Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 13

lessons instead of decreasing them because,
Lederhosen and Ga-nip Ga-nopper, it'll be
with all of this new interest in horizontal
way easier to avoid than the one in a lift corral
snow-sliding, the cross-country world has an
or the bottleneck at the top of Balls to the Fall
unprecedented opportunity to build a new
Line and Cartilage Repair, Please.
and energized population of skiers.
Yet Nordic centers are taking precautions
What will change, Brown believes, is the
to operate safely. At Brown's home resort,
peak times Nordic skiers will come to ski.
the Woodstock Touring Center in Vermont,
" Certainly, where I live, and on the Front
social distancing and masks will be manRange and in Tahoe, second homes have been
datory inside the lodge, and group lesson
full since March 15, " he
sizes will be limited. At
says. That means more
Eldora Nordic Center
skiers will flood the rein Colorado, special
events, like the Nordic
sorts, often on weekends.
Nighthawks race series,
But with homeschooling
are on hold indefiniteand parents working rely. And at New Jersey's
motely, midweek ski days
High Point Crosswill be more of an option
-REESE BROWN
Country Ski Center
for many people. " If it's
(which sits in a state
beautiful and warm on
park), rangers will control the number of skia Wednesday afternoon, they can shift their
schedules and go skiing, " says Brown.
ers who can visit (by the number of cars that
And when the family's energy is spent, as it
can fit in the parking lot).
will be with Nordic skiing burning on average
But Brown thinks group lessons should
650 calories an hour, at Brown's resort, they can
continue, as should indoor rentals. " You
crowd around their own outdoor fire pit, eat a grshould speed up your rental process, but you
should do that anyway, " he says. He also beab-and-go meal of burritos or personal fondue,
and sip a beer " in their own little clusters. " It's
lieves that, if anything, Nordic centers should
Nordic skiing-just different and possibly better.
increase their number of instructors and daily

" WE ARE
INCREDIBLY BULLISH FOR THIS
COMING SEASON. "

Courtesy Burton

THE GRASSROOTS GETS GREENER
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance confirms dates for future Connect buying shows.
While Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (grassrootsoutdoors.com), a national organization dedicated to
the health and growth of independent specialty retail, canceled both its spring and fall 2020 Connect
buying shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's looking ahead to a greener future by confirming fall
dates for the show through 2024.
Upcoming fall Connect shows will be held in the Kansas City Convention Center Nov. 8-11, 2021;
Nov. 7-10, 2022; Nov. 6-9, 2023; and Nov. 14-17, 2024. Spring shows will continue to be held at the
Knoxville Convention Center, with confirmed dates June 7-10, 2021; and June 6-9, 2022.
" We're all missing the efficiency, effectiveness, and personal connections created at Connect and
are eager for a season where it is both safe and smart to hold another gathering, " says President Rich
Hill, adding that Kansas City is a new venue for the show-chosen for its walkability, ease of location,
low cost, and layout. " At a show like Connect, retailers can do more buying in a few days than they can
do in months of squeezing in Zoom calls. It gets them away from their stores and allows them to fully
focus on the year ahead. "
After canceling its spring and fall 2020 shows, the group pivoted to support retailers and vendors
with online initiatives and digital tools. " But we're eager to resurrect the benefits of personal interaction, " says Hill. " To a certain extent, our industry is running on the fumes of old relationships, and it's important to keep engaging and interacting until we can meet face to face again. " -Eugene Buchanan

Kelly Murnaghan

SNOWBOARDING IN STYLE

Get ready for some big marketing bang
from Burton.
In October, the snowboard giant welcomed new Global Marketing Director Kelly
Murnaghan and Executive Creative Director
Adrian Josef Margelist on board, promising to
put some more pop into its promotions.
Murnaghan will lead marketing strategy globally, driving Burton's shift toward becoming
a consumercentric, digital-first retailer of the
future. She is also charged with growing snowboarding participation, building on Burton's
commitment to foster a more diverse and inclusive community. With five years at high-end advertising agencies and marketing positions at
Converse, Vans, and Lagunitas under her belt,
she will bring a savvy approach to snowboarding. " It feels like 20 years of preparation has culminated in this moment, and I couldn't be more
honored to help drive the next chapter for this
remarkable brand, " she says.
With two decades of experience in international fashion, lifestyle, and consumer
goods, as well as handling the creative reins
at Mammut, Margelist will be based in his
hometown of Zurich, leading Burton's overall creative direction-including its position in
the burgeoning hot spot of China. " I've been a
Burton fan since I started snowboarding in the
Swiss Alps in 1987, " says the longtime rider.
" Back then, if someone told me that I would one
day have the honor to work with the teams at
Burton, I would have never believed it. "
And no one is more psyched to have them
at the groundbreaking company founded by
Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977 than CEO
John Lacy. " With Kelly and Adrian now on
board, we can continue to evolve toward a
unified vision for how our brand shows up
creatively in our product, stores, and with our
customers, " he says. -E.B.

December 2020 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 13

https://www.burton.com/us/en/home https://connect.grassrootsoutdoors.com/

Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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