“It’s this really cool mix of conference and retreat,” said Tara Latham about the KORE Outdoors Summit. “There’s an element of knowledge seeking but also a great immersion into our environment with things like the group mountain bike ride and the campfire session. It holds this space between professional conference and an awesome outdoor retreat.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Tara was a presenter and first-time attendee at the recent event, which was held at the Kimberley Conference Centre from October 2-3, 2025. On the last day, she accurately summed up what makes the Summit special: it’s part professional meeting, part vacation.
It helped that the weather was perfect: the sun shone, the larches glowed golden, and the sky was an intense blue. Against this backdrop, 150 attendees converged for a two-day immersion into outdoor gear design, manufacturing, and innovation.
This was the fourth year of the Summit, Canada’s only conference dedicated to the outdoor rec-tech manufacturing and product design sector. Attendees ranged from designers and manufacturers to government representatives, professors and engineers.
Professional photographer Mark Gallup of Fernie was at the Summit and took these pics throughout the two days.
Speakers, Workshops & Plenary Sessions
From the opening keynote to the closing remarks, the Summit’s 18 speakers delivered a mix of big ideas and practical insight. The conference kicked off with Lloyd Vogel’s keynote, “Rebranding Challenge as Opportunity,” setting a tone that small, scrappy brands can shake up the status quo.
Day One continued with various workshops including Louise Pederson’s session “Outdoor Recreation as a Rural Game Changer,” Andy Bethune’s take on building brand value beyond products, and Tara Latham’s exploration of design ideals and how they can help with sharper business decisions.
Day two brought a fresh slate: Lindsay Housman spoke about launching Hettas athletic shoes, while Kirk Dahlgren’s talk “Small Bets” urged makers to test assumptions and innovate with low-risk experiments. Workshops included “Financing Your Kootenay Outdoor Gear or Service Business” (Paul Kelly), “Designing With Intention” (Pete Hill) and marketing optimization (Mark Taylor).
In the afternoon, a panel led by Summit regular Cam Shute discussed “Past Lessons, Future Paths: Designing for the Outdoors.” Included were Tara Latham, engineer Robbie Roberts, circularity expert Nicole Bassett, and product designer Casey Shaw.
The closing keynote from Jon Heorauf was about “The Most Important Design is the Business Itself” and it brought the Summit full circle, underscoring that design must serve strong, viable enterprises.
Outdoor Connect
One of the Summit’s most beloved features returned in 2025: Outdoor Connect. Held Thursday afternoon, participants were encouraged to network while sweating through one of six different experiences on offer.
There were group mountain bike rides led by Kimberley Freewheelers, a guided trail run hosted by Purcell Outdoors; the Ski Hill Sender uphill run; a climbing session at Spirit Rock Climbing Centre in Kimberley; and a more relaxed “Talk & Walk” autumn hike.
New for this year was the biathlon-style target training session organized by the Kimberley Nordic Club using infrared rifles that don’t require bullets. This was a popular event but as participant Pete Hill said, “I thought it was going to be mellow!” Instead they were placed in teams and had to run around and do burpees to get their heart rates up before they could shoot: just like the real biathlon. We felt for all those who showed up in denim.
These physical activities were about more than burning calories: they helped to deepen bonds and allowed attendees to embody the outdoor ethos that the Summit celebrates.
Campfire Social
When Outdoor Connect ended, the campfires beckoned. On Thursday evening participants gathered in camp chairs around lit fire rings just beyond the conference centre’s front door and shared dinner, stories, and ideas.
Throughout the dinner, attendees were entertained by musician Heather Gemmel, the blues-rock queen of the Kootenays. And they were encouraged to walk through the retrofit truck/shop owned by Mattea Madsen and Mike Nasadyk of Six Seasons Hiking Apparel Company based in Kamloops.
KORE Re-Hub on Site
During the Summit, the KORE Re-Hub trailer was stationed on the conference grounds. Four repair technicians were kept busy fixing broken gear brought in my both Summit attendees and residents of Kimberley. Over the two days, they fixed a total of 106 items, ranging from jackets and backpacks to tents, sleeping bags, and other soft goods.
The presence of Re-Hub initiative on site added a tangible, living demonstration of KORE’s commitment to sustainability. Attendees could take a tour of the trailer, watch repairs in action, and ask questions about materials and techniques. The entire experience reinforced the Summit’s message that good gear is meant to last, be loved, and be repaired, not discarded.
Makers Expo
Returning this year was the Maker Expo, where attendees could explore hands-on displays from some of the most innovative outdoor brands and organizations in the Kootenays and beyond. Tables filled the foyer and atrium of the Kimberley Conference Centre, offering a chance to see, touch, and test various gear from custom- built bikes and ultralight tents to locally designed apparel and cookware. Companies represented included:
- Wilson School of Design at KPU
- Selkirk Innovates
- Kimberley Trails Society
- Nnormal Shoes
- Tourism Kimberley
- Zincton
- The Trench Magazine
- Hettas Shoes
- Goso Cookware
- Dig Deep Performance Fuel
- Minus 90 Caving Gear
- Slopeside Design
- Ghostrider Equipment
- Jackalope Bikes
- Durston Gear
- Six Seasons Hiking Apparel
- VoltaWorks
- Six Mile Bikes
- Kimberley Nordic Club
Sponsors & Supporters
The 2025 Summit would not have been possible without generous backing from a wide range of institutional and community partners. We were proud to be supported by:
- Columbia Basin Trust
- KPU Wilson School of Design
- Tourism Kimberley
- Economic Trust of the Southern Interior (ETSI-BC)
- Simply Kimberley
- Community Futures East Kootenay
- Ground Floor Coworking Space in Cranbrook
- The Province of British Columbia
- PBJ Merch Co.
In-kind contributors included Kootenay Employment Services, Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Rockies Law, and AutoGrowth Academy.