Soapbox

Is it merely coincidence that the awards were sponsored by Field and Trek and they won the best online retailer?

I thought someone would ask that. The answer is that they won fair and square and beat Cotswold by something like 20 votes, so it was quite close. Look at it from our point of view: it would be much more convenient if they hadn't won because then we wouldn't have to answer the question.

If you're asking whether them sponsoring the award put their brand front of brain in people's minds when they were voting, then I simply don't know. I suppose it might have, but there is absolutely no question of the results having been rigged.

If you think we're corrupt then say so - I personally would regard that as an insult.

If it helps, we can give exact numbers of people who voted for each nominee in each category. In the 'best online retailer' category, Field and Trek received 147 votes, Cotswold Outdoor were 2nd with 128 and Alpkit were 3rd with 59. I have the spreadsheet of results sitting in front of me. To be honest, after the debate that took place on the forum when the nominees were first put up on the site, I doubt whether any web editor would be so unsubtle as to fix the results of the awards. I know it's always easy to be cynical, but in this case the OM readers voted for Field and Trek - if you don't like 'em, don't vote for 'em! You'll have to wait until next year to vote in someone else though...:-)

There'll be a quick article saying who won the Stormlite kit tomorrow btw :-)

It wasn't me...

Just wondering - how many members voted, compared to the total number of members? Seems to me like it was a low turn-out.

It was, I think, just under a thousand. The online retailer category is misleading because we nominated pretty much all OM's shopping partners plus one or two others.

I certainly wasn't intending to be insulting or to suggest any corruption. For the avoidance of doubt I am not suggesting the voting was rigged or that Field & Trek won by other than fair means. The question was so obvious I asked it. Wish I hadn't now & I accept it was entirely my own fauult.

For the record, I didn't vote for F & T as best online retailer - I voted for Tracklogs.

I am sure all the winners were worthy. I think the only winner which I voted for was the "best outdoor pub".

Do any of you Brits ever look at www.steepandcheap.com ?
Killer deals on 1 item daily!

There were 806 entries, although not everyone voted in every category...

Hi Peter, no offence taken, I apologise if I seemed a bit abrupt, but it's absolutely fundamental to the way we function that commercial and editorial considerations are distinct and independent - if that's not the case, how can we possibly ask you to trust us?

Anyway, congratulations to all the winners, they're clearly doing something right :-)

Well I would just like to say thanks to anyone and everyone who voted for me this year, I am really touched.

Rose did laugh her head off and said to me, "Alan Hinkes got it because he gets OUT of the house more than you do - stuck in your little studio!"

Which I thought was a bit harsh ... true maybe .. but harsh ...

Perhaps THIS TIME when I catch him on the Challenge he won't turn me down flat for an interview, when I try and talk to him ;-(

And I'm also using this post as en excuse to say I've just completed the 4 podcasts from the Outdoor Show and on one of which you can make you own minds up about Brian Blessed and the sanity of making him the new President of the National Parks ...

Thanks again peeps and stay tooned!

Don't mean to offend but surely people who buy from online retailers know what they want and in what size, so why would they possibly buy from Field and Trek, there are plenty of cheaper retailers out there!

Maybe shops should be nominated by OMers first and then voted on a selection.

"Don't mean to offend but surely people who buy from online retailers know what they want and in what size, so why would they possibly buy from Field and Trek, there are plenty of cheaper retailers out there!"

Well, I know I'm weird, but there are two answers to that:

1. Customer service. If the thing I order is wrong in some way, from being ripped to being the wrong colour, I might be happy to pay more for knowing I can send it back without any hassle. That's especially true of expensive items.

2. I seem to be unique in this, but I think it's terribly rude to go into a shop, spend 20 minutes with helpful staff, trying on rucksacks, or unpacking tents or whatever, find the one you like, and then sod off and buy the exact same item from the cheapest website you can find.

I may be a bit fussy, but there's very little outdoor gear I can imagine buying without seeing it first. Tiny design flaws become infuriating on stormy mountains.