News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
It wasn't your average corporate retreat. Companies like their team-building experiences, but they don't usually include camping in tents in Sisters Creekside City Park, hiking at Smith Rock or whipping around Central Oregon on impromptu bike rides.
But that's what Mountain Hardwear did last week. The company, renowned for top-quality tents, backpacks and outdoor clothing and gear, set up a retreat in Sisters where retailers and representatives could mingle with designers and technicians, learn about new gear and test products in live conditions and learn more about what makes Mountain Hardwear gear work.
Tate Metcalf of Sisters Athletic Club facilitated the company's visit.
"One of the reps called me because they wanted to do something in the Northwest," Metcalf said. "They were thinking more of the Bend area and I said, 'hell no! You've gotta come to Sisters!'"
Among the visitors to Sisters was Bruce Cornell, an athlete and product tester. Mountain Hardwear has many athletes and product testers on its rolls, but Cornell brings something special to the game. He is a paraplegic.
He teaches adaptive skiing in his hometown of Truckee, California, plays golf, water skis and is an avid cyclist, using a 23-pound carbon-framed hand bike. His take on products is a little different than most folks.
He likes Mountain Hardwear gear because it's of high quality, but it's not exclusive. Weekend warriors can use it and benefit from it.
"It's something everybody can work with," he said.
And he likes the company's attitude about their work: they're always striving to make the products better and if something he tests needs tweaking, they do it.
"To me, that's the key to the company: they back what they make," Cornell said.
Cornell was paralyzed in a construction site accident in San Diego in 1985, run over by a runaway five-ton truck. His trauma surgeon happened to be the next-door neighbor of NFL quarterback Dan Fouts, now a Sisters residents. Cornell and Fouts have connected many times subsequently through NFL charity programs.
"Dan is one of the most giving people I have ever met," Cornell said.
As soon as he started recovering from the accident, Cornell began to plot how he could start playing sports and recreating again.
"I've gotta get back into the game of life," he thought.
Adaptive sports equipment has evolved markedly in the past 20 years and Cornell is now able to enjoy recreation of all kinds with friends and family. He's done the Boston Marathon five times and he is frighteningly fast on his bike.
His wife Billie, who is also an avid cyclist, admits she can't keep up with Bruce on the downhills.
"Here's the secret," Cornell said, patting his belly. "Mass equals velocity."
Cornell may joke about it, but he provides plenty of propulsion with powerful shoulders and arms. He's hit 45 miles per hour on his current bike with no wobbles.
Mountain Hardwear spent four days in Sisters, capped with an evening presentation at Sisters Athletic Club. This is the second such retreat the company has engaged in. More are planned, one in the Adirondacks of New York and one in Escalante Canyon in Utah.
Washington representative Jamie Buyagawan thinks Sisters will be hard to beat.
"Everyone's having a blast," he said.
For more information about Mountain Hardwear, visit http://www.mountainhardwear.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)