KORE Outdoors Podcast (KORE Outdoors)

Jen Loofbourrow is the founder of Alpine Fit, an Anchorage-based brand focused on making functional outdoor apparel. As the name suggests, Alpine Fit has created multiple fits for its apparel so that customers can find the perfect size for them.

In this conversation, we discuss the challenges that come with creating multiple fit styles and how this is an advantage that smaller brands have over larger ones. Jen talks about her experiences working for Lululemon and how the different seasons of her career prepared her for launching Alpine Fit.

Links:
Alpine Fit Website

Alpine Fit on Instagram

Learn more about KORE Outdoors

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

Lloyd Vogel is the CEO of Garage Grown Gear, the online retailer that has become the go-to site for ultralight backpacking gear as well as the place to discover new brands and craft gear makers.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• The Importance of Differentiation: Why specialty retail needs to focus on unique, valuable, and convenient offerings.
• Taking Risks to Stand Out: How embracing lesser-known brands can lead to success in the outdoor industry.
• Lessons from GGG’s Journey: The role of strategic partnerships and supporting vendors with innovative solutions like small loans.
• Building a Thriving Audience: Tips on leveraging giveaways, email lists, and existing communities for growth.
• Long-Term Focus vs. Trends: Why following trends can be risky and how to ensure your brand evolves with the market.
• Advice for Founders: Lloyd’s tips for outdoor entrepreneurs on making impactful moves and focusing their energy where it matters most.
• A Changing Landscape: Lloyd’s thoughts on the current reckoning in outdoor gear retail and what it means for small businesses.

The KORE Podcast is a production of KORE - Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise. You can learn more about KORE here.

Want to get in touch? Email us at koreoutdoorspodcast@gmail.com

Show Notes:
Garage Grown Gear
Senchi Designs
Virginia Foothills Designs
Inbox When Ready - email inbox manager
Light Phone - mobile phone Lloyd uses

You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn: Lloyd Vogel

You can connect with Christian on LinkedIn: Christian Rawles

Georgia Grace Edwards is the co-founder and CEO of outdoor apparel brand Gnara. She is a driven business person who has raised millions of dollars for her company by winning pitch competitions and winning over investors. 

Gnara is well-known for its patented Go Fly zipper technology, which allows women to pee outside without removing clothing. They produce their line of apparel, like the popular Go There Pants, as well as license their Go Fly technology to other brands.

In this episode, Georgia Grace talks about the power of pitch competitions, how to grow customer loyalty by being transparent, and why solving a real problem is the best inspiration for facing the challenges of growing a brand.

Gnara has recently launched a second Kickstarter campaign for its Go Free Leggings.

For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/kore-outdoors-podcast/

#craftgearfromhere #shoplocal

The one and only Kelli Jones joins host Christian Rawles to talk about how she's grown Noso Patches from creating a patch to repair her beloved puffy jacket to a thriving business on a mission to keep outdoor apparel out of the landfill. Kelli has been instrumental in creating the Title 9 Pitch Fest and has worked hard to support and advocate for other female founders in the outdoor industry.

This conversation covers how Kelli puts the 'show' in trade show, how she decided to go all-in on Noso, growing a business in a mountain town like Jackson & the work Noso is doing to keep outdoor apparel going for longer.

Show Notes:
Learn more about KORE Outdoors

Noso Patches website

Noso Patches on Instagram

GoggleSoc

Traction book & the EOS System

Rocky the Rocket

Connect with Kelli on LinkedIn

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

In this episode of the KORE Outdoors Podcast, host Christian Rawles talks with Dan Durston, founder of Durston Gear. Based in Golden, British Columbia, Durston Gear is renowned for its innovative ultralight backpacking gear. 

The discussion covers valuable insights on product innovation, inventory management, and authentic marketing within the outdoor industry. Dan also emphasizes the importance of nurturing a passionate community and staying true to core values while leading a product-driven company.

Show Notes :

KORE Outdoors

Durston Gear

Slow Productivity

Montana Knife Company

ZenBivy

Alpacka Rafts

Thermarest

Founders Podcast

Andy Bethune has spent his career developing brand and marketing strategies for the biggest names in the outdoor industry and founder-led startups just getting started. In this episode, Andy breaks down the components of branding and provides actionable steps to creating a clear brand strategy.

This conversation covers topics such as consumer psychology, branding fundamentals, marketing strategies for startup brands, and what the outdoor industry can learn from the hunting industry.

Andy is the Principal Strategist and Founder of Black Ram Consulting.

Show Notes:
KORE Outdoors

Origin Agency

Stone Glacier

Gritty Films

First Light / Meat Eater

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

Robin Hall is the co-founder of Town Hall Outdoor Co, based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which produces high-quality, sustainable outdoor apparel for kids.

In this episode, we talk about utilizing in-person events to gain traction as a new brand, working with co-founders to bootstrap the business and the importance of finding the right retail partners to work with.

Robin loves the outdoor industry and helping other up-and-coming brands grow. She is a founding member of the “Rural is Rad” movement, which helps shine a light on the brands that are being started in smaller communities.

You can learn more about on their website townhallco.com and you can connect with Robin on LinkedIn.

Greg McDonald is the General Manager of Ridley’s Cycle, an independent bike retailer with three locations in Calgary and a very successful online store. Greg is also a board member of the National Bike Dealer’s Association and, prior to Ridley’s, he was a sales rep in the outdoor and bike industry.

In this episode we discuss the current situation in the bike industry and the challenges many retailers and brands are facing. We learn about some of the issues that led to the situation as well as some potential solutions. We also get into the details about how brands can better support retailers through improved sales programs and partnerships that create win-win situations at every level of the industry.

Wes Allen owns Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming with his wife, Melissa and both are advocates for strengthening the outdoor industry through independently owned retailers and brands.

Wes has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in the outdoor industry: he's worked in sales at REI and Chaco and he's president of the US-based Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a community of independent outdoor specialty retailers and brands.

This episode is full of actionable advice for smaller brands looking to grow in the outdoor industry. Wes explains omni-channel selling, which is using all channels and platforms to offer products and services to prospective clients, and why he believes it is the best way for both brands and retailers to succeed. He also tells us why we should be cynical about big, publicly-traded companies if we want the outdoor industry to survive, and he gives us some excellent tips brands can incorporate to improve their selling to retailers.

Aside from appearing in this podcast, Wes regularly shares his experiential insights through industry publications and public speaking events. You can find his writing and follow him on LinkedIn.

In this episode of the KORE Outdoors podcast, host Christian Rawles talks with Rob Owens, the founder and president of Onward Up Sales and Marketing, an outdoor sales agency in Western Canada. Rob shares his journey from a sponsored climber and mountain guide to building a successful sales agency representing top outdoor brands.

The discussion covers the crucial role of sales reps, strategies for early-stage brands, and the intersection of alpinism and entrepreneurship. Rob provides valuable insights on commitment, self-awareness, and risk management, all critical elements for thriving in the mountains and in business. This episode is packed with actionable advice for anyone involved in the outdoor industry.

Show Notes:
Learn more about KORE Outdoors

OnwardUp Sales & Marketing

Outter Limits Saskatoon

Jack Tackle

Mark Twain quote

Storm Care

Learn more about wuwei

Mallory Ottariano is the founder and Chief Everything Officer at Youer Apparel. She started her brand as a creative side project making one-of-a-kind apparel and has grown it into a full line of active lifestyle apparel for women.

Today, Mallory owns her own factory in Missoula, Montana where they produce thousands of pieces of apparel every year. Mallory has been a vocal advocate for domestic manufacturing and has grown her loyal customer base by being transparent about what it takes to run an apparel business and the costs associated with producing apparel in America.

In this episode, we talk about what it takes to get a brand started, her struggle to find reliable factories, and how her loyal customers funded her expansion to start her own factory.  She tells the story of how she turned a horrible experience pitching her products to REI into a viral social media video and how she has grown her brand without spending a dollar on advertising.

Mallory has utilized social media to organically grow her business. You can find her on Instagram and learn more about Youer on their website.

Cam Brensinger is the founder and CEO of NEMO Equipment, the outdoor equipment company renowned for its innovative tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags.

In this episode, Cam shares some of his mountaineering adventures that led him to start NEMO. He also tells the story of spending 12 years and $10 million before reaching profitability and how he's continued to buy out investors on his way to building a family-owned brand that will last for decades. Other topics in this episode include:

* The bravery that comes from ignorance 

* How adventure brings out the best of us

* The benefits of being a privately-owned company

* Patiently growing NEMO with close to zero ad spend

* Why ‘how we do things’ is more important than ‘how much’

* Vision and values as guardrails 

* The importance of having people who will challenge you
* Lateral and linear design processes

Wylie Robinson is the co-founder and Chairman of Rumpl. Up until November of 2024, Wylie was the CEO of Rumpl. In 2024, Wylie stepped down as CEO and brought in Josh Simpson to be the General Manager of Rumpl.

This conversation covers the early days of Rumpl, building a brand, riding the wave of changes in social media, balancing the wholesale and e-commerce channels as well as how to build a team.

Show Notes:

• Jeremy Koreski Old Growth photo 
• Shawn Palmer - mountain biker
• Rumpl's original Kickstarter page with iconic image
• Rumpl website
• Rock Fight podcast episode with Wylie Robinson & Josh Simpson

Learn more about KORE by visiting their website

Connect with Wylie on LinkedIn

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn

Raquel Vélez is the founder and CEO of Alpine Parrot, a company that makes technical outdoor apparel for sizes 14-30, which, until now, has been a category that the outdoor industry has all but ignored. Raquel has a background in engineering and she used her experience working with Bay Area tech companies to springboard her journey into entrepreneurship. In this conversation, she breaks down how apparel patterns are made and why previous methods for creating plus-size apparel didn’t work. She also discusses the important role that mentors, peers and her time in accelerator programs have played in keeping her going through turbulent times.

Eoin Comerford was the CEO of Moosejaw Mountaineering for 12 years, from 2012 to 2024. During his time at the Michigan-based outdoor retailer, he launched many new initiatives including the Outdoor Accelerator, a topic discussed in this episode. He also led Moosejaw through an acquisition by Walmart and, later, by Dick’s Sporting Goods. 

Eoin is currently an advisor to, and investor in, early-stage outdoor brands. He is the Principal at Outsize Consulting where he spends his time advising founders and working with retailers and investors in the outdoor industry. A few of the topics covered in this episode are:

• Three things every founder should focus on
• The advice Eoin gives every founder he works with
• Pitfalls to avoid when raising investment capital
• How to create a plan to profitability

Carina Hamel and Robby Ringer are the wife and husband partners behind Bivo, the performance hydration company that hit the market in 2020 with the first-of-its-kind stainless steel water bottle built specifically for cycling.

Hosted by Christian Rawles, co-owner of Ambler Mountain Works, this episode of the podcast touches on the R&D that went into creating a stainless steel bottle which outperforms a plastic squeeze bottle, their grassroots tactics to build a following before even creating a product, the heartbreak of a faulty first production run, the power of live events to find your customers and much more.

For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/kore-outdoor...

Jamie Bond is one of the founders of RUX, the Squamish, BC-based innovative gear storage brand. In this conversation, we learn about how he and his team took RUX from an idea to a reality through a successful Kickstarter campaign. We dive into the do’s and don’ts of running a crowdfunding campaign, how to grow an early-stage e-commerce company and the importance of building a brand as well as innovative products.

Louis-Julien Roy is the Founder & President of Mountain Exposure, a sales agency in Western Canada serving both the outdoor and cycling industries. Mountain Exposure is also the Canadian distributor of Ibis Bikes. 

In this episode, we discuss the role of sales representatives and best practices for early-stage brands to work with reps. We dive into the tactics of selling your products to retailers and the art of relational selling. This episode is full of actionable advice on how to sell your products in the outdoor and bike market.

This episode is hosted by Christian Rawles, a KORE board member and co-owner of Ambler Mountain Works.

To learn more about the KORE, visit the KORE website.

Alex Lauver is the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation and Sustainability at Outdoor Research. As his title implies, he operates at the intersection of multiple disciplines. He works on projects that bring innovation to market as well as on the  operations side of the business. It's a position that requires the ability to take complex topics and explain them in a way that makes them easy to understand.

In this episode, Alex discusses the role that innovation can play in product development and how to foster innovation within an organization. He shares his perspective on sustainability within the outdoor industry as well as the challenges we face moving to a more circular economy. He also gives an overview of PFAS substances, what they are, and how new regulations will change the way technical apparel is manufactured.

You can read more about Alex and some of the insights from his work on linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-lauver/

For more about the KORE Outdoors Podcast, visit https://koreoutdoors.org/kore-outdoors-podcast/

#craftgearfromhere #shoplocal

Eleven years ago Ryan Popov began Popov Leather as a passion project, hand-crafting wallets on his dining room table during nights and weekends. Since then, his company has shipped over 120,000 orders through Shopify and it now employs over 20 people at a workshop in Nelson, British Columbia. 

The latest episode of the KORE Outdoors Podcast is a deep dive into e-commerce and digital marketing. Ryan has turned his focus on learning as much as he can about running a successful e-commerce business and he’s a wealth of knowledge. With host Christian Rawles of Ambler, he discuss digital ads, where to start with email marketing, the importance of customer reviews, and the most important hire he made that helped fuel his growth.

Casey Shaw is a product designer who has played an important role in outdoor apparel design and fabrication through his work at Cloudveil, Arcteryx and Patagonia. There’s a good chance he has contributed directly or indirectly to one of your favourite pieces of outdoor apparel.

This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about how Casey approaches product design, how he thinks about innovation and the stories behind some of his favourite projects. He truly is a polymath and this conversation barely scratches the surface of his wide-ranging interests and skill sets. Here are just a few of the interesting topics he covers in this conversation:

* Why climbing is the best activity for testing apparel

* Tuning racing motorcycles & sound frequencies

* Designing for a very specific activity leads to better products in general

* Using cleverness (instead of money) to solve problems

* The story of creating the Atom LT for Arcteryx

* Working for Yvon Chouinard

* Designing the worlds best down parka

* Having a process for problem-solving

* Measuring is as important as making

* The theory of comfort

* Risk with discretion can be a tool

* Finding the sublime balance in life and innovation

Brendan Madigan is best known for his role as the owner of Alpenglow Sports, an independent outdoor retail shop in Tahoe approaching its 50th year of business. But Brendan's real superpower is his ability to build communities.

Brendan also runs the Winter Speaker Series which will hit $2 million raised for local charities in 2024. He's the co-owner and race director of the Broken Arrow Sky Race as well as the co-founder of TrailCon. 

Here are a few of the topics that Brendan discusses in this conversation:

•  How he is building a community of customers through Alpenglow Sports and the events that he runs 
• Why specialty retail shops have a responsibility to give back to their community
• How trains and retains longterm staff at Alpenglow
• The important role that challenger brands play in the outdoor industry

Links to things mentioned in this episode:
The Act of Listening with David Isay
Raide Research
DPS Skis
Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Bill Amos is the Founder & CEO of NW Alpine based in Salem, Oregon. NW Alpine has been producing technical outdoor apparel in the US since 2010. For many of those years, NW Alpine produced everything in-house and was the contract manufacturer for several other brands.

Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode:

• How alpinism prepared him for entrepreneurship 
• Starting a USA-made brand in response to the 2008 financial crisis
• Lessons learned from starting, growing and eventually closing a factory
• Why manufacturing in the US is critical for the future of the economy

Learn more about NW Alpine and see their gear: NW Alpine

Learn more about KORE: KORE Outdoors

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn:  Bill Amos

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: Christian Rawles

Want to get in touch? Send an email: christian@koreoutdoors.org

James Friedrich is a senior merchant at Mountain Equipment Company and a consultant at his firm Venturing Up. James has experience on the brand side as well as on the retail side, which provides him with a unique perspective. In this episode we learn how to position your product in the market, the importance of the value equation, how to price your product and how to work with retailers to have successful sell-through of your products.