SEATTLE – More than 40 years after the outdoor apparel and gear brand Outdoor Research (OR) was founded, many people who use the company’s equipment likely aren’t aware the degree to which the company’s name is so closely tied to the relentless mission of its founder, Ron Gregg, according to a press release from the company.
In-depth field research on how OR’s gear performed in tough outdoor situations wasn’t just a reason why the company quickly made a name for itself back in the early 1980s. It was also what drove Gregg, a super-focused nuclear physicist turned outdoor entrepreneur, to repeatedly immerse himself in what he affectionately called “the big office” — the world’s most extreme environments. It was in one of those environments that he died in an avalanche 20 years ago this year.
Outdoor Research brand ambassadors Mark Abma, Neil Provo, Ian Provo, and Zach Giffin traveled to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park in British Columbia last winter to retrace Gregg’s steps on that trip. The project led to Gregg’s friends and family emerging from the woodwork to talk about his legacy. It also led OR’s ambassadors to a discussion on the value of and place for risk-taking in backcountry sports.
What emerges is the short film Any Fool Knows — titled after a saying that Gregg’s family recalled him often repeating — which stands as a testament to the impact Gregg had on the people around him and the passion he had for developing the tools that help people enjoy the great outdoors.
“We originally envisioned this trip as a seasonal photo shoot with some of our ambassadors following in the footsteps of Ron 20 years after the avalanche,” said Chris King, VP of Brand at Outdoor Research. “But during the trip the events that took place began to really unfold in front of us, and we recognized there was a much more significant story to be told — both about risk-taking in backcountry sports, and about how Ron’s passion and drive are still informing what Outdoor Research does today.”
The film will be released on December 7 on Outdoor Research’s YouTube channel here.
