Trail Running Has Peaked & Who Really Has the Power in the Outdoor Industry?

It's the day you've been waiting for because The Rock Fight, the best outdoor culture podcast, is back!

And we're starting things back up with some spice as host and outdoor industry veteran Colin True returns with five rocks for the outdoor industry.

Is the hype around trail running finally peaking? Does the industry need to rethink what “outdoor participation” actually means? Is REI exactly what we need it to be? And with Outdoor Retailer, Switchback, GOA Connect and Outside Days all fighting for attention, do we already have the national outdoor gathering everyone keeps asking for?

Then Outdoor Unfiltered host and Rock Fight consigliere Eoin Comerford joins the show to dig into the growing power of specialty retailers, why dealers are increasingly favoring at-once orders over preseason commitments, and what that shift could mean for outdoor brands.

Plus: Helly Hansen wants to more than triple its U.S. business by 2030. Eoin and Colin discuss where that growth could possibly come from.

TOPICS & CHAPTERS

00:00 – Welcome back to The Rock Fight!

04:00 – Rock #1: Has trail running peaked?

07:00 – Rock #2: Outdoor participation is changing

09:30 – Rock #3: REI is the Steadiest of Eddies

12:15 – Rock #4: The Outdoor Trade Show Wars

18:30 – Rock #5: Specialty retail has the power

23:15 – Eoin Comerford joins the show

24:50 – Why retailers are moving away from preseason orders

27:20 – The “sea of sameness” comes home to roost

32:05 – How specialty retailers influence consumers

35:55 – How much power do independent retailers really have?

38:45 – Are there too many outdoor brands?

40:40 – Helly Hansen’s massive U.S. growth ambitions

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The Rock Fight is a production of Rock Fight, LLC