Today, so much is new that even Back to the Future is in the past. Climbing is no longer a fringe sport practiced by society’s outcasts (although we never did mind that view). Gyms are common-place, and mainstream culture has accepted climbing for what it is: an incredible way to experience adventure, pursue personal challenge, gain fitness, and create memories with a close group of new and old friends, building the kind of relationships that often last a lifetime. As a brand, Flashed has the benefit of building off 25+ years of trial-and-error, removing the guess-work, and working directly with materials manufacturers (no more off-the-shelf) to produce gear that simply works and works simply.
With a thirst for curiosity and continuous improvement, we’ve travailed to keep pace with the changing sport and the gym needs of our padding. Today, our pads look and perform noticeably different than even a couple of years ago. Engagement and expectations are up and pushing improvement and betterment across all aspects of the climbing and gym experience. With Tokyo2020 offering the first Olympic gold ever in our sport, we’re attracting a wider and deeper group of people into our doors, bringing higher demands and greater opportunities.
Along with these new opportunities, we are better aware of our place in the world and how our activities affect the environment around us today. What once seemed acceptable now must be challenged and changed. No more pallet fires, chaotic walking around the boulders, or random poops. Climbing areas are intensely beautiful, and it’s our responsibility to preserve and maintain them both for each other today and for those who’ll come after us. This responsibility has been shaping and changing our products at Flashed. We’re striving to remove or reduce all plastics from our products, minimize packaging, and prolong the lifespan of gear so less is consumed, doing away with the single-use mindset. We recognize this is only a starting place and commit to a path of doing more each year, season, and day. Innovation will continue to be our strength as we adapt and change our methods and gear. We believe we must set our divisions and differences aside to come together to create a better community, society, and environment. Then we can start tackling all these things while respecting each other, challenging our own minds and habits, and including everyone to ensure healthy, lasting outdoor spaces and communities.
