Editor's Note: Blair Witte, Outdoor Participation & Community Development Coordinator at The North Face, was instrumental in making the Bay Area Cookout With Conrad a success! We would like to thank Blair for all her efforts in support of The Conservation Alliance.
Working in the Outdoor Industry is an interesting juxtaposition because although the word "outdoor" is in the title, we tend to have to spend the multitude of our work week sitting in front of a computer. So, when I was asked to help coordinate a climbing event with The Conservation Alliance this past week, I was super excited about the prospect of mixing work with play.
The "Cook-Out with Conrad" event was an idea fostered at Summer Outdoor Retailer by The Conservation Alliance Outreach Committee with a purpose of connecting Conservation Alliance Ambassadors from different companies and collaborating on ways to share information about the great work that The Conservation Alliance is doing.
Ambassadors from The North Face, Camelbak, Mountain Hardwear and The Forest Group had the privilege of being mentored in bouldering by epic mountaineer, rock climber and environmental enthusiast, Conrad Anker. It was not only a great opportunity to meet people who share the same passions, but also served as a brainstorming session to start to think about ways we can get people excited in our own companies about what The Conservation Alliance is working on.
The most important thing I took away from the event was that when it comes to conservation and the preservation of the places we play- there's really no competition regardless of the product you're selling.
