STATE OF THE INDUSTRM REPORT - Outdoor Industry Association

Boomers: adventure with a coat check
“Active living” might be the best descriptor of the Boomer lifestyle. As they age,
boomers are redefining their retirement—and it doesn’t look anything like
Archie Bunker. Boomers seek a varied and healthy lifestyle: wellness, travel
and outdoor activity are its tenets. “Those people who used to take a vacation
and sit around the pool or the tiki bar—now they want to be active,” says Scott
Parmelee, Publisher of Outside magazine. “They want to come back and tell
people about what they did.” At the same time, Boomers who were aggressive
athletes, those who have spent time in the backcountry, are embracing a softer
kind of recreation. “To us it’s a hybrid person now,” says Parmelee. “I’d define it
as less strenuous but still engaged in the outdoors.”
“[Boomers] don’t want to be ‘adventure lite’.
trips of a lifetime or well-spent Saturdays—they’re both terrific.”
— fran farrell of national geographic adventure
John Morris, a Boomer from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a virtual poster child
for Parmelee’s hybrid outdoorsman. Morris reminisces about good old days in
the Tetons, scrambling up the range’s classic moderate alpine climbs. Today
he’s still eager to find adventure, but he’s more likely to marry physical activity
with cultural experience, and he’s less likely to wear a big pack. His most recent
trip was to the French Pyrenees, where the broad valleys offer magnificent
hiking. “We do day hikes or we stay at refuges,” he says. But Morris is quick to
point out that he still knows how to rough it; in the summer of 2005 he spent
several days backcountry camping in the Cascades with his daughter and sonin-law.
As he has aged, John’s activity mix has both changed in intensity and
broadened in terms of what he seeks from the activities he pursues. He once
jogged to train for the mountains but does so now for the health benefits; he
once sought climbing partners and now does things with his family. Fran Farrell,
Publisher of National Geographic Adventure, says this is an important thing to
remember about Boomers. “They don’t want to be ‘adventure lite,’” he says.
“Trips of a lifetime or well-spent Saturdays—they’re both terrific, you know?”
“With work and family responsibilities i don’t have
as many epic adventures. instead i try to combine work
and family with play.” — mike Wallenfels of mountain hardwear
// www.outdoorindustry.org
“With work and family responsibilities I don’t have as
many epic adventures. Instead I try to combine work and
family with play. My business friends are more relaxed
and productive after biking in the Marin Headlands or sea
kayaking on the Bay. Traveling with my growing kids, we
are not roughing it but are definitely active. I have just as
much fun experiencing my kids’ ‘first time’ adventures as
I would doing more extreme things on my own,” noted
Mike Wallenfels, President of Mountain Hardwear.
This transformation is an essential piece of the “who’s
playing” puzzle. For Boomers, adventure is more
about personal growth—through travel and social
interaction, knowledge and learning about the world—
than conquering and testing oneself. “You can have a
memorable experience without training for three months
beforehand,” says Parmelee. Even as Boomers pursue
broader activities, they maintain a connection with the
outdoors. A study released in late 2005 by AARP lists
the experiential and adventure activities Boomers say
they engaged in over the past 12 months. At the top
are fresh or saltwater fishing, escorted or guided tours,
biking, shopping, fine dining and touring scenic byways.
And among people age 45+, jogging and working out,
swimming, and vigorous walking rank highest in numbers
of participants. “These are very democratic activities,”
says Farrell. They’re “easy entry”—in terms of cost,
commitment and availability of partners or companions.