Behind the scenes of Keystone Land and Sea
Who is this guy anyway?
A life long allure to the outdoors, with an affinity for quality camping and outdoor gear. Tim Swavely has followed his passions to all four corners of North America to gaze upon exquisite petroglyphs, million year old fossils, and dinosaur bones in undiscovered caverns in Tucson, Arizona; to climb steep sandstone and granite faces of our countries finest mountainous regions and canyon lands like Cochise Stronghold, Joshua Tree, Mt. Lemon, and the East's Red and New River Gorge, Rumney, the Gunk’s, and local favorites, the Bird and Green Lane. He has left only footprints on many of North America's best wilderness trails, the Hoh Rainforest, the San Juan's, the Grand Canyon, the Appalachian and Black Forest Trails, Acadia, and the Pisgah National Forest, to just name a few of Tim's favorites. Throughout his travels, Tim has been guided by the connection he has with nature. Learning along the way how to become part of the scenery and find tranquility in all that surrounds him, no matter the adventure. Tim also practices leaving only (slow) footprints and taking only pictures, lots of pictures (Turtle, his lifelong nickname is a perfect fit, say his outdoor friends). Keystone Land and Sea will be honorable stewards of Nature, aligning with it's followers to truly follow and defend their natural resources.
Remember when...you'd get kicked out attempting to snowboard?
With Tim's skateboarding background it only seemed natural to give away his skis in 1986 when he acquired a Burton Performer Elite 150. Though he was not allowed to ride at any of the ski resorts at the time Tim would hike up the mountains at night to snowboard, only to be caught once. Growing up in Berks County was great for bombin' hills on any board! This lit a spark, which began the quest to snowboard on top of some of the most pristine endless snowy peaks from British Colombia, to California, most of Colorado, and the entire northeast. Chest deep in powder, he'd ignited a fiery passion that will forever drive his ambitions. Finding himself daydreaming of yesterday, Tim anxiously awaits the day he will be able to use his Level 2 snowboard instructor certification to light the same spark in his two sons, much like he was able to do with his wife, who's always excited to get out on the slopes as soon as winter arrives.
Through Inspiration and Instruction
Having been immersed in the outdoor industry for over 25 years Tim has held the title of many honorable mentions since he started as a receiver at the infamous Summit Hut in Tucson, Arizona back in 1993. Dave Baker, the original owner of the Summit Hut, introduced Tim to the importance of customer service and quality products. Tim witnessed first hand the community the Summit Hut supported with gear and know how, which was warmly welcomed into the culture. Along this new chosen path Tim became a gear tester, caving guide, climbing guide as well as a snowboard instructor where he collected many accolades from customers, teachers and peers along the way. Eventually his path lead him to Eastern Mountain Sports in early 2000, where he fine tuned his retail skills and was noticed for many top sale performances in footwear, snowboards, paddle boards, skateboards, climbing gear and kayaks, but he wasn't done there, he wanted to keep learning. Tim went on to be trained by some of the best in the industry, including a trip to Bellingham, Washington to learn from the podiatric doctors at Northwest Podiatrics about the biomechanics of the foot (Go Team Eggplant). Kayaking and paddleboarding on the Chesapeake, Tim was taught the proper techniques and qualifications for instructing by an ACA board member. With his desire to get more involved with helping people enjoy the outdoors Tim became the Mid-Atlantic district outreach coordinator, with pride he coordinated many successful events from snowboard demos and rail jams (on the same ski mountain he got kicked off of 20 years prior), to snowshoe demos, and on water kayak and SUP demos. Tim helped create an experience for the customer, connecting the customer with the community, and was instrumental in creating an experience that will last a lifetime. Many of the reps and sponsored athletes at the events taught Tim so much about the industry and it's wonderful people, creating a drive for Tim to become part of the outdoor retail community himself.
REALLY, a surfer from PA?
On his quest for adventure and following his passion Tim has found an undeniable love for the water. Yes born in Pennsylvania his family travelled to the mountains where they would camp, hike, hunt, canoe, and fish but the beach trips were always the ones he looked forward to the most. Tim moved to the beach after graduating high school and the surfing life consumed him. Battered by the enormous learning curve and unpredictability of surfing the east coast, Tim eventually became an accomplished surfer. Following the tides like a lifelong fisherman Tim found himself surfing both coasts in epic conditions, usually on the days preluding major storm swell like head high at Malibu, OCMD Inlet for a 12 foot Hurricane Bob and Mannasquan during Category 5 Hurricane Isabel at 15 feet, before finally getting the guts to surf some prestigious spots on the Hawaiian Island’s of Oahu and Kauai.
Or maybe just a waterman?
Though grounded to the earth in spirit, in liquid is where Tim finds his peace. When not able to get to the ocean, he will most likely be out paddling either one of his kayaks or paddle boards in the multitude of diverse waterways we have in and around the Keystone State. From the northern Delaware to the Brandywine from Pine Creek and the Susquehanna to Black Moshannon, Blue Marsh, Nockamixon and Green Lane. The rivers and creeks are abundant in Pennsylvania , the winding riverbanks lined with oaks, hemlocks, maples, birches and sycamores offer a home to a diverse and extensive ecosystem. Tim frequents two specific rivers and their trails, the Perkiomen and the Schuylkill, year round on foot, bike, kayak, paddleboard, or snowshoes. Keep you eyes and ears alert, you'll be amazed by what you will see and hear along paths of these quaint waterways .
Back Home
Tim has spent most of his life traveling, snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing, climbing, bouldering, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, and camping, through many regions of our natural landscape in search of the perfect peacefulness and serenity to be taught the next lesson in adventure, the next lesson in life. (Or insert a specific inspirational quote by John Muir) And much like the turtle returning to its native beach, Tim always returns to the Keystone state to celebrate its diversity of recreational activities. Allow Tim to share with you his passions for what he believes to be the necessity of our future; to bring us all back to where we started...back to nature, by land and sea.