community Stories
We got this field report from Laura Cooper, a Virginian living in Oregon. I really liked her story, writing and dedication to the outdoors – she’s an ESL teacher who spends most of her time backpacking, skiing and reading, as well as birding, paddling, and taking pictures.Thanks for the great report Laura! After forty-five minutes…
You’re all pretty familiar with the Dawn Patrol (DP) idea by this point: wake with the roosters, drive blear-eyed through the pre-dawn black, exit warm car in the belly of the night’s bitter cold, strap on headlamps and start slogging uphill through dark and snow, all for a token taste of skiing before work. I…
So much of what we do stems from the desire to improve the world for the next generation. And here at Pat. HQ we’re constantly reminded of that responsibility by the kids we see playing at our onsite daycare center. Patagonia customer Chris Stelter makes us optimistic for the future with this heart-warming contribution. Chris…
Have a look/listen at a segment from today’s Morning Edition on how businesses are trying to reduce their impact on global warming: California Company Works to Cut, Adapt to Warming And for what it’s worth, I’ve never been fortunate enough to see a mouse scurry across the floor during a line presentation (listen to the…
by Jeff Johnson Editor's note: We're stoked to introduce a new feature on The Cleanest Line from Bend to Baja author/photographer Jeff Johnson. Jeff's work has appeared in The Surfer’s Journal, Surfer’s Path, Alpinist, Surfing, Surfer and the Patagonia catalog. When we don't have him chained to a desk at Pat. HQ in Ventura, Jeff…
Happy Father’s Day to all the Patagoniac dads out there. Hope you had a good one. I’m sure some of you can relate to this sweet story from Ray Aberle. Read "Smaller Summits" How did fatherhood change your outdoor lifestyle? We’d love to read your story in the comments section if you have the time…
Ventura, California Departure: June 8, 2007 Let me introduce myself. My name is Jeff though sometimes people call me Tofu. Yes, I am employed by Patagonia. I work as a photographer, writer, and assist in the testing and production of Patagonia products. I am hitting the road in my van for an undetermined amount of time, simply to…
Sometimes you just gotta clear your head of work. For John and Jake that means throwing up an impromptu slackline and getting zen for a few minutes. Here we see Ben from our Facilities department walking the line for the first time behind Patagonia HQ. Smiles all around. [Photo: Free] [L to R: John tests…
The other day while wandering around Camp 4 in Yosemite I ran into Patagonia ambassador Timmy O’Neill. He was hanging around the SARS site with his brother Sean and some guy named Aron. Timmy asked me if I wanted to climb the Manure Pile with him and Aron. “Sure,” I said. Walking to the parking…
by Jeff Johnson Sometimes you forget about your own backyard. While passing through Ventura the other day I had heard about a building south swell. So I hooked up with Patagonia Surf ambassadors Mary Osborne and Chris Malloy and headed south. We ended up posting up all afternoon at a spot north of Malibu. The…
We talk about being committed to the core. Steve House and Lynn Hill are two Patagonia athletes whose stories (both posted recently here on The Cleanest Line) offer a professional insight into this philosophy. Theirs are tales of the unreal made real through the power of intense professional focus. But "committed to the core" does…
We’ve been having a conversation here at Patagonia of late; one that comes up often. The conversation is about some of our classic designs, time-tested pieces, old favorites. Some of the questions tossed out there: What do we do with those “classics”? Where have they gone? Should they come back? How do the current designs…
We received a note the other day in our e-mail box. Our kind correspondent had a simple request: more Field Reports, more stories of dirtbags doing their thing. So here's a little story from the archives. This one's for you, Kelly: Perhaps it was the ten-hour trip off-roading over the rutted steppe in a Russian…
This summer my sister got hitched! We grew up in the wilds of Northern British Columbia and you couldn’t find a more spectacular backdrop for your big day. So friends and family made the trek to Smithers, BC for a weekend of festivities to celebrate my sister and my brother in law. Sure it was…
Tom Brokaw recently interviewed Patagonia owner Yvon Chouinard at Google’s Zeitgeist 2007 conference. The theme: Leading a Non-Virtual LifeTom Brokaw and Yvon Chouinard talk about being intentionally"un-networked" and leading a deliberately disconnected life. Both discuss why living off the grid is critical for a well-roundedexistence.
W’s Tosh Crew Neck Sweater. W’s Wailer Skirt. W’s Trench Town Hoody Jacket/Pants. Do the names of those products prompt anything to come to mind for you? As a long time fan of reggae music and particularly, the collective and individual members of The Wailers, I was surprised and, initially, disturbed that Patagonia would reference…
Happy holidays to you and yours from Patagonia Ventura (pictured), Reno, Japan, Europe and all of our Retail Stores. Thank you to all of our customers, partners, friends and families for your honest feedback, passionate activism and continued support. We’ll see you 2008. [The tribe in Ventura gathered in front of the original Chouinard Equipment…
This just in from The Cleanest Line email bag: the back of our work truck!keeping us warm out in the elements! many thanks, we fly the patagonia flag with pride:) smiles for miles from the u.k. richard esq www.friend-of-mine.co.uk & shoot-the-moonshine.blogspot.com/ Always good to hear from Patagoniacs across the pond. If you have a few…
At the tail end of winter, a trio of friends — Chipper Bro, DK and Free — spent a pleasant morning playing disc golf at Lake Casitas, near Ojai, California. The dirtbag equivalent to ball golf, disc golf (also called Frisbee® golf) is typically free of charge and played in less manicured environments like parks,…
If you’ve ever been far away from loved ones when disaster hits, you know how Kristine Tompkins (Patagonia co-founder and former CEO) and her husband, Doug, feel right now. They are in Argentina, while miles away, one of the Chilean national parks they founded, Pumalin Park, is threatened by the ash and toxic gases spewing…
Mountain of Storms was released in 1968. It is a film about 5 friends who pile into an old van somewhere in California and surf, ski, and climb their way south toward the then still-mythical land of Patagonia, where they put up the first ascent of Cerro Fitz Roy’s Southwest Buttress, the so-called “California Route.”…
With Canada Day already happening on Tuesday (cheers Sonnie!) and Independence Day in full swing today, it’s a great time to relax, share some tasty beverages with family and friends, maybe even play a few games of ping pong. Have a great holiday weekend everybody and thanks for visiting The Cleanest Line. Update: Fixed incorrect…
Scott Parry climbing “Steppin Out” 5.10d, Yosemite Valley. Photo: Jeff Johnson Phew … I’m back! Finally. Got back a couple months ago after being out of the country for half a year. Long story, too long. I’ll get to that later. You know how it is when you come back from traveling; an estrangement occurs.…
I said in my initial entry that I would occasionally talk about or mention product. This is only because I am very passionate about technical product. I love it when a piece of gear works exactly how it was intended when used in the conditions it was designed for. For instance: when I’m making an…
Craig Holloway is back with another insightful interview. This time around Craig chats with Vincent Stanley, who’s been working with his uncle, Yvon Chouinard, for the last 35 years (on and off). Vincent is currently the head writer and editor for Patagonia’s marketing team. [Photo by Tim Davis] CRAIG: You have been employed with Patagonia…
Let’s get straight to the point: We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for You. That’s right, You with a capital “Y,” the one who’s reading this post. It’s You–Patagonia customers, fans of the Tin Shed, regular readers of The Cleanest Line–who deserve the thanks. Last year, we ran a post expressing our gratitude for…
It’s time for another reader-submitted Backyard Adventure. This one comes courtesy of longtime Cleanest Line commenter CM, otherwise known as Craig Metzger from Southern California. CM’s story first appeared on his blog Get Outside More. I’d been planning a backpack trip with friends for some time. The plan was to hike in, camp and then…
Last month Uncle Dave returned to the Patagonia campus. Like a bird he migrates back to Ventura for a spell then flies off to New England or Greece for self-rejuvenation. In the six months that he spends on campus he tends the grounds with meticulous precision. The windblown leaves are swept clean from the parking…
I lay in bed the other night, a lot tired and a little bloodied, but smiling, thinking about the horned toad Alex and I had managed to catch earlier in the day. I’ve only seen a couple of these prehistoric-looking reptiles in the mountains of Southern California, because they’re kind of scarce and accomplished masters…
We’re pleased to share some good news today about a youngfriend who offers a rare bright spot in what has been a tough year for theoutdoor industry. Trevor Clark picked an interesting time to start his outdooradventure photography business – May of 2008. A lot has changed, for Trevor and for the economy, in theyear…
Before I came to work at Patagonia, I was employed for many years with an outdoor retailer in Evanston, Illinois. It’s the customers I remember best. There were Gary and Sally, who would drop by to talk about their yearly rafting trip to Montana. Alan liked to hand me pictures of his beloved red ’72…
You’ve seen our catalogs, our Web site and perhaps some press about Patagonia. For those of you who have never actually seen Patagonia (and I’m imagining that’s most of our customers and friends), here are some photos from and around our headquarters in Ventura. View all or have a look at Patagonia Ventura from space.…
Editor’s note: Back in 2008-2009, when blogging was our social media channel of choice, we asked friends and customers to share stories with us about their backyard adventures. The idea came from Dan Malloy who said in an interview at the time, “My goal these days is to tap into that traveling state of mind…
I’ve dreamt of Indian Creek for years but had never made the voyage. Now I had an excuse. The Patagonia Design Offsite was to be in Utah this month and I wanted to attend. This would be my first trip to Moab and Indian Creek. I picked up my friend Bill Beckwith in San Francisco.…
A little over a year ago, we invited readers to submit stories of their own Backyard Adventures and announced a deadline of January 9th, 2009. Here we are in 2010, and still (happily) receiving submissions. The most recent is this beautiful audio slideshow from father and Bend, Oregon resident, Jason Albert, entitled Backyard World. The…
Ever ridden in a backpack, surfed tandem, skied on a leash, been pulled up to the belay, sat on the handle bars or just had a downright radical experience with the helping hand of your Rad Dad? In celebration of Father's Day, we put that question to you a little over a week ago. The…