Ron Gregg was a nuclear physicist and mountaineer who left his science career in 1980 in order to join an expedition up North America’s highest peak, Denali.

[2] This event inspired and challenged Gregg to find a solution to cold, wet, and exposed feet in precarious mountain environments.

[2] By 1984, Outdoor Research had evolved into the space of protective handwear with the Modular Mitts, one of the first gloves utilizing a layering system with a removable inner liner and external hard shell.

[2] On March 17, 2003, Gregg was killed in an avalanche while skiing in the Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park near Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.

Hans Florine, also an Outdoor Research Ambassador, is one of the most accomplished rock climbers of his time, holding various speed records as well as over 100 ascents of The Nose on El Capitan.