“News Flash” is FREESKIER’s online column designed to keep you up-to-date with snippets of outdoor news you need to know about. This article is published weekly on Tuesdays and updated throughout the week.
DPS Skis, Goal Zero, Petzl and Eastman partner to produce face shields for healthcare workers in Utah
Combining forces in Salt Lake City, Utah, DPS Skis and a handful of other outdoor brands are now manufacturing face shields to be distributed to medical professionals in Utah. The four brands have come together in a unique way to make this possible, with tooling donated by Eastman, raw materials purchased by Goal Zero and by utilizing retrofitted Petzl headlamp headbands.
Arc’teryx makes PPE for medical professionals
Across the ski industry, brands are swapping gear manufacturing for PPE creation. Just this week, Arc’teryx has begun making medical gowns with leftover fabrics in its Arc’One Factory in Vancouver. The company plans to make 500 Level 3 Certified gowns for medical professionals.
Backcountry donates masks to homeless in NYC
Backcountry has announced that its is providing 9,000 non-medical grade face masks to the New York Department of Homeless Services. Partnering with a Los Angeles-based manufacturer, Backcountry will provide 9,000 face masks to New York’s homeless population and front-line Department of Homeless Services workers in the next week.
Boston-based Parlor Skis to make face shields
Custom ski makers, Parlor Skis, hand-build every pair of planks at its East Boston workshop; now, they’re ready to construct face shields. The company is hoping to create 25,000 shields within the coming weeks. Face shields are available for purchase for personal use by individuals or for donation, which Parlor will coordinate for the buyer.
The North Face pledges $1m
Through its advocacy platform, the Explore Fund, the heritage apparel brand aims to help “outdoor communities all over the world” with its monetary pledge to support exploration of natural spaces. Its parent company, VF Corporation, has also committed $1.5m to the GlobalGiving Coronavirus Relief Fund and donated 60,000 pairs of gloves to medical workers in its home state of Colorado.
Food for thought
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is using its leftovers for a good cause. Recently, the Wyoming resort held a “farmer’s market” style food bank for its employees and community members, donating 1,000 pounds of food, including fresh produce and other groceries. Jackson Hole also donated a palette of Nature Valley granola bars to the nearby Wind River Reservation.
Buy a PHOOZY, give a PHOOZY
Right now, PHOOZY, makers of NASA-inspired, battery-saving phone cases, are giving customers the chance to give back with every purchase. For each PHOOZY sold, the brand will donate one additional phone case to the buyer’s choice medical workers or first responders. One doctor noted, “PHOOZY capsules allow us to have our phone shielded from contamination, providing added protection which gives us the confidence to use our phones in the hospital.” Click here to visit PHOOZY’s website and help give back to the community.
Ski goggles on the front lines
Goggles For Docs is spearheading a donation program that gives skiers the chance to directly impact the COVID-19 crisis. With your help, ski goggles are now being donated and implemented across the country at hospitals and medical clinics with shortages of PPE supplies. If you have extra goggles or have been looking for a way to directly support medical workers, click here to donate.
Speaking of goggles…
This week, Giro and Bell Brands donated more than 3,000 goggles to the Goggles For Docs campaign, helping reach medical professionals across the country. Other brands that have already donated to the cause include Dragon Alliance, Smith Optics, anon and Blender Eyewear.
Idaho earthquake causes avalanches in the Sawtooths
The 6.5-magnitude earthquake triggered rampant avalanches through Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountain earlier this week and snow forecasters are calling the event “rare and historic.” Click here to read first-hand accounts of the quake’s aftermath and what it was like being there in the moment.
Vail CEO forgoes salary for six months
Rob Katz, Vail’s top dog, stated in a transparent letter to the public that he would relinquish his pay for six months as Vail simultaneously moved to furlough nearly all of its year-round hourly employees. This move might leave hundreds of employees without housing and compensation
High Fives Foundation Retro Ski-A-Thon goes digital
With resort closures across the country, High Fives’ annual series of “Ski-A-Thons” will be enjoyed from the comforts of home. These events, “the largest form of fundraising” for High Fives, will be replaced with a virtual fundraiser to benefit the prevention of and recovery processes from life-altering injuries. Participants are encouraged to get others involved and hit benchmark donation goals to win prizes. Click here to get involved.
LIVE STREAMS TO WATCH:
Columbia Sportswear is hosting an athlete Q&A with Olympians Cassie Sharpe and Sarah Hoefflin, Wednesday, April 8, at 12PM MST on Instagram.
Armada Skis continues its “Homeschool Sessions” with a movie screening and athlete Q&A, Wednesday, April 8, at 1PM MST on Facebook.
WinterWonderGrass will air the third and final episode of its WWG TV web series, Friday, April 10, at 6PM MST on Facebook.
