Outdoor Sportswire Tuesday edition

Calls mount to recall popular avalanche beacon after possible malfunctions. Brianne Howard’s husband Corey Lynam bought a new avalanche airbag and swapped out his old beacon for a popular, modern transceiver, the Pieps DSP Sport. He perished in an expedition, and she believes her husband’s beacon was moved into the wrong position by the force of the avalanche due to a design flaw. Read more on Adventure Journal.

Everest Poll Shows Majority of Americans Consider Themselves Outdoors Fans. The study asked 2,000 Americans how they’ve coped with COVID-19 and what they are doing to stay active. How many of these activities have you done during the pandemic? Read more on SGBMedia.

Colorado closes National Forests, RMNP amid ‘unprecedented’ fire danger. Nearly half a million public acres in Colorado remain closed to all recreation due to wildfire activity across the state. The East Troublesome Fire is the latest wreaking havoc on the range. Read more on GearJunkie.

Nepal suspends access to Mount Everest after a local virus case is detected. The Nepali government has temporarily suspended trekking and access to Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, and other mountains in Solukhumbu District after an 80-year-old local man tested positive for the coronavirus. Read more in the NYT.

The 2021 Winter Buyer’s Guide. 40 testers. 271 products. Thousands of hours of skiing, riding, running, hiking, and adventuring. Outside shares its extensive list of the best outdoor gear for 2021.

CAMPING
This camper van rental company will let you subscribe to book RVs for months or even years at a time. Indie Campers has released a subscription service that allows digital nomads in Europe to subscribe to #VanLife on a monthly or annual basis. See how it works on Business Insider.

Yellowstone to test automated shuttle system in summer 2021. Yellowstone National Park announced this week that it will begin testing a low-speed automated shuttle system in 2021. The automated shuttle from vendor Florida-based company Beep, Inc. will serve the Canyon Village campground, visitor services, and the nearby visitor lodging area. Read more on Idaho State Journal.

Interested in more camping business news, products and announcements? Subscribe to our new newsletter Camping Newswire here.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Fischer Skis Cleans Up, Takes Home Awards in four out of six categories in Cross Country Skier 2021 Gear Guide - Cross Country Skier magazine’s 2021 Gear Guide, a comprehensive nordic review, has just been released, naming Fischer Skis winner of an editor’s choice award in four out of six hardgoods categories. Fisher took home the Editor’s Choice award in the Skate Gear category for both the Speedmax 3D ski and Carbonlite Skate boot. MORE

Black Diamond Equipment’s Spot 350 Headlamp Wins Inaugural REI Co-op Editors’ Choice Award - Black Diamond Equipment, makers of climbing, skiing, running, and hiking equipment and apparel, was awarded an inaugural REI Co-op Editors’ Choice Award for its full featured waterproof headlamp - Spot 350. Spot 350 features a compact design, intuitive two button user interface, and a multi-faceted optical lens design providing 350 lumens of light. MORE

Rossignol’s BLACKOPS Sender Ti is Outside’s “2021 Gear of the Year” - Leading up to the 2020-21 ski season, Rossignol’s all-new flagship freeride ski, the BLACKOPS Sender Ti, has been turning heads and drawing praise throughout every major ski test review. This is an important marker of validation, now culminating in the coveted “2021 Gear of the Year” award from Outside. MORE

BUSINESS
Pocket Outdoor Media Joins Time to Vote Movement - Pocket Outdoor Media is the latest company to join the business-led, nonpartisan coalition, Time To Vote, which aims to increase voter participation in the U.S. elections. POM has joined the coalition and shown its support by declaring Nov. 3, Election Day, a company holiday so that its 220 employees have the opportunity to vote and/or support others in getting to the polls. MORE

OutsidePR Adds To Client Roster - PR agency OutsidePR is going into the end of the year with new clients. New partners include ski areas Sun Valley and Snowbasin Resorts, DECKED, a mobile storage and organization equipment creator for the truck market, and Taiga Coolers. As agency of record, OutsidePR will do brand-building, story-telling, and promoting of their unique products and experiences. MORE

Snowsports Industries America (SIA) Launches ClimateUnited - SIA announced the launch of their new climate initiative, ClimateUnited, designed to provide the winter outdoor community with tools to address climate change. ClimateUnited is a two-part initiative that unites companies around an industry climate pact to provide a roadmap and guidance to meet these commitments. MORE

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

SWIX US Partners with Wintersteiger, U.S. Ski Team for Improved Athlete Equipment - SWIX US, in partnership with ski and snowboard sport rental solutions provider Wintersteiger, for the second year has set up a tuning and waxing center at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado. The pop up center will be run and staffed for a month, accessing as many athletes' skis as possible. MORE

GoSun Launches Most Needed Solar Product Ever: ‘GoSun Brew’ with 266WH Powerbank, Built-In French Press for Coffee and Carrying Case - GoSun, makers of solar-powered outdoor gear, released its ninth crowdfunded solar innovation, GoSun Brew. The GoSun Power 266 powerbank has 266-watt hours of capacity, enough to charge a laptop five times, a smartphone 22 times, or brew - eight cups of coffee. MORE

Sea to Summit Announces New Highly-Anticipated Tent Lineup for Spring 2021 - Sea to Summit, the globally recognized adventure equipment brand, announces the company’s entry into technical backcountry tents. Following more than three years of rigorous research and design, Sea to Summit will be releasing two lightweight tent models, the Alto and the Telos, along with an expansive line of accessories for Spring 2021. MORE

Yakima’s EXO System has Forever Changed the Humble Hitch - Multi-functional and highly versatile describe the brandnew EXO modular hitch System from Yakima, makers of vehicle racks and cargo management solutions. Its EXOSwingBase, EXOTopShelf, EXO GearLocker and EXO GearTote take adaptability, accessibility, and capacity to the next level. MORE

POC unveil Jeremy Jones and POW collection - POC, manufacturer of helmets, eyewear, body armor and apparel, is releasing a Jeremy Jones and Protect Our Winters (POW) collection which supports positive action for environmental change, donating 10% of all proceeds to support POW’s work. The collection of Jeremy Jones, the ten-time Big Mountain Rider of the Year, consists of the updated Fornix SPIN helmet and Fovea Clarity goggle. MORE

Gerber Launches Reserve Program Featuring Exclusive American-Made Knives - Gerber, manufacturer of knives and multi-tools, launches the Gerber Reserve® program, featuring a new line of small-batch knives built with premium grade materials. Each release in the Reserve program will be available either as is, or customizable in the Gerber Custom Shop, allowing collectors to leave their personal design on the product. MORE

SPONSORSHIPS
Silva Teams Up with Ultrarunner Corrine Malcolm as Ambassador, Athlete - Silva announced its partnership with ultrarunner Corrine Malcolm as part of the brand’s North American ambassador and athlete team. Malcolm, a former elite cross-country skier and biathlete, has excelled on the ultrarunning circuit, finishing in the top ten women at the Western States Endurance Run (2018, 2019) and fourth at the 2018 Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc TDS. MORE

Wild Country Athlete James Pearson climbs TRIBE - On October 21, British climber James Pearson, sponsored by The North Face, Wild Country, La Sportiva and Altissimo, made his second ascent of the trad climb ‘Tribe’ at Cadarese, Italy. Tribe is widely regarded as the hardest trad route in the world. MORE

National Ski Patrol Partners with Nikwax - Nikwax, makers of environmentally safe waterproofing wax for technical clothing, footwear and equipment, announces a partnership with the National Ski Patrol, serving as its official partner for washing and waterproofing products. National Ski Patrol’s partnership with Nikwax will help its patrollers to keep their gear and clothes last longer. MORE

MOVES
Thermacell Growing Team Following Strong Sales Season - Thermacell Repellents, Inc, a leading manufacturer of area mosquito repellent products, is expanding its team, adding Dr. John Hainze as its new VP of Science & Research plus dozens of open positions in Research and Development, Analytics, Marketing, Operations, Customer Support, and IT to support its recent growth. MORE

TRUE Communications Builds Leadership Team - Integrated communications agency TRUE Communications recently announced a series of movements. Promoted were Peter Nicholson to Partner, Greg Fisher to Partner, Garin Fons to VP, Marketing & Strategy, and Andrew Bernstein to Senior Account Director, Paid Media. MORE