Outdoor Industry Executives Pick Top Travel Destinations

Ever wonder where outdoor-industry executives from the likes of Keen, GoLite and The North Face go for a vacation? For a story I recently wrote for ForbesTraveler.com, I interviewed 10 outdoor-industry executives to compile a list of the planet’s top adventure destinations.

The picks—chosen by CEOs, presidents and founders at companies including Rail Riders, Teva, Keen, The North Face, Lara Bar, and five others—are unexpected and fresh, a mix of international epics as well as secluded domestic options.

New Zealand, Costa Rica, France and even the Commonwealth of Dominica made the list. But so did the deep woods of Wisconsin and New York’s Adirondack Mountains. Skiing, surfing, climbing, trekking, swimming and fishing were among the group’s favored activities.

Here’s the whole list. . .

1. Kimberly Coupounas, CEO, GoLite LLC
DESTINATION: Hiker’s Haute Route, French/Swiss Alps

2. Jim Holland, CEO, Backcountry.com
DESTINATION: Windsurfing Raglan, New Zealand

3. John d’Arbeloff, Founder/President, RailRiders Adventure Clothing
DESTINATION: Eco-Agriculture tour, Commonwealth of Dominica

4. Kim Miller, CEO Scarpa North America
DESTINATION: Deep woods solitude, Tomahawk, Wisconsin

5. Peter Worley, President, Teva Footwear
DESTINATION: Canoeing Adirondack State Park, New York

6. Steve Rendle, President, The North Face
DESTINATION: Heli Skiing the Wasatch Mountains

7. Naomi Shapiro, President, Creative Brilliance Communications
DESTINATION: Salmon Shark Fishing, Prince William Sound, Alaska

8. Stephen Sullivan, founder, Cloudveil Mountain Works Inc.
DESTINATION: Surf Playa Grande, Costa Rica

9. Kirk Richardson, CEO, Keen Footwear
DESTINATION: Swimming the Rivers of Oregon

10. Lara Merriken, Founder/CEO, Humm Foods Inc.
DESTINATION: Culinary Exploration, Tabasco, Mexico

Click here to link to the full story on ForbesTraveler.com.