have a client that wishes to set up a mountaineering and outdoor guide
biz.

wants to take customers hiking and camping into wilderness, e.g. have
you been a customer of such an operation that was well run that you
can tell me about?  would like to give him advice on how to set up his
business and what he could do to make as much money as possible (he
does not want to get rich, but he does need predictable income as much
as possible).

NOT looking for any general how-to-start a biz advice. i can provide
that. what i'm missing is personal experience with the specific type
operation he wants to provide and what makes a good one.

---

Clarification of Question by holguinero-ga on 05 May 2003 06:20 PDT

reference: in the last 6 weeks, i've paid $400 for 12 answered questions!

---

Request for Question Clarification by redhoss-ga on 05 May 2003 06:47 PDT

You did not mention a particular state. I have information on
outfitters in Idaho. Would that be the answer you seek.

---

Clarification of Question by holguinero-ga on 05 May 2003 07:19 PDT

thanks redhoss and tehuti for your comments.

my client is an experienced mountaineer and outdoorsman. he has done
wilderness camping and hikes and skiing trips as a hobby, favor, gift
and for enjoyment, but has not made it his vocation. he has an ideal
personality and temperament and plenty of experience at the customer
level.

since i'm advising him on the biz side, the state doesn't matter so
much as "what does a well run money-making outdoor guide/experience
business look like"?

Hello holguinero-ga,

It’s great to have you back again and I’m glad to see that you like
using Google Answers for a wide variety of research projects. What a
fun assignment to help your client investigate what it would take to
set up a mountaineering and outdoor guide business!

You indicate that you’re prepared to help him with the “starting a
business” questions and that you need specific information about how
to convert his avocational interests into a successful and
money-making enterprise. To help you do this, I’ve collected specific
resources for building an outdoor adventure sports business. In
addition, I’ve also provided some general information collections,
directories and portals about the outdoor recreation industry as well.
I trust that this will help you guide your client through exploring
the opportunities in his targeted field. Please ask for clarification
if any of this needs further explanation.

Happy explorations!

czh

==========================================
MOUNTAINEERING AND OUTDOOR GUIDE RESOURCES
==========================================

http://www.guidetraining.com/Outline.htm 
Western Montana School for Guides
Our Mission is to offer every student attending the Western Montana
School for Guides an atmosphere and method of learning to produce the
best possible results.  To accomplish your goals, we have chosen
"hands on" experience, applying the laws, and familiarizing students
with every aspect of the Guide/Outfitter business.
See especially – Starting Your Own Business
Experience
Funding Sources
Equipment Needed
Land/Waters
Employees - Hiring and Handling Personnel
Licenses, Insurance, and Bonding
Marketing and Booking Clientele
Business Structure 
Office Management & Equipment

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/aboutus.htm
Adventure Sports Online is a portal for outdoor oriented information.
It offers directories and a searchable database of outfitters,
services and outdoor gear, and information about adventure sports and
travel. Content includes "how to" information, clubs, event calendars,
checklists and much more. Adventure Sports Online, a vertical portal
or "vortal" serves as a marketing platform for OutdoorMind clients to
receive quality, cross-marketed traffic that will generate increased
sales.
***** This site is a good starting place to get an idea of what others
are doing in your clients prospective field. It's a portal that offers
lots of resources to explore every aspect of this industry.

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/corporateteam-building.htm
CORPORATE TEAM BUILDING
***** Links to a long list of adventure sport companies that
specialize in corporate team building. This might be an interesting
niche to explore and may provide a more reliable source of income than
dealing with individuals.

http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/interest-groups.htm
COMPANIES WHO SPECIALIZE:
Family Trips, Gay and Lesbian Trips, Singles Trips, Youth Camps and
Programs, Religious Groups, Women's Trips and Programs
***** See other specialized groups in addition to Corporate Team
Building. Developing special relationships with affinity groups may be
a good way to market your client’s services.

http://www.olts-bt.com/
Outdoor Leadership Training Seminars
Some of our courses focus primarily on technical instruction in
outdoor skills such as climbing, rafting, and backcountry skiing.
Others are more experiential and involve participants in logistics,
leadership and making group decisions. A few involve personal
transformation through activities such as Tai Chi, meditation, music,
nature ritual, and vision quests.
***** Leadership training and organizational development are very
popular with corporations. You may develop a program for outdoor
training that you market directly to corporations or you might want to
partner with established training organizations and help them add a
new dimension to their program.

http://www.aglink.org/members/programs/agritourismbook/1outdoorrecindustry.pdf
What Is Known About the Outdoor Recreation Industry
***** This is a 3-page report based on a 1997 Oregon Agri-tourism
Industry Market Analysis report. Although the information about market
segments may be somewhat dated, the document is useful for guiding
explorations for market segmentation.

http://www.wwwdi.com/oga/
Outdoor Guides Association
The Outdoor Guides Association of North America (OGA) is a broad based
trade organization of professional guides and outfitters throughout
the United States and Canada. The OGA is the only organization of its
kind representing over 45,000 guides and outfitters.
***** This site offers links to the Outdoor Guides Associations for
each state.

===========================
OUTDOOR RECREATION INDUSTRY
===========================

http://www.outdoormind.net/about-us.htm
OutdoorMind LLC is the owner of Adventure Sports Online. It claims it
is a single source for all the services and support that a company
will require to establish a successful presence on the Internet and to
successfully market and distribute products and services to the
outdoor enthusiast.

http://www.serioussports.com/core.html
SeriousSports.com!
We're committed to providing the most comprehensive guide to the BEST
outdoor outfitters, schools, guides and travel.

http://www.outdoorindustry.org/welcome.htm
Outdoor Industry Association!
***** This member organization website offers sections on market
research, industry calendar, conferences, jobs and much more. The 2002
Outdoor Recreation Participation Study in the U.S  may be of special
interest. It reports on the participation of Americans aged 16 and
older in 22 non-motorized outdoor activities, from backpacking to
climbing, camping to kayaking, snowshoeing to telemark skiing. Both
participant and enthusiast (the most frequent participant) numbers and
4-year trend data is included in this 200+ page report. … Price: $395
for members, $750 for non-members.

http://gorp.com/index.html
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages
GORP.com is your encyclopedic resource for outdoor recreation—hiking,
biking, rafting, camping, fishing, and more. With information on
attractions,  outdoor gear, adventure travel, and national parks and
wilderness areas,
***** This is a major portal site for anything to do with outdoor
recreation.

http://www.business2.com/webguide/0,,316,00.html
Directory of Sports & Recreation Industry

http://www.sbrnet.com/about_us.htm
SBRnet (Sports Business Research Network) is a fee-based service,
focusing on the sporting goods and sports marketing industry. It's
mission is to provide a continuously updated resource featuring market
research and industry news covering all facets of the industry…sports
equipment sales, sports participation, sports broadcasting, sports
sponsorship and sports marketing.

http://www.outdoornetwork.com/front.html
The Outdoor Network exists to provide outdoor industry professionals
and organizations alike with an unbiased forum for the advancement and
long-term stability of the outdoor education and outdoor recreation
industries worldwide. Our vision is to strengthen the outdoor
education and recreation industries through the sharing of
information.
***** This is an industry portal. The Resource links are especially
helpful for someone interested in starting a mountaineering business.

http://www.outdoorrelease.com/default.asp
Outdoor Release offers you an inside look at the outdoor industry. We
keep you up to date on all the latest events, developments, new
products, services, and activities in the field of outdoor recreation.
This site is designed by outdoor journalists, for outdoor journalists.

http://foreveroutdoors.com/services.htm
Forever Outdoors, LLC is a market research company specializing in
delivering information to the outdoor industry that is used to meet
the specific and strategic goals of our customers.


===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

mountaineering and outdoor guides
outdoor recreation industry
"outdoor recreation industry" "market research"
"outdoor guide"  starting business
outdoor leadership training

Assuming that your client is familiar with, or willing study, first
aid and rescue techniques, and has a first class knowledge of the area
in which he will be taking parties, one vital ingredient in my opinion
is personality.  Can he stay calm and reassuring when things go very
wrong?  Can he handle the thought of settling disputes, especially if
two people in his party are unable to get on together at all?  What
will he do if someone starts to give up in the middle of a hike,
because it is harder than expected? How will he react to people who
constantly complain and find fault, and to those who do not pull their
weight with respect to the necessary work required around the camps?

As for predictable income, it is important to remember that such
activities are very much at the mercy of the weather, so he needs to
be cushioned enough to cope with people crying off for that reason.

Thanks holguinero-ga for the four stars and the tip. I look forward to
your future questions.

czh