Tis the season for fur, and the boys at Gregory are gettin’ into the spirit. The e-mail challenge went out internally this morning:
Sport your winter coif for the week of Dec 15th-19th (that’s right, you have to wear it for a week) and win a gold star and pat on the back at the GMP Holiday party on the 19th of December. 
For the Grand Prize, participants will be judged on creative initiative and sleeze appeal.
Consolatory prizes will be given for the following categories:
- Less is More: best execution on limited resources.
- Catfish award: need we say more?
- Warm and Fuzzy: it’s a winter beard contest, after all.
- Chopped and Stashed: originality takes the cake on this one.
- The Tom Selleck: for finest ‘stash- trashy or otherwise…
Check out this link to the 2007 World Beard and Moustache Championships for inspiration!
From those old-school pictures of Wayne (no, that’s not him in this picture), I think the rest of the design team maybe hopes he stays on the sidelines for this one.
Check it out everyone. I am going to be updating you with not only a blog on what I am doing…but videos from my climbing related life. Check this one out. This is an amazing route called Irak Attack 5.13c in Spain. Enjoy!!!! CLICK HERE 
Consumer perception – and what your customers give you permission to do as a brand – is an interesting thing. Last week, Gregory was called out on HighSnobiety, a popular site that follows the trends in street fashion and lifestyle culture news.
For what, those of you in North America ask? Isn’t Gregory a technical pack company?
Yep. But in Japan, Gregory’s customers years ago saw that the quality in Gregory backpacks could parlay into other arenas. And they gave the brand permission to make the leap into products that they use in everyday life – everything from more general-use packs to urban shoulder bags, accessory bags, and a variety of other items that help people keep their lives in order. To some extent, in Asia, there’s a part of the fashion world that’s driven by the outdoors, and it’s that that Gregory’s tapped into.
That’s led to a product line mix that’s totally different than what Gregory’s known for in North America. Sure, Gregory sells Denali Pros and Z55s in Asia – technical packs are still the company’s roots and a big part of its DNA. But a lot of the Asian product line, in a world of overbuilt products with every conceivable bell and whistle, is about elegant simplicity – functional, well-built (but relatively clean and basic) products that people can rely on day-in and day-out. Continue reading >>
OH man…OH MANNNN!!!! Well my world couldn’t be better and thats no lie. I have been climbing in the Red River Gorge, Kentucky for the past THREE weeks!!! It has been amazing. I have gotten a chance to take down some amazing routes of all difficulties. Of course the hardest ones are the most fun and challenging so those are the lines that stand out the most. Check out these photos of Omaha Beach 5.14a. I did this one in about 4 or 5 tries. An amazing line of an endurance race. That’s the name of the game here in the here in the Red…ENDURANCE!!!
LONG, pumpy, and continuos are words that come to mind. Continue reading >>
As some of you know, Gregory moved to a new ‘hood almost a year ago - Sacramento - from its birthplace in SoCal.
And while Sacramento’s not quite the Bay Area (though we do consider it one of our many backyards), we were still happy to see that a neighbor of sorts - who writes a popular regional hiking blog about the Bay Area and surroundings, Two-Heel Drive - is a fan.
Tom Mangan’s blog is mix of info on places to go hiking, thoughts on hiking and hiking-related topics, and other musings of regional interest. And it’s a great resource if you’re a hiker in central Clifornia. Looks like h
e picked up a Gregory day pack recently, an Icarus, the second Gregory pack he’s owned. What brought him back in part, he says, is fit (if not model name).
It’s always nice to read that someone independently finds your brand living up to its stated goal - in our case, building packs that fit and are comfortable.
Nice also to see that eVent is on Tom’s radar screen, even if he did end up going for the good old poncho (you’re not picking up an eVent jacket for $25, that’s for sure). An up and comer for sure in the waterproof/breathable realm.
Heading into the holidays, SectionHiker has a great idea. If you have friends who are avid hikers and backpackers (and chances are you do if you’re looking at this blog), give the gift of involvement.
There’s no shortage of groups doing good works when it comes to trail building, route maintenance and general advocacy for wild places. So help your friends get involved. If you think they’ll app
reciate it, sign ‘em up for a membership in a regional or national trails/hiking advocacy group.
No need to reinvent the wheel here; SectionHiker has done a good job rounding up the list of options, from regional groups like the Pacific Crest Trail Association here in Gregory’s backyard to the Continential Divide Trail Alliance, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Green Mountain Club, or groups with a more national scope like the American Hiking Society or the Wilderness Society.
At best, it’ll help bring out the volunteerism in people, and, at worst, they’ll appreciate at gift that keeps on giving to a cause in which they’ve got a vested interest.
Or they’ll wish you’d given them a fruitcake. But probably not.
orld championships in Brazil and also recently competed in the U.S. National Championships as well.
