The Outdoor Show

I have to admit - I get excited about gear and outdoorsy things. It's just my style. So the opportunity to go to the Outdoor Show got me super stoked to be surrounded by like-minded fanatics, industry newbies and oldies alike, and awesome gear.

I had the opportunity to work with some great people from Icebreaker this past weekend at the Outdoor Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The store I work for is well-known as an Icebreaker dealer, and so a few of us had the pleasure to represent the store at the Icebreaker booth.

The Icebreaker Booth. Vancouver Convention Centre. March 2011.

We had a sweet booth and great display of a variety of products that Icebreaker makes. Take a second to check them out. It's the clothing I grab for pretty much everything - for regular work days, to mellow hikes, to sea kayaking, climbing mountains, travelling and hanging out. I love the damn stuff - it's seriously an addiction.

The Bali Hood and Atoll Tank by Icebreaker. 

We connected with others from all over the industry - well, I sorta ran around talking to everyone, having laughs with the Whistler Bungee Guys (one of them was kind enough to hoist me on his shoulders so I could take some "aerial shots" of our booth), harassing the No Limit Expeditions people for a ride in their sweet Land Rovers (their booth was conveniently next to ours - and they were fore-warned about ME!!! ha!), scoring free swag and food and getting people stoked about Icebreaker!

No Limit Expeditions.  How cool does this look!? I want one. 

It was pretty fun - quite a busy day - despite the beautiful weather outside - and the over all vibe in the place was pretty chill. Lots of awesome gear around, friendly people, and booths with free candy! My favourite food booth was the one with free Larabars. I love those things! MMM!

It all came crashing to an end when the show closed at 5 and suddenly there was a frantic rush to pack up and get the hell outside! It's an odd concept to me - having an Outdoor Show inside, of all places. You'd think people would wanna show how well their products work, rain or shine... set it up near a small body of water, so you can do the water demos, etc., and still have tents and booths and tarps up. I'm sure there are many arguments for the indoors - electricity and phone lines for monitors, displays, credit/debit machines, etc., but I still think:
Outdoor Show ---> Outside!

Maybe next year.

I love this company. Icebreaker.