Jan. 29, 2008: Beyond Gear Ambassador at Beaver Creek

Beyond Gear Ambassador Sonja W. and her dad took part in the Talons Challenge at Beaver Creek. How'd they do? Read about their attempt to win a trip to Austria by completing 13 black diamond and double black runs at gosonja.com

Excerpts of the report...

"I was also really excited to try out my new Beyond jacket skiing. It’s the BOMB. I had the pit zips open most the day, and my map, Talons pass, cell, and chap stick were always accessible via my chest and arm pockets. Dad said I was really noticeable due to the lilac color. It’s just so nice to have something that fits perfect, especially skiing, when you already feel like a stuffed monkey."

Jan. 25, 2008: Beyond Boy kicked out by shoe company

It's Day #912 at Winter OR, and everyone is either hung over, calling the airlines to get an earlier flight or walking the halls in search of something new to touch or lick.

I'm sober and stuck until Saturday so I'm doing the other options.

Low an behold, something new! I come up on the very colorful big-time global company exhibit and ask, "Hey, can I look at the shoes," to no one in particular, and all I got was six blank stares. Maybe I accidentally asked the question in Chinese. Odd. I don't know Chinese.

Having been raised to make my own way in the world (mom and dad asked me to leave home a few years early, truth be known) I walk up to the door, aka The Barrier For People Who Aren't Official Retailers, and, keeping with my "NOIP" m.o. (No One In Particular modus operandi), ask the nearest gal if I can come in. It was a simple question to a very simple need. Can...I....look...at...your...goofy...shoes?

She lets me in but it wasn't exactly the warmest welcome. *insert silence*

"I don't know if I'm allowed to do this. I mean, I'm not the one to authorize this. She is (pointing to managerial-looking gal)."

That's when MLG comes over and gives me the biggest fake smile in the entire world WHILE AT THE SAME TIME gesturing toward The Barrier For People Who Aren't Official Retailers. Though numb from days of drinking low alcohol content beer in Salt Lake City, I take a stab in the dark and presume she wants me to leave. Ding, ding, ding. We have a weiner!

"We need to be careful about people coming in and copying our styles," she said with that smile I now want to...

"Uh, I'm from Beyond Clothing. We make jackets. And pants. No shoes."

And that's when the door hit me in the ass. It's okay. I understand why some companies only authorize retailers (hence the theme of the show) back into their new line of goods. It was right then and there I made two mental notes:

1) Blog it.
2) Go buy a pair of the new Kayland Dragonfly eVent trailrunners. Boo ya!

Ah, which shoe company was it? Beyond ain't here at OR to make enemies. It's a small world. And I just started this job....so email me and I'll tell.

Jan. 25, 2008: The new Beyond Clothing ad, maybe

It's really not Jan. 25th, but just in case I don't make one tomorrow, today's third entry will be a Back to the Future type of thing.

I meet with the Outside Magazine rep tomorrow. If all goes well the Rock and Ice guy gets in touch with me. Point being, I'd like to buy ad space using a shot of Beyond Clothing wearer Mark I. The resolution is good for about a 3x5 ad, but if we can find a 300dpi photo then a 1/3 or 1/2 page would be realistic. I guess it all depends on what happens tomorrow.

Mark is wearing a Steel Soft Shell pant with left cargo pocket, hip zip and durable ankle options. And a Cold Fusion jacket with pit zips, right internal pocket, left external chest pocket, thumb loops and collar shock cord. He sure thought those options out!

But if I were to guess, Mark's probably thinking of other things right about now, such as:

a)"Lassie, hey girl! Keep pulling, and don't let go 'til I say so."
b)"Wouldn't that be a bummer if the bumper I tied this rope to ripped off?!"
c)"All I have to do is turn the picture sideways, and no one'll know I'm laying flat on my stomach. I bet someone uses it in an ad."

Jan. 24, 2008: Beyond Clothing Bag from Timbuk 2

Here is my new pride and joy I fell in love with at the OR show, a yet to be released Timbuk2 Commuter bag. First shipment goes out February 1st. What makes this so special?

The Commuter allows the laptop to site in a protected compartment that is easily unzipped so you can take your 'puter out at airport security. Takes maybe 5 seconds. No more rifling through the main compartment which allows everyone to see that I've packed some unmentionables. The bag slides over your wheeled luggage handle, too! My Commuter bag is much like its new owner: tough, oddly handsome, unique and backed by a fantastic guarantee (my personal guarantee is to never de-pants my nephew at Chuck-o-Rama ever again).

The only way the bag could be more like its owner is if it had a snaggle tooth and smelled like Aveda hair wax. Eewwww.

And like Beyond, they are hand-made in the USA. The Beyond crew will put the company logo on after we get back from the SHOT expo in Vegas.

PS: If the Timbuk2 crew is reading this, please don't rag on me for hijacking your photo.

Jan 24, 2008: UPS delivers Beyond to Frank J

Beyond Gear Ambassador Frank J received some stuff today.

An obsidian black Pro2OH Gore-Tex jacket. I guess it rains a little in Seattle.

Flash black PL5 jacket. Since I have not updated the PL5 jacket page, I'll "force" you to take the extra 6 seconds to visit the Camber Layering System link and the Step 3/Outer Layer. To quote the web..." When used in tandem, the layers will increase comfort in more conditions, with less weight, than ever before. As a custom layering system, choose the garments you require for your acitivity and location."

Psst. Want an insider's tip? The Camber Layering System is THE next big thing in high-end technical cold weather clothing. You can take that to the bank, bucko (grandpa's favorite saying right behind "have you seen my teeth?")

Black Cold Fusion Shock pant, of which Frank writes, "Wore the pants on a couple of snowshoe trips last weekend. Going to use all the stuff on an Avalanche Level 1 training field trip at Stevens Pass this weekend. Didn't realize the pants would be so warm! That is some serious stuff... Anyway, I like the stuff, and am ready to put it to the test..."

Jan. 23, 2008: Beyond knows the New Balance girl!

The New Balance runner located all over their booth is my childhood friend Cody! She's a fast and super cool Reno-based all-sport athlete who was asked to model NB's products a year or so ago; the discovery took place when she and now-fiance Peter were milling about a race. Some dude asked to take her photo, and voila. I called her from the expo, and she told me the shots were taken in San Fran and Boston.

Coco also told me when she tried getting a catalog from a New Balance store they told her she couldn't have one. So today was the first time she's seen herself in larger-than-life form.

After I took the pic a New Balance rep came over and stood in front of Cody's picture, and started wiping down the surface. I took her picture; I didn't kiss it!

FYI, I took the complimentary NB coffee mug, running hat and no fewer than 3 chocolate chip cookies. FYI Pt2: Coco is more than just a pretty face. She has a Masters in Economics and can ride a horse backwards.

Jan. 23, 2008: Outdoor Retailer Show Day 1

I feel like I've hit the wall/bonked about 3 hours into a long bike ride. The OR show is sensory overload in a good way. Just about every cool company and new product you read about, dream about, ate Top Ramen for a month just to save enough coin is here this week in Salt Lake City. Just how crazy can one go walking around? I threw my old cotton socks away and recharged my feet with a new pair from the kind folk at the Primaloft booth.

The picture selection is slim because cameras are not allowed unless you are a journalist, but this half-focused shot of nothing in particular (I'm walking briskly down one of the umpteenth aisles hoping not to get caught) is an example of what OR
is: rows and rows of banners and bodies and booths. If it wasn't for the locator numbers overhead such as the "20000" in the pic, it'd be easier to walk around in a circle of polyester and Gore-Tex until you just gave up and sat on the carpet.

Some of the giant corporations rented out mega huge meeting rooms to showcase their goods; these were the mansions of the convention center real estate heirachy (did I spell that word correctly?). While there were also booths the size of starter homes, most of the normal guy booths were approximately 10'x10'.

And of course there were the gimmicks such as the infamous Singing Naked Cowboy from Times Square. Thankfully he had on underwear and a hat. Other companies had scantily clad models in polyester bikini briefs and tees, while some forced their reps or hired college kids to walk around with a helmet-mounted camera or fake picket signs promoting their agenda. Most were decent ideas while I bet there are a few creative directors who should be fearing for their jobs come next Monday.

I will take more pictures tomorrow. If there isn't a post it means the Picture Police threw me into a jail made entirely of Schoeller WB400 walls, and forced me to eat leftover Clif bar samples.

Jan. 21, 2008: Vayu X jacket the hit of Outdoor Retailer Expo

Tomorrow, tomorrow. The Beyond boys will be landing in Salt Lake. After losing our luggage and holding our hand in the air for an hour to hail a cab which will take us to the hotel ("What do you mean there's only one room available...and what do you mean there's only one twin bed?"), it's show time! We'll post updates when possible.

Scott will be unveiling my super pimpy new Vayu Plus X Jacket. Mine is molten red in front and obsidian black in back with a left chest pocket, left bicep pocket (for my new iPod), blended Beyond logo on the chest with a back-center Beyond logo in white. As with all Beyond customers, my measurements are on file for future reference should I want to make it identical or tell the Beyond team to make adjustments based on previous orders.

Update: my luggage was lost, no joking!

Jan. 18, 2008: Rock and Ice, Carbondale, CO

I can't think of a cooler magazine name than "Rock and Ice." You know exactly what you're getting into when buying ad space...

Page 13: Everything you wanted to know about climbing partners who are truly dumber than a sack of rocks.
Pages 28 - 417: Some dude's thesis on "Why Ice Is Cold."

And so on, and so on. Okay, truth be known, Beyond is excited to get in on the action for their upcoming Gear Guide, on sale March 22nd and available for a year including an online component. We're finalizing things up with R&I ad rep, Greg, as we speak, and are in the planning stages for what the four-color ad will look like.

Any suggestions?

Jan. 16, 2008: Stickers. Cool ones. And painful ones.

Before I get to the point, let's give a shoutout to all the four-legged training partners who are able to run for hours on end through wheat fields, over rocky peaks, and along ditch banks without complaining about the stickers in their paws. As a kid, the almost-invisibile "poky things" would have me squatting roadside with socks turned inside out in search of the itsy bitsy barb. I remember cutting many summer nights short cuz of the irritating pain along my shin area, and the family dog always looked at me like I was a wimp. Maybe that explains why Rowdy ran away. Probably to a family where the kids were so tough they ran barefoot on gravel roads while skimming electric fences with their fingertips.

My point: many have asked. Beyond is answering. We will have split-back weather-resistant decals soon. They'll be about 2"x2" and 4"x4". Slap them on waterbottles. Car windows. Snowboards. Coworkers' monitors. And don't forget to put one on the dog.

Jan. 15, 2008: Sonja. Speedy in Steel. Lovely in Lilac.

Sonja's report on the Beaver Creek Snowshoe Race #2 is up.

These are a few photos from the always friendly Beyond Gear Ambassador's blog, adorned in black Steel Action Shirt and lilac Cold Fusion X jacket. Only by reading the race report - and her past entires - can one get a sense of why Beyond is beyond (English teachers across American squirming after reading this sentence) ecstatic to be part of such a great person's outdoor accomplishments.

Jan. 14, 2008: Cyclingnews.com asks Beyond...

This from Cyclingnews.com technical editor, James Huang.

"I checked out your web site and the Beyond story looks plenty interesting to me. Does anyone else even do fully custom-fit outerwear in a similar manner as you?"

Class, for an extra 15 minutes of recess, what is the correct answer?!?

Jan. 14, 2008: No way I'm going to Phoenix!

Following up on the Tom Hanks/Friday post regarding customer service and my grand plan to hand deliver some Beyond goods days ahead of schedule...it kinda backfired. How so?

The shipping address was his work's, and the guy was on a mini vacation in Phoenix! I haven't felt the deflation of spontaneous creativity like this since the time I delivered an iPod early bday present to a girl. At her work. After she told me NEVER to come to her work. Uh huh. No need to write how badly that went.

So I had to make the decision to hop on a plane and chase this guy down all in the name of public relations, or call it "good" on the original idea and have a coworker set the box on his desk. I made the fiscally-sound decision to go with the latter.

Jan. 13, 2008: Quick note

This blog will be on Beyond's site in the near future. Presumably at beyondclothing.com/blog. I'm hoping by the time we get back from OR.

Jan. 12, 2008: Hey, Beyond, you should do doggie styles!

Talk about deja vu'! After a delicious two-star hotness pad thai lunch yesterday (the restaurant had a typo on their business card so they read "Thai Cuising"), a conversation started about making windproof or rainproof custom-sized DOG coats. You could sell to the high-end dog owner - the ones who not only look like their dogs, but they speak to them in public with a language ten times more annoying than what your friends in new relationships throw at each other ("Are you my babydoll...I wuv you too mush...no, YOU'RE the cutie pie I can't get enough kissies from..."). The twisted marketing theory would be that eventually the dog owners would order a human Beyond jacket for the lone reason of wanting to look like their dog.

The look on Scott's face was along the lines of repulsed with indigestion. So where's the deja vu' come in? So where's the deja vu' come in?

See that dog? Her name is Polly. Polly belongs to a very cute dentist (if you're a professional, single man between 32-42 with a great sense of humor and a clean house, email me and I'll get you in touch) who asked me today if we could make a doggie jacket because Polly wears a small, but her back is so long that it sticks out. This is why many of Beyond's customers come to us - they don't fit traditional off-the-rack sizes because sleeves are too short or their biceps are too big or their shoulders too broad, etc., therefore making things too snug/loose/just wrong here and there.

I had to politely tell the Doggie Doc that Beyond is sticking to human cold weather garments, but I won't deny she had a good business idea. But you can't be everything to everybody.

Jan 11, 2008: Like Tom Hanks did at the end of Castaway

Remember when Tom Hanks' character stopped floating around the Pacific and was able to deliver a looong overdue FedEx box to the woman on the Texas ranch at the end of the movie Castaway? I thought it was cool from a customer service standpoint, and from a life imitating art angle, it still rocked even though he did not fall in love or open up his own Wilson volleyball mailorder business or kick the crap out of Helen Hunt's new husband, Mr. Big from Sex in the City; we're such hopeless romantics at 216 S. Brandon.

My point? Tomorrow we're going to do the same thing for one lucky customer! Instead of shipping out a box via commercial carrier, I will hop on a plane, get in a car, Google an address, do a little ding-dong ditching, come back, act like it was someone else and deliver a hand-sewn, made in the good ol' US of A jacket with pit zips, a bicep pocket and sweet, custom measurements wrapped throughout delicious Cold Fusion goodness. The customer, who shall remain nameless for security and nondisclosure reasons (it's Mike) is gonna get a nice surprise (or "supplies" as my neighbor's Vietnamese mother says) when the box shows up 3 days early.

Then I will hop back on my raft, set the jib, run my hands through my own long maggot-infested beard and set sail back to Seattle.

Jan. 10, 2008: Actual letter about screwing up

Namrita,

Ugh, I don't like these kinds of emails. I'll cut to the chase: Beyond dropped the ball. Story...

I flew to Seattle this week, and a top priority of mine was to make sure all the Beyond Gear Ambassadors were taken care of. So I pull up everyone's files to see what the status was because this is the super duper busiest time of the year; orders normally taking 2 weeks are taking 5 weeks over the holiday crunch.

I pull up your order. See it was submitted December 3rd. Cool. Then how come your blog entry a few days ago reads you have not received them? December 3 plus 5 weeks is NOW! Then I pull up the master spreadsheet to track your order number (which was 10016). I see 10014, 10015...and 10017. No way!! How the heck do I have the order submission form with your Cold Fusion Women's Jacket, Steel Action Shirt and Cold Fusion Soft Shell Pants in one hand and absolutely NO delivery info in the other??

We dropped the ball. And we're going to be upfront and honest about it, and take care of you. No blaming of anyone. No excuses.

Scott Jones, the owner, is modifying your jacket as I type (he's giving the tail some added drop), and sending it to the cutter right now. Your jacket will be made first and shipped first. Then the other two items will come in the order they were submitted. But if you don't see them for 4 weeks or so don't be surprised. FYI, the 2009 Beyond gear sponsorship campaign will start 3 months sooner so as to avoid this backlog.

And I want you to know this is a long-term relationship. I will make sure you and the others are always a priority throughout all of 2008. I hope you are not disappointed, but please accept my apology.

Jan. 9, 2008: The White House and Beyond

The Secret Service personnel walking, waiting and watching from the White House roof (THE White House at 1600 Pennsylvania, not the white house two doors down from you) wear Beyond's Law Enforcement jacket.

Jan. 8, 2008: Schoeller. Gore-Tex. Don't forget Polartec.

Standing in the seemingly-nonstop rain this morning, it dawned on me that the halfway rhetorical question posed a few blog entries ago ("what's the difference between Gore-Tex and Schoeller?") was not addressed.

Schoeller is a company out of Switzerland. Their site is - how do I say this politely - "unique."
Gore-Tex is a trademark product of a company in the US, W.L. Gore & Associates.

And let's not forget many Beyond pants and jackets are also created with Polartec. Is it okay if I say their site is the prettiest of the three? Muy bonita.

Jan. 5, 2008: Pink jackets for Susan G. Komen

Ever have an idea that threw you out of bed way too early on a weekend? Usually it's for a reason like "I'll invent a toothbrush with the toothpaste already in it" (fyi a patent attorney told me that's the most sought after claim to fame in the world). But hear me out, and tell me what you think of this one...

Beyond Clothing will donate customized jackets to Susan G. Komen for the Cure! Obviously specifics are many cups of coffee, a meeting or three and some phone calls away, but why can't we make custom fitted jackets in lilac (close enough to pink, don't ya think?) as part of SGKC's tour around the country?

Or how about a fancy stain-resistant white Beyond jacket with a pink ribbon on the chest?

Or a pink zipper??

Or a white toothbrush with pink toothpaste already in it, and...oh, YOU thought of that already? Sounds like someone is a little testy from waking up too early!

Jan. 4, 2008: -18 degrees F...and that's the high!

We're looking forward to the results of a few product reviews.

Beyond outfitted a National Guard Captain for his trip to Bethel, Alaska, for some cold weather exercises. Beyond founder Scott Jones selected the PrimaLoft 5 jacket and pant from the Camber Layering System. We'll have to wait until the March issue of GX: The Guard Experience, but from the saved message on Scott's answering machine we're confident the PL5 did a great job of keeping the family jewels toasty in the -18F air.

The other review is coming from none other than Military Morons, arguably the most thorough and critical (in a real-world, good to the last drop sort of way) gear abuser, er, user around. There's no sugarcoating from this guy, and that's exactly the reason we let him put our tactical gear to the test.

Jan. 3, 2008: Resting heart rate - about 40 higher than Jeff's

One of the Beyond-sponsored athletes (I think the official title is "Gear Ambassador," but no one can say that without thinking of Parliament, NATO or even the recent page scandal in Washington DC so we're sticking with the former) in 2008 is Topeak Ergon Racing Team member Jeff Kerkove. Now, now, don't go visiting his site until you've finished reading our rant cuz once you're gone from here and go over there, chances are you won't be back.

And that's exactly why we want our blog to grow up and be like Jeff's blog. He has pictures. We don't yet (due to an error message...but we've done nothing wrong!) Following-up on the comment prior to this, people want to either laugh their asses off or they want to feel like they're in on the bestest secret in the whole wide world. Hopefully people will get so distracted by our wit and insight into the world of highend technical outerwear that they'll totally forget they're supposed to be studying for the MCAT to achieve their dream of having their own professional proctology practice or working overtime to raise enough money to sponsor their long-lost cousins from Cambodia in hopes the entire family will be able to go on "Deal or No Deal" or that Amazing Race show. Hmmm, PR note to self: how do we get an Amazing Race team in Beyond Gear???

So go on and visit Jeff's site. Be in awe of his resting heart rate and bouts with gastritis. Be gone, we don't need you *total lie: we need you like Richard Simmons needs short shorts. Come back.

Oh, for the record, Jeff wears the following...
Steel Shock Jacket
Steel Shock Pant
Steel Soft Shell Pant
Grid Pullover

Jan. 3, 2008: Sage anonymous posting advice

We posted. We passed it on. To friends. Some of whom can read. They are all brutally honest even without the thinly-veiled hopes of getting a Pro2OH Gore-Tex jacket in return. That's why they are in the circle of trust. Here's one...

"Here's my unsolicited advice about your blog. One route it to make it damn funny, like Steep and Cheap. My wife reads it almost daily. I will check it out if it's juvenile or prurient enough for my tastes. Today's was about puking, which is right up my alley.

The other is an "inside baseball." I want to know shit that I couldn't find elsewhere because it's too insider or too esoteric. So what is the difference between Schoeller fabrics and Gore-Tex?

Make it something you would want to read and trust your gut instinct that there are others out there who are interested in the same things you are."

Jan. 3, 2008: The Beyond Beta

7:07 Seattle time: Technically it's not even the start of the work day so if this virgin sample copy entry gets hosed up, please do not hold it against Beyond Clothing, any of the sponsored athletes, outdoor enthusiasts or special forces personnel who think everything we do rocks like no other.

Coffee awaits. Beyond promises more. Truly.

(fast forward 17 minutes)...

Mmmm! Welllll, hello! It's good to have you back. You're probably in a cube, passing yet another day reading yet another blog in hopes quitting time rolls around even faster than yesterday which in turn means you can go on your bike/hike/run/swim/climb/chairlift. As for us, Beyond is super stoked (hey, 1994 called, it wants its phrase of the day back) to go mainstream...even if it is a few years late. We can now count ourselves among the 8 billion bloggers!

So what's on the agenda for January 3rd? Taking a look at the Must-Do sheet, it reads:

a) triple check that the 2-day hangover is indeed legally over (who knew stumbling out to the mailbox sans pants was a misdemeanor!).

b) thumbtack list of our favorite magazine editors to wall, and spend a few days touching base to say "Hey, yeah, so about OR..."
http://www.outdoorretailer.com/or/index.jsp (more on OR later).

c) make daily 10am conference call (note to editors and product testers: 10 to 10:30 am pst is NOT a good time to call, okay?) to reiterate how OR is the priority.

d) get haircut.

OR, aka Outdoor Retailer, is basically THE biggest expo for anyone or any bidniz in the outdoor recreation/manufacturing/industry. And that obviously means Beyond Clothing will be there for the entire week rubbing elbows and doing secret handshakes with the best and coolest. I'd say it'll be epic and sweet, but there's a limit to how many early 90's Cali-inspired pleasantries one can handle in a morning.

Things will be hectic from now until OR in late January (and then we're on to SHOT in Vegas), but we'll learn how to post a bunch of pretty pictures and links and stories about our, and your, trips to places near and Beyond (wait, was that a play on words??).

And what about the haircut? We keep it longer.

More later...