The Resurgence of Royal Robbins

Royal Robbins is Radically Resurgent. 

We’re not talking about Royal Robbins the climber, famous for first ascents in Yosemite during the sport’s Golden Age. At 81 years old, we’re not leaning on the big wall pioneer for more headline-worthy climbs. For Pete’s sake, people, the man has earned a bit of rest. 

 : Royal and Liz Robbins Liz and Royal on top of Half Dome. Legend has it, when they looked back at this photo and their scruffy jean cutoffs, they said, “Maybe we had better get in the apparel business.”

The topic is his eponymous company, an apparel brand he and his wife Liz founded in 1968. The couple held on to their beloved enterprise for decades, then retired and sold it in 2000. Since their departure, longtime brand loyalists have expressed disappointment.

At the center are concerns about the brand going from core to corporate (it was most recently bought by Bruckman, Rosser, Sherrill & Co in 2012), losing appreciable quality along the way.  Many companies sell, run or go silent in this scenario.  Hope, however, remains even as classics like the fabled Billy Goat have come under fire in the past 36 months.

Most companies would crumble in this scenario. But even when Royal Robbins’ customers grow frustrated and complain about a drop in quality, there’s almost always a hint of nostalgia and a hope for better things to come buried in their bitterness.

 : Tom Frost

2016 marks a year of change for Robbins as the brand leaders recognized they’ve got to go back in time before making forward progress; “resurgence,” in this case, really means, “returning to one’s roots.” 

Royal’s wife, Liz, the original designer of the famed Billy Goat Shorts, returned as advisor. Michael Millenacker, one of the first employees who succeeded in leadership roles at Eagle Creek, The North Face and other companies, stepped into the CEO role.

As real-life, tangible evidence that hope is being rewarded; the Billy Goats have scrambled back to the summit of their former fame. Rather than cheaper alternative materials, Spring 2016 Billy Goats are cut from the same durable canvas cloth climbers all over the world count as an all-time favorite.

Royal Robbins Billy Goat Hiker According to Royal Robbins, 2016 is a new start. The team is revamped and ready to deliver, once again, high-quality outdoor apparel. And, with a line of new designs on the way for 2017, this resurgence is something for longtime fans of the brand to be excited about.

Interested in checking out some of our favorite Royal Robbins products from 2016? Check out Active Junky’s gear review.