Outdoors/Adventure/Travel / Julie Dugdale

Outdoors/Adventure/Travel

Outside Business Journal • February 2022

How outdoor brands are taking vaccine mandates into their own hands

In the summer of 2021, Kim Miller found himself in a familiar position: considering the best move to shepherd his team through a life-threatening storm. In his previous life as an expedition leader, he’d shouldered that very burden on plenty of high peaks. As the CEO of Scarpa North America, he now faced a different deadly threat: Covid-19. “My mentality as a leader is to keep people safe,” Miller says. “And motivated, engaged, and happy at a time when people are freaking out.”

Outside Business Journal • January 2022

Outdoor Retailer has wrapped. Here's what you missed on the last day.

[Co-bylined] Aaaand, that’s a wrap on the 2022 Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. As attendees trickled in to hit their last meetings and squeeze in just a few more booths, conversations were upbeat. Coffee queue congratulations were plentiful coming off of last night’s fourth annual Innovation Awards ceremony, where 14 winners were crowned by an independent judging panel for their game-changing outdoor products and services.

Outside Business Journal • January 2022

Live from the second day of Outdoor Retailer

[Co-bylined] Right on cue, the flakes were flying outside the Convention Center as the second day of the OR Snow Show ramped up. The morning kicked off with an early session covering outdoor market research and consumer trends, which parsed data on a phenomenon we’ve all happily witnessed over the past couple of years: More people are itching to buy outdoor stuff. In fact, the core outdoor market grew by $5 billion between 2019 and 2021, now sitting at $27.4 billion. Accompanying this data was the pointed re

Outside Business Journal • January 2022

What you missed on the first day of Outdoor Retailer

[Co-bylined] The Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2022 returned to the Colorado Convention Center today on an appropriately wintery morning. The general vibe? Subdued. And as the morning unfolded, cautiously hopeful.

5280 • June 2021

It Takes Two

Somewhere between Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, just off the coast of a tiny volcanic island called Raikoke, a small vessel bobbed in the chop of the Sea of Okhotsk. An assorted group of photographers, scientists, and filmmakers lined the boat’s railing and stared in disbelief as the landscape came into focus. The island, usually lush and green, smoldered in an ashy gray state of complete desolation. The air was heavy with sulfuric smoke tendrils, and flocks of birds circled in infinite loops overhead with nowhere to land. The sea-lapped shores, once home to a thriving sea lion rookery, had been reduced to smoking rubble.

5280 • December 2019

Ready, Set, Race!

Pick a weekend in Colorado—literally any weekend—and odds are that somewhere within our state’s boundaries, you’ll find a bunch of sweaty people sporting race bibs, timing chips, and an array of moisture-wicking, speed-enhancing, heart-rate-tracking gear. They might be on bikes or wearing skis or in kayaks. Maybe they’re just hoofing it in sneakers. It could be a snowy January day in the city or a scorcher in July on a high mountain pass. The exact details of each competition—be it a 5K, a century ride, or a backcountry ultra-grind—are mostly irrelevant. What is important to note? Friendly (albeit high-caliber) athletic competition is a way of life here in the Centennial State.

Breckenridge • December 2019

Snow, Stars, Sleep

THERE’S SOMETHING humbling about spending the night enveloped by the profound, soft silence of snowfall or a luminous blanket of white under the stars. It’s a sensory joyride—but winter camping should never be undertaken on a whim.

Fort Collins Magazine • June 2019

Fetching Places To Stay

Whether you’re a luxury lover or a catch-your-own-dinner kind of traveler, one thing makes any getaway sweeter: Having your four-legged friend in tow.

Breckenridge Magazine • June 2019

Her Odyssey

A frothy sea rages beneath a moody sky along the coast of Panama. It's mid-February, the day after her thirty-third birthday, and Frisco's Bethany Hughes is perched on a driftwood log near the water's edge. Frustrated, she casts sidelong glances at the whitecaps rolling in on the horizon.

Fort Collins Magazine • March 2019

Will Travel For Trails

Any runner worth her salt is willing to take to the road on the quest for ever more challenging races. If those races happen to be in some of the most stunning landscapes in the West? So be it. Here are the iconic races—and amazing experiences—that keep us motivated through even the gnarliest long-run days.

Great Outdoors Colorado • October 2018

Conserving the Cline: A community effort to protect a historic ranch

On the horizon, barely visible through the falling snow, you can see them: elk, by the hundreds, silhouetted against the shadowy mountains beyond. Rolling meadows stretch in every direction, and Tarryall Creek, framed by the muted deep-gold of late-fall willows and shrubs, snakes its way through the land. Just off a rutted dirt road, an adobe-style pueblo-revival ranch house, built in 1928, stands hollowly, yet proudly over the landscape it anchors—a reminder of a bygone era, and a beacon of potential.

Fort Collins Magazine • September 2018

Towering Above The Rest

EVERYONE LOVES A GOOD fall foliage drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. But let’s be honest: If the elk are out and the tourists are congregating, you might spend more time sitting in the car wedged between bumpers than actually leaf peeping. The park’s visitation numbers have increased more than 40 percent over the past five years, and nearly half of the 10 busiest days in 2016 were in September. That’s why we roughed out a Plan B: an outdoor escape with killer access to fall colors—sans the line of cars as far as the eye can see. Welcome to your weekend getaway at the Squaw Mountain Fire Lookout.

Time Out • July 2018

The 13 best things to do in Boulder

Hugging the line between mountains and plains, Denver’s neighbor to the north is one part outdoor haven, one part college town, and one part posh dining and entertainment mecca. With unrivaled access to trails, canyons and foothills, there’s a hike or bike ride out the back door for every type of adventurer, and a cold microbrew or farm-to-table restaurant at the end of every trail. Though the town has ballooned in recent years with an influx of retail and tech (ahem, shiny new Google campus), the quirky “old Boulder” vibe is still alive and well if you know where to look.

Time Out • July 2018

The 10 best things to do in Estes Park

Surrounded by some of Colorado’s most majestic peaks, Estes Park is a hamlet that stands apart from the typical mountain town. Perhaps it’s because there’s no mega ski resort here; just unfettered access to one of the most treasured national parks in the country and an outdoor culture that boasts a charm all its own. Just 1.5 hours northwest of Denver, the town is a hub for all things Rocky Mountain, from wilderness adventures to wildlife watching to artisan booze made with the alpine waters from the neighboring peaks. If you can, plan your trip for late September, when the aspens are in full golden bloom and the elk are out in droves during rutting season, filling the air with their haunting bugling. Whether you’re an adrenaline junky in search of your next thrill or more of a sit-back-and-take-it-all-in kind of traveler, Estes Park has plenty to keep you entertained.

Time Out • June 2018

The 10 best hotels in Colorado Springs

Outdoor access, striking mountain views, and historic character dominate the hotel scene in Colorado Springs. The Pikes Peak region in particular, anchored by Colorado Springs, is renowned for its majestic mountain views, western mining lore, and endless recreation opportunities. So it’s no surprise that the city and its neighboring hamlets offer a plethora of lodging options for the streams of outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs that flock to this picturesque gateway city on Colorado’s Front Range. And sure, you could stay in any hotel and find yourself a trail to hike or a historic building to ogle. But why not book a place where you’re immersed in the very essence of the rugged former mining region and its resident grande dame, Pikes Peak?

Fort Collins Magazine • June 2018

Getting Out There

These Colorado outdoor recreation programs help people of all abilities focus on what they can do rather than what they can’t. LEIGH SHAFER HAS ALWAYS been on the quiet side. She tends to be reserved and uncomfortable speaking in front of groups—which isn’t uncommon, but Leigh also has an intellectual disability, and a hard time with certain cognitive skills and social interactions. Her mom, Laura, worried about dropping her off at camps during the summer. That is, until she went to horseback riding camp with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NCSD) at YMCA of the Rockies’ Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby.

Time Out • May 2018

The 20 best things to do in Colorado Springs

At the foot of the Rockies along the storied Front Range of Colorado, Colorado Springs is a treasure trove of outdoor pursuits suitable for everyone from Olympic athletes to the littlest explorers. The splendor of the scenery, from majestic red rock formations and mesmerizing waterfalls to picturesque alpine lakes, inspires an active way of life that draws visitors from around the globe. But that’s not to say the museums, restaurants, and hotels aren’t world-class in and of themselves. Rich with the history of a pioneering people, the region has no shortage of ways to get acquainted with the Wild West and the frontier spirit that shapes the city’s character and heritage. So rustle up your inner cowboy and start exploring.

Fort Collins Magazine • February 2018

Spring Fling In Fruita

SPRING HERE FINDS IT SPITTING SNOW one day, sun shining the next, and a serious case of bike jones starting to brew. The problem? Mud, unpredictable trails. The cure? Fruita. Ten miles past Grand Junction off I-70 West, the high-desert town of just under 13,000 is a hotbed of world-class mountain bike terrain, suitable for the mellowest cruisers and the most high-throttle dirt-chasers alike. We got the scoop from a few locals on making the most of your visit.

Chicago magazine • July 2017

7 Easy Ways to Get on the Water

Lake, river, or lagoon, here’s how to leave land behind this summer.

Fort Collins Magazine • May 2017

Ride Like a Girl

Fort Collins’ female riders reflect on equality of the sexes in mountain biking. TODAY WOMEN ARE STILL fighting for fair and equal treatment in fields from business to politics to sports—and this being summer in Colorado, there’s one sport that’s on many a mind as trails fill with riders. So, we wondered whether mountain biking still feels like a boys’ club around here. A few noteworthy tidbits on the big picture:

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