Outdoor: Movin’ & Shakin’ – Mammut exiting climbing shoes, plus Legacy Paddlesports, Skirt Sports, Filson and more

Got any news or tips about somebody, some product or some company doing some moving or shaking? Let us know so we can slip it into our occasional Movin’ & Shakin’ updates. Just email snewsbox@snewsnet.com.



Manufacturers

• Mammut is exiting from the climbing shoe market, SNEWS has learned. The Seon, Switzerland-based company stopped producing climbing shoes as of Fall 2010, but some sales will continue through Summer 2011. Spokesman Harald Schreiber said the company felt innovation demands in the category were quite high and the company didn’t feel it was doing the segment justice. Mammut had been in the climbing shoe market since 1999.
• In other Mammut news, the company has used a photo in recent ads (photo, right) of the former German DefenseMinister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg wearing a Mammut jacket. The former Minister stepped down from his position in early March after revelations he had plagarized several sections of his thesis using other authors’ writings without credit or sourcing. The campaign is a bit tongue-in-cheek since Mammut has dealt recently with counterfeit products on the market. Reaction, according to the company, has been mixed.

People

• Mike Glavin has entered the world of the self-employed, departing GSI Outdoors in Spokane, Wash. as a full-time member of the team to an independent contractor, working still with GSI, but also now with PMI and MSR on bringing new products to market. He can be reached at michaelglavin@me.com.
• Meg Steitz is the new executive director of the HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation in Denver, Colo., replacing Danni Lederman.
• Skirt Sports in Boulder, Colo. annouced the sponsorship of professional ultramarathon athlete Jamie Donaldson — who is slated to compete at the upcoming Badwater Ultramarathon — and professional triathlete Hillary Biscay, who has 47 iron-distance finishes during her career. Read more at: https://www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/cgi-bin/snews/20986.html and https://www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/cgi-bin/snews/21061.html

Contracts

• Legacy Paddlesports in Greensboro, N.C., has named Flamand Sports as the sales agency responsible for sales in the southeastern region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. According to Legacy, Phil Flamand, president and founder of Flamand Sports, was the first kayak rep in the state of Florida and has over 25 years working with retailers.
• Filson in Seattle, Wash., has hired Turner Public Relations Inc. to execute comprehensive national public relations and social media campaigns for the brand in the outdoor and lifestyle channels.

Internet

• Montrail has launched Montrail.com, a new e-commerce site where consumers can learn about and buy Montrail products online directly from the company. Beyond e-commerce, the site is integrated Twitter hash tags for mobile reviews on individual product detail pages, product videos for every style, a redesigned blog, and a new “find your shoe” tool. Read more by clicking here. 

Real Estate

• SylvanSport, manufacturer of the GO trailer camper, has consolidated all of its manufacturing operations into its new headquarters in Brevard, N.C. The company was founded in Transylvania County in 2004 and until now has used contract companies in other states to provide parts and final assembly of the campers. New GO campers will be shipped from the Brevard factory beginning in early April.

–Compiled by SNEWS® Editors