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Outside Online April 2002

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The Big Idea
Who's Next
The New Faces Revolutionizing Adventure Sports

Meet the visionaries, gear gurus, scientists, risk-taking adventure entrepreneurs, and blessed masters of bigthink and hype who created a new world of adventure—and are taking it place we never knew it could go.

Stephen Sullivan
*Cloudveil
At Cloudveil they like to say, "Feel my ass." Every year, founders Stephen Sullivan, 37, and Brian Cousins, 30, invite their sales reps to the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, headquarters for a backcountry ski outing in which Sullivan leads a strenuous slog to the top of Teton Pass. Then he pulls down his pants and brags that he's sweat-free all under thanks to Cloudveil's main product: soft-shell Schoeller outerwear, made from stretchable nylon that's more breathable than waterproof shells, and more wind- and water-resistant than fleece. Cloudveil's 1997 Serendipity jacket helped launch what is now a $3 million company with 340 dealers worldwide.

The Big Idea

Get the inside stories behind the gear and technology of the 21st century.

Mike Douglas
*Salomon
When mogul skier Mike Douglas, 32, began poaching terrain parks at Whistler Blackcomb in 1997, he learned the hard way that landing backward on square-tail skis could induce severe body-whompus. So he went to Salomon armed with his innovative design for a twin-tipped ski. The result: 1999's Salomon Teneighty, which launched the New School movement and made skiing hip again. His latest brainstorm has just arrived: Salomon's new Pocket Rocket, an extra-wide twin tip built for higher speeds, deeper snow, and sicker air.

Sean Collins
*Surfline.com
Surfing pre-1985: Check the weather, drive to the break, pray for waves. Post-1985: Use Sean Collins's pay-per-call Surfline service, which told you if there were waves. In 1995 he added Surfline.com, a $3-million-a-year business employing 20 people in Huntington Beach, California, and 50 freelance surf spotters around the world. Collins, 48, pioneered the use of weather charts, ship reports, and wave-measuring satellites to predict incoming waves to the hour. His newest service: LOLA, a pay-per-drool online forecaster that tries to nail the swells up to ten days in advance.

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