Outdoor Research

Outdoor Research founder Ron Gregg, a nuclear physicist by profession, was a man who truly lived his passion for adventure. He saw the outdoors as the ultimate workplace, referring to the mountains, rivers, and oceans he often explored as “The Big Office.”

In 1980, Ron watched his frostbitten partner get airlifted off a glacier during a summit attempt on Denali. He’d spent months planning a new route in the purest style, skiing 100 miles from the road to the base of the climb. Halfway to the summit, their trip ended because of the failure of a pair of gaiters. Stubborn to the end, Ron refused a seat on the helicopter and descended alone for two weeks back to his car, pondering what had happened.

Somewhere along the way, he realized he could fix the gear problem and devote his life to pursuing his passion for adventure. By the end, he knew one thing: He wasn’t returning to his old job.

Back in Seattle, Ron reacted by searching for a solution to prevent this situation from happening again. The result was a functional, insulated gaiter, the X-Gaiter™, which held snugly and was versatile enough to fit a variety of boots. The following year, Outdoor Research was founded from this original inspiration and its resultant innovation.