Last month we profiled 14 adventure brands helping amp Boulder’s local stoke. But Boulder has so many, we decided to do another round!
Let’s face it: there’s a reason all these brands have sprouted or transplanted here, and it might just have something to do with the valley’s insane natural landscape and adventurous folks that chose to call Boulder home.
Just as many tech businesses have moved here in recent years to take advantage of the city’s natural beauty and work-hard-play-hard culture, these adventure brands pick Boulder as their home so they can live the life they sell authentically.
We outline 14 more of Boulder’s adventure brands below.
This Boulder-based manufacturer of backcountry gear has everything from avalanche airbags, beacons and probes to backcountry radios.
And it doesn’t stop at gear: Backcountry Access has also developed its patented Avalanche education courses with everything you need for safe backcounty skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Its courses include handouts, videos, avalanche conditions and forecasts, avalanche research + papers, product manuals and downloads.
Boulder’s Mountain Standard sells outdoor adventure wear such as jackets, hats and fleecewear, as well as climbing gear and supplies, designed in Colorado since 2014. We also dig its stickers.
Mountain Standard also runs a blog called Creator Series which features cool local people doing adventurous things across the state.
Boulder-based Newton Running is obsessed with all things running, from marathons and ultramarathons to teaching people how to improve their running form and getting kids whose parents might not afford supplies into running shoes.
Newton’s patented, cushiony Action/Reaction technology mixed with a vibrant array of colorful models make for a very tempting secret sauce just based on looks alone (but we know it’s much more than that.)
Published since 1973, Backpacker Magazine is a US lifestyle magazine that features info on wilderness, hiking and adventure.
Changing hands several times before joining Active Interest Media and moving to Boulder in 2007, the publication goes beyond backpacking and hiking, diving into a wide variety of outdoor activities, including rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, cycling, fly fishing and more.
Published nine times a year out of Boulder, Climbing Magazine has circulated across the US since 1970. In 2007, the mag was bought by Skram Media and continues to focus on skills, news, gear, people and places related to climbing of all sorts, including a Basecamp podcast.
Based in Boulder, Trip30 is a travel software platform that helps you build itineraries, organize and finalize travel plans and archive trips. It provides cool features like a timeline where you can add items to your trip and represents actual elapsed time, including time zone changes. Sign up to create an account and go!
Dreamed up by sprinter and former US gymnast and his avid hiker wife in 2009, Xero Shoes formed a solution to the constant injuries received after getting back into sprinting and realizing barefoot running worked better but couldn’t necessarily be taken everywhere.
Today, the company sells lightweight, minimalist footwear manufactured by Feel the World, Inc., and the designs accommodate anything from walking to running and athletics and offer everything from sneaks and boots to sandals.
Headquartered in Boulder, Sea to Summit makes and sells durable, lightweight and innovative outdoor gear. The family-owned company sells everything from sleep systems to camping kitchen supplies, travel gear, water gear and water toy accessories. — basically anything you need to get out at any elevation.
It also runs a blog featuring adventure tips, camp kitchen recipes and more.
Established in 2009 and headquartered in Boulder, Tenkara USA provides a simple way for you to connect with nature through the Japanese art of fly-fishing. It provides ultra-portable set ups using just a rod, line and fly (less complex than the Western system of fly-fishing, which uses a longer rod and heavier lures and bait) and easy-to-learn techniques and setup through its online video tutorials.
Started in 2003 with a mother and daughter baking oat bars in the kitchen, Bobo’s gluten-free, vegan and organic snacks quickly became a local cafe favorite. For 17 years, it has stuck with its original recipe and small-batch baking process, and sells everything from its original oat bars to stuffed bars, bites, protein bars and more.
Boulder-based BOCO Gear designs and builds performance gear for endurance athletes, including technical headwear like trucker, runner, and cycling hats and accessories, and now, a whole line of Covid-19 inspired face masks and neck gaiters.
Getting its start in Italy in 1938, Scarpa opened its North American headquarters in Boulder in 2005. It manufactures and sells shoes for everything from skiing, climbing, mountaineering, hiking, trail running and more.
The Italian company also runs a blog tracking cool things happening in the community from telemark skiing and ice climbing and alpine running.
Boulder-based outdoor company Slumberjack sells an array of gear from tents and sleeping bags and pads to camp furniture and accessories to keep you comfortable while sleeping under the stars. It is also one of Exxel Outdoors’ portfolio brands along with Kelty, Sierra Designs and Wenzel Co.
Founded in 2016, Boulder’s Roofnest specializes in rooftop tents and mattresses for the nomadic-at-heart, perfect for #vanlife. The company manufactures its tents to mount easily on the roof racks of any car, allowing for a cleaner tent safe from critters, and opens you up to the freedom of camping anywhere you park.
Header Image: Compilation of images via Sea to Summit’s Instagram, featuring images from @aussiekiba, @rich_gibbins and @rozyboom.
