The Great Outdoors – Is it “greater” with technology?

The Digital Essentials, Part 3

Developing a robust digital strategy is both a challenge and an opportunity. Part 3 of the Digital Essentials guide series explores five of the essential technology-driven experiences customers expect, which you may be missing or not fully utilizing.

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Written by Brad Martell
FULL DISCLOSURE
Ok, first off full disclosure I’m a 46 year-old white male and I’m acknowledging that this particular piece of demography may have contributed to my tone on this blog.  Recently I found myself in what I consider to be heaven on earth, or at least one of my personal all-time favorite places on our fair planet – the Canyonlands just outside Moab, Utah.
For the last 19 years on the first weekend in November I head west, where I search for perspective on all of life’s current questions and to spend time with 14 lifelong friends.  It is what we refer to as our annual White Rim Tour, which is a not overly technical mountain bike trail that winds through the unparalled beauty of the Canyonlands National Park.

An additional piece of disclosure;  I’m an executive at a technology firm that develops and deploys web sites and mobile applications for a wide variety of customers.  Part of our target customer set is outdoor retailers who we help with transactional commerce and content sites as well as managing search marketing and search optimization strategies.  Part of our consulting services include social strategies and how to harness the power of user generated content to help build, or reinforce outdoor brands.
I offer these disclosures because I’d really appreciate to hear from anyone who reads this who is an outdoor enthusiast and a lover or a hater of technology and the role that it is playing in sharing our outdoor experiences.
THE ADVENTURE
This year’s white rim trip was different from prior years. The attendees on this trip have varied somewhat over the years but there is a core group that participates most years. We share many things, one of which is we all have some connection to the state of Wisconsin; some of us were raised there, others went to school there. We also share a love for mountain biking and the outdoors in general. We are not extreme ‘Edward Abbey’ environmentalists, but when it comes to the outdoors and preserving our natural resources we all lean a bit left of center. That said, we are not total purists, maintaining hard lines about roughing it. Les Stroud, (aka Survivorman) would certainly consider us a collection of certified candy-asses. This year we enjoyed paella, Moscow mules and as always exceptional music; all rinsed down with considerable amounts of PBR.
ENTER: VIDEO
This year I found technology creeping into the trip in a way that it hadn’t previously and I’m trying to decide how I should feel/react to it.  It started off with a good friend from Seattle who is an executive at REI bringing multiple GoPro cameras on the trip. He had three mounted to his bike and had one mounted to what can only be described as a golf club shaft to get a variety of still and moving shots from an elevated perspective. I was pretty pumped about him having the GoPros because I had just seen the 60 minutes interview with GoPro CEO, Nick Woodman. Recently I’ve seen a multitude of exceptional uses of GoPro  cameras in the outdoor space. The tech exec in me sees the unlimited potential and value in how these devices can enable user generated content that is the SEO equivalent of gold. One of the coolest uses I’ve seen recently was Johnson Outdoors spotlighting one of their sea kayaks at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show in Salt Lake. The boat was rigged for blue water fishing and had seven of these incredible cameras mounted in various spots on the boat. They even had one mounted to the paddle so the paddler could film landing a 90 lb. tuna from a 17 foot sea kayak…truly remarkable, and infinitely “sharable” and “likable” in the social / Facebook sense.
iCANNOT HANDLE
Much more dismaying was the fact that somehow, some way some miscreant cell company must’ve erected a cell tower that provided coverage on a portion of the trail that previously had never had it. As I’m pedaling past the “white crack” turn-off, my iPhone started buzzing like a hornets nest with unwanted texts and emails from the last two days on the trail. Before you all crucify me for even having it on I’ll confess I was listening to music which I find enhances the overall experience. So one of my mates pulls off and actually places a call and starts posting to Facebook. Well I almost became unglued at this technology intrusion.
BALANCE
So what is my overall opinion of this? Part of me saw the value in the ability to share in real time an experience that truly has to be seen and experienced to be believed in near real time. The other part of me felt depressed over what previously was a sanctuary of “disconnected-ness” now violated. READ: Father of four not wanting this trip being too closely documented.
I know from speaking with execs in the outdoor industry that they are struggling to allure the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts to the market and to experience and appreciate the outdoor experience the way I did when I was young. But maybe technology and a millenial’s ability to share it through technology is a way to get more youth into the great outdoors. I have to admit the GoPro video my friend put together is pretty sweet, but for me personally I’m content to “post it” when I get back home….so don’t look for any posts, tweets or emails or phone calls from the White Rim from me anytime soon.
Looking forward to the 20th next year!!
Now, go outside!