Brian Jump
Director
Guiding since:
1998
At REI since:
1998
Hometown:
Brunswick, Maine
Hobbies/fun facts:
Walking my dog Bubba, gardening, road and mountain cycling, I was once a gymnast (Connecticut state champ in the all-around at age 12), still enjoy hucking gainers off big cliffs
What do you love most about guiding/working in adventure travel?
Gosh, trying to narrow down what I like best about the adventure travel industry is a most difficult task. I’ve tried and failed because just when I think I’ve figured it out, another ‘best’ reason reveals itself. I guess that’s to be expected during my twentieth year in an ever evolving company in a very dynamic and growing industry! Today, the best part of the adventure travel industry is my co-workers, this group of people care about what they do and bring their ‘A’ game to all the aspects that make REI great. Just today I’ve seen the operations staff going out of their way to set the guides up for a successful trip, two guides taking time away from their off season to figure out the nuances of trail conditions for the upcoming season, a trip developer trying to create the most spectacular guest experience in uncharted terrain and the sales team dreaming better ways to tell the story of how excited they are about the experiences we offer. Tomorrow, who knows, maybe it’ll be the sound of Havasu Creek singing me to sleep while the canyon walls frame an endless sky. The adventure travel industry is the best for so many reasons and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.