localcrew
Mike Colpo aka “localcrew” was an 11-year veteran of Patagonia. He was a committed, and knowledgeable environmentalist who had a special love for Nevada’s wild places. He was a monster on his mountain bike and his beloved Xtracycle, an excellent backcountry navigator, telemark skier, fly fisherman and alpinist who took a month out every summer to guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming. He passed away suddenly on December 7, 2011. We miss him dearly.
Take a peek at the latest issue of Climbing magazine and you’ll find Patagonia climbing ambassador Pete Whittaker sporting the kind of face that only climbing offwidths can produce. The story that goes with this photo: “The World’s First 5.14 Offwidth.” Together with his partner Tom Randall and photographer friend Alex Ekins the crew from the UK travelled throughout the American…
I’ve long thought that the most wasted resource on earth is talent. Talent abounds, yet optimizing its potential requires devoted effort. Of course we also have to consider opportunity, and the whole talent-and-effort issue makes regular news. There’s the “10,000-Hour Rule” of practice, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his celebrated and best-selling book Outliers –…
[Leaders of grassroots environmental groups from around the country (and the world!) gather at the Stanford Sierra Camp to learn the latest tactics and techniques to aid in their ongoing work. All photos: Tim Davis] On the list of points of pride that come with working for Patagonia, the Tools for Grassroots Activists Conference is…
While the Patagonia environmental team was busy hosting its Tools for Grassroots Activists Conference last week, one of our activist community's greatest victories in recent decades was unfolding, the removal of the Elwha Dam. If you haven't had a chance to get the full story behind the Elwha's removal, check out yesterday's post from the…
Bruce Babbitt, Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, is challenging Congress and the Obama administration to set a strong conservation agenda to protect our nation’s public lands and threatened species. Listen live to Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who will speak to members of the press at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on…
The Patagonian region of southern Chile is considered one of the world's last, great wildernesses, dubbed an "eco-gem" for its rare fauna, ice-sculptured fjords and almost total absence of industrial development. Less destructive alternative energy sources are abundant, and the Chilean government may not fully appreciate the significant tourism revenue opportunities that could be gained…
The Copp-Dash Inspire Award, sponsored by Black Diamond Equipment, La Sportiva, Mountain Hardwear and Patagonia, announced the latest winners of the new climbing grant established in memory of American climbers Jonny Copp and Micah Dash, who were killed in an avalanche in China in May 2009 along with filmmaker Wade Johnson. In addition to providing…
There always something unpleasant in the news. Worse, this queue of sad stories is never-ending; the high notes don't last long before they're pushed off the front page to make way for the latest updates about unfolding unrest of some kind or another. That makes news like the kind we're sharing today that much sweeter.…
We at Patagonia mourn the passing of our friend and colleague, Julia “Judy” Bonds, the Goldman Prize winner and Executive Director of Coal River Mountain Watch. Bonds, 58, had battled advanced stage cancer over the past several months and passed away last Monday. We got to know Judy, back in the early 2000s, first by…
Have you ever tried to grow zucchini? I haven’t. I’m ayoungest child, and a fortunate side effect of that is a tendency to learn fromothers’ mistakes. I would watch my siblings get in trouble for something and makea mental note of what not to do. That’s why I’ve shied away from zucchini. I’veseen too often…
Not long ago, we offered up a Backyard Adventure tale from Patagonia Climbing Ambassador, mountain writer, and senior editor for the American Alpine Journal, Kelly Cordes. Kelly told us all about the great climbing to be had within 15 minutes of his door. Kelly’s an honest man, so he didn’t shy away from offering up…
Idealists are frequently told that “hope” is not a strategy. Perhaps not, but it breeds inspiration, and inspiration is nothing if not the mother of the marvelous. And hope and inspiration together . . . Why, don’t they create the foundation upon which all great strategies are formed? On December 19th, Tim DeChristopher confessed in…
Series intro: A new citizen is emerging. That citizen is engaged, concerned, and most of all, confident; confident in his or her choice as a consumer, confident in his or her power as an employee, confident that change is possible. The Footprint Chronicles were developed to document the changes we’re making as a company to…
Well, it happened. It finally snowed. Last week, we pled: “Dear Winter, Please Show Up.” We snow-loving mountain dwellers had simply had our fill of gloriously sunny and unseasonably warm days. We couldn’t take it any longer. Cries issued forth. Widespread wailing was heard. Bargains were struck with deities. And of course, the gnashing of…
Let’s get straight to the point: We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for You. That’s right, You with a capital “Y,” the one who’s reading this post. It’s You–Patagonia customers, fans of the Tin Shed, regular readers of The Cleanest Line–who deserve the thanks. Last year, we ran a post expressing our gratitude for…
The Vote the Environment campaign is much more than a collection of ads and web pages asking you to think green this election year. We’re doing everything we can to get out the vote, and to arm voters with the tools they need to make the environment a top issue. Toward this end, Patagonia sent a couple…
Jonah. That’s the title. Simple, direct. About as austere as the landscape it refers to. Jonah is a book, and an unlikely one at that.It’s part cowboy, part environmentalist, part roughneck, and part naturalist.It’s part photo-journalism and part poetry. It’s naked fact and nuanced understanding. And it’s the self-published product of a young woman who,…
Regular readers of The Cleanest Line have learned to rely on regular product posts from our committed Customer Service representatives. They’re “Field Reports” of a sort . . . notes from the field about their adventures in our back-yard and beyond. This story’s a little different. It comes to us from Michelle L., one of…
We test our gear on a variety of levels. Our athletes and ambassadors are responsible for putting the latest designs and fabrics through the paces before we’ll add a new product to our lineup. But just because something reaches our shelves doesn’t mean testing is over. Once a new item shows up in our catalogs,…
We test our gear on a variety of levels. Our athletes and ambassadors are responsible for putting the latest designs and fabrics through the paces before we’ll add a new product to our lineup. But just because something reaches our shelves doesn’t mean testing is over. Once a new item shows up in our catalogs,…
Wholesome. It’s one of the first words that comes to mind when someone says “milk.” What about milk isn’t wholesome? It is a basic product of mammalian life that–when delivered from mother to offspring–is unassailably pure. It is so fundamental and unadulterated that its nature and constitution are seldom questioned. Which is why it caught…
Mountain of Storms was released in 1968. It is a film about 5 friends who pile into an old van somewhere in California and surf, ski, and climb their way south toward the then still-mythical land of Patagonia, where they put up the first ascent of Cerro Fitz Roy’s Southwest Buttress, the so-called “California Route.”…
We test our gear on a variety of levels. Our athletes and ambassadors are responsible for putting the latest designs and fabrics through the paces before we’ll add a new product to our lineup. But just because something reaches our shelves doesn’t mean testing is over. Once a new item shows up in our catalogs,…
Mid-way through the work week and the participant numbers keep climbing. While Free’s rear-hub casualty has taken some of the spark out of our Pat HQ vs. Distribution Center rivalry, the Retail Bike Challenge remains hotly contested. While you find the store’s individual rider numbers below, consult the graph for a sense of the real…
Product Feedback. Boy do we get a lot of it . . . From fit to function to fashion, from price to purpose to product names, customer feedback is one thing we’ve grown to rely on. We believe our customers are more passionate and outspoken than the norm. And while that means there’s some folks…
DJ Dukesherer’s path to becoming an author was less direct than the one that led him to surfing. Paddling the deep blue waters off the coast of Playa Del Rey with his father were a defining element of his childhood. Mr. Dukesherer’s ocean roots sunk deep into the sands of Playa Del Rey. Through his…
Yannick and his ski cronies from Patagonia Europe are stormin’ the steeps again. While denizens of our beach hut (Patagonia Ventura) have got spring surf on the brain, and the tribe at the desert mountain outpost (Patagonia Reno) are stymied by the all-to-quick disappearance of the snowpack, our friends at Patagonia Europe are proving that…
Many climbers are familiar with the convenient, high-quality granite available at California’s Donner Summit. Those who have made the trip are no doubt familiar with the sight of The Summit’s Rainbow Bridge, built in 1926. Many come simply for the view available from the bridge’s road-side vista pull out. Those who frequent Donner Summit for…
We’ve been having a conversation here at Patagonia of late; one that comes up often. The conversation is about some of our classic designs, time-tested pieces, old favorites. Some of the questions tossed out there: What do we do with those “classics”? Where have they gone? Should they come back? How do the current designs…
Bend, Oregon – The American Alpine Club presented its prestigious David R. Brower Award for conservation to Yvon Chouinard this Saturday, March 31. A quote from the American Alpine Club’s announcement: The Brower Award, created in 1991, recognizes leadership and commitmentto preserving mountain regions worldwide. The awardee, whose activepersonal role deserves public recognition, has made…
You’re all pretty familiar with the Dawn Patrol (DP) idea by this point: wake with the roosters, drive blear-eyed through the pre-dawn black, exit warm car in the belly of the night’s bitter cold, strap on headlamps and start slogging uphill through dark and snow, all for a token taste of skiing before work. I…