Seattle, Wash. - Lathrop Associates will be Cascade Designs' new sales agency for the New England region. Cascade Designs' brands include Therm-a-Rest, MSR, SealLine (which makes dry bags), Platypus (which makes hydration systems), E-case, PackTowel, Hummingbird and Tracks. All of these brands will be managed by Lathrop Associates for Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

Lathrop Associates has worked for more than 25 years within the outdoor industry in the New England area. It specializes in representing higher-end technical brands and products via retail, catalog and web channels.

Boulder, Colo. - Starting June 3, Christie Hickman will take the reins as the Outdoor Industry Association's Vice President of Market Insights. There, she will analyze market and social media trends and share that data with OIA members.

Hickman said that consumer behavior is radically changing, especially in the outdoor industry. She said she sees her job as a chance to bring detailed market insights to small specialty brands and retailers.

At the age of 80, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura broke the record for the oldest person ever to climb Mt. Everest. Five years ago he was beat out by Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 76 years old at the time, for the title of oldest person to climb the mountain.

The rivalry is not dead however, and Miura may find himself not holding onto that record for very long as Sherchan, now 81 years old, is reported to be planning an attempt to ascend the mountain next week.

Asheville, N.C. – The 13th annual Mountain Sports Festival in North Carolina, which is expected to draw upwards of 15,000 attendees, is being held May 24 – 26. It is a weekend music and sports gathering celebrating community, athletics and local business, and this year a group of local outdoor gear manufacturers have partnered to promote their business in the region.

San Francisco, Calif. – San Francisco-based messenger bag manufacturer Timbuk2 now operates a retail location in downtown Seattle where it has applied for and received a BizCycle certification. The new store marks the company’s first location outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.

BizCycle certifies businesses that implement bicycle-friendly practices as defined by the organization’s best practices guide. Timbuk2 achieved certification by including bicycle commute resources in new employee packets and partnering with local hotels and hospitality businesses to become a staff cycling hub, among other initiatives.

Freeport, Maine – The privately owned company, L.L. Bean, has once again continued its tradition of passing down the family business. Leon Gorman stepped down from his position as CEO, after more than 50 years at the helm of Maine's largest outdoor retailer. The company got its start in 1912 when Leon Leonwood Bean reached out to a community of hunters by informing them of his rubber-soled hunting boots.

Katy, Texas – Katy, Texas based sports, outdoor and lifestyle retailer Academy Sports and Outdoors is set to open a new store in Portland, Texas and renovate its 110,000 square-foot Corpus Christi store. The Portland location is slated to open its doors in spring of 2014.

Boulder, Colo. - As San Diego gears up to host the 2013 Rendezvous, many will have an opportunity to follow this year's theme: Learn. Connect. Ignite. The event, hosted by the Outdoor Industry Association, will take place at Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego from Sept. 30 – Oct. 2. Specifically, this year's event will focus on how consumer behavior has evolved over time while questioning the future of outdoor retail.

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.