Due to the shared passion for the outdoors and entrepreneurship within the student body at Colorado College, two unique start-ups were presented in the most recent Innovation Thursday.
Three distinct visionaries in the outdoor industry gathered for a presentation and interactive discussion regarding their unique work and the experiences that led them there. While each panelist varied in passions and career—from professional climber to tech entrepreneur to all-around outdoor Renaissance man—each used their work in the outdoor industry to address or draw awareness to larger issues of environmental stewardship.
The first speaker, Madaleine Sorkin, is a professional climbing guide and athlete who, throughout her career in the outdoor industry, has promoted environmental conservation and awareness in climbing.
Sorkin began climbing in the south flats of Colorado during her years as a student at Colorado College. Sorkin described climbing initially as freedom from her previous confinement in East Coast suburbia. However, after several years of rigorous climbing, Sorkin reached a crossroads.
“I felt I would be more inspired if the [walls] were bigger,” said Sorkin. “Big walls catapulted me into the realm of ‘I wonder what’s possible.”
Sorkin has been sponsored by various climbing companies to climb everywhere from Patagonia to Kyrgyzstan. She has been able to act as a “proactive agent” in creating each trip, deciding not only where she wants to travel but also the specific rock walls she will climb. She promotes the company brand in return for travel fees and a stipend.
Sorkin’s motives for climbing, naturally, are far greater than monetary gain. Much of her work is a matter of giving back to the climbing community, and has focused primarily on environmental awareness and conservation.
“Climbing is a self-focused sport,” said Sorkin. “But it’s important to consciously create the community you want to see in climbing.”
Sorkin spent last spring and fall working as a climbing steward in Yosemite National Park, and she completes every climb with bags full of trash from other climbers, which she picks up during her ascent.
The second speaker in the forum was Julian Flores, founder and CEO of GetOutfitted, who found his passion in a very different sector of the outdoor industry.
According to Flores, outdoor recreation has a shrinking pool of clients that are homogenous both in race and income. GetOutfitted works to break down barriers of cost and cultural deterrents, better “democratizing” the outdoor industry by making outdoor experiences available to everyone in an easy and less expensive manner.
GetOutfitted works to correct two problems, the first being the astronomical cost of owning, storing, and traveling with gear, especially children’s gear, which must be replaced frequently as they age.
The second problem concerns the incredible rental and guide shops across the country, often locally owned, which are missing the accessibility and marketing aspect that would make them more successful.
GetOutfitted connects these two groups—the recreational user and the Mom & Pop shops—together in an online marketplace where the customer can plan a trip, rent gear, and buy tickets all at the touch of a button
Flores describes GetOutfitted as the “Rent the Runway” of snow sports, though he hopes to expand into other activities such as paragliding, kayaking, and whitewater rafting.
“I lived in Colorado for 10 years, yet still felt intimidated by the outdoors and the fairly exclusive culture associated with it,” said Flores. “Right now, outdoor activists are preaching to the choir. The next step is to provide more people with incredible outdoor experiences; environmental conservation will then come to the forefront of people’s lives naturally and passionately.”
When the last speaker, Will Gadd, was asked what he does for a living, he replied that he didn’t know. “I make things up, try to get someone to pay for them, and then I go do them,” said Gadd.
The real question is, what doesn’t Gadd do for a living? He’s a pro ice climber, writes best-selling books as well as thousands of articles for newspaper and magazines, makes and produces films, hosts a TV show, and is an outdoor guide.
Gadd’s career in the outdoor industry began during his years at Colorado College.
He found success in climbing competitions and soon began writing for climbing magazines using his previous experience writing a column for The Catalyst, titled “You Have the Right to My Opinion.”
After graduating, Gadd went on to learn the ins-and-outs of editing, writing, and producing a magazine, as well as starting his own qualitative research company. After several years, however, Gadd became bored with an office job, even one where he was the boss.
An incredible athlete, Gadd has won three gold medals at the X-Games and used that money to go live in a van and climb ice.
Since his initial explosion onto the scene, he has continued to push the boundaries of ice climbing and has won many major climbing titles. He also made the first climb up one of the country’s most famous monuments—Niagara Falls.
Like the previous two speakers, Gadd’s work brings awareness to issues larger than his specific interests.
In working in the outdoor industry, each speaker recognizes that he or she is part of something greater than themselves—not just a community, but a connected planet.