Patagonia, Inc.

200px
Type	Private company
Industry	Retail
Founded	1972
Headquarters	Ventura, California, U.S.
Key people	Yvon Chouinard
Products	Outdoor apparel
Revenue	270 Million (2007)
Employees	1289 (2007)
Website	patagonia.com

Patagonia, Inc. is a Ventura, California-based clothing company, focusing mainly on high-end outdoor clothing. The company is a member of several environmental movements. It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1972.

The logo is the skyline of Cerro Fitzroy looking west in Patagonia.

Sport-Specific Apparel[link]

Patagonia offers many varieties of outdoor clothing. Many of their products are marketed towards skiers, campers, surfers, hikers, rock climbers, and others. Patagonia employs a flex-time policy, allowing employees to take time off to go surfing.^[1] One of its main product lines is the Capilene base layer clothing. Patagonia recently started making surf-specific products, and currently has three different lines of wetsuits and many different models of swim trunks.

Though Patagonia is considered to be a sport-specific apparel manufacturer, some of the company's most popular products are general apparel. Patagonia fleeces, rain jackets, and coats are some of the most widely-worn products in the outdoor apparel industry. Patagonia received two "Gear of the Year" awards in 2010. The company was praised for its use of lightweight and recycled materials.^[2]

Environmental activism[link]

Patagonia is a major contributor to environmental groups. Patagonia commits 1% of their total sales or 10% of their profit, whichever is more, to environmental groups. Since 1985, when the program was first started, Patagonia has donated $25 million to over 1,000 organizations.

Patagonia co-founded the alliance 1% For the Planet. This is an alliance of businesses who, like Patagonia, commit at least 1% of their total sales to the environment.

Patagonia often features their environmental campaigns in their catalogs and advertisements. Many of their recent campaigns include work with preventing oil drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge, "Ocean As A Wilderness", and "Don't Dam Patagonia".

In early 2008, Patagonia won the 'Eco Brand of the Year' award at the Volvo Ecodesign Forum during the ISPO Trade Show in Munich.^[3]

Patagonia also demonstrates their environmental consciousness in the design and construction of their facilities. An example is their Reno Nevada Service Center which employs green design and technologies to initially achieve a LEED Silver^[4] and then later Gold certification.^[5][6]

Patagonia Initiatives[link]

In every aspect, Patagonia has focused on helping the environment since its inception in 1972.^[7] Patagonia’s mission statement includes a portion about helping the environment and reducing toxic impact:“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”^[8] Patagonia donates 1% of sales to environmental groups every year, and has encouraged other companies to do the same through its 1% For the Planet alliance.^[9] In addition to large global initiatives, Patagonia also supports several smaller initiatives such as the World Trout Initiative,^[10] Environmental Internships,^[11] the Conservation Alliance,^[12] and the Organic Exchange.^[13] Recently, Patagonia launched a worldwide recycling initiative called the Common Threads Recycling Program and has a site devoted to the explanation of their recycling process called The Footprint Chronicles.^[14][15]

1% For the Planet[link]

1% For the Planet was established in 2002 to bring together companies that wanted to help the environment and to encourage other companies to do the same. Developed by Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews, its mission is to “build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet.”^[16] Members range from small to large companies from all over the world. Spawned from Patagonia’s original policy of contributing 1% of all sales to environmental organizations since 1985, the 1,486 members of 1% For the Planet each contribute 1% of their total sales to over 2,000 different environmental organizations every year.^[17][18]

World Trout Initiative[link]

Developed by Yvon Chouinard and James Prosek in 2005, the World Trout Initiative works to protect the endangered fish of the world through grants to organizations that protect threatened fish.^[19] The mission of the World Trout Initiative is to “identify the individuals and groups that protect native fish, to tell their story and to support their conservation efforts by placing money into the hands of the actual groups protecting the fish.”^[20] In the past year alone the World Trout Initiative has granted $75,000 for Fish and Habitat Enhancement, according to FlyFishMagazine.^[21]

Environmental Internships[link]

A unique program that Patagonia started in 1993 is their Environmental Internships program. A Patagonia employee can take a leave of absence with full pay and benefits to volunteer within an environmental non-profit of their choice for up to two months.^[22] Employees can work anywhere in the country on any project they want, and over 700 employees have taken advantage of this opportunity to date.^[23] Patagonia does not worry about losing workers for a couple months because, according to Lu Setnicka, director of training for Patagonia, "[Patagonia] still consider[s] that they are working for Patagonia, but they are having the opportunity to bring a particular skill set to an organization that could really benefit from it, in some ways more than it would from a grant check. It also gives the employees the opportunity to dive deeper into an issue, partnering with a group that they are interested in."^[24] Patagonia also states that, over the years, some employees have left the company to permanently work for the nonprofit that they interned for.^[25]

Common Threads Recycling Program[link]

This Common Threads Recycling Program, launched in 2005, aims to make every item Patagonia sells recyclable. The first recyclable item was Patagonia’s Baselayers, but the program has since expanded to several other clothing items.^[26] The Common Threads Recycling Program relies on both Patagonia and its customers to accomplish reducing, reusing and repairing, and recycling. The Common Threads Recycling Program allows customers to bring back any Patagonia clothing with the special Common Threads label on it and put it into the store recycling bin. Patagonia then ships the clothing to refurbishment centers around the world where the fabric is processed and turned into a new Patagonia product.^[27] This reduces the amount of virgin material used for Patagonia’s products. Patagonia’s original goal was to make all of its clothing recyclable by fall of 2010; however, they will not reach this goal until fall of 2011 according to the Patagonia holiday catalog which features an article about the initiative.^[28]

The Footprint Chronicles[link]

This interactive website lets a customer follow a specific piece of clothing through its entire journey from production to recycle. The website is meant to give customers a glimpse into what Patagonia is doing, and leaves an open forum for customers to comment and try to make the process even better.^[29] The point of the website is to show customers the good and the bad side of Patagonia, and open up to suggestions for how they can improve the processes that are still hurting the environment. The Footprint Chronicles features videos about Patagonia’s social and environmental responsibility and easy-to-use contact information for customers to use.^[30][31]

Patagonia Supports[link]

The Organic Exchange[link]

The Organic Exchange is an organization that helps promote education about and use of organic materials in clothing and industry, primarily organic cotton.^[32] Patagonia has supported this organization since its establishment in 2002, and Patagonia was one of the first companies to switch to entirely organic cotton.^[33] Other large retailers, such as Nike, also support the Organic Exchange.^[34]

The Conservation Alliance[link]

Founded in 1989 by Patagonia, the North Face, REI and Kelty, the Conservation Alliance encourages outdoor sporting goods stores to contribute monetarily to environmental causes.^[35] With over 170 members, 100% of the proceeds go directly to environmental organizations. In 2010 alone, the Conservation Alliance donated $900,000 to these causes.^[36]

Controversy[link]

Since 2012 the animal welfare organization FOUR PAWS (Germany) has been criticizing Patagonia for using live-plucked down feathers and downs of force-fed geese.^[37] Patagonia admitted this in a statement and is currently working on alternatives.^[38]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Patagonia
• 1% For the Planet
• Video of Patagonia's store opening in Boulder, Colorado
• 2004 Patagonia Factory Inspection Reports

Tommy Caldwell (born August 11, 1978 in Estes Park, Colorado) is an American rock climber. He was previously married to prominent American rock climber Beth Rodden.^[1]

Caldwell is accomplished in several types of climbing, including sport climbing, hard traditional climbing, big-wall speed climbing and big-wall free climbing. He made the first ascents (FA) of some of the United States' hardest sport routes (as of 2008) including Kryptonite (5.14c/d) and Flex Luthor (a possible 5.15a) at the Fortress of Solitude, Colorado.

Caldwell is a big-wall climber, with the first free ascents of a handful of El Capitan routes to his credit. In May, 2004 he completed the first free ascent of Dihedral Wall. In 2005, he and Beth Rodden (swapping leads) made the third and fourth free ascents of the Nose. Two days later, on October 16, Caldwell free-climbed the Nose in less than 12 hours. A few days later, Caldwell climbed the Nose in 11 hours, descended the East Ledges, and then climbed Freerider, topping out 12 hours later - the first ascent of two El Capitan free climbs in 24 hours.

On El Capitan, Caldwell has also free-climbed: Lurking Fear, Muir Wall (Cosgrove var. to Magic Mushroom finish, FFA), West Buttress, Salathé, Zodiac and Magic Mushroom.

Caldwell, Beth Rodden, and fellow climbers John Dickey and Jason Smith were held hostage by rebels in Kyrgyzstan in 2000.^[2]

Caldwell accidentally sawed off much of his left index finger with a table saw in 2001. Doctors were able to reattach the severed portion, but Caldwell subsequently had it removed so as not to hinder his climbing career.^[3]

Notable ascents[link]

• 2001: The Honeymoon is Over V 5.13 Longs Peak, Colorado, USA. FA with Beth Rodden belaying.^[4]
• 2003: Flex Luthor (5.14d/15a?), Fortress of Solitude, Colorado, USA^[5]
• 2003: West Buttress (FFA) VI 5.13c, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California, USA^[6]
• 2004: Dihedral Wall (FFA) VI 5.14a, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California, USA^[7]
• 2005: The Nose VI 5.13, 3rd/4th Free Ascent (with Beth Rodden), El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California, USA^[8]
• 2006: Linea di Eleganza VI 5.11b A3 90 degrees M7 Fitz Roy, Argentine Patagonia. FFA with Topher Donahue and Erik Roed.^[9]
• 2008: Magic Mushroom (FFA) VI 5.14a with Justen Sjong, May 12–17, 2008, El Capitan, Yosemite, California, USA^[10]

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.thecleanestline.com/2010/09/granite-china.html
2. ^ Climbers Recount Kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan
3. ^ http://www.camp4.com/news/index.php?newsid=242
4. ^ Caldwell, Tommy; Roger Briggs (March 2007). "The Honeymoon is Over". Alpinist (Jackson, WY, USA: Alpinist Magazine) 19 (Spring 2007): 40. ISSN 744705744080. 
5. ^ "2003 Golden Piton Awards - Sport Climbing". Climbing Magazine. Action Sports Group. http://www.climbing.com/print/features/sport03/. Retrieved 2007-03-02. 
6. ^ Wright, Cedar (2004). "YOSEMITE VALLEY - Various Activity". Alpinist Magazine. Marc Ewing. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP05/climbing-note-wright. Retrieved 2007-03-02. 
7. ^ MacDonald, Dougald. "Caldwell Frees Dihedral Wall". Climbing Magazine. Action Sports Group. http://www.climbing.com/news/hotflashes/caldwelldihedral/index.html. Retrieved 2007-03-02. 
8. ^ MacDonald, Dougald. "Caldwell-Rodden Free the Nose". Climbing Magazine. Action Sports Group. Archived from the original on 2006-11-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20061103081952/http://climbing.com/news/thenosefree/. Retrieved 2007-03-02. 
9. ^ Caldwell, Tommy; Topher Donahue (September 2006). "Scattered Ashes". Alpinist (Jackson, WY, USA: Alpinist Magazine) 17 (Autumn 2006): 50–57. ISSN 744705745080. 
10. ^ Beckwith, Christian (May 20, 2008). "More Details on Magic Mushroom". Alpinist Magazine. Marc Ewing. http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08s/newswire-caldwell-magic-mushroom-details. Retrieved 2008-08-18. 

External links[link]

• The Nose and Freerider at Climbing.com

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Steve House (August 4, 1970) is an American professional climber and mountain guide from La Grande, Oregon.

Biography[link]

House earned a Bachelor of Science in ecology from The Evergreen State College in 1995.^[1] He has been a fully Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagnes-certified guide since 1999, and is the seventh American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) guide to complete the certification.^[2] House has guided for Exum Mountain Guides, the American Alpine Institute, and North Cascades Mountain Guides. He now guides independently and is based in southwest Colorado, near Ridgway, Colorado. His primary work is as an ambassador for the technical outdoor clothing company, Patagonia, where he works with both marketing and product design, development, and testing. He has been a Patagonia ambassador since 1999.^[3]

He has been called by Reinhold Messner "the best high-altitude climber in the world today."^[4]

On March 25, 2010, while lead climbing on Mount Temple, Steve fell approximately 25 meters. He broke six ribs in multiple places, collapsed his right lung, fractured his pelvis in two places, and fractured several vertebrae in his spine. He is currently recovering from his injuries and training for new climbs.^[5][6]

Alpine climbing[link]

He is vocal in his support of "alpine style" climbs, which involve travelling quickly with little gear, and leaving no gear on the mountain. When, in 2004, the Russian team won the 14th Piolet d'Or for their ascent of the north face of Jannu, he criticized the team for using months to climb the face while setting up fixed ropes, and for leaving 77 ropes behind on the mountain.^[7]

His book Beyond the Mountain was the 2009 winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.

Notable climbs[link]

• 2000: Slovak Direct, Mount McKinley, Alaska Range, Alaska with Mark Twight and Scott Backes, a fast climb in 60 Hours.^[8]
• 2003 The Talkeetna Standard, Eye Tooth, Alaska Range, Alaska, USA; FA V 5.9 WI5 1000m with Jeff Hollenbaugh^[9]
• 2003 Roberts-Rowell-Ward Route, Mt. Dickey, Alaska Range, Alaska, USA; second ascent VI 5.9 A2 1675m with Jeff Hollenbaugh^[10]
• 2004 Southwest Face, K7, Charakusa Valley, Karakorum, Pakistan (second ascent of the mountain, first ascent of route) (VI 5.10a M6 A2 80 degrees, 2400m), solo. For this ascent he won the People's Award for the 14th Piolet d'Or.^[11]
• 2005 Central Pillar of the Rupal Face, (4100m, M5 X, 5.9, WI4), September 1–8, on Nanga Parbat in northern Pakistan with Vince Anderson. Completed in a little over a week (a very short period of time in comparison with many large alpine climbs), the climb won him and Anderson the Piolet d'Or. Steve House's account was published in Alpinist Magazine-Issue 16, in which he describes the ascent as the culmination of "years of a physical and psychological journey."
• 2007 House-Haley (WI5 M7 1750m), Emperor Face, Mount Robson (3956m), Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada. FA of route with Colin Haley, May 25–27, 2007.^[12]
• 2007 K7 West (6858m), Charakusa Valley, Karakorum, Pakistan FA of peak with Vince Anderson and Marko Prezelj.^[13]
• 2008 House-Anderson (WI5+ M8 R/X, 1000m), North Face, Mount Alberta (3619m), Canadian Rockies, Alberta, Canada. FA of route with Vince Anderson, March 26–28, 2008^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• House's ambassador page at Patagonia.com
• House's Bio at North Cascades Mountain Guides
• House's Bio at Grivel
• Interview with House concerning the K7 ascent
• Steve House - climber's profile

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Gerry Lopez
Personal information
Born	(1948-11-07) November 7, 1948 (age 63) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Residence	Bend, Oregon
Surfing career
Years active	1970 -present
Surfing specifications
Stance	Goofy
Quiver	Long boards, guns
Favorite waves	Pipeline
Favorite maneuvers	Barrels

Gerry Lopez (born November 7, 1948), aka Mr. Pipeline, is an American surfer, shaper, journalist, and film actor.

Early life[link]

Lopez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, grew up in East Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, and attended Punahou School. He frequented the semi secret reefs in and around Aina Haina as well as better known surf spots in Metro-Honolulu. An early reference point for his sleek and precise style was the graceful Paul Strauch, whom Lopez still credits as "the most stylish surfer ever." Lopez became the Hawaii State Champ at age 14, and he and friend Reno Abellira began surfing Ala Moana Bowls frequently. It is here that Lopez began honing his casual style and masterful tube riding skills.

Career[link]

Lopez and friends began to migrate out to Oahu's North Shore, where they watched surfers like Butch Van Artsdalen and Jock Sutherland ride the hollow waves of the Banzai Pipeline. As surfboard designs began to integrate "downrailer" edges, curve, foil, and rocker, the vertical drops and thick tubes of Pipeline became survivable. Not long after, performance levels at big Pipeline exploded, led by Lopez.

He was widely recognized as the best tuberider in the world,^[1] and won the Pipeline Masters competition in 1972 and 1973, which has since been named the Gerry Lopez Pipeline Masters.

Lopez played an important role in the industry of commercial surfboard manufacturing. While in Hawaii, and together with other shapers, Lopez started the Lightning Bolt Surfboards brand of high performance shortboards. Lopez created the simple but eyecatching Lightning Bolt jag; every surfer in the '70s wanted one. This brand was the first one to sponsor team riders with free boards, partially because many of the riders didn't have the money to buy them.

Lopez and friend Rory Russell were credited with exposing and validating Indonesia and nearby areas as a comprehensive surf destination. Starting with the long, ultra shallow reef tubes at Uluwatu in Bali, Lopez and crew explored the immense surf potential of the ancient island archipelago. The undisputed crown jewel of their discovery was a long, peeling, and dangerous left-hand pointbreak located in the Indonesian natural reserve of Plengkung, on the southeastern tip of Java. The nearest town is called Grajagan. The surfspot they discovered is known today among surfers as G-Land. After making the discovery, Lopez and friends said that all else before paled in comparison to this wave with its relentless, walling tubes, and groomed perfection reeling over some of the most dangerous reefs in the world.^{[citation needed]} As he is in Hawaii and around the globe, Lopez is revered as a legend in Indonesia where he has mentored many young local surfers.^{[citation needed]}

Lopez has also worked as an actor, appearing mostly in films by fellow ex-surfer John Milius. In 1982, he co-starred in the film Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Other film appearances include Big Wednesday (1978), North Shore (1987), and Farewell to the King (1989). He has also appeared in numerous surfing documentaries, including Five Summer Stories (1973), Tales From The Tube, Step Into Liquid (2003), and Riding Giants (2004). Lopez is an ambassador for Patagonia clothing company and has written at least one essay for their catalogs. He also appears frequently in ads and catalogs for Rainbow Sandals, and is a friend of the founder of the company and fellow surfer, Jay Longley.

Lopez authored a book called Surf Is Where You Find It, and supported its 2008 release with a book signing and speaking tour. He and good friend Jock Sutherland also appear on YouTube in the Patagonia sponsored "Talkin' Pipe" series, where they describe their harrowing and sometimes humorous early experiences at the Pipeline.

Personal life[link]

Lopez now lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife Toni and their son, Alex.^[2] Snowboarding has become a passion for both father and son, and Gerry is now applying his talents as a craftsman to making snowboards. His surfboards also remain in high demand.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gerry Lopez at the Internet Movie Database
• Gerry Lopez biography on surfline.com
• Gerry Lopez interview in Liquid Salt Surfing Magazine
• Gerry Lopez interview in Frequency Snowboard Journal
• Video interview with Gerry Lopez by the Transcendent Nation Foundation on the question of "how to save the world"