Verde PR & Consulting is presented The Business of the Backcountry Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 at the SIA show in the Backcountry Experience Area, booth #4571 to educate professionals about the new risks posed by growing access to winter-safety gear and backcountry terrain.

Panelists will discuss proactive solutions for the industry to address the critical need for end-consumer education and risk awareness around backcountry travel.
A perfect storm could result, which will yield more injuries and casualties if not addressed collectively by professionals within the outdoor and snowsports industries, according to Verde PR, a full-service brand communications, social / digital media, content, branding and consulting agency.
The seminar marks the first time that a group of outdoor and snowsports industries professionals gathers to create a blueprint for proactive management of end-consumer risk associated with selling the experience of backcountry skiing and riding.
Business of the Backcountry panelists include: Jones Snowboards and POW founder Jeremy Jones, Julbo athlete and legendary freeskier Glen Plake, ESPN.com freeskiing editor Megan Michelson, Backcountry.com Director of Merchandising Hud Knight, Vice President at Backcountry Access, Bruce Edgerly, Ethan Greene, Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and Ethan Mueller, General Manager of Crested Butte. Verdes founder and CEO, Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, will moderate the panel.
Verde is proud to facilitate and present this much-needed, educational seminar to all SIA attendees. The topic of end-consumer avalanche awareness, specifically concerning access and winter-safety gear, is front and center within the outdoors and snowsports industries presently, said Carpenter-Ogden. This life-line topic demands a proactive solution that only dedicated, seasoned professionals within the outdoor and snowsports industries can create. Were shooting for a shortened learning curve, a sustainable education process and an adoptable solution that will keep the participation growth strong while concurrently raising awareness of safety in the backcountry.
Panelist Biographies:
  • Megan Michelson is the Freeskiing editor for ESPN.com and a freelance writer, based in Tahoe City, CA. Formerly, she worked as an editor at Skiing Magazine and OutsideMagazine. Shes an avid backcountry skier and last winter, she was involved in the fatal avalanche at Stevens Pass, WA, that killed three people. She recently spearheaded a six-part avalanche safety series on ESPN.com called The Avalanche Problem and she wrote about her experience at the Stevens Pass slide in a feature for Outside magazine called Tunnel Vision.
  • Jeremy Jones is an award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur, environmentalist and snowboarding pioneer, Jeremy Jones is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished big mountain riders of all time. Named a 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and voted nine timesBest Big Mountain Rider of the Year by SnowboarderMagazine, Jeremy has starred in over 50 snowboard movies worldwide, including 2012s highly acclaimed Further, the second installment in the Jeremy Jones snowboard movie trilogy: Deeper, Further, Higher. He has been named X-Dance Action Sports “Athlete of the Year” and 2012 “Outdoor Ambassador of the Year” by Outdoor Retailer. Jeremy is the founder and CEO of Jones Snowboards and founder of Protect Our Winters, a global cause uniting the winter sports community against climate change.