Skip to main content

OUTFOUND Series Battles Mother Nature to First-Year Success

A new outdoor-lifestyle focused festival in the Columbia River Gorge shows promise.

“When I sat down and calculated the numbers, I figured out I’ve spent about 15% of my life living in other countries,” said Nomadix co-Founder Zach Helminak.

If there was one reoccurring theme through last weekend’s OUTFOUND Series Hood River, Oregon, it was revealing conversations like these from the small, but passionate crowd that made their way to the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. The upstart was an attempt at building a new, connective platform improving on the dated Outdoor Retailer trade show model.

Helminak, his girlfriend, Mia Richter and I chatted for the better part of an hour about the outdoors industry, the value of travel and both of their amazing backstories that have merged into a loving relationship and a towel company that now counts REI and Patagonia among its customers.

Throughout the weekend, I’d have similar conversations with enthusiasts and business leaders who were eager to participate in something new and take advantage of Hood River’s world-class outdoor activities.

Flex and Flow at the Outfound Series Hood River
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Friday’s lineup started with a morning yoga workshop from the ladies of Portland’s Flex and Flow (with more energy than anyone should reasonably have on a Friday morning). Not surprisingly given the active attendance, these classes were among the most well-attended events of the weekend.

This is where Helminak and I originally met as he was hawking Nomadix through a giveaway post-class. His company would also be a part of Saturday afternoon’s startup competition (something I didn’t stay for as a number of scheduling and technical issues meant things were running very late).

The rains held off just long enough for some successful stretching, then tapered out as OUTFOUND’s speaker series began. Among the highlights were professional climber Cedar Wright, who detailed a number of his ridiculous journeys, including paragliding off Mexico’s highest peak. A few other business leaders spoke about their personal journeys to success as an underlying theme throughout the afternoon.

professional climber Cedar Wright Speaking at the Outfound Series Hood River
Professional Climber Cedar Wright Image used with permission by copyright holder

The film about that paragliding adventure, The Fledglings, was one of the more popular shorts shown during Friday night’s mini-festival. Several different outdoor sports were represented over an hour of mostly enjoyable cinema.

Saturday started off with more yoga and a quick personal trip to the Hood River Farmer’s Market with a special appearance from the best slice of marionberry pie this writer has ever had.

Wright was back for day two’s speaker series, giving an interesting talk about his idea and valuation of risk. Nothing puts it more in perspective than a world-class mountain climber judging the danger of a climb that most of us would never do in a lifetime. For the audience, he urged us to take just a little more risk in daily life. Not paragliding-in-Mexico risk, but something just a little more than our normal day-to-day.

The festival also featured a small vendor expo with a selection of small companies tailored towards this overly active and mobile demographic. I spent some time chatting with a few of the companies and drank my fair share of Humm Kombucha throughout.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Although OUTFOUND Series suffered myriad technical and scheduling issues (and unpredictability from Mother Nature,) it did show some promise. The crowd was engaged throughout the two days I was there, something much larger events have a hard time doing. There were plenty of opportunities to chat with people living unbelievable adventures around the world in the most casual of settings.

As with any startup, its team will learn from its mistakes and hopefully come back for a second year with tighter programming and equally captivating content.

Photos provided by OUTFOUND Series/ECHOS

Geoff Nudelman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff is a former contributor to The Manual. He's a native Oregonian who’s always up for a good challenge and a great hike…
Learn to tie the clove hitch for when you need a secure, adjustable knot
The clove hitch is one of the most useful knots to have at your disposal in the outdoors
A clove hitch tied to a fixed point

The clove hitch knot is among the most useful outdoor knots you can learn. This fully adjustable bind has endless uses and can be tied either freestanding or around an object. Being fully adjustable means you won't have to completely retie the knot in your system if you want to adjust the tension of your rope.

Read more
8 healthy benefits of hiking you need to know
Start hiking and enjoy the mental and physical benefits right away
Two people hiking together

Hiking is one of the most popular forms of exercise in the U.S. However, it’s more than just a full-body workout; it’s also an excellent opportunity to spend time in nature, clear your mind, and improve your sense of well-being. In addition, hiking is a fully adjustable workout, and you can start on an easy trail and work your way up to full-blown mountain hiking no matter how long your progress takes!

It’s an activity that can be done just about anywhere. Because the prime hiking season in the national parks around the U.S. varies based on climate and affordability, you can easily adjust your hiking plans to match the seasons and see some beautiful areas throughout the country. It’s a great way to meet nature at its level and a perfect excuse to shut out the noise of the modern world.

Read more
ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 is the first real off-grid AC and it’s discounted right now
Zero Breeze Mark 2 real off-grid AC being carried

Last summer, and most of last year, really, was one of the hottest on record. This year looks to be just as hot, so you'll need a reliable way to cool down. The problem with that is that air conditioners are expensive. They're expensive to install and run, and if you're living off-grid, you can pretty much forget about AC at all — until now, anyway. ZERO BREEZE has introduced the first truly off-grid air conditioner that's ultra-portable — at only 16.5 pounds — and battery-powered. The 24-volt battery can last up to eight hours in sleep mode, perfect for extended off-grid use or van-living. You can even connect solar panels or plug it into DC or AC outlets to boost battery life, if and when available. The handheld and lightweight design works exceptionally well for easy transportation and travel, so you can bring the Mark 2 wherever your adventures take you. Use code SPRING15 at checkout through ZERO BREEZE for a limited time to get 15% off your purchase — good from March 15 to March 21.
Buy Now
 
What can the ZERO BREEZE Mark 2 do for you?

Summer can be hot and clammy, and it can even get miserably wet if you live in a humid climate.  One of the trade-offs of staying off-grid is that you're living more efficiently, which also means you're interested in cutting down on power usage and comparable utilities. Even if that's not your goal, and you're just out for an adventure, you'll have to make the same concessions. The wilderness is, well, the wilderness. But with the Mark 2, a portable, battery-powered AC unit, you can cool off anytime, anywhere.

Read more