The Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise's (KORE) Re-Hub Program has just launched a mobile outdoor gear repair tour.
The tour, which started off at the Revelstoke Re-Fest, will offer free repairs on all sorts of outdoor gear in locations all across the Kootenays.
"This is a game changer for the outdoor industry in Canada, bringing together incredible partners like College of the Rockies and Selkirk Innovates to take the proactive steps to repair outdoor gear for people in the Kootenay region for free, which keeps the outdoor gear in happy use and out of the landfill," said chair of KORE Outdoors Matt Mosteller.
The main goal of the tour, Mosteller added, is to gauge community interest in establishing a permanent repair hub somewhere in the region.
“This is about more than fixing zippers and broken buckles,” Mosteller said. “It’s about reimagining the lifecycle of gear and creating a repair economy to inspire regions around the world.”
Outdoor recreation is big business in B.C., contributing around $15 billion to the provincial economy, but Mosteller says the industry is faced with a "critical sustainability challenge" for both soft and hard goods, with less than one per cent of outdoor gear getting recycled and the bulk of it winding up in landfills.
The Re-Hub Program is supported by a network of partners, including the College of the Rockies (COTR) and Selkirk Innovates, based out of Castlegar.
“We are proud to support the KORE Re-Hub tour with a sustainable business practices inventory and study,” said Paul Tiege, COTR’s Manager of Applied Research and Innovation. “We are also happy that our Mobile Education Lounge is playing a key role as the mobile repair hub.”
This tour will see professional repair technicians in a fully-loaded mobile unit stop at a dozen markets, festivals and other events. They provide on-the-spot repairs to your jackets, backpacks, sleeping bags and much more. While most soft goods can be repaired on location, some of the more complicated repair jobs will be sent to partners to be completed for a small fee.
“It’s a privilege to contribute to Re-Hub’s mission through the pilot project of hard goods gear repair,” addedSelkirk College Instructor Shawn Curran. “It’s our aim to better understand the potential business opportunities for outdoor gear repair in the Kootenays.”
Hard goods, including ski equipment, can be brought to six locations — Revelstoke, Castlegar, Nelson, Kimberley, Cranbrook and Invermere — to be sent for assessment at Selkirk College’s Technology Access Centre.
You can learn more about the program koreoutdoors.com/rehub.
The full tour itinerary is below:
May 25: Revelstoke Re-fest
June 7-8: Castlegar Sunfest
June 14: Nelson Farmers Market
June 21: Creston Farmers Market
June 28-29: Kimberley Localpalooza
July 4: Fernie Gravel Grind
July 12: Cranbrook Community Futures
July 13: Kaslo Wild Ultra
July 16: Golden Summer Kicks
July 18: Radium Hot Springs Farmers Market
July 19: Invermere Valley Appreciation Day
September 13: Rossland Arts & Culture Fest
