For those not in the know, Johnson Outdoors is one of the few outdoor industry companies that you can find on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (Their stock symbol is JOUT.O). Because they are publicly traded, they must provide quarterly financial updates which provide a unique look into the business of the outdoor industry as most other private companies hold these financial details very close.

Looking at their 3rd quarter report; on a whole their earnings were ok but their over all sales were way down compared to the same period last year.

Petzl America is looking to hire a Headlamp Division Manager for their main office in Clearfield, Utah.

Looks good but the required skills is what is killing me:

Richard, the founder of Scandinavian kayak company Point 65 runs a very interesting blog. He is one of the few outdoor industry owners who runs their own blog and he always brings an interesting perspective of life on his side of the desk.

Today he posted an interesting article that you should read. To summarize, it seems that a small Swedish kayak manufacture is threatening to sue another kayak importer because the stripe on their kayaks are too similar.

He doesn't name any names but you can read into it and probably hazard a good guess.

Of course every issue has two sides of the story so if anybody knows more details on this burning issue, I would love to hear it.

James Moss from Golden, Colorado has spent the last twenty-years practicing outdoor recreation law. His blog, Recreation Law quickly analyzes trends and issues related to outdoor industry accidents, and litigation.

I really like small business news and marketing. In fact the business end of the outdoor industry is one of the things that enjoy watching.

As everybody knows, the internet is one of the most efficient and cost effective methods for marketing your paddling school or guiding company. Everybody has a website but just having it listed on Google doesn't automatically cause your phone ring off the hook with people wanting to throw money at you.

If your website isn't getting much traffic, it is time to start marketing. But figuring out which program to use or how to get started is sometimes more difficult then it is worth. Also, it can get expensive and with the razor thin margins of the outdoor industry, it can be a real risk throwing money into a campaign that might not get a good return on your investment.

I recently stumbled upon a great little article that looks at how small businesses on a very limited budget and can take advantage and succeed using social media networks. The article highlights eight great programs or companies that will help to drive traffic to your website. And the great thing is that the majority is free. If you haven't heard of Yahoo Answers, Digg, Delicious or StumbleUpon then you need to read it.

More Info: searchenginewatch.com