Hiking News - January 2010

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REI Announces 2009 Vendor Partner Award Winners

Saturday, 30 January 2010

SALT LAKE CITY-- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), a national retail co-op providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, announced its 2009 vendor partner award winners. Smith Optics, Inc., best known for its diverse line of sunglasses, snow and motorsports goggles, snow helmets, and ophthalmic eyewear, received top honors as REI's Vendor Partner of the Year. The announcement was made at the Out door Retailer Winter Market trade show.

"REI's ability to serve our members and customers begins with providing the right assortment of outdoor products from the top companies in the retail industry today."

"REI's ability to serve our members and customers begins with providing the right assortment of outdoor products from the top companies in the retail industry today," said Angela Owen, REI's vice president of Merchandising. "We value our partnerships with these leaders in product quality and innovation, outdoor stewardship and performance, and we're grateful for the opportunity to recognize our standout vendors each year."

The annual awards program, established in 1993, recognizes three key vendors and one overall vendor for efforts that have built a strategic and successful relationship with REI. The co-op's three merchandising divisions – camp/travel, action sports and outdoor wear – nominate companies, then REI retail employees vote on the slate of nominees to determine winners.

"Smith Optics' selection as REI's 2009 Vendor Partner of the Year was a difficult choice to make because of the quality of all our top vendors," continued Owen. "However, Smith stood out for its commitment to our partnership, shared values, product inspiration and innovation, and outstanding financial results in an extraordinarily challenging year. Smith excelled as a true partner in every sense of the word – making exceptional efforts to listen and engage with us so they truly understand REI and our members' needs."

Smith Optics, Inc., headquartered in Sun Valley, Idaho, was founded in 1965 with the creation of the first goggle featuring a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam. Today, Smith is known for its diverse line of eyewear. Smith's devotion to excellence, innovation, performance and style has made Smith the choice of action-sport athletes worldwide. Smith products are sold in more than 50 countries through sporting goods and specialty stores. For more information, check out www.smithoptics.com.

The other 2009 divisional vendor partner award winners are as follows:

• Camp/Travel Winner: Marmot Mountain, LLC. (Santa Rosa, Calif.) – a leading outdoor apparel, clothing and equipment manufacturer – is distributed in over 44 countries world-wide. In 35 years, Marmot has evolved into a full-service line, specializing in technical apparel, clothing and hard-goods (including tents, backpacks and sleeping bags) for skiing, climbing, mountaineering, hiking, backpacking and camping. For more information, visit www.marmot.com.

• Action Sports Winner: Planet Bike (Madison, Wisc.) – creates innovative products that make it easier and safer for people to ride bicycles. Because Planet Bike believes that the bicycle can improve the health of individuals, communities and the planet, the company donates 25 percent of profits to causes that promote bicycle use. For more information, visit www.planetbike.com.

• Outdoorwear Winner: Teva (Goleta, Calif.) – a global adventure brand with an intrinsic and deeply ingrained connection to water. Teva was born on the Colorado River in 1984, and ever since then, water has been at the core of everything it does. The company builds products knowing that "when it comes to water, sometimes you want to play with it, and sometimes you want to be protected from it. So no matter the situation, Teva has you covered." For more information, visit www.teva.com.

Other nominees for 2009 also included: B.O.B Trailers, Inc., Deuter USA, Evolv Sports & Designs, Garmin International, GSI Outdoors, Merrell, Patagonia, Sea To Summit USA, Shimano American Corporation, SmartWool, and The North Face.

Past recipients of the REI Vendor Partner of the Year Award include Atlas Snowshoe (1999), Black Diamond Equipment (1994, 2006), Bell Sports (1997), CamelBak Products, LLC (2008), Cascade Designs (2001), Columbia Sportswear (1998), Eagle Creek (2000, 2005), Keen Footwear (2004), Osprey (2007), prAna (2003), Smith Sport Optics (2002), Vasque (1995, 1996), and Yakima (1993).

Source: www.businesswire.com

Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort Wins Award

Friday, 29 January 2010

Hunter, New York - On October 31, 2009, Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort, Bath, NY received the 2009 Marketing Award for Best Mailer Piece during the 46th Annual Conference and Trade Show of Campground Owners of New York (CONY), held at the Kaatskill Mountain Resort in Hunter, New York. This is the second year in a row Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort has won this award.

The winni ng design, entitled "Your 2009 Vacation Guide: Memories that Last a Lifetime," was chosen as the top mailer piece by an independent panel of judges. All members of CONY were invited to submit their mailer pieces for judging.

Other marketing award categories recognized during the CONY Conference included Website Design and Simple Brochure Design.

According to Donald G. Bennett, Jr., CONY President and CEO, the marketing awards honor members for their self-promotion activities, and encourage improvements in marketing efforts among the CONY membership.

Said Mr. Bennett, "Every year I am amazed at the design quality of the brochures and websites that our CONY campgrounds and RV parks produce, and hopefully this competition is an incentive for all our members to be the best parks in the camping industry, and maybe compete in next year's marketing awards program."

Rosemary Curtis, Operations Manager and Certified Park Operator for Hickory Hill Family Camping Resort, accepted a plaque for the campground from CONY Board Chairman Scott Sherwood at the annual Conference banquet.

Campground Owners of New York is an association dedicated to the promotion, growth, improvement and development of privately owned campgrounds in New York State. More information about the association and its campgrounds – including a free camping directory - is available at www.nycampgrounds.com.

For more details on this news, please visit www.prlog.org.

Poricy Park Conservancy to Hold 2010 Summer Camp

Thursday, 28 January 2010

MIDDLETOWN, NJ – Poricy Park Conservancy will hold a Summer Camp Open House on Saturday, February 27, 2010, between 2pm-4pm at Poricy Park.

Visit us during our Open House Save $$$ With Paid Camp Registrations:

• Pay for Summer Camp & Membership during the Open House and Save 10% off Membership!!
• Already a current member? Save 5% off One Week of Camp with Paid Regis tration during the Open House!!
• More than one sibling? Signing up for multiple weeks? Pay for registration of 4 full weeks or more of full day or half day camps and receive 5% off of total registration!! Can be combined with one or more child as long as the minimum is 4 weeks camp. Discount will be applied when paid at one time. Discount is not applicable if registering additional weeks at a later time.

Take a tour of our Nature Center, Historic Murray Farmhouse & grounds. Meet the Staff. Learn about our programs.

For directions to the Park or a complete listing of our Summer Camp schedule, visit our website at www.PoricyPark.org; or call the Park during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm).

For more information please visit us at www.PoricyPark.org, or call us at 732-842-5966.

For more details on this event, please visit www.prlog.org.

Mentally Ill Hiker to Backpack Appalachian Trail

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

This spring a mentally ill Briton trailed-named Tintin will begin a hike from Georgia to Maine to aid his avocation of ending the stigma and prejudice around mental illness.

His trail name comes from a comic book character who had great adventures and now he will begin another one.

Tintin, whose other name is Stuart Skinner, and he is a young Brikton who has made his life's work the ending of prejudice and ignorance about mental illness. He's got bipolar disorder, which almost killed him, and he is no stranger to adventure himself, to biking across Asia to helping kids in the jungle.

On March 15 this British subject will head from Georgia's Springer Mountain on a classical American journey, over 2,000 miles by foot all the way to Katahdin Mountain in Maine, a journey many have begun but only a few complete. His home will be on his back, he will resupply with food along the way and he is carrying six months of medication with him.

For more details on this news, please visit www.prlog.org.

Green Recognition for Quartet of Club Sites

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Four of The Camping and Caravanning Club's Sites have been honoured with a David Bellamy Conservation Award for 2009.

Inverewe Gardens in Scotland and Verwood Club Site in the New Forest were awarded a gold level of excellence whilst Horsley (Surrey) and Delamont Country Park in Northern Ireland both picked up silvers.

The Sites were recognised by David Bellamy, who is al so The Club's President, after its Holiday Site Managers and Assistants highlighted to assessors the great lengths that they undertake to help protect and enhance Britain's natural environment.

All four Sites leave areas 'rough' or 'wild' to encourage wildlife, control grassland to enhance the growth of native wildflowers, manage plans for any different habitats, use peat-free compost, monitor energy consumption, encourage waste management, as well as control noise levels.

Sites Director Bob Hill was understandably delighted to see the Sites recognised.

He said: "As a Club we are committed to environmental excellence and want our members and non-members to have a holiday full of natural enjoyment."

"Camping and caravanning is great for families looking to reduce their carbon footprint and has always been a 'green' holiday choice."

"The popular pastime is compatible with the environment, a supporter of local goods and services and based around non-permanent structures; whose removal immediately returns the area to its natural state."

"I am pleased to see that the Sites' efforts have been rewarded."

The David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme is one of the longest running green tourism awards in the UK, and is a joint partnership between the Conservation Foundation and the British Holiday & Homes Parks Association.

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