Trailheads

Predicting that Rachel Gross would become an author, authority and historian on the outdoor business should have been easy from an early age. She took family vacations to National Parks in the Western United States and devoured her brother’s Boy Scout manual and copies of Boy’s Life.

“I believed if I could get back to nature, I could discover myself,” said Gross, a history professor and author of “Shopping All the Way to the Woods: How the Outdoor Industry Sold Nature to America.”  

Those early experiences shaped her interests and led her on a career path. “Outdoors is not just about fun. It can shape your character, so I decided to study what I am passionate about.”

Gross did her Undergraduate work at the University of Puget Sound, in Tacoma and worked on a project about the history of female park rangers’ uniforms in Yosemite (The title is “Bloomers and Buffalo Chips: Clothing as a Lens on Women’s Roles in Yosemite 1850 – 1978).

She continued exploring the history of the outdoor business in post graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, she did her Masters thesis on “Synthetic Wilderness: Gore-Tex and the Paths to Mastery in Outdoor Recreation.” And that led to her PhD Dissertation: “From Buckskin to Gore-Tex: Consumption as a Path to Mastery in Twentieth Century American Wilderness Recreation,” which became her well regarded book.

Gross believes the 1970s “was the most important time in the outdoor industry” because that was when the business grew from a its core to become accessible to many more participants. “The customer base was way smaller back then and there was deep concern for wild space that is still important today.”

Gross credits innovators like Yvon Chouinard, Eddie Bauer and Alice Holubar with building the foundation of today’s outdoor industry. In fact, those three are on her list of the five most influential people in the history of the business (see below). “These people were hardcore participants and loved the outdoors, but they were also businesspeople, even if they didn’t realize it then.”

While Gross says the 1970s, was the most important decade, she maintains “the business has never been more important politically than it is today.”

In addition to controversies over use of Public Lands and cuts to National Parks funding, Gross says the industry most reconcile “a culture of consumer consumption that the industry both promotes and laments.”

“The outdoor industry is selling goods in a world that needs less, and I say that as a consumer who loves gear and buys it. I am not suggesting we  un gear and un participate, but that is an important issue in today’s world.”

Gross credits the industry with promoting more diverse participation and developing strong sustainability initiatives.

So, who is on Gross’ list of the most influential people in the development of the outdoor business?

• Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt, often called “the conservation president,” impacted the National Park System well beyond his term in office. He doubled the number of sites within the National Park system. As President from 1901 to 1909, he signed legislation establishing five new national parks: Crater Lake, Oregon; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later re-designated a game preserve); Mesa Verde, Colorado; and Platt, Oklahoma (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area). But equally important, according to Gross, is that “he sold an aesthetic.”
• David Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch. David Abercrombie founded A&F in 1892 as an upscale sporting goods store. Forming a partnership with Ezra Fitch, the company continued to expand in the new 20th century and helped bring outdoor gear to a broader audience.
• Eddie Bauer. Eddie Bauer founded the Eddie Bauer company to sell tennis-related items in Seattle, Washington in 1920. From a rented workbench inside another man’s shop, it grew to become an international brand outfitting mountaineering and scientific expeditions with down-insulated garments and sleeping bags.
• Alice Holubar. Alice and her husband got their start in business selling surplus Army gear to club members at the end of the war. Eventually that led to importing gear from Europe, including the much sought-after Molitor ski boots and Kronhoffer climbing boots. Eventually their boot business became a bit overwhelming, and the Holubars decided to take a step back and branch out into making tents, sleeping bags and packs.
• Yvon Chouinard. The avid alpinist turned his passion into a career and built one of the most beloved and enduring brands in outdoors. After becoming a billionaire, he gave his company to a trust and Gross says he belongs on this list “for his philosophies in how to do business in the outdoors and how to do business ethically,” as much as for the cool gear.

To hear more from Rachel Gross on how outdoor retail evolved and where it’s headed, don’t miss her upcoming talk, Community and Authenticity in the History of Outdoor Retail, at Switchback Spring. She’ll be speaking on Monday, June 16, from 2:30 to 3:15 PM CST in the Ryman HI room at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville.

Gross will explore how early retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch built their brands around authenticity, how mid-century shops fostered a sense of community, and how big-box stores reshaped outdoor culture. It’s a rare chance to dive deeper into the stories behind the gear—and the people—who shaped the industry.

For details on Switchback Spring’s full education lineup, visit switchbackevent.com/education-program.

Registration for retailers, media, and outdoor professionals is available here.