Here it is, a new video from SCARPA introducing the new Alpine Cross line. They filmed and put together a video of summer shoe guru Mark Mathews giving some perspective into the thinking behind the Alpine Cross line, as well as details on each shoe, and it’s up on YouTube for the world to see. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqvp2czwVJI

Strip off your daddy’s over engineered sneakers…there’s a new kid in town.

END's Stumptown 12 oz. is awarded 'Best Trail Running Shoe Debut' by Runner's World. The Spring Shoe Trail Guide hits news stands everywhere on March 10, 2009. This is a great honor for a startup performance footwear brand focused on delivering what runners want - lightweight, flexibility, pliable comfort, stability and protection – while avoiding all the unnecessary and often toxic materials that runners don’t want.

This award is 100% non-biased and based purely on trail running performance by the magazine’s independent product testers and nationally renowned footwear science lab. We would like to thank the world's filthiest mud, hairball off-road descents, gopher infested grass, stumps that reach up and grab you (I hate that!), and a global desire for taking running shoes far, far, far beyond the manicured city sidewalk.

Perhaps my second favorite event in the month of February, the Birkie. It’s 54K if hills, rolling terrain, one flat lake just before the end, and a main street finish in a little northern Wisconsin town called Hayward. I have skied the Birkie twice now and the Korte once, all classic, and all fun. The 54K classic trail has a lot of hills in the first half of the race following a north/south trending Moraine located between Cable and Hayward. The second half, from county OO to the finish has more downhill sections and flat sections of the trail, to make up some time if needed.

The day started out great, little wind, a temp hovering around 10 (if I remember correctly) at the starting line and a little new snow the night before. My wax was spot on for the conditions I experienced on the trail for starting in wave 6. I was fast on the downhills, catching up to a lot of people that were beating me on the uphills. I love going fast downhill! This year though, it was a tough race for me. I almost quit around 30K with both quads almost fully cramping up on me…no fun. So, I slowed down a bit and rubbed out my muscles as best as I could. I got some more food and drink in me and in another 6 K my quads finally worked out and I was able to finish what I started in just over 6 hours. My goal was to finish with a time under 6 hours, so that will have to wait until next year. Cant wait for Feb 2010! ~Jon Jugenheimer, AAO rep

Congrats to Midwest Mountaineering, a Grassroots partner, who received a Retailer of the Year award at OR from Snews and Backpacker magazine. Please click the link below to read more!

http://grassrootsoutdoors.com/index.php/dealer-profiles/congratulations-to-retailers-of-the-year/2009/

Check out this great Sole demonstration on Wild Snow about fitting Scarpa mountaineering boots! Two great lines we have the pleasure of working with!!

DIY - Sole Footbeds and Scarpa Summer Mountaineering Boots http://www.wildsnow.com/695/diy-footbeds-and-scarpa-summer-mountain...

Everyone,

During last Saturday's pre-Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, Andy Meyer (Marmot's Sponsorship Manager) noticed CNN reporter, Don Lemon, wearing a Marmot Zeus down jacket on Barack Obama's train-ride into Washington DC. Please click on the link below -- watch Don Lemon carefully -- and you'll see Marmot proudly displayed on CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/01/17/lemon.obama.train.ride.cnn?iref=videosearch

From Marketing / PR:

Osprey has had some exciting news to share with the world recently. Attached are two press releases regarding the partnership with Telluride Ski Resort and Osprey’s All Mighty Guarantee.

You can see all of Osprey’s press releases on the Verde PR Paperless Press Room.
http://www.verdepr.com/content/press-releases-11

And remember to check out the latest media hits on Osprey’s Social Media Blog.
http://www.ospreymedia.blogspot.com/

In today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune I-profile Andy Knapp, a 60-year-old retail buyer at Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis and a lifelong adventurer who’s now fighting cancer.

The story focuses on Knapp’s life in the wilds as well as his fight over the past five years with tough-to-treat renal cell carcinoma kidney cancer.

This story is incredible and one you will want to read. Check out the full story at http://thegearjunkie.com/andy-knapp-survivor!

Marmot is participating in a rather unique promotion with the AXE brand (http://www.unilever.com/brands/personalcarebrands/Axe.aspx). Click on the link to find out more today!

Happy 2009 everyone! Hope you’re having a good start to the new year.

Below is the usual link to coverage for SCARPA North America for the last couple of months, including some good coverage this month. A few highlights:

• The Typhoon is covered in the current issue of Skiing in a feature on the new generation of freeride boots, and the month before they named the T-Race one of the year’s ‘Best pieces of Gear.’
• Outside Magazine covered the Zen in its holiday gift guide.
• The Nangpa-La was featured in American Way and Michigan Sports.
• Mountain Gazette covered the T1 and the Techno in separate months this winter and fall.
• Gripped has covered three different SCARPA rocks shoes/mountain boots in issues this fall and winter.
• BOSS Report covered SCARPA’s move into new offices and integration of the warehouse operation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/basecampcomm/sets/72157594538267268/detail/

As always, you can download these placement to print out or otherwise use to share with retailers and colleagues, or just forward them the link.

Chill Gear: Cool Stuff for Cold Days
(© Yaktrax)
Yaktrax
It doesn’t matter how deep the treads run on your winter shoes — rubber will still slide on slick surfaces. But with a pair of Yaktrax strapped to your soles, ribs of steel coil bite into ice and snow to provide reliable traction. Think of the Yaktrax as a sort of urban crampon, but without the spikes.

The light-duty Walker model is good for casual, confident steps across icy parking lots and sidewalks, while the heavy-duty Pro (pictured) is designed for active outsiders. Taken on a test run, Yaktrax Pro allowed for natural strides while jogging on patches of ice and dry pavement alike. Even the Museum of Modern Art, crediting the Yaktrax design, has acknowledged these traction devices are good for the sole. Just be sure to peel them off your foot before you shred your way across a nice hardwood floor.

Shop: Yaktrx

For more info: Yaktrax

Happy December! This post serves as a reminder to check out the Osprey Media Blog. Osprey had some great media hits in the first week of December. Some highlights include:

• Men’s Health featuring the Exos 46
• Backcountry Magazine highlighting the Variant 37
• American Way Magazine including the Variant 28 in their Holiday Gift Guide
• Backpacking Light’s long-awaited review of the Exos - video posted on the Media Blog

Here is the address to the Osprey Media Blog:

www.ospreymedia.blogspot.com.

In late November Osprey’s Exos 58 was presented with a 2008 Best of Adventure award from National Geographic Adventure Magazine. Attached is the press release announcing this prestigious award. Go Osprey!

love to run? love to train? the SOLE DK+ works with the Nike+ system to make sure you can use your favorite shoe and favorite insole with this revolutionary training tool!

It is really simple. Basically, the customer purchases the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, ( http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/?locale=en_cabut ) but instead being forced to use it in a Nike+ shoe, they can pop it into the compartment in the bottom of the SOLE DK+ and use it in any shoe. The SOLE Custom Footbed DK+ only provides a compartment to use the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit technology.

At Summer OR 2007, we had one of the previous Nike+iPod designers stop by our booth and was really impressed. He reiterated to us that most other Nike+ iPod Sport Kit technology (such as the cases that attach to the laces) places the Nike+ sensor at the wrong angle and hence measures the movement and impact of the foot inaccurately, therefore not giving an accurate reading. With the SOLE DK+ compartment, if calibrated with the footbed, actually gives you as accurate of a reading as it would in a Nike+ shoe.

The main caution when using the NIke+iPod Sport Kit with the DK+ is that putting something the size of the sensor under the arch can be uncomfortable to those will small or flat feet.

For more information check out our website
http://www.soleonline.com/products/footbeds/signature/dk-plus/

I was born in Madison Wisconsin and grew up in this hipster college town before leaving to get a degree in geology from The University Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2007.
Between living in Madison, Oshkosh, and then in Indianapolis I have been in the outdoor industry since 2001 working in multiple quality outdoor gear shops for the last seven years. I got my start at Erehwon in Madison WI and since then I have also worked at Fontana which is also in Madison, Mountain Bay in Appleton WI, and The Extreme Outfitters in Carmel IN. Through this time I have met a lot of awesome people and have been to a lot of great places doing what I love.

I have many outdoor interests from sea kayaking every summer in Gitchigumi, tele skiing in Big Snow Country, Fly Fishing Wisconsin waters, to ice and rock climbing across the continent. Through all of this I managed to Become WFR certified and an AMGA top rope cite manager. I have also written an ice climbing guidebook to a Michigan classic area located within the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I would have to say that ice climbing is what I am most passionate about. I started ice climbing in 2001 on a trip up to a local quarry in Wisconsin with a few people that I worked with at Erewhon, I was hooked for life. If I remember correctly I bought tools the very next day! This experience changed my life, as this is when I fell in love with climbing and started to fill up the odometer on my car with climbing trips, and I haven’t looked back since.

Although I love to travel to the mountains for new adventures, I am a Midwestern kid at heart, always was and always will be. So If you ever want to hang out on the side of a cliff, drink a fine single malt 16 year old Scotch and have a good time, I’ll be there waiting for you to arrive.

Trail Runner, December 2008
“This lightweight trail shoe from END’s debut line promises the best of two worlds – green materials and high performance design – and it delivers….The Stumptown 10 oz. is ideal for runners with a neutral footstrike who like a soft, responsive shoe. Need more support? Try the Stumptown 12 oz.”
(not online yet, link to JPG)

WEND Online, November 2008
“When you pick up a pair of End shoes, it’s immediately clear how different they are from everything else on the market. They feel drastically lighter and the aesthetic of the shoes is streamlined; only a few colors and a basic but distinct design give the shoes a look that certainly comes off as cool.”
http://wendmag.com/greenery/2008/11/walking-the-walk-end-footwear-promotes-responsible-business-and-shoes/

WEND, November 2008
END’s Stumptown 8.5 oz. and WOW (‘Walk On Water’ debuting on January 5th) looking sexy on authentic outdoor models in WEND’s Survival Kit, Volume 3, Issue 4. We’re framing these shots for the office!
(not online yet, link to JPG)

Running Times, November 2008
“Designed with a minimalist construction, many recycled materials (including laces and portions of the outsole and midsole), bamboo-infused linings, non-toxic glues, reduced manufacturing energy and less packaging.”
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=14736

National Geographic Adventure, October 2008
“Another strategy is to design a shoe that require fewer plastics, glues, and excess components. Such is the mission of END Footwear, an upstart brand with a lofty goal: pioneer a new age of outdoor gear products with an environmentally neutral design.”
http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/print/2008/10/gear/eco-shoes-text

Portland Monthly, October 2008
“All END shoes use bamboo fibers in their liners, and the laces and webbing are made from recycled soda bottles. Moreover, the shoes use 30 to 50 percent less material (like webbing and padding) and less glue than the typical running shoe, creating a lighter sneaker (10 ounces, compared to most others, which weigh between 12 and 15). The price is little light too…”
http://www.portlandmonthlymag.com/issues/current-issue/articles/1008-features-ripple/?page=4

Running Intelligence, October 2008
“The shoes are made in China, and Estey (Andrew Estey, END co-founder) says “END has taken great steps to streamline the manufacturing process. It takes 300 hands to manufacturer the typical running shoe. Our shoe requires only 150 hands. Less manpower means less electricity and less consumption of energy.” END is also working toward a goal by 2010 that all components in its shoes are sourced within 100 miles of the factory. “China has been a problem in this, but we are working towards being part of the solution.”
(No link on this one)

Footwear Intelligence, October 2008
“It (Stumptown 12 oz.) is a lightweight, multi-purpose shoe with added flexibility that retains its stability overall. Design elements include the absence of a heel cup, less foam, fewer seams and lighter weight mesh. SRP $80.”
(No link on this one)

American Way, September 2008
“Debuting this month, this astonishingly light boot (Stumptown LT) is made from 20 to 30 percent renewable, sustainable, or recyclable materials (with a goal of 100 percent within three to five years). The boot also has a bamboo-infused lining, a recycled-rubber outsole, and a patterned exterior.”
http://www.americanwaymag.com/tabid/2855/tabidext/4157/default.aspx

And we are lucky enough to call many of the them dealers! Congradulations to all of you that make the list!

The Midwest

Big River Running, MO
Elite Feet of Kansas City, MO
Fleet Feet Sports Chicago, IL
Fleet Feet Sports Cincinnati, OH
Gazelle Sports, MI
Garry Gribble Running Sports, MO
Hanson’s, MI
Marathon Sports, MN
Naperville Running Co., IL
Playmakers, MI
Running Fit, MI
Swag’s Sports, KY
The Running Spot, OH