Backcountry.com named Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd. and Patagonia as its Vendors of the Year.


“Our vendors are our partners,” said Jeff Snyder, VP of Merchandising at Backcountry.com. “When they go over and above business-as-usual when working with us, we definitely take notice.”


Backcountry acknowledges one hard goods and one soft goods vendor each year. To select the Vendors of the Year, Backcountry.com’s buyers consider each of their partners’ brand-generated customer relationship, year-over-year sales, GMROI, inventory availability, and marketing support.

This year, Black Diamond earns MVP honors among hard goods vendors and Patagonia gets the nod as the soft goods standout.


“Both Patagonia and Black Diamond are open to new, creative ways of marketing through the online channel,” said Snyder. “Black Diamond is a consistent category leader in innovative new products and has made a strong commitment to marketing support-a huge factor in their year-over-year sales growth. Patagonia just ‘gets’ B2B initiatives and partner marketing. It’s a company that walks the walk in putting its customers first, giving them every opportunity to find and buy the gear that they’re looking for.”


Backcountry.com carries more than 400 brands in various categories, including trail running, biking, backpacking, camping, hiking, climbing, paddling, skiing and snowboarding. The company also operates off-price sites SteepandCheap.com, Dogfunk.com, Tramdock.com, WhiskeyMilitia.com and Chainlove.com. Backcountry.com is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Interactive Group.