BOULDER, Colo. “ Continuing to grow its internal infrastructure to better serve both dealers and consumers, SCARPA North America “ moving into its fourth year “ added two new team members and promoted from within in announcing a new Sales Service Department Coordinator, Risa Drew.

Drew has worked at SCARPA for more than two years, and in her new role will work closely with Sales Director Mark Mathews, who joined the SCARPA team six months ago, to manage Sales Service Department staff. Along with that responsibility, she will also handle key account management and oversee department training.

SCARPA North America also hired Steve Josefczyk as sales service representative, overseeing sales service east of the Rockies and in Canada. Josefczyk comes from Bent Gate Mountaineering, where he was internet sales manager and web site administrator.

In addition, SCARPA added new sales representation in the mid-Atlantic territory. Chinook Outdoors, an agency founded in 1995 by Ben Tindall, will represent SCARPA in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C. and Delaware. Tindall has been in the industry for nearly 25 years, and started his career in sales as a tech rep for Rossignol. Chinook’s other lines include Sierra Designs, Boeri, Acorn and Io-Bio. Tindall can be reached at 610-346-8843 or bent@chinookoutdoors.com.

“Moving from year three into year four of directing SCARPA distribution in North America, these staff additions, promotions and structural refinements are about improving work flow so we can improve customer service,” said CEO Kim Miller. “We’ve proven we know how to do customer service well, and now these changes will help us refine and focus on doing it even better.”

For more information about SCARPA, visit www.scarpa.com.

About SCARPA and SCARPA North America

Founded in 1938, SCARPA builds performance footwear for climbing, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, trail running and other outdoor pursuits from its headquarters in Asolo, Italy. SCARPA has been owned and operated by the Parisotto family since 1956. In 2005, SCARPA opened its North American headquarters in Boulder, Colo., staffed and directed by veterans of the North American outdoor industry, to oversee sales, marketing and distribution in the U.S. and Canada.

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Success of initial exploration of bike space leads to a total of four sites dedicated to bike market

PARK CITY, Utah (Sept. 16th, 2008 )–The e-commerce roughnecks at Backcountry.com weren’t sure what they would find when they started wildcatting about the hinterlands of the bike industry in early June 2007 when they tossed high-end road and mountain product into their Backcountry.com mix and then launched Chainlove.com, their ODAT-style close-out site dedicated to bikes, bike components and accessories. But when bike product sales erupted on Backcountry.com and Chainlove.com’s traffic hit 1 million unique visits in its first month of operation, Backcountry.com realized they had struck gold. Now, Backcountry.com has announced plans to further bore into bicycle territory with the launch of two new high-end, bike-specific web sites and one ODAT site by Spring 2009.

Backcountry.com’s future bike lineup will include a new site focusing on the premium high-end road market, and another focusing on the premium high-end mountain-bike market. In addition, Backcountry.com will launch a One Deal at a Time (ODAT)-style close-out site for the road market, while repositioning Chainlove.com to focus on moving close-out mountain bike gear.

Backcountry.com’s Bike Merchandise Division Manager, John Thomas, said that it was Backcountry.com’s customers and the overwhelming success of bike products in the Backcountry.com mix that gave them the opportunity to expand their bike retail channels.

“Initially we were unsure of how bike would perform. But our bike push really tapped into a pent-up demand for middle to high-end, full MSRP product offerings. Sales and conversion were both higher than expected and Chainlove.com had the fastest rate of adoption that we’ve had for any of our other category-specific sites. Yeah, we noticed.”

Thomas attributes the company’s success in the bike market to the same focus that took Backcountry.com from a $2,000 start-up investment to $200 million in annual sales in just 10 years: customer service, product selection and superior content. Plus, the bike lines have benefited from the support of forward-thinking bike brands looking for a dynamic web presence, such as Titus, Intense, and Litespeed, Shimano, Mavic, Fox, and Giro/Bell. Backcountry.com currently carries more than 130 bike brands.

Backcountry.com will leverage the same customer-centric programs in the bike market as they have in their other categories, including their money back guarantee, same day shipping, 24 hour in-house live chat and phone support and a 240,000 square foot warehouse stocked with technical gear and experts. All of this infrastructure is unmatched in the bike industry.

But Thomas admits that they are far from being embraced by the industry.

“In the bike industry, we’re hearing a lot of the same reluctance from vendors that we heard from outdoor brands when we started in business: We’ll lose our dealers, bastardize our brand, kill customer service but show me an example–in any industry–of a leading brand going online and losing sales overall. Furthermore, relative to other consumer markets, the sporting goods category is still early in the curve of online shopping adoption. The online channel is only going to grow. The customers want you to be online.”

Thomas said he understands some of the push-back he’s been getting. “The industry has a bad taste in its mouth because selling bikes online has been price driven. We will change that.”

Brand names and associated URLs for the sites have not been finalized, but Backcountry.com will support this expansion with a variety of marketing initiatives in 2009 to support the industry and build brand-name awareness within the market. Backcountry.com’s bike buying team will be out in force at Interbike.

About Backcountry.com:
Backcountry.com is an online retailer of performance outdoor adventure gear and apparel. The e-commerce site carries more than 400 brands in various categories, including biking, backpacking, camping, hiking, climbing, trail running, paddling, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and adventure travel. Backcountry.com also operates BackcountryOutlet.com, SteepandCheap.com, Dogfunk.com, Tramdock.com, WhiskeyMilitia.com and Chainlove.com.

- Downhill Rider Takes Fourth at Final World Cup Event En Route To Overall Podium Finish -

KONAWORLD (September 15, 2008) – Course conditions couldn’t have been more treacherous in Schaldming, Austria for the women’s final downhill World Cup event. Heavy rain turned the burly singletrack into pools of soupy mud creating a cut-up course rife with knee-deep ruts and slick roots. Battling the conditions, Kona Factory Team member Tracy Moseley rode the final event of the series holding nothing back.

After a semi-finals run that landed her in third place, Moseley’s finals run was hampered a bit by the sloppy course conditions and she finished just over 16 seconds off winner Rachel Atherton. By finishing the race in fourth place, Moseley secured her third place status in the overall World Cup standing with 1272 points. Atherton won the overall title with 1533 points and Sabrina Jonnier took second with 1335 points.

“In the final I started off well but as I progressed down the track I just seem to make little mistakes everywhere,” says Moseley. “I definitely did not ride as well as I know I could have down that track, but racing a track like that and to not make any mistakes is pretty much impossible. After a poor start to the year I am pleased to have worked my way back up to the top three by the end of the year.”

- Eyewear Manufacturer To Hold Raffle At Interbike Show For Top Notch Prizes -

NORTH VANCOUVER, CANADA (September 8, 2008) “ The producers of quality, wallet-friendly performance and lifestyle sunglasses, Ryders Eyewear has been a name in the biking world for a number of years. At this year’s Interbike Show in Las Vegas from Sept. 22-26, Ryders will be hosting a FREE raffle that is sure to dole out top-notch prizes “ including a new Felt Virtue Team mountain bike frame.

Between the hours of 10am and 3pm on Wed and Thurs, Ryders representatives will be on hand at their booth (#2465) to assist participants in getting involved in the raffle. Make-up artists will apply grass stains, scars, mud, sweat and some fake blood to the faces of each raffle-goer. Individuals will then be fitted with their choice of Ryders sunglasses and have their photo taken. The image will be printed on the spot “ with each person keeping one copy and another be placed in the raffle box. Hourly raffle drawings for new Ryders photochromic sunglasses will occur Wed and Thurs at the Ryders booth. The grand prize drawing for the Felt bike frame (which will be displayed at the booth) will go down at 11am on Fri.

Ryders Booth #2465.

About Ryders Eyewear:
Ryders Eyewear, based in adrenaline sport mecca North Vancouver, British Columbia, puts their backyard to good use testing the endurance and performance attributes of their eyewear products. Ryders is the leader in the price point eyewear category, providing quality performance eyewear at an amazing value in the biking, wintersports, motorsports and lifestyle categories. For more information on Ryders Eyewear, visit www.ryderseyewear.com or contact Keith Cozzens at Base Camp Communications, kcozzens@basecampcomm.com or 307-734-7575.

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- Bikes Help Support Workers Of River Project And Foster Healthier Communities -

KONAWORLD (September 2, 2008) - Since 2005, Kona has been providing AfricaBikes to thousands of healthcare workers in Africa. In September, Kona will be donating 100 AfricaBikes to one of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) water projects in Tanzania, Africa.

The Great Ruaha River is one of the most important sources of freshwater in Tanzania. Since 1993, research records show that sections of this massive river in the Rufiji River Basin have run completely dry for atypical periods of time. This wasn’t due to global warming or climatic variation, but rather uncontrolled and poor water management.

Since 2003, the WWF has implemented a sustainable water management program to help better the lives of more than 6.35 million people living in the region. By establishing the Water Users Associations - groups whose members are trained in water irrigation, law, policy and conservation - the program saw great success in 2006 when the Great Ruaha flowed throughout the year for the first time in five years.

But, the river is big and to monitor its status members of the Water Users Associations need bikes to cover the long distances. By having access to 100 Kona AfricaBikes, workers will be able to cover more ground; ultimately resulting in a healthier river and healthier communities.

Workers who receive AfricaBikes will play an important role of not only helping support a better way of life for numerous communities in the Great Ruaha River area, but also remedy an important water source that will impact future generations. Without the AfricaBikes, chances are the successes of bringing the river back might begin to fade.

For more information about the Kona Bicycle Co. and the World Wildlife Fund check www.konaworld.com and www.worldwildlife.org. For more on Kona€™s Biketown Africa program check www.konabiketown.com.

About the Kona Bicycle Company:
The Kona Bicycle Company designs, manufacturers and distributes more than 60 models of purpose-built, high-performance mountain, road and urban bicycles. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ferndale, Washington, USA, Kona bicycles are distributed worldwide in more than 60 countries through independent specialty bicycle dealers. Kona funds several professional road, mountain and cyclo-cross racing teams that include World Cup Champions, World Champions and National Champions. For more information check www.konaworld.com or contact Keith Cozzens at Base Camp Communications, kcozzens@basecampcomm.com or 307.734.7575.
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- Factory Team Racers Show Dominance On World Cup And NMBS Circuits -

KONAWORLD (September 2, 2008) “ Racing in the elite women’s downhill event in Canberra, Australia at the second-to-last stage of the World Cup racing circuit, Kona Factory Team rider Tracy Moseley helped her cause of making a run for the overall title by winning the race by four seconds.

Charging a technical course that had been peppered by intermittent rain and wind the entire weekend, Moseley finished her semi-final run in first place “ which set her up to race last during the finals. In the finals, Moseley swapped out her normal DH racing kit for a skinsuit which, although sparked some criticism, ultimately helped her win the race.

“Wearing a skinsuit makes a difference, but is a bit controversial,” Moseley explained. “Most of the riders don’t like wearing them, but I know that it is an advantage and I am prepared to take the slack to win a World Cup race. The others don’t wear them because it isn’t cool. Mountain biking is very image driven. I make that choice and I get shit for it for the rest of the year but…”

Moseley pedaled hard through the final flat section of the course to take the win in the 19-racer event, while Rachael Atherton finished second and Sabrina Jonnier third. The final World Cup downhill event takes place in two weeks in Schladming, Austria.

Although he finished 15th in Brian Head, Utah at the final Short Track cross-country race of the National Mountain Bike Series circuit, Kona rider Barry Wicks sealed the overall season title with a total of 739 points. Teammate Ryan Trebon, who finished seventh in the Short Track race, took second overall “ falling short of Wicks by one point with 738. Wendy Simms took 17th overall in the elite women’s Short Track series standing.

“I only went as hard as I had to. We were racing at 10,000 feet and nobody did well except J.B. (Jeremiah Bishop) and the guys from Colorado,” said Wicks after the race, who was also the 2006 overall Short Track series winner.

In the cross-country race in Brian Head, Trebon took ninth, Wicks 13th, Erik Tonkin 18th and Kris Sneddon 19th.

- Moseley, Simms And Sneddon Find Podium At British Columbia Races -

KONAWORLD (August 20, 2008) “ A trio of Kona Factory Team riders reached the podium last weekend at two races in British Columbia “ Kokanee Crankworx and the seven-stage TransRockies Challenge race.

Racing in the pro women’s Canadian Open Downhill race at Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler, B.C., DH specialist Tracy Moseley took second place in the 17-racer field. Moseley finished the burly, technical course with a time of 3 minutes, 47 seconds “ a mere two seconds off winner Rachel Atherton who Moseley has been battling with all season.

In the multi-stage TransRockies Challenge mountain bike race from Panorama to Fernie, B.C., Wendy Simms and husband Norm Thibault defended their mixed team title by winning all seven stages and crossing the finish more than an hour ahead of the second-place team. Kris Sneddon and training partner Max Plaxton finished the race second overall in the men’s team category “ 25 minutes off the winning team. The pair won stage five of the race. The course featured roughly 360 miles of riding.