The new speaker series debuts on May 17 and aims to highlight ideas inspired by the outdoors with guests Luis Benitez and Jamie Logan.
On May 17, Dispatch Radio will kick off Rare Air Talks — a monthly speaker series highlighting ideas and inspiration garnered from the outdoors. The inaugural event in the series is set to take place at The Studio Boulder and will feature guest speakers Jamie Logan (formerly Jim Logan), a Boulder resident and one of the greatest rock climbers in North America, and Luis Benitez — an accomplished mountaineer and director of the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry. Logan and Benitez will discuss the outdoor industry’s efforts to be more inclusive to diverse cultures and the LGBTQ community; and Logan, now 71 and still climbing, will share her stories on stage for the first time since transitioning to life as a woman.
“We’re proud to collaborate with Dispatch Radio and The Studio Boulder to convene an evening of community and storytelling around diversity and inclusion in the outdoors,” said Benitez.
Special guests will include Len Necefer, founder of Natives Outdoors, Aisha Weinhold, founder of No Man’s Land Film Festival and Kriste Peoples with Outdoor Afro.
The main event will take place at The Studio Boulder from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Early-bird pricing is $25 (through April 20) and tickets can be purchased at RareAirTalks.com. Attendees can also purchase tickets for a VIP backstage dinner with the hosts which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 per person.
Everyone who purchases a ticket by April 20 will be treated to a free beer at the after-party at Upslope Brewing Company’s Flatiron Park taproom from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. The after-party will feature The Good Kind band and benefit Big City Mountaineers —a Colorado-based organization that mentors under-resourced youth in the outdoors.
As a strong promoter of inclusiveness in the great outdoors, Elevation Outdoors is excited and proud to partner with Dispatch Radio on the series, something editor-in-chief Doug Schnitzspahn has covered extensively in his monthly editor’s letters. “We’re all about helping grow the outdoor industry and very much support the need for more inclusiveness,” said Schnitzspahn. To learn more about our commitment to diversity in the industry, read the editor’s letter from the March Issue: It’s Time to Listen. We’ll see you on May 17!
