We鈥檝e said it before, and we鈥檒l say it again: outdoor sports are expensive. No matter the activity鈥攕kiing, mountain biking, climbing, trail running, backpacking鈥攃hances are you鈥檙e staring down the barrel of a few hundred dollars to get yourself outfitted from the ground up. (That is to say nothing of lift tickets, entry fees, and lessons.) For many, especially teens and young adults, that cost is prohibitive.
An online retailer called wants to help. Now through September 15 people between the ages of 13 and 23 can . Three winners each quarter (12 in total every year) will receive $500 to buy anything they want from the store鈥檚 selection, which includes brands like Black Diamond, Kelty, Goal Zero, and Petzl.聽
Gear.com is specifically looking for young people with 鈥渁 genuine passion for the outdoors and a desire to pay it forward to the next generation of adventure seekers,鈥 according to a .
Scholarship winners will also benefit from Gear.com鈥檚 Give-A-Buck program. Every time you buy something, Gear.com gives you two coupons for 10 percent of the purchase amount鈥攐ne to use yourself, and one to give to a friend or an organization of your choice. Once scholarship winners are chosen, you鈥檒l be able to dedicate those Give-A-Buck coupons to them. (Scholarship recipients will be listed with short bios on the Gear.com site as you check out, so you can choose who you鈥檇 like to give your credit to.)
鈥淲e hope聽[this scholarship program] enables many people鈥攆or many years鈥攖o jumpstart their newly found passion for the outdoors,鈥 Jonny Atencio, Gear.com鈥檚 business development director, said in the press release.
Of course, $500 only goes so far. It鈥檚 enough to buy a nice camping tent and daypack, or a basic climbing kit (shoes, harness, rope, draws), but probably won鈥檛 get you a pair of skis, and certainly not a full backpacking or skiing kit. That said, it鈥檚 also a move we haven鈥檛 seen from many other nationwide companies or retailers. Plenty funnel money toward聽various outdoor user groups, like REI鈥檚 , which supports organizations dedicated to getting women and girls outside. Few focus on giving gear directly to young people who can鈥檛 afford it, and on giving consumers the opportunity to participate.
聽Besides, any step toward聽enabling more people to experience the outdoors is a step in the right direction.