Coalition-Member Spotlight

Ceja Vineyards, Timbuk2, Kokatat, La Rocca Vineyards, Wilderness Press, Horny Toad, Atlas Snowshoe, China Ranch Date Farm, Kennan Ward Photography

Atlas Snowshoe

In this edition of the California Wild Heritage Campaign’s Coalition Member Spotlight, we highlight Karen Righthand from Atlas Snowshoe. Atlas Snowshoe is based in Berkeley, California and is credited with bringing snowshoeing into the modern era with their high-tech innovations. Atlas Snowshoes have been used by the U.S. Military Special Operations Forces and are available across the nation. Currently, Atlas has over thirteen patents to its name.

Karen Righthand is the Marketing Director of Atlas Snowshoe. She is a life-long outdoor enthusiast and loves the fact that the company she works for is such an advocate for protecting of the environment. In this edition, Righthand tells us about her background, the background of Atlas Snowshoe and why Atlas is so involved in the environment.

Q&A Karen Righthand

Q. Why did you join CWHC

A. I have been an environmentalist all my life, starting with trips to the Sierra with my dad as a little girl and organizing a school field trip to clean up an oil spill when I was in the seventh grade. I found that I could leverage my position in the outdoor industry to help the cause of wilderness in my native state. And I felt I could lend some of my experience as a communications and marketing programs professional to help articulate the value of wilderness to the citizens of California. I am honored to be part of this effort to protect land in my home state and I am buoyed by their relentless efforts.

Q. What is the focus of your business

A. Our business is manufacturing of performance snowshoes. We are one of the leading manufactures of snowshoes in the world.

Q. How does your focus relate to nature/the environment

A. My particular job at Atlas focuses on growing the sport of snowshoeing, which obviously creates more demand for our products. Access or “where to go” is also a huge issue in our sport. The wonderful byproduct of getting more people out into the winter environment is that some percentage of them will be touched by their experience and be vested to varying degrees in the protection of that environment. I am fortunate to have a job in harmony with my values.

Q. What drew you to the Campaign

A. The opportunity to preserve places I want to take my grandchildren, places my dad took me that are disappearing and changing rapidly, places I frankly just expected would always be there.

Q. Why should businesses care about the environment

A. Natural beauty is a California resource and one of the very things that makes our state such a desirable place to live, work and raise a family. We need to keep this natural “capital” in the bank in a protected savings account that can’t be touched. Keeping it safe for all to enjoy in the future. California businesses won’t be able to attract quality employees if our standard of living is degraded and our state becomes overdeveloped. From the Atlas Snow-Shoe Company perspective, the outdoor recreation industry in the U.S. is a $20 billion dollar a year industry that depends on wild and protected places for our customers to go to use our products. People from all over the world flock to California to see and experience our natural wonders. We must protect these places and the way of life that depends on them.

Q. Where can our activists find you

A. Atlas Snow-Shoe Company is located in Berkeley. Karen@atlassnowshoe.com

Or find me hiking the trails of Mount Tamalpias, snowshoeing the Castle Peak area in Tahoe National Forest or hopefully fly fishing the north fork of the Yuba River.

Q. Word Association: What instantly comes to mind when you hear the word wilderness

A. Beauty

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