FemiGnarly

When I was interviewing last fall, I had a conversation with an exec from a ski retailer about getting skiers to shop physical retail. Strong ecommerce channels expand their reach, but in-store shopping increased the amount spent by every customer – dramatically. And while the company was thinking about rock walls and restaurants, I was … Continue reading Women Giving Up on Ski Retail

A little over a year ago, I wrote this piece in response to Patagonia’s blog on why they don’t carry plus sizes. They took their piece down a few months after mine was published, but it’s still available thanks to web archiving, here. In short, a lot of their logic didn’t check out with how … Continue reading Addressing Fatphobic Comments

Get a gift card over the holidays? Not surprising. Gift cards are roughly a $160 billion dollar business in the US, (which, for context is about 20% of holiday sales). With the pandemic limiting travel and constraining the postal service, that percentage is likely even higher for 2020. Retailers love gift cards. About 20% of … Continue reading Put Your Gift Cards To Use

Learning to ski tour in the Pacific Northwest is hard. We’ve got the steepest mountains in the continental US. Our snowpack is warm, wet and difficult to steer in. Plus, Oregon and Washington have the most tree coverage per acre, so it’s more thickets than nicely spaced glades. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean … Continue reading 10 Tips for Touring – Intermediate Skiers

Last year, I started doing superficial ski reviews. I was a wannabe reviewer with zero industry testing hookups and no snow to even rent them on my own. This year, both of those things look really different. But I still like dissecting the women’s ski market. Why? Topsheets help so many skiers who aren’t gear … Continue reading Superficial Ski Reviews – 2021

As much as people argue about geotagging and outdoor overuse, I’ve never seen someone bring the receipts on whether Instagram is actually “ruining” the outdoors. So I decided to do a bit of research and see if the narrative has any data to support it. Before we can dig in, it’s important to review Instagram’s … Continue reading Does Geotagging Matter?

Shit on Sale is a monthly round up of damn good deals scraped from the clearance rack. I’m a huge fan of getting the best quality you can get with your budget, and finding items that’ll serve you for years to come. As an eco-conscious reminder, remember to buy what you truly need and pass … Continue reading Shit on Sale – September 2020

I really don’t like rain gear reviews. The materials are highly technical and it’s hard to make accurate comparisons without the standardized conditions and precise measuring tools in a lab. It’s really hard to make definitive comments on value without knowing how waterproof, breathable, and durable a membrane is. However, Gore Tex tends to be … Continue reading The Worst Deals in the Outdoors

The folks at Marmot are doing an end of season clearance, and the prices are sharp enough that I don’t think many of these will be around for September’s Shit on Sale, so I decided to compile a list of the best buys. Marmot Women’s Ether DriClime Hoody - $50 (MSRP $125; 60% off): I’ve … Continue reading Marmot Summer Send-off Sale

After half a decade of outdoorsing, I finally pulled the trigger on a pair of hiking shorts. They weren’t a category I was actively avoiding, but they never did anything for me. I gravitate towards shorts that are short, sleek, stretchy, (and ideally cheap). I could drop $65 on a pair of dumpy cargo dad … Continue reading Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Dynama Shorts