For more than 23 years, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine has been the definitive guide to outdoor sports, health, and adventure travel in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Award-winning writers provide insights into the issues, trends, music, and gear. Top photographers provide breathtaking images of the Blue Ridge.
From Blue Ridge Outdoors: The country’s economic climate is frighteningly uncertain. The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted businesses to shutter their doors indefinitely, forced millions of Americans to file for unemployment, and mandated millions more to stay at home. Locally and nationally, the outdoor industry, like so many others, is taking a hit. About 90 percent of the industry is built on the backbones of small businesses, many of which are grappling with how to keep their employees paid and their businesses alive. Yet in these scary and unprecedented times, some businesses are getting creative and meeting new challenges head on.