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Lindsey Clark, Ruff Wear product designer and colorist, shares some insights into the color selection process
The best part of my job!
I am very motivated by color. In fact, I think most people are, whether they are aware of it or not. There are deep psychological connections that can’t be denied: we are calmed by shades of blue, cheered by yellow, excited by red. Here at Ruff Wear, we consider a variety of factors when choosing colors for our products: from visibility, to environment, to long-term durability.
Fun
Our colors are fun! Ruff Wear gear is designed for your most enjoyable outdoor activities: those you share with your dog. Bright, saturated, lively colors make those fun activities even better.
These two don't seem too calmed by all their blue gear...
Visible
Speaking of bright and saturated, visibility is an important factor that we consider when coloring our products. Does your dog enjoy hiking off-leash during hunting season, or jogging with you near traffic? Bright, attention-getting colors on your dog (and you!) will keep you both visible and safe.
You're hurting my eyes!
Durable
Our leashes and collars are designed to last the lifetime of your dog – and your best friend loves the outdoors as much as you – so of course they get dirty. You won’t find any pastel colors here; darker, yet colorful webbing hides dirt and washes really well!
She plans to look this good five years from now.
Cooling
Some of our products are designed specifically for use in hot environments, like the Singletrak Pack™. Both colors of the Singletrak Pack were carefully chosen to minimize heat absorption from the sun, yet not get dirty too easily.
Hot weather = long tongues. Good thing they are packing water!
Inspiring
All of our colors come straight from nature, and we have named them accordingly. Cinder Cone Red, Twilight Gray, Overcast Blue, Campfire Orange, Alpenglow Purple, Obsidian Black… these are the things that inspire us in the outdoors, and when we make gear for our best friends.
Jack chose those boots to match the Deschutes...
Kaya the ski dog had the pleasure of accompanying her humans, Erik Schmidt and Ruff Wear employee Lindsey Clark, on a trip that marked their 24th consecutive month of skiing. Erik and Lindsey love bringing Kaya along, and think she makes all ski trips better! Or at least fluffier.
This is the second year that Erik, Kaya and I have made a pilgrimage to Middle Sister via the Obsidian trail to get in our September turns. The snow on Middle Sister is not easily accessible, but the approach is through spectacular country, and the snow is reliable. Last year’s adventure was memorable and worth repeating.
In summer, the western approach to Middle Sister can’t be beat. The Obsidian trail is famous for a reason! After about 3.5 miles of hiking moderately uphill through a beautiful and rather magical subalpine forest, the trail climbs up and over an ancient, rugged and bright orange lava flow. Descending off the lava, the trail crosses White Branch Creek and enters a beautiful small alpine meadow choked with lupine, Indian paintbrush and alpine dandelion flowers.
An adorable fluff nugget in a field of wildflowers
The next short, steep uphill section of trail along some small waterfalls brings you to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. At this point the trail becomes Glacier Way, and Middle Sister peeks out through even more wildflowers. At the back of the Obsidian trail loop a creek crossing takes you to a climber’s trail that heads uphill. From there, it’s a straightforward rock and scree scramble up the mountain.
Kaya resting at the intersection of Glacier Way and the PCT
We left the Obsidian trailhead at around noon on Friday. It was a challenging first few miles being burdened with a heavy and awkward pack, but my body quickly adapted to the load. We reached the stream crossing after about five hours of hiking, then cruised up a prominent, treed ridge back to last year’s perfect bivouac site at about 7,300’. This site is a favorite for its ski in/ski out location!
After taking some time to unload gear and relax, we all headed up the adjacent bowl for some pre-dinner turns. 7 PM is the perfect time to ski in September on the West side of Middle Sister. The sun cups are soft and the lava rock, expansive views and sunset are a pretty dramatic backdrop. Our fun, fast and easy turns were lit by a particularly spectacular sunset that evening with the sky full of layers of smoke from the forest fires down below.
Erik skiing off into the sunset...
After skiing, we had a great time cooking and eating dinner in our bivy sacks, surrounded by warm air and a great view of the Milky Way. We even saw some shooting stars! Tents are overrated; an alpine bivy on a warm, clear night can’t be beat.
Melting snow for water under a beautiful sky
We woke on Saturday to crazy gusty winds that were totally demotivating. After slow preparations, we set out at about 9 AM. Crampons were really the only option as the snow was frozen solid. Kaya’s built-in crampons seemed to work nicely! We made a direct trajectory toward the summit block, ascending what we refer to as the “RenCol” bowl: a large, steep, persistent snowfield between the Renfrew and Collier glaciers. It’s a non-technical route with some moderately steep snow climbing toward the top.
Erik was climbing out in front with Kaya, and I was following closely behind. After she slipped a few times, Erik decided to take the dog and call their high point at a convenient shelf. I continued to the top of the bowl, topping out at around 9,000’.
On top of RenCol bowl, looking out over the Cascade crest
We leapfrogged back to camp, with the snow improving as our elevation dropped. Kaya seemed psyched to be skiing with us, and stayed right on our tails during the entire descent.
Back at camp, we ate a well-deserved lunch while Kaya snoozed. She had just run down about 2,000 vert! We were packed up and skiing out by 3 PM. There was enough patchy snow that we were able to ski almost all the way down to the creek crossing, saving time and knees.
Kaya and I making some fun turns back to camp / Photo by Erik Schmidt
The Obsidian trail is generally populated this time of year, but we only saw two ladies on our entire hike back to the trailhead. Come to find out, there were over 500 people evacuated from a nearby stretch of the PCT that was close to a large forest fire. My guess is that the smoke deterred most people from hiking the trail on that particular weekend.
We arrived at the trailhead by 7 PM, and were back in Bend and eating Hungarian sausages by 8. Another fun September ski mission complete. Cheers to 24 consecutive months of snow worship!
Back at the trailhead after a fun and successful September ski trip!
Every summer we invite our city friends and dogs up to Central Oregon for a weekend of sunshine and relaxation on one of our spectacular Cascade Lakes. This year, we camped on the shore of Davis Lake.
We enjoyed lava flows, snowy mountaintops, gorgeous yellow water lilies, excellent camp food, a few bald eagle sightings, and a spectacular starry light show every evening.
The dogs loved every second of the weekend! Smelling, swimming, eating, napping… it’s a good life for sure!
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Thanks to Sondra Law for the photos.
This is a tribute to Wister: Ruff Wear Ambassador, athlete, and friend.
Wister in his natural habitat
Wister and I first met at the Outdoor Retailer show in January of 2010. There were plenty of dogs wandering the aisles at the show, but this guy was special. Not only did he have a great smile, but how many dogs out there are listed as a guide on Exum’s website?
Wister was the most accomplished four-legged climber I’d met. It was impressive to learn that he’d climbed to the summit of Gannett Peak, the highest point in Wyoming, six times! From what I understand, the Wind River range was his second home. He also loved to ski, and shared many snowy adventures with his parents Amy and Forrest.
As a Ruff Wear athlete in his golden years, Wister did a thorough job testing and promoting our Climate Changer™ fleece jacket and Highlands Bed™. When I visited him during a ski trip to Jackson Hole this winter, it was clear that he took his lounging very seriously. I know he appreciated being warm and cozy in his gear!
Even as a senior citizen, Wister was willing to demonstrate the safety and relative comfort of our DoubleBack™ harness while dangling from the rock wall at Outdoor Retailer. He was super-mellow, having experienced this sort of thing in the past while canyoneering with Forrest. What a dog!
I was very sad to learn that Wister passed away last week after 13 years of epic adventuring. A group of his best friends skinned up to the summit of Mt. Glory to share stories and spread his ashes in his favorite place to ski.
Wister, you were a grand dog with an excellent sense of adventure. Happy trails to you!
Amy spreading Wister's ashes on Mt. Glory / Photo by Bradly Boner
Happy trails to you, Wister / Photo by Bradly Boner
In honor of Valentine’s day, I’d like to share this photo of Kaya.
She is the most adorable fluff nugget / blonde princess / cuddle muffin / powder hound / fluffer nutter / noodle face… she simply spews hearts and halos every time she is photographed!
I have no clue how this angelic fluff ball with legs ended up at the humane society, but I sure am glad we found her!
Hi, I’m Kaya, one of Ruff Wear’s product testers. My specialty is skiing… as much as possible! Fall is an exciting time of the year; I’ve always got my nose in the wind trying to predict the weather. As soon as the snow flies, I am ready to ski!
We got our first decent storm over the last two days (12″), so my family and I headed up to Mount Bachelor to hike for some early-season turns. Here are some photos, enjoy!
I've been waiting all summer to ski this!
Nice view from the hike!
Following my friend Erik up the slope... can't he go any faster??!?
Here I am skiing with my friend Lindsey. Can't see me? I'm getting face shots!
That’s all for now… pray for snow!
