Luis Benitez wants the world to see the side of the outdoor industry that he does. “We’re more than just the ‘ambassadors of fun,’” Benitez declares. “Nobody talks about all the things we fight for at the state and federal level, and how sophisticated those fights actually are. The outdoor industry has truly important messages and missions to share.”

If anyone has a finger on the true pulse of the outdoor industry, it’s Benitez. He’s solidified his position in the thick of things since his early 20s as an Outward Bound instructor in Colorado. From there, Benitez expanded on that experience to guide overseas in South America and Europe as a high-altitude mountaineering guide alongside his own athletic career as a sponsored athlete in partnership with Smartwool, Mountain Hardwear and Macpac. He guided blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer on both of their first expeditions up Everest and worked as a full-time mountaineering guide for Adventure Consultants throughout his 30s.

When it came time for his action-packed lifestyle to wind down a bit, Benitez didn’t let that lead him away from the outdoor industry. He simply switched gears. A position in organizational development for Vail Resorts helped him gradually transition away from guiding, which introduced him to the possibility of a career in policy. He championed the outdoors as a town council member for the city of Eagle until former Governor Hickenlooper appointed Benitez to be the first state director of Colorado’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. His next venture led him to become the vice president of government affairs and global impact for VF Corporation, the parent company behind top brands like The North Face, Smartwool and Vans. As if all that wasn’t enough, Benitez is now gearing up for yet another transition into a new post as chief impact officer at the Trust for Public Land while teaching a graduate course of the intersection of policy and philanthropy in the outdoor industry at CU Boulder.

Chances are, you worked up a sweat just reading that list. Benitez relishes in new opportunities, whenever and wherever they may present themselves. He learned from the mountains not to be afraid of “walking off the map” and trusting your skillset instead of blindly following directions. That’s how he’s been able to create a livelihood for himself within the outdoor industry even after his days of putting boots on the ground. The 20-year-old version of himself working at Outward Bound didn’t know that such a trajectory was possible. Now, he’s outspoken about his unconventional career path, so all the young lifties and mountain guides out there can see a future for themselves in the industry, too.

“When people ask me what a career path actually looks like in our industry,” Benitez explains, “I can point to my own. It might not make much sense to people on the outside of it who don’t know the convoluted nature of this industry. But, we’re working on defining and widening the scope of the outdoor industry. That’s still something that has yet to be truly codified. And, as we do, more and more opportunities to make that transition from the life of a professional athlete into nonprofits, forprofits and even academia will open up.”

Clare Hefferren, CEO of Callosum, an outdoor industry branding agency, and founder of Outdoor Swarm, a coalition of Eagle County outdoor recreation businesses, sees value in the professional path that Benitez has taken. “Some folks say not to job hop,” Hefferren remarks. “But, the changes Luis has made over the years show that there are many paths to your own personal definition of success. He’s not just seeking a title or a salary. He’s the epitome of commitment to impact, no matter what that looks like and what form that takes. That’s something far beyond finance or title.”

Benitez wouldn’t have been able to have the same impact without that willingness to explore his options. His habit of so-called “job hopping” allowed him to expand the definition of what it means to be part of the outdoor industry and what influence its members can have. Benitez has utilized each one of those roles to help give the outdoor industry a stronger political voice. He and Senator Hickenlooper already helped to found Confluence of States, an organization bringing together the OREC offices of 16 different states under four pillars: Conservation and Stewardship, Education and Workforce Training, Economic Development, and Public Health and Wellness. These pillars helped to set expectations for the role that the outdoor industry can play in the political landscape.

“This industry can do so much more than create experiences and design gear. Environmental protection is our backboard. It makes no difference how warm or sustainable your jacket is if there’s nowhere to wear it. Look at the transportation industry. If you see highways, bridges and roads as vital infrastructure necessary for the strength and health of our economy, that’s exactly what we’re saying about the outdoor industry. We need to look at natural resources as infrastructure for the outdoor industry. We don’t exist without those natural resources, and it’s our job to promote their protection.”

That’s one of Benitez’s main intentions with Trust for Public Lands. He plans to work toward establishing a federal office for outdoor recreation and unite the nation’s various state OREC offices under the TPL banner. Collaboration, he says, is key to making political headway.

“D.C. is used to seeing us show up sporadically. If we can move towards organizations collaborating and coming together in one voice to express what we do and how we protect, promote and preserve natural resources, that’s the kind of consistency that gets us heard.”

Benitez can confirm that the capitol has already started listening. “This is one conversation that the government is having where everyone wants to be at the table, all across the political spectrum,” he exclaims. “That’s extraordinary in this political climate. It’s very bipartisan when almost nothing else is.”

He’s also noticed a distinct difference in the influence that the outdoor industry carries beyond the capitol. “There are companies now out there in the extraction industry,” he describes, “that if you walk into a board room with a Patagonia jacket on will make you take it off. That jacket has become politically charged. That means that all the things a company like that fights for are getting through, the message is getting through.”

Because of pivotal players like Benitez, the outdoor industry stands a chance of setting a new precedent for itself. It’s more than just a rowdy crew of thrill seekers. Benitez and his peers channel the same ambition that led them over the mountains and through the woods into preserving those landscapes for future adventurers. That’s the kind of grit that any cause would be lucky to have at its back.

Read Luis Benitez’ upcoming book on the emerging political voice of the outdoor industry in partnership with co-author Frederick Reimers, due out this spring from Di Angelo Publications. Order your copy here.

Originally published in the Winter 2023-24 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Luis Benitez — Championing The Outdoor Industry In Colorado + Beyond