Check out this video of Julbo Athlete Majka Burhardt climbing in Colorado and telling it like it is. This is the first in a series of mini-documentaries about Majka’s travels in Colorado and Africa by Engelhorn sports.
Imagine earning the opportunity to ski in the high-alpine paradise of Chamonix, France, guided by the big-mountain legend himself, Glen Plake. Julbo Glen University Session will give aspiring ski and snowboard mountaineers that very opportunity – if they do well in school! Enrollment in Julbo Glen U. via Facebook is open now and goes through the first week of February.
Once signed up, participants can take part in several courses. A course will be anything from a photo or video contest, an essay, tracking your vert in a weekend, mapping out a ski mountaineer trip and describing the route, or reenacting your favorite Glen Plake video clip. They can sign up for the classes/courses they’re most interested in, but at least 50 percent of the courses offered must be completed. (Just like a true university, they have to earn that degree!)
Participants and followers will then be able to vote on contestant entries and give them a grade (A, B, C, or D). Three to five of the “top-performing” students will get to attend graduation in Julbo’s homeland of Chamonix in March 2013 with Professor Plake as their guide.
The Julbo Glen University Session launched at the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Salt Lake City this past Sat., Jan. 21 at Julbo’s booth for a “Back to School” themed party. Glen Plake was present to talk shop, sign autographs and spread the word about the new Julbo Glen University Session program.
“Due to the vast development of outdoor equipment in recent years, a more natural skiing experience has been made accessible to many more people,” said Plake. “Now, more than ever before, I have to believe there is a new generation of ski mountaineers developing. We want to give them the opportunities they may be looking for and deserve.”
Check out Glen’s launch party video:
Graduates will also become official Julbo USA pro skiers or riders, receiving innovative Julbo eyewear and support in entering competitions – possibly including travel expenses.
Looking forward to seeing what this inspired group comes up with, now that school’s in session!
Julbo, Inc. dove headfirst into 2012 with the relocation of its Williston, Vermont headquarters to a larger office and warehouse to support its steady rise in sales and product demand.
The expansion of space necessitated an expansion of its workforce as well: a full-time warehouse manager and several part-time employees were added to the U.S. team. Julbo began shipping from its new U.S. headquarters on January 3. Whoo hoo!
According to Julbo CEO Nick Yardley, the move into the 6,200-sqaure-foot warehouse and office space has been an exciting, hectic but very rewarding process. “We’ve moved from a 3rd party shipping model to running our own shipping and having complete control of our destiny and how we do things.”
Here are some other advantages to the move, according to Nick:
1. Space!!!! Before, we had four of us in a space the size of my new office. The old system fostered strong team development as we were right on top of each other, but now with four of us on the front end spread over three large offices, our ability to focus on our own work uninterrupted is soooooo good!.
2. Windows! We have lots of them – great for the mental health.
3. NetSuite – our new operating system is cloud-based and so much more advanced than what we’ve been used to; all aspects of our business are now really streamlined and efficient compared to the old.
4. A break room to chill and prepare lunch – now, not all lunches require dropping crumbs onto the keyboard.
5. A welcome room with sofa and space to display ALL our glasses makes it much easier to show the line to visitors, rather than pulling from sample cases.
6. Chris Duell – a great new addition to our team as warehouse manager.
7. Close proximity to our local CrossFit gym and regular gym (for “dreadmill” miles in the depths of winter) make a pre- or post-work suffer fest easy.
We now are self-sufficient and loving it. All in all, we are a happy little Julbo family…..
Yay! Congratulations, Julbo, and welcome, new family members! We’re looking forward to an exciting year – full of possibility!
– Christine Rasmussen
The new year may be young, but its already seen tons of hype around Julbo products. Check out some of the best coverage below:
Backcountry Magazine’s cover story on Julbo Athlete and general skiing legend Glen Plake features several shots with his various Julbo shades and goggles, as well as a quote from our own CEO Nick Yardley.
Climberism.com digs the Contest’s light weight and durability.
The Dallas Morning News recommends Julbo goggles for first time skiers.
Elevation Outdoors calls the Bivouacks the “perfect combo combo for a high performance sunglass suited to the mountains.
Outside Bozeman likes the Hike’s durability and “cool” factor.
The Orbiters are a great pair of goggle for any light condition according to SKI Magazine
Skiing Business Magazine talks with Nick Yardley about Julbo’s 2012 goggle line.
BassMaster.com digs the Dolphin’s combination UV protection and buoyancy.
One of the biggest ice climbing gatherings in the world happens in the “Switzerland of America” – Ouray, Colorado – and this past weekend I finally checked out the action at the Ouray Ice Festival http://ourayicepark.com/ice-festival/.
Everything I’d heard about the venue and the event turned out to be true. The Ouray Ice Park is one of the most beautiful settings one can behold. Once you are in the gorge, it is like being in Superman’s ice house (who remembers that from the old-school Superman flicks?): sheer walls of blue and white rise up above you, so high that the spectators look like hazy shapes floating high. And you get to play Spiderman on the walls.
Malcom Daly shows us how its done.
I decided to do one of the myriad clinics that take place in the four-day festival, which is comprised of competitions, parties, gear expos, films and presentations from some of the sport’s best, sharing the ice stoke.
When the instructor for our beginner clinic turned up, I had no idea how lucky we were to have him. Malcolm Daly, outdoor-industry icon and climbing guru (Malcolm founded companies Trango Climbing Gear and Stonewear Designs, among others), was to coach our motley crew of six.
View from the bottom of the gorge, Ouray Ice Park.
Most of the Ice Festival clinics are taught by notables in the climbing world whose passion for ice climbing is communicable in the way they instruct and in the way they move. And besides the instructor-to-student ratios being small, you get to climb in the latest-and-greatest gear. This is the best setting to get an introduction to ice climbing, bar none.
Exibitors’ booths, above the Ice Park. Ice Festival participants can demo gear from top climbing and clothing companies.
Two-and-half hours later, I had climbed two walls, thinking the whole time, ‘what a burly sport: ice chunks pelting you in the face, super sharp picks swinging near your head,’ but I loved every gripping second. When you hear/feel an ice tool set solid (instead of the hollow breaking sound that comes with a bad swing) and you feel your crampons dig in nicely, it’s like, ah, that is good… I am going upward now. It is akin to the feeling of turning in bottomless powder.
Thank you, Malcolm, the Ouray Ice Park and all the exhibiters who came out to share the wonders of this burly, beautiful sport with us!
Glad I wore my Julbo Contests http://www.julbousa.com/performance/contest/ while climbing: wide coverage protected my eyes from flying ice chunks, and the Zebra anti-fog lens kept me seeing clearly in the quickly changing light conditions of the Ouray Ice Park.
– By Christine Rasmussen
With the holiday season upon us, there’s been even more coverage for Julbo products throughout the media…
Adventure Sports Journal digs the Revolution’s anti-fog coating.
The Week calls the Orbiter one of the best holiday gifts for skiers out there.
Skiing.About.com calls the Orbiter a “one goggle quiver”
To read more, click here.
Climber, writer, filmaker, guide and Julbo athlete Majka Burhardt just completed an amazing seven week trip to Africa, which included stops to climb in Mozambique, South Africa, and Ethiopia, as well as work with local coffee farmers. Check out this video about her travels, from HowDoYouDoTV.
For some more pictures of Majka’s adventures, check out the Engelhorn Sports Winter Catalog. Read more about her trip on her blog.
Check out Glen Plake, legendary professional skier, hot-dogger, Julbo Athlete, and the hamburger half of the Glenak hamburger/french fry combo, as he presents some highlights and innovations from the 2012 Julbo goggle line.
On the Glenak:
On the Orbiter:
On the Revolution
The holidays are here that means one thing: ’tis the season for publications all over the media to roll out their Holiday Gift Guides. Check out the latest seasonal coverage for Julbo products below.
Canoe and Kayak Magazine digs that the soon-to-be-released Dolphins won’t “sink when you swim.”
The Dolphins are also a great on the water stocking stuffer for the angler on your gift list according to Chesapeake Angler.
The Dallas Observer calls the Looping series of kid’s shades a great gift to get the little tyke on your list “on the road to hipsterdom.”
Vermont Sports Magazine recommends the Orbiters as a gift for anyone tired of the “fog factor”.
Backcountry Magazine digs the Montebianco glasses for the way up, and the Glenaks for the descent.
A venerable who’s who of ice climbing will converge in Montana next week for the 15th Annual Arc’teryx Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival (BIF). Starting December 7, professional athletes and participants from around the world will converge in Hyalite Canyon for five days of clinics, demos, inspirational slide shows and climbing solidarity.
Several Julbo athletes are BIF alumni, including Barry Blanchard, Ben Gilmore, Caroline George and Majka Burhardt. Blanchard returns this year to participate in an intriguing multimedia presentation scheduled over two evenings: “Retrospective on 40 Years of Ice Climbing in North America, Parts 1 & 2,” hosted by Chris Alstrin and Joe Josephson.
Part 1 on Friday evening will also feature special guests Jeff Lowe, Pat Callis, Yvon Chouinard, John Bragg, Henry Barber, and more TBA. Saturday evening’s Part 2 will feature special guests Will Gadd, Bruce Hendricks, Kitty Calhoun, Bernard Mailhot, Kris Erickson and more TBA.
Festival organizer Joe Josephson on the second ascent of Telluride’s Bridalveil Falls. Credit: Henry C. Barber
In addition to on-ice clinics taught by some of the sport’s best, climbers can demo the latest in ice-climbing clothing and equipment from a gamut of companies – from Arc’teryx and Mammut to La Sportiva and Outdoor Research.
Check out the full BIF schedule here http://www.bozemanicefest.com/schedule/. For more beta on Bozeman, check out http://www.bozemanicefest.com/resources/ for some helpful links.
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Yvon Chouinard on the third ascent of the New England classic Repentance. Credit: Henry C. Barber/Mountain Ventures Collection
Proceeds from the Festival go toward the Friends of Hyalite, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the world-class ice climbing in Hyalite Canyon.
Time is running out to register; if you are a passionate ice climber, don’t miss the BIF!