Winter Market 04 Update — Dessert on a stick, prizes galore

This is our final Outdoor Retailer Winter Market update since we’re all off to the show this week. In the weeks to come, the SNEWS® team will bring you full coverage of Winter Market from the booths, show floor aisles, parties and special events.

The SNEWS® team has been tirelessly sorting through all the press release fluffery and mounds of show announcements to bring you only events we believe are really worth the time. To that end, mark your calendars for the following:

>> Just when you thought campfire treats couldn’t get any better along comes the Whop’Em Stick. Now we have absolutely no idea what a Whop’Em Stick is, but we’ll take Campfire In A Can at its word that all you need is a little imagination to make the campfire dessert that everyone will be talking about. Heck, the way we imagine it, if the dessert you create is not a favorite, then use the stick to whop your campmates upside the head. Now that’s a useful tool! Campfire In A Can will be giving away a complimentary Whop’Em Stick and recipe to everyone who comes by booth 5137.

>> Stephen Koch, the wild man who snowboarded Everest last year, is putting on a last minute slideshow, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m., in MR255B in the north lobby of the Salt Palace — this is right on the way to the Industry Party. Tuck in for some truly spectacular slides and then keep right on truckin’ to the party.

>> Apparel-maker Arborwear is staying in touch with its roots and challenging attendees at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market to a crosscut saw competition. Referred to as the “misery whip,” the two-man crosscut saw was an integral tool in the felling of timber until the advent of the chainsaw in the mid-1900s. Now Arborwear is looking for a few good men and women to take up the crosscut challenge and try their hand at zipping through a piece of wood. For each person who participates, money will be donated to American Forests in support of its Global ReLeaf initiative. Arborwear will also match funds donated on behalf of each participant. For each two-person team that competes, four trees will be planted in a ReLeaf location. Step up to the stump at Arborwear booth 3861.

>> And the party invites keep rollin’ in. Patagonia is throwing a big bash at Molly Green’s in Brighton after the Backcountry Base Camp and it’s turning into a “gathering of the chiefs,” with many industry bigwigs RSVPing. Most of Patagonia’s ambassadors will be on hand, including Dean Potter, Steph Davis, Mark Wilford, Kitty Calhoun and Katie Brown. With live music and free food and drink, Patagonia guarantees the photo ops will be priceless. If you’re not already in Brighton, a Patagonia shuttle will pick people up outside the Salt Palace at 5 p.m., returning to the Salt Palace from Brighton at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.

>> One lucky guy and one lucky gal have the chance to win a plethora of products from Proderma Products. Celebrating the launch of its Proderma Prism sunscreen, retailers can enter Proderma’s “Full Spectrum of Protection Give-away.” Winners not only receive the complete line of Proderma skin-care products, but also an Ortovox X1 transceiver, an Arc’Teryx jacket, Briko helmet and gloves, Smartwool socks and base layers, a Camelbak hydration pack, Manzella gloves, Powerbars and Superfeet footbeds. Retailers can sign up at Proderma booth 1604 during Winter Market, Jan. 30-Feb. 2. Winners will be contacted Feb. 6.

>> To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Sierra Magazine is having a party and hosting a workshop at its booth on Saturday, Jan. 31. The workshop, “Climb Your Own Everest — Leadership Skills in the Outdoors,” will be presented by Arlene Blum, avid climber, author and motivational speaker. Blum has played a central role in more than 20 successful mountaineering expeditions, including climbs to Mount Everest and Mount McKinley, and is the author of “Annapurna: A Woman’s Place.” The party runs from 4-6 p.m. at the Sierra Club/Sierra Magazine booth 127. Wine and beer will be served.