THE ROCK FIGHT is a wildly entertaining, unapologetically honest podcast that takes a hard (but not humorless) look at the outdoor industry and its major players. Since its debut in December 2022, the Rock Fight team has worked to shake up the industry’s status quo through unfiltered conversations on everything from trending news and gear to environmental policies to offbeat topics like the best layers for the ice planet Hoth. We chatted with host Colin True about the genesis of the show, why he never hesitates to invite “haters” on, and what lies ahead.
How did the idea for THE ROCK FIGHT podcast come about?
I’m a big fan of sports and pop culture podcasts and was always disappointed that the outdoor community didn’t have podcasts that embraced the discourse and conversations I often have with my friends in the outdoor industry. So after wrapping Rock Fight’s first podcast called LAYERS, I decided to create it myself. And thus THE ROCK FIGHT was born!
What does the name Rock Fight mean?
You know, you pick up a rock and throw it at someone else and then try to avoid being hit by the rocks that they are throwing back at you.
Ultimately it’s an homage to life itself because, isn’t everything a rock fight?
Can you share a little bit about your backgrounds and why your perspective is unique when it comes to outdoor news and views?
I came up through retail working at two different Play It Again Sports stores before landing at Eastern Mountain Sports in Portsmouth, NH. While at EMS I really found my way into the outdoors and that eventually got me to Timberland where I started in Customer Service and then out into the field as a Tech Rep for Timby’s suite of outdoor brands (Timberland Outdoor Performance, Smartwool, Miōn & GoLite Footwear). Eventually I served as National Sales Manager for PROBAR and GU Energy Labs before ending my industry career at Polartec, where I served as Director of Sales & Marketing for North America.
Getting to engage in the industry with so many different types of products and customers during my corporate career really formed the voice you hear on THE ROCK FIGHT.
Do you have a favorite episode that you’ve done so far?
Why would you ask me to pick a favorite of my more than 230 children? That just seems cruel.
You’ve been known to invite people who disagree with you on social media onto the show to defend their positions and engage in some good old fashioned debate. Can you tell us how this has been received by both the guests you bring on and by your audience?
Because we’re all passionate about going outside, there is a sincerity and earnestness among the denizens of the outdoor industry that is kind of amazing. But it also means that everyone is afraid of being critical or calling out an individual or a brand. We’re all okay having these conversations off the record but the vast majority of outdoor media is pretty boring because they’re happy to just re-hash the same topics and stories over and over again. So by saying the quiet things out loud I feel like I’m helping make our industry better.
Also, I’m not doing this in a mean-spirited way. Any criticism I put out there on THE ROCK FIGHT comes from a place of wanting this industry and space that I love to be its best self. As such I made a rule from Day 1 that if I call you out, I would love for you to come on the show and push back on me!
And so far we’ve had several guests come on the show to push back on some take that I got off. Things that are not that consequential like my opinions on rigid bikes and overly sized sunglasses (Adam Jaber & Paddy O’Connell were happy to say I got those takes wrong. But fun fact: THEY’RE WRONG) and other topics like when I said the Outdoor Retailer show is over. Sean Smith, OR’s Show Director, came on the next week and told me what they were doing to improve the show. That led to me attending OR this past June and Sean coming back on the show in July.
My goal with THE ROCK FIGHT isn’t to tear anyone down but to make something that’s pretty good already even better.
You’ve recently spun off into a new series called Gear & Beer, can you tell us about the inspiration for this new series and how you’re taking a different approach to gear reviews?
Kind of like with THE ROCK FIGHT, we just felt like the approach to gear and the stuff that enables our adventures had gotten very formulaic and relied on listicles or talking about technical differences. The truth is that most of what gets made by outdoor brands works just fine so the conversation should be centered on the experience the gear allows you to have. So those are the kinds of conversations we have on Gear & Beer. The kind of chats you have with friends on the trail or ski lift.
Also, what goes better with gear than beer?
What, in your opinion, are the best and worst things to come out of the outdoor industry in the past few years?
The best thing to come out of the outdoor industry is the continued gateway for more people to get outside and understand how their lives can be changed by doing outdoorsy stuff. Engaging with the natural world is truly life-changing stuff.
The worst thing? Probably the continued greenwashing put out there by outdoor brands. I’d love to see more brand collaborations to establish best manufacturing practices to ensure circular solutions that can be deployed across the industry. Sierra (the retailer) may have a problem with that though.
You create and share AI-generated “Rock Fight Action Figures,” poking fun at outdoorsy types we’ve all encountered and in theory, been annoyed by…such as The Off Leash Dog Walker, The Swag Hound, and The Insufferables, a van life influencer couple.
What would your personal Rock Fight Action Figure be?
The Voice of the Outdoors perhaps? Just me with a microphone and a giant megaphone making everyone in our community listen to and hang on every last dumb word that comes out of my mouth? I suppose I need to stay true to my podcasting roots.
Who is your dream guest for THE ROCK FIGHT (living or dead) and what would you ask them?
I’ll give you one for both.
Living: Jack Black because not many people know that he’s super outdoorsy and I’ve never heard him talk about outdoorsy stuff.
Dead: Hemingway. Because I think he’d be super irritated by the way modern people go outside and we’d have plenty of rocks to throw.
What podcasts are you listening to, other than your own?
The Town with Matt Belloni (one of my favorites and a big influence on THE ROCK FIGHT)
Bandsplain
Trial By Content
Pivot
The Rewatchables
Probably too many Ringer podcasts
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