About face

Skis, boots, poles … mask? Yep, PPE has now been added to the outdoor gear checklist, at least for the foreseeable future. But some of the big outdoors companies don’t want to send you out there with any old Walmart bandana. Which is why many have shifted gears to add technical – and arguably more stylish – facemasks to their quiver.

Outdoor Research and KEEN are just two of the heavy hitters cranking out face masks for the discerning outdoorsperson. The Seattle-based OR expects to start churning out 200,000 reusable, nonmedical masks a day by early summer.

But Liz Wilson, VP of product at OR, insists it’s not about jumping on the pandemic profiteering bandwagon. “Rather than approach this opportunistically by asking what we had lying around that we could make into masks, we set about making a really great new product,” Wilson told SNEWS outdoors, a trade news site. “What happens when people go back to work, back to gyms? They’re going to want something that fits really well, that they can exercise in, that they barely realize is there.”

To meet that demand, OR is launching its Essential Face Mask, an adjustable, microbe- and germ-resistant washable mask, which comes with 3 filters and a protective storage pouch. OR was supposed to start selling the $25 masks on its website June 1, but as of this week, they were still out of stock. By fall, the company plans to expand its offering to gloves, balaclavas and face shields designed for high-output aerobic activities. And the packaging will be thoughtfully designed as well: the plastic sleeves will act as reusable sterilizing devices that harnesses UV light to kill viruses and bacteria.

“This isn’t a one-hit wonder for us. People are going to be concerned about safety for at least a year,” Wilson said. “In this, you’re either the ostrich sticking your head in the sand, you go into panic mode, or you adapt. We are adapting.”

As for footwear maker KEEN, it expects to debut washable cloth masks, in seven different colors, on its website starting mid-June. And despite the range of fashionable colors, there is plenty for the tech weenie to geek out on. OR’s masks are treated with the Swiss HeiQ antiviral textile technology. Meanwhile, KEEN’s cotton version is “consciously created” with BCI-certified canvas. The company is also making a “Hyperlite” version ($20 for five) that, like the OR version, is billed as durable, breathable and water-repellent. Both brands come with adjustable ear loops as well.

“We’re not looking to make a huge profit, we’re just looking to make a great product at a fair price,” OR’s wilson said.

No word from Patagonia on its facemasks but we wouldn’t be surprised if a synchilla one is in the works.

The Pole

Here comes the bus: 02/25/2021; Durango School District 9-R is getting on the bus – the electric bus, that is. Last week, 9-R announced it won a $328,803 grant for a fully electric school bus and charging infrastructure. The 81-seat bus is expected to be operational by next fall.

Good QRma

02/18/2021

The days of scrawling your name and phone number with a Sharpie on your gear are over. A Boise-based company has come up with a tech-age solution to the age-old problem of lost or yard-saled gear.

For $3.99, Karmik Outdoors will send you a QR code decal for all your most precious toys. The unique code will trace you gear back to you, all with a simple smart phone scan (provided, of course, that whomever finds your flotsam, jetsam and improperly secured roof items is a believer in gear karma in the first place.)

#KBYG

02/11/2021

Adding to an already grim year of statistics, last week was the deadliest week of avalanches in the U.S. in more than a century. At least 15 people were killed in avalanches in six states between Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, including three in the San Juans alone.

To help folks better contend with this season’s treacherous and unprecedented conditions, Friends of the San Juans wants to equip them the best tool possible: knowledge.

Serving up help: 02/11/2021; Early in the morning of Feb. 6, local chef Seanan Culloty narrowly escaped an apartment fire with his life and his faithful dog, Bubba. However, Culloty, the head chef at Manna, escaped with little else. To help Culloty get back on his feet, friends and co-workers are hosting a GuFundMe page. The money will be used to help Culloty replace his belonging as well as with a deposit and first month’s rent on a new apartment.

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