It may be hard to believe with all these winter storms across the country lately, but spring is just in the horizon! With that comes a time of renewal and fresh starts.

Why not make hiking a part of your new springtime outdoor routine? Not only is it great exercise for the body, but getting out there and reconnecting with Mother Nature can do wonders for your mood--lifting your spirits out of that winter slump.

Below are just a few hiking essentials to get you geared up and on your way! For even more hiking goodies, check out our outdoor shop!

Men's: 1. Prana Talon Mock Neck , 2. CamelBak Classic 70 oz. Hydration Pack, 3. Keen Olympus Lite Crew Socks, 4. Columbia Silver Ridge™ Converible Pants, 5. Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket, 6. Keen Newport H2

Women's: 7. Under Armour Shadow Cap, 8. Chaco ZX/2 Yampa Hiking Sandals, 9. adidas Outdoor Hiking Softshell Jacket, 10. Teva Sky Lake Hiking Shoes, 11. Patagonia Emmilen Hoodie, 12. Outdoor Research Ferrosi Capri

There’s only a mere five days left before Christmas! Can you believe it? If you’re the last-minute type, don’t fret; there’s still time to get some awesome gifts they’ll surely love!

We’ve rounded up a few great gift ideas that will make them smile. And they’ll be none the wiser about your last-minute gift shopping, thanks to our fast and FREE shipping! Happy gifting!

For Him: 1. Patagonia Nordic Scarf, 2. UGG Scuff Slippers, 3. Ray-Ban Small Aviator Sunglasses, 4. Anthony for Men The Weekender Kit, 5. Fossil Estate Leather Messenger Bag, 6. Smartwool PhD Snow Gallery Anthony Boronowski 3-Pack Socks

For Her: 7. Michael Kors Runway Chronograph Watch, 8. UGG Coquette Slippers, 9. Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Set, 10. Natori Purl Robe, 11. Echo Design Touch Gloves plus Earphones Gift Set, 12. Arhcipelago Botanicals Holiday Boxed Candles

Keeping the winter chill out is nothing to take lightly. But heavy, boring jackets and coats shouldn’t be an option when you’ve got a busy day braving the elements. Investing in a great quality jacket or coat is worth every penny because staying warm and protected never goes out of style.

We’ve picked out some of our favorites from our Zappos Outdoor Shop to get you ready to face old man winter in the best gear around:

Women's: 1. Prana Devan Jacket, 2. Marmot Arona Jacket, 3. Patagonia Down With It Parka

Men's: 4. Marmot Conness Jacket, 5. Prana Rhody Reversible Jacket, 6. The North Face Gatebreak Down Jacket

Moms are the ultimate multitaskers, always on the go, the calendar always packed with everything from soccer practice, dance recitals and everything in between. That’s why we put together some of our favorite Mother’s Day gifts that the busy, mile-a-minute mom will surely love (and get lots of use out of!)

1. Diesel Chronograph DZ5308 Watch: Stylishly practical! We love the chain bracelet detail on this thoroughly chic watch.

2. Corso Como Prince Flats: These flexible flats are perfect for rolling up in her purse to give her feet a break from heels.

3. Born Hoda Sandals: These ridiculously comfy and pretty sandals go with tons of daytime looks. She will live in these!

4. Kate Spade ‘New York News in Bed’ iPhone® Case: Give her trusty smart phone a charming and colorful touch.

5. Dooney & Bourke Florentine Vachetta Satchel: The crossbody strap makes this convenient for busy days, but the structured body and handles make it totally appropriate for dinner dates as well.

6. Patagonia Margot Dress: A little black dress that goes from day to evening. What could be easier?

For even more gift ideas for mom, check out our Gifts Page!

From May 5th to 16th , Zappos.com is once again teaming up with Patagonia Footwear to participate in their Advocate Program.  During this period, Patagonia Footwear will donate $10 for every pair of Patagonia shoes sold on Zappos.com!

As part of their  1% for the Planet ® alliance,  the money raised will benefit Friends of Nevada Wilderness.  Friends of  Nevada Wilderness works with caring citizens and companies to help protect the natural beauty of Nevada's wild heritage for future generations.

You can help preserve Nevada’s wildlife and gorgeous landscape with every pair of Patagonia shoes you buy during these next two weeks. Check out the Patagonia footwear line on Zappos.com and help contribute to this great cause!

To learn more about Friends of Nevada Wilderness click here.

As part of LEAF’s initiative to make Zappos a more environmentally friendly workplace, we hosted an Earth Day event for our employees on Tuesday, April 17th. We asked several local and non-local vendors to participate by spreading awareness about how easy and fun it is to become eco-friendly, and wow, did our vendors surely step up to the plate! Earth Day was such a success that we’ve decided to make this an annual event with the goal to make each year even better than the previous!

When we first reached out to our vendors, their responses were overwhelming! They were thrilled to hear the Zappos was starting its journey to become environmentally friendly, and they were even more excited to be a part of it. The vendors that attended our event included: KEEN, prAna, Patagonia, Whole Foods, Vegas Roots Community Gardens, Lunas Recycling, Sierra Nevada, BottleHood, Springs Preserve, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Southwest Gas, and RTC.

prAna did something special for all Zappos employees that deserves a special shout out. Not only did they showcase their use of sustainable materials in their products, demonstrated how they’ve eliminated poly bags in their warehouse, and discussed their initiatives with clean energy; they surprised us by offsetting all of our Las Vegas employees’ carbon emissions! This means that 1,300 of us will be carbon neutral for the entire month of April!* Thank you prAna for caring so much about the environment and truly WOWing all of us!

Not all of our Earth Day vendors could make a physical appearance at Zappos HQ. However, they still showed their support for our event and sent out information about their eco-friendly products and sustainable initiatives, prizes for us to raffle off, and even coupons specifically made for our employees. These vendors included: ChicoBags, EcoLunchBoxes, Klean Kanteen, Semilla, People Towels, Vessel Drinkware, and Haiku Bags. 

One of our goals for our first annual Zappos Earth Day was to promote an eco-friendly change in the daily habits of at least one employee. With the help of our vendors that provided and demonstrated eco-friendly options and initiatives to our employees, I believe the event successfully achieved its goal! The immense turnout of curious Zappos employees also helped promote more green awareness. We really could not have pulled this event off without the help of all of our amazing vendors –THANK YOU!

That being said, it is my personal goal to make next year’s Zappos Earth Day even more successful!

*1,300 individual offsets would be the same as 117 cars removed from the road for a year, or carbon sequestered by 128 acres of trees, or removing the harmful effects from extracting 1392 barrels of oil.

Zapponians take their outdoor fun seriously…as you can see from our latest employee photo shoot! From hiking, cycling, swimming and trail running, we love getting out there and enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.

We asked our four outdoor enthusiasts (and home page models of the week) some questions to get to know them a little bit more:

What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do on the weekends?

I: I love to play soccer on my days off or pretty much any day! I just recently got into cylcing which is very intense.

What three songs are always on rotation in your playlist when you’re out and about?

I:  “Let it Go”-Calvin Harris feat Ne Yo, “Heartbeat” -Childish Gambino, and “Levels”- Avicci 

Finish this sentence: “If I was in the show “Survivor”, I would have the strongest chance of winning because ________”

I: I am very funny and tall.

What three things are on your wishlist for all those outdoor activities?

I: Brooks Pureflow, Adidas Outdoor Terrex Hiking Shoes and Osprey Ariel 75 Backpack

What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do on the weekends?

J: Speeding down the roads on my TT Bike! 

What three songs are always on rotation in your playlist when you’re out and about?

J:  Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson; need I say more??? 

Finish this sentence: “If I was in the show “Survivor”, I would have the strongest chance of winning because ________”

J: I am SUPER competitive! 

What three things are on your wishlist for all those outdoor activities?

J: Columbia Roamin’ Right™ Knit Dress, Patagonia All Weather Dress, and CEP Allsports Sleeve

What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do on the weekends?

D: When the wind isn’t acting up, I LOVE to golf!!!

What three songs are always on rotation in your playlist when you’re out and about?

D: “The Motto” - Drake, “Public Service Announcement” -Jay-Z, “On to the Next One” - Jay-Z 

Finish this sentence: “If I was in the show “Survivor”, I would have the strongest chance of winning because ________”

D: I’m an Ex-Navy Seal! Seal Team 6, Whoo Rah!!! 

What three things are on your wishlist for all those outdoor activities?

D: The North Face Men’s Nimble Jacket, Nike Sunset Volley Boardshorts, and Nike Just Do It Swoosh Tee

What’s your favorite outdoor activity to do on the weekends?

C: Hiking in the mountains. 

What three songs are always on rotation in your playlist when you’re out and about?

C: I actually prefer not to listen to any music when I’m outdoors. Rare quiet time for myself and makes it easier to connect with your hiking buddies and random strangers you run into on the trail!

Finish this sentence: “If I was in the show “Survivor”, I would have the strongest chance of winning because ________”

C: I’ll research and be prepared (I do analytics for living…) 

What three things are on your wishlist for all those outdoor activities?

C: Suunto Vector, MSR Lightnight Axis Snow Shoes, Lowa Renegade GTX

This Sunday, the world celebrates Earth Day, a time to renew our commitment to protecting our planet’s natural resources and the environment.

As an ode to Mother Nature, we want to share just some of our favorite Earth-friendly picks. Made of sustainable, recycled or organic materials, these products are a step in the right direction to being more environmentally conscious—and that’s always a beautiful thing!

1. Volcom V.Co Meadow Tank Dress, 2. Patagonia Summertime Dress, 3. The North Face Papenoo Woven Top, 4.Marmot Women's Pop Tee, 5. Patagonia Three Trees Shirt, 6. Keen BrooklynII Travel Bag, 7. NVEY Eco Lip Color , 8. Timberland Earthkeepers Katama Strappy Sandals , 8. Timberland Earthkeepers Hookset Chukka

Here at Zappos HQ, we have a group of eco-minded employees who banded together to form L.E.A.F (Leading Environmental Awareness for the Future) , a group committed to making Zappos a more environmentally-conscious company. To learn more about L.E.A.F. and their eco-focused efforts year round, click HERE.