Outdoor Insight

38 • Outdoor Insight • August 2018 outdoorinsightmag.com C olored chalk billows out of a stuffed frog Beanie Baby while the sounds of weights clink in one room and Millennial moms file in for a yoga class. You're in a modern climbing gym, the concept of which turned a mere 30 years old this past spring. "In climbing, the expansion continues of the climbing gym as the modern fitness and lifestyle hub for active consumers," says Scarpa's Mark Mathews. "More and more people, especially urban dwellers, are getting their first taste of climbing through the new, modern gym that has opened close to where they live. This has become a huge gateway to outdoor climbing for many people." The brand's Arpia climb- ing shoe is on-trend here, designed with the contemporary gym climber in mind, but also in its element at the crag. "While indoor gyms have been a trend for a while, the development of gyms as a rival for things like CrossFit, weight training, and team sports, and the cross section of people in the climbing gym, has rapidly expanded in the past year," says Nancy Pritchard Bouchard, Ph.D., Five Ten communications specialist. "The reach down to grade school, junior high and high school has exploded. Being on a gym climbing team as a high school student is more sexy now than being the captain of the football team. "But what blows me away is the number of multi-generational climbing partners at the gym — moms and sons, granddads and grandkids, aunts and nephews. Climbing has evolved from being a sport of rugged individu- alists to family-friendly," continues Bouchard. Further evidence of the trend — in 2017 Earth Treks Climbing & Fitness merged with Planet Granite Climbing, Yoga & Fitness, forming the largest network of climbing gyms in the nation. They just opened facilities in Hampden, MD, and Englewood, CO — now the largest gym in the nation — and are begin- ning construction on two new facilities in the Chicago area. Earth Treks and Planet Granite's experiential retail stresses community and encourages and enables customers to try out products and test them on the climbing walls in an authentic experience. Q N obody is just a "hiker" any more. Or a "climber" or a "paddler." Well, maybe there are still a few holdouts, but for the most part, the "er" is going away. Consumers are all about multi-sport now. And gear is following suit: versatility rules and hybrid products are increasingly designed with multi-purpose functionality. "The market has finally responded to the 'good enough,' versatile and affordable movement — away from pinnacle, single-use product," says NPD's Matt Powell. However, he adds, "brands that make women's-specific products and focus on women in their marketing, will win." "The never-ending pursuit of lighter weight products and the idea of doing more with less, is an ongoing trend," says Mark Mathews, VP-sales at Scarpa North America. "Consumers continually find themselves with less time and competing activities, so products that are designed with multi-purpose functionality are increasingly popular. Versatility is key." And versatility is tossed between activ- ity, apparel and footwear with ease. It's no longer about what you did, but how you did it — scramble to the summit ridge and then fly off; hike in with a packraft and float out, bike to a mountain lake to fly fish. Brands are breaking tradition and offering unlikely textiles and stylings for hybrid looks in a new level of creativity, and consumers are benefiting from high-tech and incredibly comfortable advancements. In just one example, Salewa is answering the call with a multi-sport insulation piece that works just as well for alpine climbing and cold summer nights camping to chilly mornings at home walking the dog or work- ing in the garden. In its Agner Hybrid Down Jacket, with down chambers that are not stitched but bonded, laser cut perforations between baffles allow excess body heat to escape. Outdoorists of all types benefit from the resulting high warmth-to-weight ratio, small packability and body-mapped down insulation (316 grams). The lower arms, side panels, hem and hood are all made from Salewa's rock-resistant, four-way stretch Durastretch softshell to provide the breath- ability and freedom of movement you need for all activities. Q THE END OF ... 'ER' INDOOR CLIMBING Photo: Icebreaker Earth Treks climbing gym Five Ten Footwear TRENDS

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