Backcountry

Today's Herd highlight is Ashleigh McClary. 🎉 Ashleigh is a powerhouse on our sales team and our Patagonia ambassador. Our Gearhead Experts are the backbone of our business and Ashleigh is not only a pillar on the outbound team, she also provides a wealth of gear and outdoor knowledge. We’re not sure what we’d do without her! 🐐 - Q:  What does the day-to-day look like for you in your current role? 🐐 Every day in my job is fun and dynamic! I help customers shop for the gear they need to get outdoors and even help many plan their trips every day. I’ve been working with the same group of customers for seven years now and even tag along with several of them on adventures! I also film product videos for the website, where I get to spend time in the studio and outdoors filming. Every week, I also attend clinics and events with our brands to learn more about the products we sell.   Q: How have you grown and evolved since starting at Backcountry? 🐐 I have been a Gearhead since 2017 and started with zero experience selling gear. Every year here I’ve learned a tremendous amount about the outdoor industry and the gear we sell and have picked up new skillsets. Since 2018 I’ve managed our VIP customers/key accounts and have been promoted to Senior Account Manager. I’ve also had the opportunity to be a brand ambassador for Arc’teryx and currently Patagonia.   Q: What is your favorite part about working for Backcountry? 🐐 I love the people and community here at Backcountry so much and think that I have the most fun job in the world. Not everyone loves their job and not everyone has a fun job, so I would say my very favorite thing is working in a job I love with people that I enjoy every day.   Q: What brings you life? 🐐 Spending time with my friends and family in the outdoors brings me life. My husband and I left our home in SC to move to Utah to be closer to the mountains to hike, ski, and paddle whenever we wanted and it has been the best decision we ever made. We now have a two-year-old son (Grady), who we’ve been able to share our love of the outdoors and adventures with and it has been the most rewarding and amazing experience of our lives. #OutdoorIndustry #Backcountry #outdoors

The Herd loves mountain biking, but we don’t love baking in the summer sun. To help keep the rays away, we created the Long-Sleeve MTB Jersey to give us mobile shade while riding during bright days. Singletracks was impressed by the jersey as well and included the Backcountry Button-Up in their list of 2024 best mountain bike jerseys. 🚴♂️ Check out the article here: 🔗: https://lnkd.in/gsf-pfwh #OutdoorIndustry #Backcountry #Bike

With summer in full swing, we’ve scaled some sick routes out in the mountains and in the climbing gym. If you’re as passionate about climbing as we are but aren’t sure about which shoes to grab for your next send, check out our latest gear video on some of the best climbing shoes of 2024. 🧗♀️ Find the video here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/g2CSDMkx #Backcountry #outdoors #rockclimbing

The annual Backcountry Adventure Contest is still going strong and the competition is intense! Our Adventure Contest is an annual summer-long contest amongst the entire company to inspire the herd to get outside and ignite friendly competition. Outdoor activities have points associated with them and prizes are given out based on the points accumulated, with multiple prizes given and one grand prize at the end for our Adventure Champion. How do you think you’d do? 🚲 🌲🏄♀️ 🎣

Runner, MTBer, AT-finisher, local concert-goer—Austin Whitehead is more than just an exemplary Gearhead; he’s also our Senior Merchandise Planner and today’s Herd Highlight.  🐐 What exactly does a Senior Merchandise Planner do, you ask? Austin ensures the company runs smoothly by curating our top-notch inventory, selecting only the best gear and apparel for our customers. ⭐ -  ·     What does the day-to-day look like for you in your current role?      A: I manage the sales and inventory plans for all bike categories and women's and youth softgoods (apparel). Our team does a lot of work a lot in excel—looking for risks and opportunities for the business, supporting our buying partners, and trying to find that perfect level of inventory to achieve our sales goals efficiently.     ·       How have you grown and evolved since starting at Backcountry?      A: I started as an assistant buyer in 2018 before moving to planning. Thanks to some great mentors (and a wild few years of outdoor and bike demand) I've learned a lot about building consensus around a plan of action, but remaining able to pivot quickly if the plan goes sideways.     ·       What is your favorite part about working for Backcountry?      A: I love working with smart and passionate people that work hard and still find time to do the things we love that brought us to this industry to begin with.     ·       What brings you life?      A: Biking, running, skiing, and anything else that I can turn into an adventure with friends. From weekly runs up local peaks (see you on Mt. Wire every Wednesday) to week-long bikepacking trips in the desert, moving outside with friends is my favorite way to spend my time. #Backcountry #outdoorindustry

Getting the best gear in your hands is only half of our job. The other half is making sure you know how to use it. Our Gear Guides are a curated collection of the year’s best gear along with added Gearhead® expertise to make sure you’re making the most of your picks. Our dedicated Content Team, composed of designers, writers, and outdoor experts, has been working tirelessly on the Gear Guides to make sure they are accessible and cater to all skill levels. Whether you're a seasoned sender or trying something new for the first time, our Guides are designed to help you get the most out of your outdoor experiences and gear. So, if you're ready to elevate your adventures and explore new horizons, dive into our Gear Guides and pick your next passion. 🌲 ⭐ Check out our Gear Guides here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/emZTNPTx #Backcountry #outdoors

We are thrilled to share that Kevin Ellison was just named our Kyle Brown Gearhead of the Year! 🐐 What makes this award special? Why was Kevin selected? Who is Kyle Brown? Keep reading. ➡ Why Kevin Ellison is our KB GOTY Kevin Ellison has been a stellar Gearhead® Expert from the get-go. Since joining the Competitive Cyclist team in May of 2022, he has exemplified the Goat Code and guiding principles in his work. Kevin is a passionate outdoor enthusiast, who always brings his stoke for the outdoors into his workday. Whether it's a day of hitting fresh powder on the slopes, or hammering out miles on the mountain bike, Kevin is all about finding the ultimate adventures, and is obsessed with empowering his customers to make every outdoor experience as awesome as possible.     Not only is Kevin deeply invested in providing the white-glove service that all Gearheads strive to achieve, but he also has a genuine care in contributing to the success of his peers. When faced with new problems or challenges, Kevin is one to dive in headfirst with a problem-solver's mindset. He is all about being a part of the solution any time a new challenge arises.   Kevin has also played an essential role in the training for new Gearheads that have joined the team over the last year. Between taking time out of his workday to participate in the new-hire training to ensure new team members are equipped with the knowledge they need, and the countless questions he's helped his peers answer for their customers, Kevin has invested a tremendous amount of time in helping his teammates succeed. Kevin is the perfect example of a "One Team, One Dream" Gearhead. ➡ What is the Kyle Brown Gearhead of the Year (KB GOTY) Award? The Kyle Brown Gearhead of the Year Award recognizes the very best of the best from our customer-facing teams; Gearheads who not only go the extra mile in a single moment, but live the life day in and out. Kyle Brown was a Gearhead at Competitive Cyclist for over 9 years! He was awarded the GOTY in 2020 and 2021 and holds the record for the highest annual sales for a single Gearhead at $2.5M in revenue. Kyle was diagnosed with bulbar onset ALS. After receiving this diagnosis, Kyle invested everything into giving everyone the best of himself and living his life to the fullest. He was married to the love of his life, he completed his first Ironman 70.30 World Championship (in true fashion), he continued to show up as a Gearhead crushing it day in and out and participated in experimental research to find a cure for his disease. Kyle's work ethic, his passion for bicycles, and his commitment to his team and our customers are amongst some of the reasons we now dedicate the Gearhead of The Year (GOTY) award in his name. If you’d like to learn more about Kyle's story, visit this page: https://lnkd.in/gexZneXz. 

This year Backcountry had one of our product designs reach the finalist round at the OR Innovation Awards—The Hydration Bra created by Jodie Taylor. We didn’t win one of the OR awards this time around, but we’re incredibly proud of our Backcountry team for the accomplishment of being named a finalist. They beat out more than 100 entries to secure the finalist title this year. We can’t wait to see what comes in 2025! 🎉

🌲 July is National Parks and Recreation Month! 🌲 Tapping the top of the Grand Tetons, rafting through Canyon Lands, backpacking in Glacier—you can say we have a unique relationship with our national parks. Recreating in our beautiful places that preserve nature and our natural heritage is what we’re all about. This July, we encourage everyone to cross off a national park that’s on their list, connect with the wilderness, and get out like a Gearhead. #nationalparks #nature #adventure #backcountry #getoutside