Ironwood, Mich. – Created over a century ago by founders George “Stormy” Kromer and wife Ida Kromer, the classic Stormy Kromer hat has become iconic in the Upper Peninsula area of Michigan. With the area also known for the sport of ski jumping, the brand is now cementing the connection between itself and the sport by announcing its sponsorship of the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Ski Jumping teams.
Rockford, MI – Marking its second year of having an ambassador team, Chaco’s 2013 ambassadors are comprised of on-water professional athletes, adventurers and outdoor educators who will represent the footwear manufacturer at outdoor events, competitions and via social media, including the following people:
Alameda, CA – Freeskiing, often referred to as “new school skiing,” is making its Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The sport includes two Olympic events, Superpipe and Slopestyle.
The North Face is building off of its charter sponsorship with the 10-member U.S. Freeskiing team, which began in 2011 when the sport achieved Olympic status. The brand is now sponsoring what is being called the U.S. Freeskiing’s Rookie Team. The Rookie Team provides training to amateur teen athletes who are looking to advance their skills and competition level with the goal of eventually making the U.S. Freeskiing Pro Team.
Kathmandu, Nepal -- Nepalese mountaineer Chhurim, age 29, is the first woman to scale Everest twice in one season, and she accomplished this with only a week in between the two climbs. Chhurim, who takes one name as is the tradition among many Nepalese Sherpas, scaled the 29,035 ft behemoth on May 12, 2012 returned to base camp for several days rest and then summited again on May 19th. She was awarded the official Guinness World Records certificate this February for her extraordinary achievement.
Larry Fitzgerald, the esteemed wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, tweeted a picture of himself ice-climbing while on a trip in Slovenia. According to the Larry Brown Sports blog, Fitzgerald enjoys spending the off season venturing around the world and experimenting with new athletic activities for training.
It would be interesting if outdoor brands looked to professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL etc. (which dominate sports coverage in the US) for marketing initiatives that could tap a broader athletic audience and bring more "team sports" fans into the outdoors. The mere fact that Fitzgerald climbs to train in the off season could draw football fans to local climbing gyms; what would be the impact of an official endorsement?
Jorgeson began his climbing career at the age of 14 at Vertex Climbing Center in his hometown of Santa Rosa, Calif. After winning several national level competitions, he stopped competing in 2002 to begin focusing entirely on outdoor climbing. Jorgeson has earned his spot as a world-class climber with career highlights including first ascents of Bishop, California highballs (“highball” is a term for a tall bouldering problem) such as Ambrosia, The Beautiful, Damned and Footprints.
Park City, UT – Helly Hansen was chosen by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) to be the official baselayer of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team. The team’s 48 athletes will be outfitted with Helly Hansen baselayers during competitions until the end of the 2016 season.
Kona, HI – Ecco proudly announces that two of their athlete ambassadors, professional tri-athletes Rasmus Henning and Michelle Vesterby have secured their places in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI. Henning and Vesterby will be the only Scandinavians to qualify this year.
Rasmus will come to the event having won first place at the half Ironman in Calgary, Canada in July. Michelle will come to the event with strong first and second place finishes in the Ironman Lanzarote and Ironman 70.3 Haugesund events, respectively.
Marmot announced the acquisition of two new skiers to its 2012 Freeride Ski Team, Hadley Hammer and Jake Cohn, bringing the group of snow sport enthusiasts to a total of twelve.
Hammer, 25, is a Jackson Hole native and placed top ten in the Freeskiing World Tour Championship. She has been training at Mountain Athlete, known for its personalized athlete workouts, to get in peak physical condition for future competitions.
Cohn, also 25, is a Telluride native who now resides in Whistler, B.C. Cohn is an active philanthropist who serves as an advocate for local snow sports. He is also a Clean Air Champion and works with the National Jewish Health to demonstrate that asthma does not have to slow you down—just as he proves everyday.