And just like that, another year has flown by and it’s once again time to gather the family and break bread over a beautifully roasted turkey and give thanks for the important things in our lives. But with the onset of Turkey Day, brings the return of Black Friday — a day typically devoted to spending too much money on too many materialistic things. And while we here at Elevation Outdoors understand that supporting local, small businesses on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday is important to our community, you won’t find us elbowing our way through stores this week. Instead, we choose to #optoutside, and here’s a list of places that you’ll most likely find our team this Black Friday.
“Black Friday is not something my family participates in, and honestly we never have. Even before the #optoutside train began officially rolling, I never had a desire to throw myself in the hoards of people scrambling for the best deals. My crew (husband and pup) hike together every year instead. This year, since I’m still recovering from breaking my tib and fib this summer, we’ll do a short “best bang for your buck” hike that I haven’t done in over 4 months — topping out Sugarloaf Mountain just outside of Boulder. I’m sure we’ll have company up there since it’s a popular spot, but that’s OK too. I’ll be glad to see other folks choosing to be outside rather than pushing other people out of the way for the newest gizmos and gadgets.”
-Elizabeth O’Connell, Publisher
“I’ll most likely be putting my boys in ski school and skinning my fat ass up and down A-Basin…in bright yellow ski pants.” -Rob Coppolillo, Contributing Editor
“Thanksgiving day, Black Friday, Christmas, New Year’s Day…You can usually find me on some of my favorite trails in the Boulder, like the trails of Chautauqua, that on any other day are packed with visitors and locals enjoying Colorado’s natural beauty, but on holidays are pretty empty and perfect for walking off that second (or third) piece of whipped cream-topped pumpkin pie…”
-Tyra Sutak, Digital Manager
“I spend Black Friday outside because fresh air certainly beats fighting the crowds for that new toaster oven or automatic wine opener. Don’t you know the unnecessary effort and classic knife-to-cork battle makes the final outcome taste better? Plus, beer’s always at a good price, so no need for Black Friday deals here. Especially when we’re talking about a Tommyknocker Pine Bough at Loveland Ski Area’s Rathskeller, after a day of making a fool of yourself in the snow. Ridiculous outfits and full-on yard sales highly encouraged.” –Conor Sedmak, Account Executive
“I’ll be exploring mining caves above Boulder with my dog. You won’t find me at the mall, but maybe you’ll find me at the dog park.” -Chris Van Leuven, Contributing Editor
“It’s looking to be a beautiful day outside that day so we’ll be hanging with our little kiddos in the yard or at the bike park or on the trails.” -Cameron Martindell, Managing Editor
“I simply enjoy doing what I always love to do, spending time with my family and spending time outside (with my family). So I will be out hiking and biking trails in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with family, friends and dogs. I understand not wanting to partake in the big consumerist hype but I also think it’s important to support small independent business people — specialty outdoor retailers, artists, small shop owners, independent guides, etc. These business have to compete with big corporate business and they need all the support they can get. I will gladly buy from them Black Friday or any day.” -Doug Schnitzspahn, Editor-in-Chief
