodden. Majka will instruct a “Learn to Trad Lead” clinic, and Beth will be leading a clinic on “Intermediate Sport and Techniques.” Adding to that, Saturday we’ll host a “Meet the Osprey Athletes” event from the booth with free poster signings. Come by the Osprey Booth  from 6-6:30 to see Majka Burhardt, who will be signing posters and talking about her latest adventures. Right after, Beth Rodden will be signing posters and talking about her latest adventures from 7-7:30! For more information about the schedule and to sign up for clinics, visit the Red Rocks Rendezvous website here.

Throughout the weekend, Osprey Packs will also be stationed at its booth offering  free pack demos, and we’ll have the brand-new line of men’s and women’s 2013 hydration packs and Variant and Mutant climbing packs there for you to try on. We’ll also be offering free pro pack sizings, fittings and advice from Osprey Packs experts throughout the event.

Adding a little more recreation to the event’s festivities, come by the Osprey booth to play our Access Fund Bola Bowl/Ladder Toss Game and you may win a free pack as we raise funds for the Access Fund! Then, try your hand at our “Fix a Flat Contest” and race against the clock to win prizes that include our spring 2013 line of Osprey hydration packs! To top it all off, we’ll have daily giveaways with swag, stickers and catalogs — so stop by to say hi!

We’ll see you at Red Rock!

Events, Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product, adventure Access Fund, Bike, climb, mutant, Red Rock Rendezvous, run, Variant

It’s that time of year again! Vertfest is and always will be known as “the best Festival of Freeride and Mountain Mettle in North America,” and it’s back, ready to kick off on February 16th and 17th in Alpental, WA. Naturally, we’ll be there to help celebrate. Here’s the full scope of what you can expect:

The weekend will begin on Saturday with the Monika Johnson Memorial Rally, with a race division that’ll take participants on two laps up Alpental and back — in addition to a recreational division, as well as a 50+ and splitboard division, all of which will offer up just one lap. Saturday will progress with a contest, an awards ceremony and an epic raffle with ski and pack giveaways. Saturday’s festivities will cap off with live music from Head Like A Kite and Daydream Vacation.

Sunday is the day of educational clinics, ranging from an Intro to Splitboarding with Neil Provo to a clinic focused on landscape photography to a Sidecountry Steeps Clinic with our very own Osprey Athlete Kim Havell. This clinic will take place from 9-12 and 1-4 p.m. You can check the full clinic schedule for details here, but be sure to stop by the Osprey booth on Sunday between 4 and 4:30 for a chance to meet Kim Havell, who will be doing a poster-signing!

Throughout the weekend, Osprey will be providing free demos on the Karve series of sidecountry riding packs, as well as the Kode 22 backcountry riding pack, so be sure to swing by to try on a Karve or Kode pack and get fitted by a professional. We’ll have Karve 6, 11 and 16 as well as the Kode 22 on hand for free demos. What’s more, we’ll be there with the entire Osprey winter collection and all of the new packs that will be coming in Spring of 2013. And while you’re at the Osprey booth, be sure to take the 3-minute Osprey Vertfest survey for a chance to win a brand-new Osprey pack. We’ll see you on the mountain!

Events, Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product, adventure backcountry, Karve, kim havell, KODE, Osprey, ski, snowboard, splitboard, vertfest, Washington

It’s that time of year again — the biggest ice festival in North American is nearly here! This weekend, The Ouray Ice Festival will be back for three days of ice climbing, chatter, gear, equipment and competitions among world-class climbers. Held every January since 1996, the Ouray Ice Fest brings enthusiasts from around the world to Ouray, Colorado, with the end result being that the fest itself has become the primary fundraiser for the Ouray Ice Park.

This year’s event will be held this weekend, from January 10th through the 13th. And what’s more, we’ll be there to contribute to the festivities with a full display of all of our newest 2013 packs; free demos of Osprey Packs all day throughout the weekend, as well as free onsite professional pack fittings and daily pack giveaways. All you have to do is come by the Osprey Ice Fest booth to take a two minute event survey and you’ll be entered to win a Variant or Mutant climbing pack of your own. Adding to all of the goodness of the Ouray Ice Fest, swing by on Saturday between 2 and 3 p.m. to meet Osprey Athlete and pro climber Majka Burhardt!

For more information about the Ouray Ice Fest, you can check out the Ouray blog, and check out the 2013 competitor list here. We’ll see you there!

Events, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product, video ice, Osprey, Ouray Ice Festival, Packs

Last week we brought you a post with tons of information about Osprey partner Rios Libres, an organization that’s fighting hard against proposed damming on Patagonia’s pristine and incredibly powerful rivers. If you haven’t already gone ahead and signed the Rios Libres petition against HidroAysen’s proposal to dam the Baker and Pascua here, don’t feel bad, we’ve got another opportunity for you to take action, and it’s pretty awesome in and of itself.

Launching today, Thursday, June 21st — and running through Tuesday, July 3rd is the Rios Libres Petition Contest, in which you can help keep Patagonia Wild and win prizes at the same time! To TAKE ACTION, and be entered for a chance to win an Osprey Atmos or Aura backpack, all you have to do is go here to sign the petition, and then be sure to SHARE it on Facebook or Twitter.

Want more background info? Here’s the scoop on the proposed dam project:

Last year, Chilean officials gave the green light to the HidroAysén project, which would build five mega-dams on two of Patagonia’s wildest rivers. Now, one of the two corporations behind HidroAysén has suspended progress on the project indefinitely. Urge Chilean President Piñera to show environmental leadership at the upcoming Earth Summit by overturning the approval of HidroAysén and saving Patagonia from destruction.

Conservation, Product, contest HidroAys, patagonia, rios libres, take action

Osprey's Shannon Hahn rappels 150 feet down a slot canyon in Zion National Park during a product testing trip in June 2012. Photo: Chris Horton

There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot. ― Aldo Leopold

Here’s to finding some wildness this weekend. Happy Friday from Osprey Packs!

Friday Round-up, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product, travel canyoneering, product testing, wilderness, Zion National Park

Appalachian Trail Days 2012 kicks off tomorrow in Damascus, VA and Osprey is ready to once again take care of thru hikers and their packs with care. There is something for everyone going on this weekend in the one town where main street and the Appalachian Trail (AT) are one in the same and a veritable slice of Americana can be tasted by all in this annual celebration of the AT.

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Events, Product, travel appalachian trail, Appalachian Trail Days, hiking, pack repairs