As of July 1st I have a new distribution company called Pure Life Pursuits Distribution (the website is pretty basic right now but it does all I need it to for the time being) and as of August 1st PLP is the official Canadian national distributor for the exciting new line up from Bryce Thatcher and the people at Elite Creators, called UltrAspire.
If you haven't heard of Bryce Thatcher specifically, here's all you need to know. He started this whole hydration pack thing way back when with the birth of the Ultimate Direction lineup. He followed that up by taking over the pack designs at Nathan and growing that company by 1000% in seven years...yeah that's the right number of zeros. Basically any innovations that have come into the hydration world over the last decade are more than likely directly attributed to Bryce's ingenious ways. Now he's producing his most progressive and refined lineup to date, under his own brand called UltrAspire.
UltrAspire already have some big ultra running names associated with the brand, such as Krissy Moehl, Karl Meltzer, Joe Grant, Duncan Callahan, and Matt Hart. Input from athletes such as these, combined with Bryce's own mountain speed record running history, ensure that each and every design is thoroughly thought out, impeccably tested, and tweaked to perfection before it makes it to market.
I was excited by the premise of this brand in March. Got further stoked when I saw the first version of the samples back in May, and nearly lost my shit when the final samples made their way to me just a few short weeks ago. Bar none, this stuff is honestly the best I've seen from any brand to date, and I'm exceptionally excited to be working with such an incredible group of people.
The first few packs will be available this fall with the majority of the line up available before years end. The official market launch will happen this weekend at the OR in Utah. If you happen to be there, be sure to swing by and check it all out. Fellow Canadians can expect to see this in stores by late fall and I'll be sure to update our Twitter feed along the way with any new developments.
To sum up how I feel about all this in two simple words: WOOO HOOO!!
GR