The Rock Fight: Outdoor Industry & Adventure Sports Commentary

Last week on THE ROCK FIGHT we dug into the bullshit embedded into a lot of the marketing consumers get from outdoor brands. And in an example of absolutely impeccable timing, this week, Vasque Footwear launched Log Outside. A new call to action that isn't tied to a specific product or with built in ROI metrics but is more of a mindset to value putting down the device and building some outdoor tim...

Are you a clog person? Historically that has not been a go to style for the host of THE ROCK FIGHT. But when Bedrock Sandals released their new shoe, the Mountain Clog, it was a sign that just like Rocky Balboa told us in Rocky IV, 'everybody can change'. Justin Housman from Adventure Journal (aka Bedrock's biggest fan aka Beddie the Baddie aka Lay Me Down on a Bed of Rocks) is back to offer a gea...

Today we run down some of the top stories happening in the outdoors for the week ending March 17, 2023 (Happy St. Patricks Day!). Want to have a news story featured in a future episode? Send your comments and suggestions to myrockfight@gmail.com. THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Get ready...the vacation is over! Let's head to Montana (or was it Idaho?) as we take a rafting trip with the best actress of all time as our guide, do our best to survive Evil Kevin Bacon and head down THE RIVER WILD! Do the outdoorsy elements make the movie better? Is this even a good movie? Listen to find out if THE RIVER WILD gets THE ROCK FIGHT stamp of approval, or if it will be erased from...

Dan Cortese. We need you. We need you more than ever. Because MTV Sports has to come back. Agree? Disagree? Do you know Dan Cortese? Please make an introduction so we can have him on the podcast! Send your Dan Cortese introduction, comments, suggestions and introductions to the legend himself to myrockfight@gmail.com. THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

The office used to be a super vanilla topic. In 2023? It's a discourse mainstay. Work from home. Return to Office. That Zoom should have been an email. There's a lot to unpack. For outdoor brands a cool office space has been integral to being a cool place to work. But we now know there are different ways to do things and a lot to evaluate and change. Today's guest is Lisa Slagle who is the founder...

When the outdoor brand Rab launched their new adventure cycling lineup Cinder a few weeks ago, they did what most outdoor brands do: promoted the new line by touting the technical abilities of the materials the line contains. The problem with that is all of those abilities have existed in some form for a very long time. Outdoor apparel brands need to move on from technical proficiency as the prima...

Today on THE ROCK FIGHT... It's time to celebrate the 95th annual Academy Awards by handing out Oscars for the most outdoorsy part of each of the 10 Best Picture Nominees and then choosing the best outdoorsy movie of the year. Be sure to stick around to the end of the episode (c'mon, this show is like 13 minutes long, do you really have something better to do?) to hear Colin's prediction for who w...

Any good fight has multiple rounds and lots of rocks thrown. And today, Adam Jaber from the OUT OF COLLECTIVE is here to return fire on the third hot take ever posited on THE ROCK FIGHT, the notion that Mountain Bike Suspension is largely pointless. Adam thinks that there's a real reason that mountain bike suspension exists. So we're allowing him a rebuttal. Who's the ultimate winner here? You! Be...

You know what's an awesome place to lay your head at night? Your own bed. Agree? Disagree? Want to pick a fight with THE ROCK FIGHT? Email your comments and suggestions to myrockfight@gmail.com. THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Trade Shows. If you work in Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, Operations...it doesn't really matter, you've likely been to a trade show. For the Outdoor Industry, historically the biggest trade show has been OUTDOOR RETAILER. But after years of dominance things for this twice annual nexus event is changing drastically. And with the emergence of events like THE BIG GEAR SHOW...

When Eddie Bauer announced it was ending Guide Built, the legacy program of it's 2009 First Ascent program, it got the wheels turning: What value do outdoor athletes and ambassadors truly bring to the products that these brands make? Is the outdoor athlete team an antiquated notion? Today on THE ROCK FIGHT Colin welcomes back Adventure Journal's Justin Housman to dig into the ins and outs of how a...

THE ROCK FIGHT is back again with another OUTDOOR MOVIE REVIEW! Today we are watching the 1997 survival classic THE EDGE starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Did the outdoorsy elements of the movie work? Was Bob realistic as an aspiring cuckolding murderer? Listen to find out! If you've never seen THE EDGE be careful, this is spoilery territory you're in. THE EDGE can be streamed on YouTube,...

Justin Housman from Adventure Journal offers his hot take on the most overrated piece of gear in an outdoorsy persons kit: the multi-tool. Agree? Disagree? Want to pick a fight with THE ROCK FIGHT? Send your comments and suggestions to myrockfight@gmail.com Get more from Justin Housman by heading over to www.adventure-journal.com. THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

The outdoor industry is often defined by the brands who create the gear and apparel that help enable our adventures. But every year the output of goods continues to increase and despite greener components like recycled fabrics and less harmful chemicals, the process to create the stuff we love is damaging. Plus even if something is built to last a long time, almost everything that gets made still...

It's an all time classic debate. Right up there with 'tastes great/less filling' and 'is a hot dog a sandwich?' sits: TRAIL RUNNING SHOES vs HIKING BOOTS when it comes to what you like to hike in. Today on THE ROCK FIGHT, the man who wrote the article (literally, see the link below), Justin Housman of ADVENTURE JOURNAL, comes on to talk about his journey from boots to runners and back again. What...

It's time for an OUTDOOR MOVIE REVIEW! Today we look at the 1993 action classic CLIFFHANGER and determine if the outdoorsy elements work and if the film is worthy of THE ROCK FIGHT stamp of approval. Spoilers abound in this conversation so be sure to check out CLIFFHANGER which is currently streaming on Paramount+. The movie is also 30 years old, so you know, maybe just go for it. Want to pick a f...

Dawn Patrol can be magical. But you know what is even more magical? My goddam morning routine. Today Colin lists his top 3 reasons why Dawn Patrol, while always worth the effort, isn't all it's cracked up to be. Agree? Disagree? Want to pick a fight with THE ROCK FIGHT?! Send your comments and suggestions to myrockfight@gmail.com. THE ROCK FIGHT is a production of Rock Fight, LLC.

Running...it's so hot right now. Lowa Boots debuted their new trail running lineup, ATR, this past fall and while cracking into a new category (even an adjacent one) is difficult, this may be the right time to go for it. Today we are joined by PETER VERRY from FOOTWEAR NEWS to talk all things running, why Lowa has a great shot at success and to get Peter's top 4 running brands to watch in 2023 ( 2...

Mike Rogge is back on the show and today he and Colin are running down their desert island all time favorite top 5 outdoor magazines, alive or dead, from any era! Did your favorite magazine get mentioned? Was there a big one that we missed? Send your favorite magazines, comments and suggestions to myrockfight@gmail.com! Please subscribe, follow and rate THE ROCK FIGHT wherever you get your podcast...

No show notes necessary. This episode stands on it's own. Agree? Disagree? Either way click play to hear how this fight plays out. Want to battle Colin or suggest your own rock fight? Email us at myrockfight@gmail.com.

In the digital age outdoor magazines have largely declined in quantity and quality. But there has been a recent resurgence of titles both old and new focused on print and long form storytelling One of these titles is MOUNTAIN GAZETTE; owned by veteran outdoor journalist (and skiing aficionado), MIKE ROGGE. Today, Colin is joined by Mike to discuss the state of outdoor magazines, the impact they’ve...

It's a sad day because today's fight is with running. Sweet, sweet running. Who I learned to love after promising our lord and savior Chris Knight that I would never run for fitness. Running, it's not you, it's me but we have to break up...at least for now. And this is a fight I'm going to win. Agree? Disagree? Either way click play to hear how this fight plays out. Want to battle Colin or suggest...

It's part 4! The final episode of our exploration of the definition of adventure! Last time, Fitz Cahall laid some knowledge on us that demonstrated how adventure can be a teacher. Today Brendan Leonard gives us the perspective we need on this whole endeavor! Thanks for listening to THE ROCK FIGHT! We are the (self-proclaimed) most exciting new podcast in the outdoor space and we want to pick a fi...

Today, Colin picks a fight with the trend du jour in the sunglasses space...the one that is making us all look like a dumbass. Agree? Disagree? Either way click play to hear how this fight plays out. Want to battle Colin or suggest your own rock fight? Email us at myrockfight@gmail.com.