Weston Snowboards (https://westonsnowboards.com) a Colorado company known for its award-winning splitboards and signature traveling tiny house showroom, today announced the launch of Freedom of the Forest, a new campaign in partnership with the National Forest Foundation (nationalforests.org) and designed to support public lands and raise funding for our National Forests.
Freedom of the Forest will officially launch at an event at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer in Denver, Colorado. From there, the campaign will tour select locations across the Western U.S., using Weston’s mobile tiny home as a base. Weston is joined in Freedom of the Forest by Big Agnes, Black Diamond, Breckenridge Distillery, Crazy Mountain, Grass Sticks, Phunkshun, Rocky Mountain Underground, Thule, Vans and Zeal Optics.
To help raise additional funds for the National Forest Foundation – the primary nonprofit partner for the U.S. Forest Service, Weston has developed a custom version of its best-selling Backwoods splitboard, adorned with a golden Grizzly Bear and the words, “Freedom of the Forest.” Ten percent of sales of the custom board will be donated to the National Forest Foundation.
“For the last year we at Weston Snowboards have watched tragedies befall our National Forests, Parks and Monuments – from wildfires, to trail closures and park closures. These are the places that we play, where we snowboard, and where we go to find our little bit of peace and freedom,” said Weston Snowboards co-owner, Mason Davey. “The root cause of these tragedies is that the U.S. Forest Service is underfunded to continue to preserve our lands. The Forest Service doesn’t have the necessary funds to build and maintain trails, remove garbage to keep our trails and watershed clean, or to mitigate wildfires. This predicament inspired our team of four at Weston to see if we could do something bigger than our brand could imagine. We don’t have the resources of big name brands, but we have a voice, and the path we want to pursue is unifying the people behind the forests and mountains we cherish, rather than drawing political battle lines.”
The Freedom of the Forest kickoff event with the National Forest Foundation and partner brands will take place on Thursday, January 25th, the opening day of Outdoor Retailer, at Battery 621 in Denver. The party will feature speakers from the National Forest Foundation, live music, drinks and limited-edition raffle items from Freedom of the Forest partners – some of the most trusted and established brands in the outdoor industry. More information and RSVP form can be found at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/freedom-of-the-forests-or-party-benefiting-the-national-forest-foundation-tickets-42061624451
Each stop of the Freedom of the Forest tour will include National Forest Foundation speakers and presentations, drinks, a movie screening and raffle to raise funding. The tour has already visited Vail, Breckenridge and Boulder, Colo. Future stops are:
Feb. 9-11 – Winter Park
Feb. 16-18 – Aspen
Feb. 23-25 – Steamboat
Mar. 9-11 – Jackson Hole
Mar. 16-18 – Seattle
April 6-8 – Lake Tahoe
TBD – Park City
About Weston Snowboards:
Founded in 2012 in Minturn, Colo., we are known best for our award winning splitboards and our traveling Tiny House showroom. However, that’s not where we pride ourselves most. We’re doing something different in the world of snowboarding. We’re not about pro riders, competitions or flashy shoots (though we sometimes do get lucky with some great shots). We’re about supporting a community that supports each other in the combined pursuit of the freedom found while riding a one of a kind board. It’s something we learned from exploring the backcountry where you count on the people around you to save your life. In such, we devote a substantial amount of our efforts to supporting causes like the National Forest Foundation, Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). These non-profits help us get out into nature, and keep us safe while we’re there so it’s only logical to help them in any way we can. We’ve been told we’re breathing life back into the industry, but to us, it’s the only way to do it. Learn more at https://westonsnowboards.com
About the National Forest Foundation:
The National Forest Foundation promotes the enhancement and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System. By directly engaging Americans and leveraging private and public funding, the NFF improves forest health and Americans’ outdoor experiences. The NFF’s programs inform millions of Americans about the importance of these treasured landscapes. Each year, the NFF restores fish and wildlife habitat, plants trees in areas affected by fires, insects and disease, improves recreational opportunities, and enables communities to steward their National Forests and Grasslands. Learn more at www.nationalforests.org.
