The Clymb raises $2M for outdoor gear flash sales

The company provides deals of up to 70% off for active gear and accessories

Just two and a half years after Groupon essentially created daily deals, the daily deal industry has been explored, charted, and excavated, leaving only the niche sites for late-comers. But those niche sites are often the most interesting, and The Clymb is no exception. Like a lovechild between REI and Gilt Groupe, The Clymb is a flash sale site designed exclusively for outdoor gear and accessories, and today the company announced its $2 million Series A round of funding, led by the Oregon Angel Fund and Walden Venture Capital, with help from existing investor J Allard and other individual investors. 

Founded in 2009 and based in Portland, Oregon, The Clymb is a Gilt Groupe for the outdoor enthusiast, offering flash sales on gear such as tents, sleeping bags, active wear, water bottles, and more, for up to 70% off the original retail price. And if you’ve ever been to an outdoor supply store like REI, prices for durable gear and breathable clothes can be insane.

And today, The Clymb is offering Vator readers the chance to get an automatic $10 credit to their account when they register through this link. 

The Clymb has partnerships with over 150 outdoor brands, including Arc'Teryx, Burton, KEEN Footwear, Mountain Hardwear, and Salomon. The outdoor market is a $46 billion industry, and The Clymb just may make a name for itself as a leading provider of quality outdoor gear on the cheap. It already has a membership base of several hundred thousand, which is says is growing by the thousands every day. And the site currently sees more than one million unique visitors a month. In 2010, the company exceeded 100,000 members and completed more than $2 million in sales.

Like Gilt Groupe, The Clymb is an invitation-only site, so users who want to get in on the stellar deals can either wait for a friend to invite them or request an invitation from the site.

“The past 12 months have validated the concept and exceeded all of our expectations in terms of membership growth, engagement and brand partner support,” said J Allard, who is also a member of The Clymb's board of directors, in a statement. “This round of funding enables The Clymb to expand the team and innovate at a pace that matches our ambition.”

The company plans to use the funds to accelerate its growth by expanding its network of brand partners, beefing up the site’s features to include social shopping tools, and offer more hand-selected deals.