I’m not sure how big a news item this is, but here you go. VF, the umbrella corporation for The North Face, Smartwool and other outdoor lifestyle brands, is moving to Denver, Colorado from Greensboro, North Carolina. More here.The migration involves 800 employees and $27 million in tax credits, of which about half are transferable. In other words, a virtual cash incentive. With the recent move of the Outdoor Retailer trade show to Denver, I’m looking at the VF event as significant. Get enough critical mass going, and Denver could become the outdoor industry hub for the entire United States. No word yet on whether Dynafit will move there from Boulder. Probably not.
We like bush aircraft. So we like this one. Saving our pennies, perhaps, someday we’ll put a 680 shaft-hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 engine in something, how would it run in a Jeep?
WildSnow health tips: I’ve been talking to a lot of guys with back problems, all ages. There are so many lifestyle tweaks for this, nearly anyone, pain or not, should be taking care with the problematic human spine. Experiment. NPR came up with an interesting article. In regards to sitting, what helps me is to have use three different chairs (regular, kneeling, and fitball) as well as frequently standing and moving around.
Nice somewhat BtoB interview with Dynafit head guy Benedikt Böhm. He mentions mountain biking. Dynafit groupo anyone?
At first I thought this was a typo. But it is Aspen. The mayor of the olden mining town has proposed spending $75,000 on a consultant to study the “uphill recreation economy.” Where do I apply? Article here. Aspen-joking aside, actually legit and interesting. Ski lifts, baaah.
If you desire the word Chamonix to be on your travel roster, only you want to avoid the frantic crowds of other seekers checking the same box, have a coffee there then head over to the Valle d’Aosta (by the same token, keep your Courmaueur visit brief as well). Do your tours in the high Alps of the “Aosta” if you like, or enjoy any one of hundreds of huts and thousands of ski tours as you range. For an Italian metro fix (bring your black city clothing and scarf), once you’re done skiing continue driving east, to Milan. The guys in the following vid stayed more to the high ground, but the entire region is ski touring heaven. Brief article here, following video not only features the skiing, but wonderful mountain aviation.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.