Out of Office: By Invitation Only

Yours truly has been invited to join The Mountaineers esteemed 2009 Crag Committee. I’ll be volunteering to help coordinate climbing field trips, where I may also serve as an assistant instructor. I also have to attend some committee meetings. And we’ll probably drink some brews.

Thanks to my friend M.J. Kelly who recommended that I take the Crag Course. If you are looking to build your rock climbing skills, I highly recommend this hands-on instruction.

Out of Office: I’d Rather Be Climbing

One that reckons accounts all the day passes not a happy moment. One that gladdens his heart all the day provides not for his house. The bowman hits the mark, as the steersman reaches land, by diversity of aim. He that obeys his heart shall command.
- Ptahhotep (Egyptian sage), 2400 B.C.

The modern version:
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All play and no work makes Jack a mere toy.

Climbing is both play and hard work. So I’m headed to BC for the Squamish Mountain Festival. I will check email sporadically, but return calls after Monday.

Cheakamus Canyon, The Malamute, Shannon Falls, Smoke Bluffs, Star Chek…check out the climbing photos.

Out of Office

It’s Rockfest!

Friday, I’ll be sending some multi-pitch trad climb somewhere around Leavenworth…maybe Givler’s Crack, or Groundhog’s Day, who knows. Saturday and Sunday, it’s on to the free climbing clinics and BBQ at Bridge Creek Campground.

I’ll return calls and emails Monday.

Return To Smith Rock

Return To Smith Rock is the sequel to the 2006 Climbing Adventures of Joel Meyers, Sean Smith, and Scott Marlow. The 2008 cast makes their base at Skull Hollow Campground, just a few miles north of the State Park.

Marlow headlines this second tour with all new team members from The Mountaineers Crag Course: Dan Azer, Jeff Meyers, and Adriana Moscatelli. Instructors include: Mark Candelaria, Julie Morris, and Kevin Piasecki.

Photographed against Smith Rock’s idyllic 600+ acre sport-route paradise, students test their trad(itional) climbing skills in stifling triple-digit temperatures against ominous cliffs – like the famous Dihedrals, Red Wall, and the West Side’s Spiderman Buttress.

Out of Harm’s Way, Moscow is visited, and SuperSlabs of huckleberry ice cream and Cinnamon Toast are consumed. Noone is hurt. Everyone comes home safe. Phone calls are returned Tuesday, May 20.

Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada?

What is the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada?” According to Google, you’ll find it’s Squamish, British Columbia. More than a motto. Squamish has successfully branded itself as a canoeing-fishing-hiking-kayaking-mountain biking-rafting-rock climbing-scuba diving-windsurfing mecca.

Jen and I recently joined our friends Lourdez Olanda and Erin McClelland for a few days of single-pitch trad climbing bliss at Murrin Park, and Smoke Bluffs, just below the Stawamus Chief – one of the largest granite walls in the world.

See our Squamish climbing pictures

DQ: Sweet Treats, Sour Brand Image

Casual Fridays Gone Bad

Marketing is more than branding your image. Take my recent visit to the Cle Elum Dairy Queen. The Heath Bar Blizzard and cherry sundae sure tasted sweet, but our experience was sour…

Good food, good service and good value are what most customers expect from any restaurant. You expect the traditional DQ menu of Cool Treat Deals, DQ Baskets, and Blizzards. You don’t expect the Plus It: Add Plumber’s Buttcrack to every order for no extra charge!

Employees’ slovenly attire impacts how customers recall Dairy Queen’s brand image. Gone are the strawberry red lips, the DQ moniker. What’s left is a memory of unprofessionalism. DQ’s tolerance for indecent dress not only tarnishes its brand image, but it offends customers who still believe belts keep your pants up, not down.

Up and down doesn’t matter when you’re mountain biking and climbing around Leavenworth and Cashmere. It’s all fun. Check out our recent photos of Clamshell Crack, Mountaineers Dome, Devil’s Gulch, and Freund Creek:
www.marketingbymarlow.com/photos/