By Daniel Leaderman - Click here for the original article at open.maryland.gov The scenic beauty of the Allegany County landscape isn’t what first drew Mandela Echefu to Cumberland, but it’s what led him to stay and launch a business. Now, he’s dedicating his life to...
A Bigger Tent
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors. Click here to see the original article. More beginners are exploring the outdoors. Let’s welcome them. I remember when I started educating myself on all things outdoors. It was before the proliferation of online...
Take Me Home Country Roads
Every tour has those moments when all that could be said has been spoken, the laughs have been exhausted, the sights are redundant, and everyone settles into their own rhythm, their own thoughts. In this moment, we touch solitude in the midst of company and we permit ourselves to do what bike rides are great for — processing. It was at this time that I began to contemplate the irony of my current reality. Clad in spandex, I was riding a bicycle loaded with gear to allow me to sleep in the “bush,” as we call it back home where I’m from.
Opinion: The Power of Retail Mentorship
As only the third Black owner of a specialty outdoor shop in the U.S., Mandela Echefu went out in search of a mentor, and found one
The Next Generation of Outdoor Industry Leaders
Four explorers paving the way for a new outdoor industry speak in their own words
One Year In: A Sleepy Charming Town and Touting the Truth that Self-Discovery Lies in the Outdoors
From Allegany Magazine's January 2022 edition. Read the full article here. Reader Commentary One Year In… A Sleepy Charming Town and Touting the Truth that Self-Discovery Lies in the Outdoors One of Cumberland’s newer businesses reports on its first full year in...
Great Allegheny Passage proves to be ‘economic highway’
This article originally appeared in the Cumberland Times-News, December 1st, 2021 CUMBERLAND — Tourism along the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage drove over $121 million in economic impact in 2019, according to a year-long analysis by Pittsburgh-based consulting firm...
Bike the Mountains of Allegany County, Maryland
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, September 6th, 2021 Rocky Gap State Park in the fall Situated among the Appalachian Plateau and Allegheny Mountains and bordered by the Potomac River, Allegany County is a scenic biking destination in...
Wheelzup and running on a new business
This article was written by Brandon Glass and originally appeared in the Cumberland Times-News, April 23rd, 2021 Wheelzup Adventures held its grand opening Friday afternoon on the downtown Cumberland mall. The business will offer local tours, shuttles, bike rentals...
Can We Join the Party?
This article originally appeared in Blue Ridge Outdoors. Click here to see the original article. The climate and demographics of snowsports are changing. Today’s world is changing, both in a literal and philosophical sense. Winter sports are a sector, grappling with...
Where’s Everyone Else?
Growth opportunities in ski patrol with minorities