Issue No. 2: Great Outdoors & Big Data
January 12, 2023
Hey Outsiders! Thanks for subscribing to Outsider Insider and for opening up Issue No. ✌️. Another week and a lot happening at the intersection of outdoor recreation, health and wellness, sustainability, sports, and tourism.
In this week’s edition:
The big data potential of the great outdoors 🏔
Most popular sport in America…Pickleball
Outdoor retailer returns to Utah ❄️
And so much more…
— Scott Crowder
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Great data in the great outdoors, ⛵️
Wearable technology for the consumer has been commonplace in the fitness and outdoor space for years. Companies such as Strava, Garmin, Fitbit, Whoop, Oura, and many others provide detailed data on your performance, metrics, and output while you do what you do. Other platforms are able to amass a wide range of data insights into the consumer from their usage of their services. Think about it, AllTrails has over 46 million members who utilized its platform in 2022 alone giving it an inside look at how, when, and where these individuals hit the trails. AllTrails has begun to open this data up to land managers (federal, state, and NGOs) to help them better understand how their land and trails are being used.
The data potential of the outdoors and outdoor recreation doesn’t stop there. The Ocean Race, a 6 month long around the world race, just announced it will “collect more data about the environment than any sporting event in the world.”
Every boat competing in the race will carry with it special equipment to measure and record:
indicators for climate change
plastic pollution
meteorological data
ocean biodiversity
All data collected during the 6-month journey will be open-sourced and shared with Ocean Race’s scientific partners further enhancing the Ocean Races’ commitment to supporting healthy oceans.
Crowd-sourced data outlets - Collecting data needed to fully understand the outdoors is a difficult endeavor. The sheer size and scope are too large of a scale and would be too costly to collect through traditional methods. Enter stage left…Technology. Since 2011, Adventure Scientists has been on a mission to equip and train outdoor enthusiasts and communities to collect high-quality scientific data while recreating. Rink Watch has aggregated data from its community to help them “monitor winter weather conditions and study the long-term impacts of climate change” on outdoor skating. Advances in technology and communications have allowed organizations to build networks of people to crowd-source data that otherwise would not be readily available. We will be closely watching the analysis of the data collected and the developments that come.
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Pickleball for ALL 👋
People were definitely not in a pickle when they were deciding to play pickleball last year. A record 36 million, up from an estimated 5 million in 2021, grabbed a paddle and hit the court in 2022 according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals. This makes it the fastest-growing sport and things don’t look to be stopping anytime soon. From the local courts, entertainment venues, and private clubs to the pros, (yes, professional pickleball) the sport is booming. Big-time athletes, and investors (Mark Cuban, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, LeBron James & Kevin Durant to name a few) are flocking to professional pickleball as team owners and supporters. Two leagues were created in 2022 but quickly merged under the name Major League Pickleball and one tournament saw the largest audience to date with over 35,000 spectators.
Outdoor Retailer
The Snow Show has begun. For the first time since leaving Utah five years ago - Outdoor Retailer has returned. Political discourse pushed the industry and ultimately the owners of the show, Emerald Holdings Inc. to move the show to Denver. The five years in Colorado experienced a mixed response but remember a few of those years had to navigate the covid world.
This year’s show is slated to be bigger than last year’s snow show in 2022 but significantly smaller than the last time it was hosted in 2017.
2017 in Utah - Over 1,000 exhibitors
2020 in Colorado (pre-covid) - over 1,200 exhibitors
2022 in Colorado - 330 exhibitors
2023 in Utah - 425 exhibitors
The decline in attendees has been attributed to covid impact on trade shows but also many top brands have decided to boycott the show to protest Utah’s politics around public lands and the environment.
Riding the return to Utah, this week Emerald announced the acquisition of Lodestone Events which runs the Overland Expo series of vehicle-based, adventure travel consumer shows.
News & Notes:
🦙 Cotopaxi CEO/Founder set to step down from his role at the company to lead a three-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South America.
🇩🇪 Germany might be pushing fewer brats with its shift to plant-based foods to improve population health and reduce climate impact.
🇨🇭Modest Swiss town Davos - hosts the power players each year at the annual conference to discuss the most pressing issues of the day - sustainability being on the list.
🏄♂️ World Surf League rides the biggest waves in the ocean but also works to protect them.
These non-profits are leading the way to educate and empower the next generation to give a damn about the climate, nature, and the outdoors.
🚌 Time to level up Outdoor Professionals - OSU Center for Outdoor Rec Economy is hosting a 6-week program
🥬 Montana you get a Whole Foods! First Whole Foods set open in Bozeman Feb 1.
👕 Over 1 million acres of US Cropland get support from VF Foundation through the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund.
🥾 First-of-its-kind trail designed for neurodivergent hikers opens in upstate NY.
Whistler creative agency, Origin, which has worked with the likes of L.L. Bean, lululemon, Vail Resorts, and Smartwool has been acquired.
🚤 Recreational boating has been cruising and has plans to go full throttle in 2023 with an estimated 100 million Americans who will climb aboard.
🇨🇦 Canadians don’t shy away from the cold - here are 9 tips for getting outside this winter
⛅️ Skychology might be the health and wellness trend of 2023 - wondering what it is, just look up!
👟 Nike Community Impact Fund looking to create a better world by investing in more active, inclusive communities.
🤑 “We are not, and will not be, a ‘climate policymaker.’ ” - the Fed wants a limited role in combating climate change says Federal Reserve Chair.
Three groups joined together and filed suit against Danone over plastic waste. Surfrider Foundation Europe, along with Zero Waste France, and ClientEarth accuse Danone of using 75 Eiffel Towers worth of plastic in 2021 alone.
We vote for this to be mandatory worldwide - Indian Fantasy Sports company set to fine employees ($1,200) who communicate with employees who are on vacation.
Canada Goose leans into sustainability and influencers to appeal to Gen Z.
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