A new company called GowithaPro (www.gowithapro.com), co-founded by extreme skiing pioneer Scot Schmidt, hopes to fill a niche by making outdoor athletes more accessible. Want to go to Cabo San Lucas and learn to surf with Robert "Wingnut" Weaver? How about booking Ed Viesturs to talk with your sales force about achieving goals?

Athletes continue to gain recognition by pushing the limits of outdoor and adventure sports to levels that never before seemed possible. Many of these athletes have become heroes to people looking for new challenges, role models, and personal growth.

There has been no easy way to locate and hire athletes, aside from a handful of Olympic gold-medalists or high-profile freeriders. Access to outdoor athletes has always been limited, as most of them are not represented by an agent.

"This one promoter wanted to book Jonny Moseley, but it took her three weeks to find him," Schmidt says. "We're able to get to all these athletes."

New athletes are signing up daily, according to Scot. Other endorsed GowithaPro athletes include champion mountain biker Marla Streb, Olympic gold medal skiers Jonny Moseley and Tommy Moe, surfing celebrities Tom Carrol and "Corky" Carrol, and renowned fishing guide Scottie Nichols.

Schmidt founded the company with Tim Fitzpatrick, an entrepreneur and outdoorsman, and Jay Orlando, an MBA from California Polytechnic State University. Together they recognized the rising demand for athletes as the outdoor lifestyle has become more popular in marketing campaigns. They hope to fill this need and provide an additional source of revenue for the athletes.

"We've sold out all our trips to date just by word of mouth," Scot says. "Other athletes are currently designing their packages and getting them developed right now. Every athlete has a different idea about what they would like to do with people, whether it's a private booking or a corporate outing or whatever. It's amazing what kinds of exotic and interesting things they're coming up with."

For example, Wingnut and Robert August lead a trip to Tamarindo Bay, Costa Rica, where they filmed the surf film Endless Summer. "They know where the trail heads are, where the breaks are, where to get fish tacos and where not to. It's kind of the insider's experience," Schmidt says.

GowithaPro uses its website as a tool to work with this otherwise difficult-to-track-down community of athletes. The athletes submit their availability to an online database which becomes a resource for researching and booking them. Individuals or groups who have dreamed of sharing the adventure of a lifetime with their favorite outdoor sports hero can make it a reality. The company's clients also include event managers, casting agents, film producers, ad agencies and Fortune 1000 companies.

GowithaPro is offering a special package at Island Lake Lodge, Fernie, British Columbia, one of Canada's most amazing powder stashes. Better hurry—the lodge is sold out for the next two years, but GowithaPro is offering a new end-of-the-season package for 12 people March 25-28, 2001. Follow Scot Schmidt, your host, to his favorite powder snow in the beautiful Lizard Mountains while enjoying rustic accommodations and gourmet meals at Island Lake Lodge.

Call GowithaPro at 415-383-3907 or check out the website at www.gowithapro.com, and click on "travel" to book this trip for you and your group.

— Michelle Quigley Pearson, MountainZone.com Staff

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