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education, and that’s been critical for me. If not for my legal degree, I probably wouldn’t be in the position I’m in. It made a big difference in the Western owners’ trust in me.
What were your first formative outdoor experiences?
I went camping with my family as a kid, and I was a Boy Scout. My troop used to go backpacking in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, where I grew up. For some reason, even though I grew up in Idaho, with all the great rafting on the Salmon River, I never got introduced to it back then. If I had, it would have been all I could think about.
What’s your outlook on the future of the outdoor industry?
Some of these activities seem to have matured, including rafting. We’re not seeing growth in the whitewater industry—we’re seeing consolidation, and fewer companies offering what we do. And the number of people who go every year is kind of flat. People who seem to be having success are developing new experiences or offering a wider variety of experiences, like we did with the adventure center. Ziplining was a craze, but that seems to be backing off now. So I think it’s good to keep an open mind.
—Interview by Allison Torres Burtka