The Outdoor Retailer Snow Show kicked off at the end of January as a celebration of the whole mountain experience. This was the 66th year of their annual Snow Show, and it didn’t disappoint. The Denver Convention Center was filled with inspirational explorers and storytellers.
The show kicked off with the launch of the Confluence of States, a newly announced bipartisan organization that is dedicated to developing a national platform to grow the outdoor recreation industry, protect the nation’s wild places, and transform conversation into a driver for economic prosperity. Their goal is to amplify, support, and unite outdoor efforts.
That announcement was quickly followed by a keynote address that focused heavily on sustainability and climate change. Based on recent reports, global warming will happen faster than anticipated. Extreme weather has become our new normal. As states like Colorado are growing in population, we will have less water because there isn’t the same level of snow pack.
Collaborate and Listen
These challenges will require more collaboration and innovation from the outdoor industry, and now’s the time to make the difference.
Throughout the show you could see that sentiment echoed throughout other talks, but also in the exhibitor booths of the outdoor retailers. There were several companies that were highlighting products that were created with sustainability in mind (like United by Blue Bison Jacket) or that showcased their dedication to sustainable efforts (like Nemo Equipment).
During a panel on sustainability, Pat Campbell, President of Mountain Division at Vail Resorts Inc., spoke about how Vail Resorts had launched Epic Promise, which included a Commitment to Zero—a pledge to reach a zero net operating carbon footprint by 2030. What was even more inspiring was how Vail is empowering their employees to take an active part in their initiative, which has inspired incredible collaboration and teamwork within the company around this initiative.
Positively impacting the negative effects of global warming is a huge initiative. The panel encouraged the business leaders to not be scared of how big this initiative is, but to focus on areas they could impact within their company. We’re not free from doing our part—we just need to figure out what that part is and not be complacent.
Take Action
Before this panel closed, they left the attendees with some words of wisdom as they set off to change the world:
- Find a mentor to help you find your path
- Set almost unattainable goals. Engage employees often.
- Engage where decisions are being made
- Take an adventurous approach.
- Remember that we are in this together. We need to be inclusive, embrace diversity, and help one another.
We are in this Together
The Huck Adventures team was encouraged by this message because we are working to unite the outdoor community and believe that collaboration and innovation are the key to doing so.
As part of our company’s mission, we aim to grow outdoor participation, grow the outdoor industry, and reinvest in the outdoors by supporting nonprofits that are working to preserve the natural beauty of the outdoors and getting more people outside to enjoy it.
To get there, we know we can’t do it alone. So as we get our app ready for launch in a couple months, we have been busy collaborating and meeting with nonprofits and businesses with shared missions and values that want to be our partners. It’s an exciting time, and we are hopeful for the future, not just for Huck Adventures, but the entire outdoor community.
If you want to be one of Huck’s nonprofit or business partners, shoot us an email at info@huckadventures.com. You can also get updates on our progress and be notified when the app launches by signing up on our website at www.huckadventures.com.
