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Peak Oil Company: ‘durable clothing and equipment for the Australian outdoors’.

Almost all outdoor gear used to be made in Australia. That is now a rarity, although a couple of companies continue to produce things here (there is a probably outdated list of these companies available here). Outdoor gear advertising is largely synonymous with generic high impact lifestyles – fly here, go there, have the latest stuff, charge that line – rather than being connected to a place or community (sure there are exceptions, but the ‘global brands’ do dominate the market here in Australia).

That’s why small scale, locally owned gear companies are so important (as are, of course, locally owned shops – you can find a list of them here).

Some Australian brands like Snow Gum, One Planet or Mountain Designs, have been around for decades. There are also a growing number of micro brands starting up and one of these is Peak Oil Company, whose primary mission is ‘making durable clothing and equipment for the Australian outdoors, without using petrochemicals’.

Continue reading “Peak Oil Company: ‘durable clothing and equipment for the Australian outdoors’.” →

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ONE PLANET’s decades of making outdoor art

ONE PLANET is a long established Australian outdoor brand. In this story, Megan Holbeck reflects on some of the 40 year history of the company, and its involvement in a design exhibition in Melbourne in 2023.

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The Zorali story

If you spend any time out walking or camping in national parks or other natural places, you will have noticed the rapid rise in the presence of Zorali gear over the past few years. The brand has a particular aesthetic, a commitment to sustainability, and has been active in encouraging people to get into the Big Outdoors.

With the loss of several key Australian brands over the last decade or so (for instance Snow Gum going under, Mountain Designs going online only) and strong awareness campaigns from US based brands such as Patagonia, Arc’terex, The North Face and so on, there are fewer Australian companies active in the outdoors business landscape nowadays. So Zorali, which is epitomised by its cheerful and energetic founders Elise and Cam, is a welcome addition to the outdoors scene.

Who are they and what is their mission? Here is a bit of a chat with founder Cam.

Continue reading “The Zorali story” →

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SEPT 25: Join the School strike 4 climate

Last September, outdoor and mountain communities joined the student’s strike for climate in unprecedented numbers. A highlight for me was the colourful gathering that happened at Mt Hotham, demanding action on climate change.

On September 25, school strike for climate are organising another day of nationwide actions and they would welcome your involvement.

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Interview: Vicki Adams

Vicki recently helped establish Outdoors People for Climate Action, which aims to engage people who work in or love the outdoors with the Climate Movement. This will help to mobilise a group of people with strong connections to wild and natural places, and connect them with the movement which is working to protect these areas from the long term impacts of climate change.

Vicki has decided to devote 2020 to climate action. As part of our series of interviews with people with connections to the mountains and outdoors, Vicki shared some thoughts on her work and connections to place.

The interview is available here.

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REI: ‘our electricity has been 100% renewable since 2013’

In terms of outdoor retail stores in the USA, REI has an enormous influence. This is both good and bad: it’s ubiquitous presence and huge buying power can threaten smaller, locally owned businesses. On the other hand, it is a co-op which shares benefits back to members, supports some good outdoors initiatives, and provides affordable gear to millions of people.

REI has also taken some significant steps to reduce its environmental impact and has recently released an interesting update on it’s efforts to source all it’s electricity from renewable sources.

Continue reading “REI: ‘our electricity has been 100% renewable since 2013’” →

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Protecting our playground means action on climate

The winter of 2018 was awesome. But the fact is that climate change poses an existential threat to the winters we love. A summer of crazy fires across the alps and Tasmania reminds us of what the future holds – higher temperatures, longer and more extreme fire seasons and less rain.

Yet again, climate scientists have warned that we are running out of time to cut greenhouse emissions. Yet the federal government has dropped the ball on climate action (and our carbon emissions continue to soar), so we need everyone to put their shoulder to the wheel and remind them that the community wants to see meaningful action on climate change. Please send a message to the PM, Scott Morrison, that our winter landscapes are at threat, and that we expect his government to act.

The outdoor community and the outdoor industry have enormous political power. But only if we choose to flex our muscles.

Here’s two really simple ways you can get climate change on the radar of the PM:

Continue reading “Protecting our playground means action on climate” →

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Will instagram ruin the outdoors? Or save your weekend?

A while ago, Outside magazine asked ‘Is Instagram Ruining the Great Outdoors?’

The gist of the question was whether our tendency to tag beautiful areas on social media was likely to drive more people to that area, and hence increase environmental impacts. “The great outdoors is all over social media. On Instagram, the hashtag #nature has been used more than 20 million times. Attach a geotag to your photo of last weekend’s campsite, and your followers can tramp to the exact same spot.

Some nature lovers worry about the downside to this: Is Instagram funneling hordes of people to places that can’t handle this crush of admirers? Are those filtered, perfectly tinted pics sending a message that people can always go where they want, when they want, and how they want?

Continue reading “Will instagram ruin the outdoors? Or save your weekend?” →

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Is this a game changer for sustainability in the outdoor industry?

US-based retail giant REI has just announced a new set of sustainability standards, which will apply to all 1,000-plus outdoor brands it currently sells , and all the ones it will sell in the future. The standards address a broad range of social and environmental concerns, with minimum requirements and a set of preferred or suggested practices’.

These guidelines will be implemented almost immediately. While REI only trades in the USA, many of the brands it stocks are sold here in Australia, so we have to assume these brands offerings in Australia will be manufactured to these standards.

While individual companies have been making significant advances in sustainability and workplace issues in recent years, the sheer scale of REI’s influence on the retail market in the USA could prove to be a game changer in that it could cause a ‘step change’ in the baseline operating standards of the outdoor gear sector.

Brands sold through REI include:

Arc’teryx, Deuter, Exped, Mountain Hardware, Mammut, Osprey, OR, MSR, The North Face, Columbia, Burton, ExOfficio, Helly Hansen, Kuhl, La Sportiva, Marmot, Smartwool, etc.

The full story can be found on Green Outdoor Gear.

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Mittagundi turns 40!

Mittagundi is a legendary outdoor education centre and pioneer-style farm on the Upper Mitta Mitta River, north of Omeo. It was established with the belief that young people, mountains, purposeful work and challenges are natural partners. Mittagundi is a home away from home for more than 500 young people each year.

This January, Mittagundi turns 40! You’re invited to join the celebrations.

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The Bright Mountain Film tour

The Bright Mountain Film tour is on after Christmas, starting at the Bright Community Centre on December 28. It features outdoor adventure films from around the world, including mountain bike riding, extreme paddling, climbing, horse riding and para gliding.

There are also shows in Myrtleford, Mt Beauty, Harrietville and finishing with a second show in Bright on Jan 6.

Full details here.

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Vertical Life magazine

Vertical Life is a great online climbing magazine put together by a bunch of Australian climbers (you can subscribe to their online magazine here). Every two years, they produce a printed version of the magazine, which features a range of articles and images from the online version. It is edited by Ross Taylor and Simon Madden. The 2016 edition is now available. They describe it as a ‘handsome, collectible print tome that collects all of the best content published in the digital issues of Vertical Life during 2014 and 2015’.

The print version of VL is more a journal than a magazine, in some ways similar to the annual ‘Ascent’ edition of the Rock and Ice magazine put out in the USA, being stronger on reflecting on climbing rather than focusing on the latest new routes. The 2016 offering has a nice set of stories that cover a good cross section of the Australian outdoor climbing scene:

Continue reading “Vertical Life magazine” →

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