July 3, 2008

Find Your Natural Stride with Vibram Five Fingers

Rediscover what your toes are for. Named one of 2007's best inventions by Time Magazine, Vibram's Five Fingers are sweeping the footwear world. Vibram's Barefoot technology comes from the age old idea that walking or running barefoot puts you in touch with the natural movement of your feet, legs and entire body, creating a better posture and, for some people, a connection to the earth and energies within. These help to enhance your grip on surf boards, in yoga positions, Pose Method running, fitness training, boating, travel and many other activities.


The five fingers are available in three styles, specialized for your favorite activity, and in multiple colors. Dip your toes into the future at Rock/Creek's Vibram Five Fingers shop online.

Read what the online community is saying about Vibram Five Fingers

SNEWS article about the barefoot running revolution

Ultrarunner Tim Larson goes barefoot in his blog

Marathon and Beyond Magazine article about the benefits of going the barefoot route.

Products & Reviews | By bradmcallister | 1:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 30, 2008

Rock/Creek's Inaugural 3 Stage Race a Success

After three intense days and 60 miles of epic mountain trails, the bumps and bruises were all put behind and the joys and memories recounted. Cool temperatures and the occasional rain surprised runners from all over the country as they navigated a variety of trails that included some of the Southeast's roughest single-track. Overall it was a blessed weekend with few injuries and everyone left excited for next year's follow up event.

Rock/Creek Race Team member and The Boonies board member Matt Sims held onto his 20 minute advantage going into the third stage to take home the overall victory with a 3 day combined time of 8:35:03. Fellow Rock/Creek Team member Jaclyn Greenhill was the first female overall winner with combined time of 9:10:01.

Sal Coll finished as first place master's male finisher with a cumulative time of 9:10:42 for the three days. JoAnna Crooks was the female master's winner with a cumulative time of 12:28:12.

Racers spanned generational boundaries and proved that anyone can complete long distance runs. 18-year old John Wiygul, a Chattanoogan resident, was the youngest finisher and second male overall for the three days in 9:05:23.. At 68 years-young, Randal Whorton, of Westminster, CO, was the oldest individual to complete all three stages.

Chattanoogan.com has posted great recaps of each day. They can be found by following the links below:
Stage 1: Lookout Mountain
Stage 2: Raccoon Mountain
Stage 3: Signal Mountain

The 2008 Stage Race was the first official running of the event after a year of "underground" status proved it to be an event well worth repeating. It was also the first multistage trail race in the Southeast. The historic event could not have been possible without the support of its many sponsors. Rock/Creek would like to thank The Boonies, Greenlife, the Lula Lake Land Trust, Salomon, Hammer Nutrition, Mountain Hardwear, SmartWool, Covenant College and the numerous local volunteers who made the dream a possibility.

Last weekend's stage race was the 3rd event in the 7 event Rock/Creek Trail Series. Information about the trail running race series can be found at www.rockcreek.com/trailseries.

| By bradmcallister | 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 27, 2008

KEEN Offsets Travel for Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Early Show

ASHEVILLE, NC- The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, KEEN Footwear, and Native
Energy are proud to announce that travel for Grassroots retail members, totaling 100
buyers, will be offset by Native Energy for this year's Grassroots Early Show, which was
held June 16th-19th at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Snowbird, Utah.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a group of independent outdoor shops dedicated to the
sustainability of specialty outdoor retail and the quality of the outdoor enthusiast's
experience. Each year, Grassroots hosts a unique Early Buying Show, a preview of Top
Brands in the industry. As a group of independent retailers, Grassroots has committed to
offsetting the travel of its buyers and KEEN as the newest partner to the group stepped up
to cover the cost.

Keen, a vendor member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, made the $1200 investment
to Native Energy on behalf of Grassroots in an effort to make the Early Show a more
sustainable event. KEEN and the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance acknowledge that
offsetting travel is not a total solution, and strive each year towards making the Early
Show a more sustainable event.

Native Energy is known for its transparency, and the entire offset purchase amount will
go toward a Native Energy project called "Farmer-owned Distributed Wind Turbines."
This project was chosen because it benefits independent farmers who have been working
family-owned, heritage farmlands for multiple generations. To read about the details of
this project, visit: http://www.nativeenergy.com/projects.html

Native Energy was also selected because of the depth of resources it offers to businesses
of all sizes. The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance and KEEN are actively encouraging the
membership to incorporate other sustainability services from Native Energy into their
retail businesses as well as communities and events, as the organization takes collective
steps toward educating its membership about sustainable business practices. The Early
Show will include an educational overview on Native Energy for its membership to
facilitate this connection.

Grassroots chose to host the event at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Snowbird, Utah
once again this year and has committed to the location into 2011. Snowbird is known for
its sustainability efforts, and was honored by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)
in 2007 with its prestigious Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence.
What's more, this spring Snowbird was also honored with the Environmental Protection
Agency's Environmental Achievement Award and the State of Utah's 2007 Earth Day
Award. To read more about Snowbird's environmental platform, click here
http://www.snowbird.com/environment/index.html

About KEEN Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at KEEN encompasses a broad range of activities
from community partnerships, operational and product-related sustainability initiatives, to
managing the expectations of the KEEN Workplace Code of Conduct. The KEEN vision
is to be an outdoor brand that delivers industry-changing, high-quality products for all
outdoor enthusiasts, and to demonstrate integrity and leadership, especially on social and
environmental commitments, while promoting a more inclusive outdoors community.
KEEN is a young company, founded in 2003; its employees are committed to making
CSR integral to the brand, and to being transparent with its customers and stakeholders
along the way. To read more about KEEN and their environmental initiatives, click here
http://www.keenfootwear.com/about.aspx

About Grassroots Outdoors Alliance

The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a group of independent outdoor shops dedicated to
the sustainability of specialty outdoor retail, and the quality of the outdoor enthusiast's
experience. We stand together to help facilitate a market for performance-oriented,
revolutionary products, create a unified marketing presence for high quality, local
outdoor specialists, and help protect and sustain the quality and access to the environment
on a local, national and global level.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.grassrootsoutdoors.com

| By Mark McKnight | 10:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 26, 2008

Scenic City Trail Marathon Video

Our friend Jon over at iMultisport has just posted the Scenic City Trail Marathon video on YouTube. I know some of you had trouble viewing the other videos, so I thought I'd share this one.

For results, photos, and more information on the Scenic City Trail Marathon, visit rockcreek.com/trailmarathon/

Events & Races | By Mark McKnight | 11:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

June 25, 2008

Rock/Creek Raises Money for Access with Chaco Z/2's & Marmot Driclime Jackets

Building on three previously successful campaigns, Rock/Creek and Chaco will donate $20 to Southeastern climbing access for every pair of Limited Edition Chaco Z/2 sandals sold at any Rock/Creek store or online at www.rockcreek.com.

"I've never worked with a retailer more focused on the conservation and preservation of natural space. Rather than talk about what needs to be done, Rock/Creek puts their money where their mouth is and accomplishes amazing things," said Brian Scranton, Director of Marketing for Chaco Footwear. To date, the sandal purchase program has raised over $20,000 for climbing access, including a $10,000 donation to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition (SCC) in 2007. The 2007 campaign was unexpectedly successful; ultimately three different versions of the sandal were released to meet demand. This year, Rock/Creek and Chaco hope to better last year's unprecedented success. The generated proceeds will again be donated directly the the SCC's efforts to protect climbing access in the southeast.

The initial 2004 campaign raised $3,000 toward the purchase of Laurel Knob, a multi-pitch granite dome in North Carolina. Proceeds from 2005, a total of $8,000, went to closing the note on the Boat Rock bouldering area. Located within Atlanta city limits, Boat Rock provides daily recreational activity for many of Atlanta's urban residents. The area was threatened by development until the SCC purchase was made possible by concerned climbers along with corporate sponsors like Rock/Creek and Chaco.

This year's Chacos are available in two colors: Espresso for men and Blue Ridge for women. They have gone on sale and are currently in stock at Rock/Creek locations in Chattanooga and online at http://www.rockcreek.com/chacos/limited-edition.asp

Rock/Creek and Chaco have a long history of cooperative support for outdoor recreation and conservation. In April, Rock/Creek was approached by Chaco and the Arbor Day Foundation to run a special tree planting campaign. During National Arbor Day weekend, a tree was donated for every pair of Chaco sandals purchased at Rock/Creek. Over 300 trees were planted through Rock/Creek. The promotion, dubbed "Buy One, Get One Tree," ultimately supported the planting of over 800 trees.

This year, Rock/Creek will expand their Triple Crown program to include a Marmot jacket with proceeds benefiting the Triple Crown. The jacket, Marmot's popular DriClime Windshirt, will be embroidered on the sleeve with the Triple Crown Bouldering Series logo and will be offered online at a special price. Like the special edition Chaco Z/2 sandals, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Southeastern Climbers Coalition.

"At the 2007 Triple Crown Bouldering series we offered these jackets to the judges and raffled off a handful" said Chad Wykle, co-founder of the Triple Crown Bouldering series, former Rock/Creek employee, and current Chaco regional rep. "They were immensely popular and many people came up to me after the event asking where they could get one. We figured this was reason enough to test the waters and offer the product to Rock/Creek's loyal customers and create revenue for climbing access"

Only 65 of the jackets are available and in-stock at Rock/Creek's Chattanooga stores. They can be purchased online at http://www.rockcreek.com/marmot/driclime-windshirt.asp. The jacket will be available in four colors; lead/flint or stellar blue/tempest for men and black or blue sky/celestial for women.

About the Triple Crown Bouldering Series:

Rock/Creek, member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, is an independent specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve public access to the backcountry. Rock/Creek supports worthy nonprofits such as the Southeastern Climbers' Coalition and the Wilderness Trail Running Association.

Rock/Creek and Keen Donate $4,000 for City of Chattanooga Kayak Purchases after Fire
Rock/Creek and Patagonia announce $3100 Grant for LuLa Lake Land Trust
$3300 Raised for the Boonies at 2nd Annual Scenic City Marathon Presented By Rock/Creek and Vasque
Join Rock/Creek And The AHS for National Trails Day June 7 2008
$20,000 Raised For Access At 2007 Triple Crown Bouldering Series
Rock/Creek and Local Outdoor Enthusiasts Improve Sunset Park
$4000 Raised At Rock/Creek Stump Jump
Recycle Your Old Rope

Announcements , Products & Reviews , Sales & Promotions , Trail Work, Access & Environment | By Mark McKnight | 4:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 20, 2008

Staff Profile: Will Cornett, Store Manager

Position: Store Manager
Age: 27
Home town:  Pikeville, TN.

What do you consider your favorite outdoor activities, and what got you started?
My passion for the outdoors started out with my dad who is a hunting and fishing kind of guy.  I went along with him as a kid and found that I was more interested with the hike then the actual activity.  One evening, while I was flipping through one of his magazines, I came across a small backpack and I thought to myself that I must have one.  For Christmas that year I got my first external frame backpack and have been passionate about trekking through the forest ever since.  

I have been working for Rock/Creek for the past 4 years and have enjoyed getting to know some really awesome people.   For the most part Rock/Creek got me into climbing, which has since become one of my passions.   I enjoy all disciplines of climbing and  in the past two years I have begun to get into mountaineering.

Top three moments:
Almost getting hit by lighting and enduring quarter size hail on Gregory Bald in the Smokies.            
Oozing across a horrendously steep and very loose scree field on a Colorado fourteen’er.                               
Making my first run out lead at Joshua tree.

Favorite place you have ever been? Why:  Because of the scenery, big climbs, and the great wilderness setting, I must say that Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range, WY is my favorite place I have ever been.

What drives you to get outside:  I get outside because I enjoy the freezing nights and thawing mornings.  The easy clips, hard hikes, and the dirt, leaf chalky smell of my climbing gear all give me a sense of freedom. 

“I love getting into the “zone” where my body is working and my mind is relaxing.” 

Other interests:  Biking, music, reading and relaxing.

Best or favorite product you use that Rock/Creek carries:  My Eagles Nest hammock.

Staff Profiles | By Mark McKnight | 8:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)