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October 18, 2006

2006 Hound Ears Report from Chad Wykle

Chad Wykle, former Rock/Creek employee, co-founder of the Triple Crown Bouldering Series and current sales rep for Chaco and Marmot, gives us a rundown of last weekend's Hound Ears competition in Boone, NC on October 7, 2006. The first stage of the three-part competition, Hound Ears is located on private property and is only accessible one day a year, for this comp. This was the 13th year for Hound Ears and as usual the event sold out well in advance. Chad gives us a detailed report on the weekend's events, from the bad omens Friday afternoon all the way through to a spectacular first-- and then SECOND- female ascent of the challenging 'Fuc Yo' V9 problem. The event also raised an impressive $1200 toward the acquisition of the Boat Rock bouldering field in Metro Atlanta, GA. 

Triple Crown rolled in to Boone on Friday afternoon with all the trappings of an impending disaster.   Despite the bluebird conditions that held sway overhead, a change in the forecast called for rain on Saturday and Sunday-

Could it be that the organizers (Jim Horton and Chad Wykle) had taken things one- step too far?  After all, it was year number 13 for the event, and the two refused to follow the obligatory rules regarding the "unlucky" number.  Go to any hotel and scroll through the floor numbers, or any long standing event and look over the years-you won't find a 13th floor or "the 13th annual" anything.  

Instead of following "good luck" protocol, the two actually billed the event as the 13th annual "Lucky 13" Hound Ears Bouldering Competition, complete with classic flaming skull logo and a judge tee shirt that depicted former president Richard Nixon with a red face and devil horns. 

Continue reading "2006 Hound Ears Report from Chad Wykle"

Posted by Mark McKnight at 12:08 PM

October 16, 2006

RockCreek Gives $3000 for Cumberland Trail Access

Rock/Creek Outfitters’ annual 50-kilometer StumpJump trail race draws a record number of runners and raises $3000 towards the completion of the Cumberland Trail, a corridor of hiking and backpacking trails spanning over 300 miles through Tennessee and into Kentucky.

Chattanooga, TN (PRWEB) October 16, 2006 – In its 5th year, the Stump Jump 50k and 11 mile trail race hosted by Rock/Creek Outfitters (www.rockcreek.com) was a huge success, drawing over 350 runners from across the country to take part in the event on Saturday, October 7th. The Stump Jump was founded as a fundraiser for the Cumberland Trail Conference's ongoing effort to complete a network of hiking and backpacking trails that, once complete, will traverse over 300 miles beginning in Cumberland Gap National Park (KY) and stretching south across the Cumberland Plateau to Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area, just outside of Chattanooga, TN. Today Rock/Creek Outfitters presented the Cumberland Trail Conference with a $3000 check to aid in this effort.

As a public-private partnership, the Cumberland Trail is being built and maintained by a cooperative effort of the CTC and the state of Tennessee. In addition to providing multiple recreational opportunities, this protected greenway will act as a buffer to protect water quality and provide natural habitat for animals.

Dawson Wheeler, co-owner of Rock/Creek Outfitters, remarked “Rock/Creek is proud to be able to make a significant contribution to this cause.” He also praised the support of the local community, “The race would not have been possible without the joint efforts of Nolan Elementary School, Hamilton County Parks Department, the Town of Signal Mountain, John Glass and Scout Troop # 60, as well as a sea of volunteers lead by the Chattanooga Track Club.” In addition to local efforts, the sponsor list was a who’s who of the outdoor industry (see list below). "We absolutely would not have raised this much money for the CTC without the help of our volunteers and sponsors," Wheeler said.

Continue reading "RockCreek Gives $3000 for Cumberland Trail Access"

Posted by Mark McKnight at 2:23 PM

October 13, 2006

North Face on Sale at RockCreek.com

Sale | Packs & Bags | Fleece | Softshells | Hardshells | Shoes | Car Racks

Montrail | Marmot | Chaco | Salomon | Patagonia | Oakley | Prana Photo courtesy The North Face: Conrad Anker. Khumbu Valley, Nepal. c. Jimmy Chin

Posted by Mark McKnight at 12:02 PM

October 10, 2006

Video of the new Rock/Creek Building

Hey this is really cool... 2 videos from the architect of the new Rock/Creek development.

Thanks go to the architects, River Street Architecture, LLC, for these nifty flyby videos.

Posted by Mark McKnight at 5:38 PM

Press Clipping from new North Shore Rock/Creek development

I've shared a bit about the new Rock/Creek development going in on the North Shore on this blog before.

We just had a great article on the front page of the Business section of today's Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Of course they completely missed the environmental story, which I think is interesting. Perhaps it wasn't mentioned at the groundbreaking, but I'm not sure. The original plans called for a whole suite of environmentally sensitive design elements. I'll post any details I get as they come in.

Click the image below to see the full size article.

Posted by Mark McKnight at 1:52 PM

Sign up for $500 North Face Giveaway!

I wanted to let everyone know about a great contest we have running through the end of October. RockCreek and The North Face are offering a $500 Giveaway. Anything we sell from The North Face, from the classic Denali Fleece Jacket to the Heckler Day Pack, or maybe something a bit more extreme, like the Universal Stretch Infusion Jacket, a top of the line Gore-Tex XCR expedition jacket.

Posted by Mark McKnight at 1:18 PM

October 2, 2006

RockCreek.com and Chaco Raise Funds for Access with Custom Sandals

Chaco, Rock Creek Outfitters, and the Triple Crown Bouldering Series team up to help local climbers gain permanent access to one of the premier bouldering areas in the Southeast. Proceeds from custom sandal sales aid in Boat Rock land purchase.

Chattanooga, TN (PRWEB) October 2, 2006 -- Long recognized as major contributors to environmental and outdoor causes, Chaco and Rock Creek Outfitters announce today that they will offer custom Chaco Performance Sandals for purchase during the 2006 Triple Crown Bouldering Series in effort to raise funds to help secure access to one of the prime bouldering areas in the Southeast. A portion of the custom sandal proceeds will be donated to the Southeastern Climbers’ Coalition to help gain permanent access to and ownership of Boat Rock, a woodland area inside the metro of Atlanta with more than a half mile of unique egg shaped granite boulders.

Boat Rock has long been threatened by development, but with continued effort from the SCC and local citizens, the area is now a community park and green space. Currently, $12,000 remains to be paid on the mortgage, and many are working to make the final payments against the note.

In 2005, a similar effort from Chaco, Rock Creek and The Triple Crown raised over $4,000 toward the purchase of Laurel Knob, a 1,200 ft. granite dome in Cashiers Valley located in the Highlands of North Carolina. Once threatened by development, Laurel Knob, renowned as the tallest crag east of the Mississippi River, is now owned by the Carolina Climbers’ Coalition and is open to hiking and rock climbing.

Chaco and Rock Creek Outfitters have quietly gone about the business of gaining and maintaining access to outdoor recreation areas for many years. Chaco, with help from regional outdoor retailers, will put close to $20,000 into direct action causes this year in the Southeast alone.

For every pair of custom Chacos sold, Rock Creek and Chaco will donate $20 toward the purchase of Boat Rock. The custom Chaco Sandals will be available for purchase through Rock Creek Outfitters’ website, RockCreek.com, and displayed at each venue of the Triple Crown Bouldering Series. The three-part series kicks off October 7 at Hound Ears in Boone, NC, moves on to Horse Pens-40 in Steele, AL, and concludes at The Stone Fort in Chattanooga, TN.

About Rock Creek Outfitters:

Rock/Creek Outfitters is a specialty outdoor retailer with over two decades of experience in the Southeast. Along with its online shops, RockCreek.com and ClimbingGear.com, Rock/Creek Outfitters provides quality outdoor clothing and gear for a host of activities including kayaking, rock climbing, camping, hiking, trail running, and adventure racing. Rock/Creek is committed to making a positive impact on the environment. For this reason, it uses outdoor retail as a platform to encourage outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship and to improve access to the backcountry.

About Chaco:

While many businesses focus solely on profits, Chaco seeks to follow the three steppingstones to sustainability: profits, people and the planet. They strive to minimize their environmental impact, better the lives of the people with whom they work and maintain healthy profitability so they can keep their initiatives moving forward. To further support their sustainability initiatives, Chaco donates three percent of after-tax profits to organizations dedicated to caring for people and the planet. They currently support the Conservation Alliance, the Sierra Club, American Whitewater, Leave No Trace, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and many others.

Posted by Mark McKnight at 1:34 PM