W.L. Gore & Associates joined SnowSports Industries America's (SIA) national consumer initiative, Winter Feels Good, as the official outerwear sponsor. Launched last September, Winter Feels Good is a national consumer awareness campaign designed to showcase the health and fitness benefits of winter sports. The first national WFG event is SIA's Winter Trails® Day, a free national snowshoe demo, taking place at multiple venues across the U.S. on January 17, 2004, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at resorts nationwide. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), which is working in partnership with SIA, will launch its first winter clinic at the Wintergreen Resort event in Virginia.
Winter Olympics Gold Medal Winner Diann Roffe kicked off the WFG program on snow in December with an alpine ski clinic devoted to youth at Ski Roundtop in Dillsburg, Penn. The clinic was part of the Roffe Training Center. A number of other resorts have organized WFG programs including Belleayre, New York; Seven Springs, Penn.; Mt. Hood Meadows Resort, Ore.; and Sierra Summit, California.
“WFG, the first industry initiative to educate consumers about the fitness and health benefits of winter sports, fits with the long term goals of the GORE-TEX® brand,” said Cynthia Amon, public relations at Gore. “As the official outerwear sponsor, we will share our expertise in keeping consumers warm, dry and comfortable for winter outdoor activities. With SIA, we want to encourage more people to enjoy Mother Nature's winter gym and give people the tools they need to stay fit and be comfortable.”
As part of Gore's sponsorship, at selected Winter Trail® locations across the country, Gore associates will be on hand to provide product demonstrations and tips on staying warm outdoors. In addition, Gore will sponsor Jeannie Thoren, considered one of the winter sports industry's 100 top influential people and an authority on women's ski instruction and proper dress, including GORE® products, on her national tour through the U.S. Thoren will travel to 16 resorts across the country for her annual alpine ski clinic tour in a trailer branded with the WFG and Gore logos and stocked with women's products from nearly 40 suppliers. This month, Thoren will be in Lake Placid, N.Y., Ellicottville, N.Y., and the SIA SnowSports Show in Las Vegas, Nev. Thoren will visit Thompsonville, Mich., Gaylord, Mich., and Red Lodge, Mont. in February.
Winter Trails® Day, an annual event organized by SIA and the American Hiking Society, is a national initiative providing a free day of snowshoeing to encourage Americans of all ages to try outdoor and winter sports. Information about other locations observing Winter Trails® Day nationwide is available at www.wintertrails.org. Guided hikes, tours and seminars will be provided at no cost throughout the day to explain and promote the health and social benefits of physical activity and fitness.
“The average person will burn 475 calories per hour while snowshoeing,” said David Ingemie, president of SIA. “Snowshoeing is an easy and inexpensive way to stay fit. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. In the last 30 years, the amount of overweight children has increased three-fold. Snowshoeing is an excellent way for families to stay fit and enjoy the outdoors during the winter.”
