The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market conference has kicked off this year in Salt Lake City from Jan 20-24, 2010.  We're experiencing all the fun through the many @ORWinter tweets, facebook updates, and blog posts.  Here are some ways you can get fun and 'thought provoking' updates:

#ORWinter Tweets and Hashtags

To start you off, get the latest Twitter tweets about ORWinter by searching the #orwinter hashtag via Twitter Search, a TweetDeck hashtag search or Twitterfall.  Here are some things that may or may not be happening at #ORWinter:

@outsidehilary: Callista from Fox 13 shooting the @salomonsports Quest boot at #ORWinter all mtn demo.

Meanwhile, Ambler Apparel issues a press release in ALL CAPS to try and let Callista know she'd be warmer and even more stylin' with one of their hats on ;)

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@theclimbergirl: My 100% unbiased opinion is that the @keen_shoes booth has the most rockin music right now. #dancepartyKEEN

@keen_shoes responds: KEEN kids sneak peek #ORWinter

= kiddy dance sequence begins... < insert awesome video, anyone? >

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@outsidemagazine: Test gear for Outside. Sign up for the Outside Gear Army @outsidemagazine. #OR #Gear http://bit.ly/nbFzf

@skimble responds in rhyme: let us test out gear, wherever far and near. we'll do it in style, across the miles. srsly, we're engineers! #OR #ORWinter

Outdoor Retailer Blog Posts

PembaServes, the outdoor brand evangelists, are often found tweeting and blogging about the outdoor industry. 

They'll be covering OR Winter Panel: “Boots on the Ground: Real People Getting Things Done with Social Media”.  “Boots on the Ground” is the first of a series of “unofficial” social media panels created by key influencers of the outdoor industry.  It would be great if this was streamed live because we'd be watching :)

Trailspace, the gear site, regularly attends the OR markets and have already provided some great blog and photo coverage of this year's conference:

For more photos and videos, check out Mike Lewis' visual ORWinter gallery on TransworldBusiness.

Got your attention?  Great.  The InsideOutdoorRetailer, an OR blog, brings us industry updates and a special request we can all get involved with:

Haiti needs our help.  OIA is recommending working through http://www.americares.org to funnel contributions, especially of gear that will be necessary in urban rescue and portable living arrangements.  This is the time to shine as an industry for outdoor recreation.   Other groups with people and programs on the ground or very soon will... http://www.medicinesglobal.org, or super easy text the word 'Haiti' to 90999 to put $10 to the American Red Cross. 

Please do it now and help the Haiti earthquake victims in need.  Hope everyone has a great time at Outdoor Retailer Winter 2010 and also remembers to show a little (or a lot) of support for current issues from around the world!