Adidas Outdoor, the athletic brand in the outdoors with highly focused performance and lifestyle footwear and apparel for men and women, in conjunction with climbing specialty store Gear Co-op, www.gearcoop.com, celebrated the grand opening of Gear Co-op’s new brick and mortar store this past weekend with female world number one rock climber and adidas Outdoor athlete Sasha DiGiulian. DiGiulian, 19, is the 2011 International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Champion. She was on hand to support the opening of the new store that features a wide selection of adidas Outdoor’s high performance Terrex line, in men’s and women’s apparel and footwear styles.

“Gear Co-op has been such a strong online partner of ours since we launched adidas Outdoor in the United States for Fall 2011,” said Greg Thomsen, managing director of adidas Outdoor, North America. “We look forward to continuing our growing presence in their new store, especially given Gear Co-op’s reputation for being an extremely knowledgeable resource for climbers.”

A packed crowd of outdoor enthusiasts enjoyed the family event, where customers and fans had the opportunity to meet with DiGiulian and witness an in-store bouldering demonstration. Spectators received signed posters and watched a special preview of her video documenting the most difficult ascent ever climbed by an American woman, ‘Pure Imagination’ a 5.14d rated climb located in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge.

About Adidas Outdoor:adidas Outdoor is the athletic brand in the outdoors. The company’s founder, Adi Dassler, designed equipment solutions for athletes that improved their performance. The long history of adidas Outdoor began in the 1970’s with the creation of the first light trekking shoes. Climbing legend Reinhold Messner helped adidas design super light and fast approach hiking shoes for his first Everest ascent without supplemental oxygen in 1978. The tradition continues today with products influenced by Messner, as well as Alexander and Thomas Huber and many additional extreme outdoor adventurers from around the world.

Background on Gear Co-op:
Gear Co-op is a strong “climbing” orientated specialty store that opened in 2009 and is located in sunny Costa Mesa, California. Selling a range of outdoor activity products such as climbing gear, clothing, footwear, yoga accessories, tents and sleeping bags, trekking poles and more. The store carries a wide selection of adidas Outdoor styles both online and now in their first brick and mortar store.