 | |
| Osprey | |
| Founded | 1974 in Santa Cruz, California |
| Founder | Mike Pfotenhauer |
| Headquarters | Cortez, Colorado |
Key people |
|
| Products | Backpacks |
| Revenue | US$155,000,000 (2021) |
Number of employees | 300 (2021) |
| Parent | Helen of Troy Limited |
| Website | osprey |
Osprey Packs, Inc, commonly known as Osprey, is an American company that manufactures outdoor backpacks. It was founded in 1974 by Mike Pfotenhauer. It was purchased by Helen of Troy Limited in 2021 for $414.7 million.
Mike Pfotenhauer, Osprey's founder, and his wife Diane Wren, originally founded Osprey as Santa Cruz Recreational Packs in 1974. It was headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, where they would build custom fitted packs for backpacking.
In 1990, the company moved to Dolores, Colorado. At that point, 90% of their workforce was made up of Navajos. In 1994, the company moved production from Dolores to Cortez, Colorado. In 1999, the company moved all operations from Dolores to Cortez.
The Osprey Aesther 60 is shown on the cover of the June 18, 2001 edition of Time magazine, worn by blind climber Erik Weihenmayer. Weihenmayer was the first blind climber to summit Mount Everest. [1]
By 2001, Osprey had 92 employees, including manufacturing staff. In 2002, production began to be outsourced to Korea and Vietnam in order to lower the cost of production. The company kept one Navajo sewer in Cortez to perform warranty repairs.
In 2015, a headquarters for Osprey Europe was established in Poole, England.
In 2021, Osprey had about 300 employees and generated $155–160 million. In 2021, Osprey was sold to Helen of Troy Limited for $414 million. [2] [3] [4] [5] In 2022, the Osprey Unltd line, which had features such as a patented 3D printed back padding, was released. [6] [7]
Every year, a member of Osprey staff is supported in a fundraising event for the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners "Climb Against The Odds" event. The participant raises $6,000 for cancer research and climbs Mount Shasta. Osprey also donates backpacks for the event. [8] In 2021, Osprey supported 90 organizations throughout the world. In 2021, they donated over $32,000 in cash and over $51,000 in products. [3]
In 2017, Osprey advocated to keep Bears Ears National Monument at its size, instead of a reduction of size proposed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert. As a result of the legislation, Osprey and other outdoor companies pulled out of a twice-yearly trade show from Salt Lake City. [9]
Mount Everest is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation of 8,848.86 m was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.
Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of 14,179 feet, it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth-highest in the state. Mount Shasta has an estimated volume of 85 cubic miles, which makes it the most voluminous stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The mountain and surrounding area are part of the Shasta–Trinity National Forest.
Cortez is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 8,766 at the 2020 United States Census.
JanSport is an American brand of backpacks and collegiate apparel, now owned by VF Corporation, one of the world's largest apparel companies. JanSport is the world's largest backpack maker, and together, JanSport and The North Face, also owned by VF Corporation, sell nearly half of all small backpacks sold in the United States.
Erik Weihenmayer is an American athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker. He was the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, on May 25, 2001. As a result of this accomplishment he was featured on the cover of Time magazine. He also completed the Seven Summits in September 2002, one of only 150 mountaineers at the time to do so, but the only climber who achieved this while blind. In 2008, he also added the Carstensz Pyramid thus completing the Eight Summits. Weihenmayer has also made noteworthy climbs up the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite in 1996, and ascended Losar, a 2,700-foot (820 m) vertical ice face in the Himalayas in 2008.
Ray Jardine is an American rock climber and rock-climbing equipment innovator, who specialized in traditional climbing and big wall climbing. In 1997, Jardine made the first free ascent of The Phoenix, which was the first-ever consensus route at the grade of 5.13a (7c+) in climbing history. In 1979, with Bill Price, he became the first to free climb the West Face of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley.
Norman Clyde was a mountaineer, mountain guide, freelance writer, nature photographer, and self-trained naturalist. He is well known for achieving over 130 first ascents, many in California's Sierra Nevada and Montana's Glacier National Park. He also set a speed climbing record on California's Mount Shasta in 1923. The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley has 1467 articles written by Clyde in its archives.
Edmund Viesturs is an American high-altitude mountaineer, corporate speaker, and well known author in the mountain climbing community. He was the first American climber to ascend all 14 of the eight-thousander mountains, and the 5th person to do so without supplemental oxygen. Along with Apa Sherpa, he has summitted eight-thousanders on 21 occasions, including Mount Everest seven times.
The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, a distinct rock formation rising over 8,700 feet (2,700 m) above sea level in Yosemite National Park. By the late 1990s, the label had expanded beyond outdoor enthusiasts by focusing on street couture and since the 2000s it is regarded as a streetwear style symbol label. In 2000, it was bought by VF Corporation.
Hiking (walking) boots are footwear specifically designed for protecting the feet and ankles during outdoor walking activities such as hiking. They are one of the most important items of hiking gear since their quality and durability can determine a hiker's ability to walk long distances without injury. Hiking boots are constructed to provide comfort for walking considerable distances over rough terrain. Boots that protect the hiker's feet and heel are recommended. Hiking boots give ankle support and are fairly stiff. A less popular alternative is to use light trainers with thin soles. Footwear should be neither too loose nor too tight, to help prevent blisters and sore feet. Hiking socks that wick sweat from the feet, provide warmth, and cushion the feet are recommended and a thin, inner sock may also help. Most hiking boots are also designed for other outdoor activities such as backpacking, climbing, mountaineering, and hunting.
The National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) was formed in 1997 as an American-based non-profit program which each year presents awards honoring the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watters. It is sponsored by the National Outdoor Book Awards Foundation, Idaho State University and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. As of 2021, awards have been presented in 13 categories, although not all categories are awarded in any given year.
Helen of Troy Limited is an American publicly traded designer, developer and worldwide marketer of consumer brand-name housewares, health and home, and beauty products under owned and licensed brands. It is the parent corporation of OXO International Ltd., Kaz, Inc., Steel Technologies, LLC, and Idelle Labs, Ltd, among others. The company is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with U.S. operations headquartered in El Paso, Texas. The company is named after the historical or mythic figure Helen of Troy.
CamelBak Products, LLC is an American outdoor equipment company based in Petaluma, California, best known for its hydration products, such as hydration packs and water bottles. CamelBak is also a supplier of protective gear and other products to the U.S. military.
Mount Wilson is the highest summit of the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 14,252-foot (4,344 m) fourteener is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north by east of the Town of Rico in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. Mount Wilson should not be confused with the lower Wilson Peak nearby.
The Fallen Man is a crime novel by American writer Tony Hillerman, the twelfth in the Joe Leaphorn/Jim Chee Navajo Tribal Police series, first published in 1996.
Karrimor is a British brand of backpacks, outdoor and sports equipment, and clothing.
Lowepro is a brand of carrying bags for cameras, laptops, imaging accessories and portable consumer electronics with corporate headquarters in Petaluma, California. It is part of Videndum plc.
Alexandra Johnson is an American rock climber who specializes in bouldering and who has made numerous first female ascents of notable boulders, including Clear Blue Skies V12 (8A+) in Colorado, and Book of Nightmares V12 (8A+) and Lethal Design V12 (8A+) in Red Rocks. Her highest rated boulder send, as of 2022, was The Swarm at grade V14 (8B+) in Bishop. In competition bouldering, she won the overall American Bouldering Series in 2009, and has twice won individual stages in the annual IFSC Climbing World Cup series in bouldering.
On June 28, 2013, the centennial anniversary of the first ascent of Denali, Tom Choate was recognized as the oldest person to summit Denali at the age of seventy-eight years old. He has reached the peak of Denali multiple times, spanning across five different decades: in 1963, 1983, 1993, 2003, and lastly in 2013.