The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced Tuesday that skier visits to U.S. areas totaled over 59 million for the 2018/19 season.

Genesco Inc. announced its board of directors has authorized it to repurchase up to $100 million of the company’s common stock.

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented awards in sustainability, safety, growth and marketing to members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category. The awards were presented May 1 at the association’s National Convention and Tradeshow in San Diego, CA.

Duluth Holdings Inc. (dba, Duluth Trading Company) on Thursday announced the grand opening of its 51st store in Jacksonville, FL, its first retail location in Florida.

REI will donate up to $1 million to the National Forest Foundation in 2019 in continuation of a commitment that began in 2017 and bringing the co-op’s total investment in the NFF to nearly $3.5 million.

Vista Outdoor has confirmed that Jen Harned, president and general manager of Bell and Giro, has left the company, according to Bicycle Retailer.

Dick’s Sporting Goods appointed Ed Plummer as the company’s chief marketing officer and Steve Miller as the senior vice president of strategy and analytics.

China-based sports brand Xtep International Holdings Ltd. announced plans to acquire E-Land Footwear USA Holdings Inc., the parent of K-Swiss, for $260 million in an all-cash deal, according to Reuters.

VF Corp. announced that it has become a signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, furthering the company’s commitment to global climate advocacy and engagement.

Modell’s Sporting Goods has officially hired David Stern to the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Fox Factory Holding Corp. on Wednesday reported that sales for the fiscal first quarter increased 24.6 percent to $161.7 million from $129.8 million in the same period last fiscal year, beating Wall Street’s estimates by $5.4 million,

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented two ski industry leaders with the Lifetime Achievement Award: Bob Bonar, of Snowbird, and Blaise Carrig, of Vail Resorts.

Little League Baseball & Softball and Adidas announced a multi-year partnership in which the Portland, OR-based company will be Official Sponsor & Supplier of uniform, footwear & coaches apparel. Adidas replaces Russell Athletic.

Life Fitness, the maker of commercial fitness equipment, announced the launch of Life Fitness Media, its first venture in creating an innovative digital advertising platform.

Cotopaxi, a Certified B Corp that creates outdoor products and events, named industry veteran Evie Moe as new VP of design.

Mindbody, the technology platform for the wellness industry, announced the promotion of Josh McCarter to president.

Bronxville High School announced it will offer its varsity football players the Vicis Zero1 helmet for the 2019 football season.

Foot Locker Inc. announced a collaboration with Champion Athleticwear and five top-tier esports teams.

Puma appointed John Miller as senior vice president, wholesale for Puma North America.

Genesco Inc. announced that Mimi Eckel Vaughn has been named chief operating officer of the company, effective May 1, 2019.

PVH Corp. entered into a licensing agreement with Nike Inc. for the design, sourcing, marketing and worldwide distribution of Nike-branded men’s underwear.

Winchester parent company Olin Corp. on Tuesday reported that the ammunition and gun maker’s sales for the first quarter of 2019 were $157.2 million, down 8 percent from $170.9 million in the first quarter of 2018. The decrease in sales was primarily due to lower military and commercial sales.

REI Co-op is opening a retail store in San Luis Obispo, CA in fall 2019.

VF Corp. announced that its board of directors approved the previously announced separation of VF’s Jeanswear organization into an independent, publicly traded company, Kontoor Brands and announced the availability of an investor presentation on VF’s investor relations website in connection with the separation.

The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced the launch of the Mountain Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing educational opportunities to the next generation of snowsports industry leaders.

USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the U.S., hired Shana Ferguson, a former Under Armour executive, as its new chief commercial officer (CCO).

Fitness Holdings Northeast LLC, one of the leading franchise groups in the Crunch Fitness network, announced its acquisition of Crunch York, in southern Pennsylvania.

Orangetheory Fitness plans to bring an augmented reality experience to Fargo, ND, in support of Orangetheory’s affiliation with the Wonder Woman Run Series.

Fabletics, the active-lifestyle brand Co-founded by Kate Hudson in 2013, announced its New York City debut with the opening of a pop-up shop in SoHo, New York City.

Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), the independent proxy advisor, recommended investors withhold support from three directors at Sturm Ruger & Co.—Sturm Ruger Chair Michael Jacobi and the heads of its governance and risk oversight committees—ahead of its May 8 annual meeting, according to Reuters.

Gym Source said Ray Giannelli will join the company as vice president of product strategy.

Academy Sports + Outdoor opened its first store in Ardmore, OK, representing its 13th store in Oklahoma.

Outdoor Retailer announced the judges for the ninth annual Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards presented by Adidas Outdoor.

The USA Triathlon Foundation announced the recipients of $80,000 in 2019 grant funding to support youth, paratriathletes and Olympic hopefuls—the Foundation’s three focus areas.

USA Cycling and USA Triathlon have announced a new partnership, offering joint programs and promotions to better serve existing members while attracting new participants to both sports.

During the 39th annual Colorado Ski Country USA Snow Conference hosted in Grand Junction, CO, last week, long-time Steamboat Resort employee Dave Crisler was honored with the Snow Conference Lifetime Achievement Award.

Outdoor industry leaders participated in the Outdoor Industry Association’s 27th annual Capitol Summit in Washington, DC.

REI Co-op named Michael Benkel its new vice president of planning, inventory and solutions.

RYU Apparel Inc., creator of urban athletic apparel, announced the appointments of Ryan Lindholm as SVP of marketing and innovation, Danielle Hinan as director of brand and Bethany Young as creative product design director.

Esports retail and merchandise company, We Are Nations, and global sports lifestyle brand, ’47, announced a partnership that will include headwear and other sports merchandise to be developed and sold in the Esports space.

The NBA 2K League agreed to a multi-year partnership with Stance to serve as the league’s official sock provider.

Descente announced plans to shutter its North American skiwear business by the end of its current fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2020.

Hibbett Sporting Goods appointed Christine E. Skold, a CPA, consultant and former executive of Tractor Supply Co., as  interim chief financial officer effective April 26, 2019, according to a regulatory filing.

GSM Outdoors, a multi-brand owner of specialized hunting and shooting gear, announced the recent acquisition of shooting sports brand Birchwood-Casey.

Mother’s Day spending is expected to total a record $25 billion this year, up from $23.1 billion in 2018, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation.

Wilson Sporting Goods Co., and FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, announced that they have extended their partnership for 3×3 basketball through 2028.

Photo courtesy Vail Resorts Inc.