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32. Sustainable Adventure Tourism: Guide Education Resources with Xenia Brundin

Writer's picture: Meg CarneyMeg Carney


In episode 32 of the Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, we are talking about sustainable adventure tourism. Now, this is a fairly broad topic, so in this episode, we are mostly focusing on how guides and guiding companies can best equip themselves to teach and advocate for best practices when recreating outdoors.


To help me do that, I’d like to introduce Xenia Brundin. Xenia is the co-founder of SUMMIT Adventure Academy and knows how powerful the role of a guide is in spreading knowledge and creating relationships between nature and guests.


At SUMMIT Adventure Academy, they are educating a new generation of outdoor guides that are skilled but also environmentally and socially conscious to support the future of adventure travel and the outdoor industry.


SUMMIT Adventure Academy



 

This transcript was edited to remove some filler words and phrases and is not verbatim according to what is spoken in the audio recording.



Meg: Okay, welcome to the podcast! I am really excited that you could be here. Before we get into the topic of education and adventure tourism in general, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself, how you first got involved in outdoor recreation, and how it fits into your life right now?


Xenia: Oh, so I think the outdoors has been part of my life from the beginning. I grew up in Sweden, and all of Scandinavia has a very outdoorsy culture, and my parents were no exception. I mean, it's to the level where it’s very common to see a daycare in the middle of winter with kids in their child wagons, and they’re put outside to sleep. It’s just a very normal part of life to be outdoors here.


So, I’ve always been outside. I used to do a lot of horseback riding and competing when I was younger, and I’ve traveled a lot. At one point in my journalistic career, I was focusing heavily on environmental issues and climate change.


But this was 10 or 15 years ago when it wasn’t a popular topic—people weren’t eager to talk about it or cover it. I was feeling quite frustrated, like I wasn’t able to talk about these things in the way I wanted to.


I was searching for a way to have an impact, and then I met my partner at the time. He has a long history of working in the outdoors, starting when he was very young. That connection was my way in, and I thought, "Oh, this is fantastic."


The adventure tourism world puts you right out there in nature, in these beautiful and protected places with amazing biodiversity. It really highlights the challenges we’re facing, but also the opportunities we have to make a positive impact. That’s how I got into it.


Meg: That’s awesome, and I love that cultural focus on being outside and integrating it from such a young age. I wish that was the trend across the world—it’s amazing.


So, that transition from journalism to what you do now with Summit Adventure Academy, how did that start?


Xenia: I met my partner, who had been working in the outdoors, adventure tourism, and even education for a while. Together, we decided that we needed to take things to a new level. We wanted to improve what was already being done, include even more people, and learn ourselves—how can we do better? How can we help a new generation to do even better than what’s been done before?


Meg: Yeah, I love that. I feel like that’s really common for people—at least those I’ve talked to in the outdoor industry, especially in the entrepreneurial realm like you—that you saw a problem and realized no one else was really pursuing the answers or solutions, so you just had to create them yourself. So, when was Summit Adventure Academy founded?


Xenia: We were founded back in 2015. Like I said, we had already been working on educating outdoor guides in Nepal and had also been bringing international students to our center for internships. We wanted to take everything we had learned and bring it to the next level.


The Himalayas, as you know, have the world’s highest mountains, fantastic free-flowing rivers, and a rich diversity of cultures—ethnically and culturally diverse communities within Nepal. So, there’s really no better place to learn. We wanted to create a short, intense, expedition-based education program where students are out in the field the whole time. They get to know the places and environments where they’ll work in the future.


This experience not only gives them the awards and qualifications they need but also connects them with good role models who have a deeper connection to their home and the places they work. By bringing all these elements together, we can enable a new generation of guides to work internationally, share their experiences, and be inspired to continue making a positive impact.


Meg: That’s amazing. I really appreciate that your organization exists—it’s so meaningful. You kind of explained this in your last answer, but to put it more concisely, what is the general mission of Summit Adventure Academy?


Xenia: We usually say that our mission is to educate a new generation of adventure guides who are skilled, qualified, and inspired. Obviously, the “skilled” and “qualified” aspects are the foundation—everyone who’s educating professionals aims to ensure they know their field and have the certifications to show it.


What’s really important for us, though, is that they are also inspired. They’re the ones who will take adventure tourism into the future. They’re the ones who have the power to make positive changes in the industry. That’s why it’s so important for us to empower and inspire them to do so.


Meg: It sounds like you’re taking a really holistic view of sustainability—thinking about adventure tourism in terms of how it supports guides, how it allows them to grow, and how it educates people on the broader impact of tourism. That’s really awesome.


Sustainable adventure tourism is such an interesting topic to me. I’ve seen companies here and there advertise messages like “eco-tourism” or similar terms, and I always wonder what that actually means. Can you talk a little more about what sustainability in tourism—specifically in adventure tourism—actually looks like?


Xenia: For sure! It’s a really important and interesting topic. Adventure tourism sits within both tourism and travel, which are massive industries. Because of that, there are a lot of big challenges we all face—some of which we can dive into later.


But one beautiful thing about travel—and especially adventure travel—is that it taps into something fundamental about us as humans. We’ve always longed for adventure, for discovering the unknown, and for personal growth through those experiences. Adventure tourism is specifically about seeking those moments—connecting with new places, new people, and new experiences.


For sustainability to truly become part of adventure tourism, it has to start as a mindset. We need to embrace the transformative opportunity that adventure travel offers. People who seek out these experiences are often on the edge of their comfort zones. They’re looking to challenge themselves, learn, and grow—all while being in these incredible, beautiful places.


This mindset also recognizes that, for many of us, these places are not just where we work—they’re also our homes. When you’re constantly outdoors, the importance of taking care of these places is obvious. It’s fundamental to all of our survival, but for those of us who work in these environments, it feels even more immediate and clear.


So, that mindset is the foundation. From there, we need to actively think about nature—minimizing our impact, continuously improving, learning, and striving to be better. Transparency in that process is crucial. If you’re promoting eco-tourism or sustainability, share that story because it’s a beautiful one. It can inspire others to follow your lead.


What’s sometimes forgotten, though, is the social aspect of sustainability. People are fundamental to everything we do. We have our guests, our teams, and the local communities we work with very closely. That social connection and responsibility are just as important as the environmental aspects of sustainability.


Meg: Yeah, it seems like with a lot of your work, there is that central focus not only on sustainability but also on cultivating those relationships with people. From my understanding, your main focus is on educating outdoor guides.


So, I think what we can kind of talk about next is how you help guides align with those sustainable practices and that mindset that you're talking about.


Xenia: Absolutely. That is at the core of what we do. We do try to contribute in other ways as well, like bridging knowledge from Nepal and the East to the West. For example, we have research collaborations, and we help students with thesis work because we fundamentally believe that across the world, we all have something to learn from each other—across disciplines and educational levels.


But in terms of educating guides, I think to really make sustainability fundamental and something they will always keep in mind, it’s important to inspire them. It’s important for them to feel that what they do is meaningful.


There are two aspects to that: first, in terms of sustainability for nature, it’s important to see that when you adopt certain behaviors and minimize your negative impacts, it really makes a difference.


You can look at it and think, “How would this place look if I didn’t do this?” or, “What are the consequences if I do act in this way?” That’s really, really important.


Second, it’s realizing that you are capable of having a positive impact as well as minimizing negative ones—and understanding how rewarding that is and what changes it can bring. So that inspiration is really important at the start of it.


These things are very similar for guides as they are for all of us when we go into nature. It’s about recognizing that our impacts matter and knowing what to do. Having the tools—understanding how to behave, what to do, and what not to do—is really important for us to pass on to our students and to the future guides.


And then, there’s the cultural aspect as well. That starts with a conversation—maybe between two friendly hikers—but it definitely starts in the conversation between an outdoor guide and a guest. We want to make positive behaviors a given, something that becomes automatic and the standard. When someone doesn’t follow that, it should become clear that it’s the wrong thing to do.


For example, I hope—and I think this is happening in many places now—that it’s become unacceptable to throw trash on the trail or leave it behind. Those who do are now seen as behaving strangely, and they get social feedback—negative feedback—for that behavior.

It’s similar to how you wouldn’t touch a bird’s nest when you’re out in the forest. These things are cultural norms that we can continue to build and extend to other behaviors. That’s what we’re hoping to do.


Meg: Yeah, it seems relatively layered—similar to building any type of positive habit in your life—but then turning it into a cultural norm is really impactful and important.


I’m just kind of curious, though, what is the general demographic of the guides that you train? Are most of them coming from Europe, or are a lot of them from Nepal? Or maybe from the United States?


Xenia: Yeah, so we have a mix. What we do is work with both Summit and our Nepali company to educate guides. The education for Nepali guides is a bit different because many of our Nepali students come from difficult socioeconomic backgrounds.


Not all of them have finished basic schooling, so their education is more of an apprenticeship that takes a longer time. But they also get work experience, and in the end, they achieve the same awards as our international education programs.


In terms of our fast-paced, expedition-based international education, those students come from all around the world. We’ve had students from Australia, Europe, North America, South America—it’s really, really mixed. Seeing all our students intermix, train, and learn from each other at different points is truly amazing.


Meg: Yeah, it's kind of nice that everyone is coming from varying backgrounds. For people who want to work internationally, that's probably similar to the clients they're going to work with—people coming from all different cultures and backgrounds. So, I feel like that environment is really helpful.


Xenia: Absolutely. And that's also one of the benefits of Nepal. It's a very multicultural, ethnically diverse country, and there’s a strong tradition of embracing diversity. Everyone might have a different mother tongue or different traditions, but culturally, there's this openness to finding connections.


For example, people might say, "Oh, your festival is really similar in meaning to this festival of ours," or "That god you have is probably an avatar of this god we worship over here." There's a lot of shared celebration and shared spaces, like temples.


That’s one of the reasons the Himalayas is such a special place to work. As a student, you’re part of multicultural teams, and you get immersed in a culture that really allows for and celebrates diversity.


Meg: Yeah, that’s amazing. So, I’m going to kind of do a bit of a hard switch here—or maybe not really. I think we can transition into this: if you had to pick the primary training points or topics that you go through with the guides you train, what would those be? What does that look like in terms of aligning guides with sustainable behavior in the outdoors?


Xenia: It really comes back to showing our students the impact they have. When we minimize our impact, we make it a point to discuss it, show it, and have them see the difference it makes. For example, they can compare how we care for a campsite versus how it sometimes, unfortunately, looks when we first arrive.


When we plan menus, students sit down and calculate the impact. Sometimes they choose to go all vegan, and they calculate how much less impact that has. Other times, they might choose differently, and then they calculate how much impact that has. It’s about making them part of the process—helping them see and experience what it means to have an impact.


And, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not just about minimizing negative impacts but also maximizing positive impacts. For example, we regularly do cleanups. We also have a biodiversity restoration project that we work on, and the students get to be part of that. We encourage them to get involved, come up with ideas, and create their own projects or improvements. That way, they can learn from each other and help us implement even better ideas.


So, really feeling that your behavior has an impact is a core training point.

Then there are the tools. A key tool for us is an assessment. In all extreme sports, risk assessments are fundamental. They’re something we always have to do—they’re regular and legally required. We want to make sustainability assessments just as fundamental.


We’ve created a sustainability assessment based on the same framework as risk assessments. Our students complete these assessments as often as they do risk assessments, so the two almost become connected. It becomes second nature, something that’s equally expected. Doing a sustainability assessment should feel as standard as doing a risk assessment—or even done together.


And finally, it’s about building relationships. One of the core aspects of a guide’s work is creating relationships—with their guests, for example. Building good group dynamics and a positive culture helps people push their boundaries, learn new things, and dare to try adventure activities.


But it’s also about building relationships with the places they’re in—the nature, the history, and the context of what’s happening in these locations. That’s so fundamental. It helps guests come home with a real connection to those places, an understanding of both the good and the challenges, and the ability to find meaning and inspiration. That way, they’re more likely to take positive action and develop sustainable habits the next time they go outdoors.


Meg: I really like the idea of pairing the sustainability assessment with the risk assessment. Especially since risk assessments are already such a regular part of the process, this could become, like you were saying earlier, more of the norm. If sustainability assessments became the standard across adventure tourism, I think that would be amazing.


Xenia: It would be! And it’s possible—it’s just a matter of really pushing for it. It would require associations to recognize it as a good idea, and then, hopefully, it would become a legal requirement. Imagine if every organization had to include a sustainability assessment alongside their risk assessment. That would be amazing and absolutely achievable.


Meg: Yeah, I mean, at one point, there probably wasn’t a standard for risk assessments, right? So, it would just take a similar process to integrate sustainability assessments.

I’m curious—I don’t know a ton about international outdoor recreation and the standards or roles surrounding it. But I’m guessing you’re familiar with the Leave No Trace ethics and principles?


Xenia: Absolutely, yeah.


Meg: Is that an internationally accepted kind of regulation or expectation, or are there other ones similar that you implement?


Xenia: So, Leave No Trace, I think, is the closest we get to an international policy. A lot of people use it. It’s fairly easy to implement and translate into an operational policy as well. But most countries—or at least many countries—have their own ways of measuring sustainability. In Sweden, we have our own regulations and labeling.


It would be really nice—and I’d really look forward to seeing—a proper international label or policy that we could all translate. That way, no matter where we are, we can talk to each other, understand what each of us is doing, and exchange knowledge and best practices. It would also help guests understand whether what they’re taking part in is truly sustainable.


Meg: That’s interesting. For some reason, in my head, I thought there would already be some type of international umbrella for these practices. But it makes sense that it’s difficult to translate into different places and cultures, especially when it’s not the norm yet.


Xenia: It is difficult, and I think Leave No Trace has done a really good job. But it’s also one of the policies we discuss during our education because it originates from the U.S. and was designed around the actions needed in U.S. national parks. It’s not 100% perfect for a national park in Scandinavia, Nepal, or even other non-protected spaces around the world.


There really should be an international standard, and I think it’s absolutely possible. But the great people working on these policies need support. Why not have the U.S. tourism organizations collaborate with Leave No Trace, UIAA, and other major organizations? They all want the same thing.


Meg: Right, and then there could be some type of collaboration to make it a standard.


Xenia: Exactly, absolutely.


Meg: You explained the different training points and the general process you want to introduce to guides. It seems like it’s not only about how the guides themselves interact with outdoor spaces but also about educating the clients they’re taking on these adventures. Why do you think those foundational training elements are so important for guides to know and practice?


Xenia: On a very fundamental level, like I said before, this is our office—this is where we live. It’s also a privilege to call these beautiful, often remote, and sometimes protected places our home. Because of that privilege, we have a responsibility. We are in these places so often, and we bring more people into them. So, fundamentally, there’s an inherent responsibility in us.


Educating and empowering the guides specifically is also a ground-up approach rather than a top-down one. I find that the sustainability discussion within tourism, and especially adventure tourism, is quite interactive and good overall, but there isn’t much focus on the guides. There’s a lot at the policy level and among governmental organizations and entrepreneurs, but we’re overlooking the people who make a difference on the ground every day.


Guides have a significant impact—they’re the ones meeting the guests, taking them out, and creating those critical relationships. They share important knowledge and information about these places, which is fundamental for spreading positive behaviors and fostering an understanding of sustainability, climate change, and the destruction of nature.


I also don’t think we fully see it yet in adventure tourism, but we do in other sectors: guides have power. If guides decide they only want to work for companies that are doing good for the places they’re in and for nature, and they choose not to work for those that aren’t acting responsibly, they can influence the industry. They have the power to demand change from their employers, but they’re often overlooked in the broader sustainability discussion.


Meg: Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I do feel like, in general, we rely a lot on the policies and things like that, but the guides, like you're saying, are kind of the front line for the entire company—whatever the tourism company actually is.


And I think oftentimes, the clients that they're bringing out on these adventures—it's a really memorable activity for them. These people view the guides as outdoor experts, and so they’re kind of setting the standard for that person as well, like, "These are best practices."


Xenia: Absolutely.


Meg: So they should emulate those best practices, yeah.


Xenia: Absolutely, it's so important.


And also, often, like, of course, they will take people who are quite experienced, and they will just kind of coach them to the next level in surfing or kayaking or mountaineering. But we are also likely to take people out for the first time in nature.


Whitewater rafting is a big industry where people come, and maybe they don’t have too much outdoor experience. That’s also so fundamental because that is their first relationship to nature—that is their first time in remote places. Then it’s even more impactful: what the guides show, how they act, the stories they tell, and the relationship they create.


Meg: You explained in quite a bit of detail the general training process and kind of the steps that you would walk guides through. But do you have any more specific tips or advice that you would give to guides, if they’re listening, or even to outfitters that are providing people with gear and putting together pamphlets and instructional information for people venturing outdoors?


Xenia: I do think that the relationship is really fundamental. I think creating a relationship with the places you’re growing—understanding their history, their background, who lives here, who comes from here, how the nature and the landscape have evolved, understanding it as a living being rather than something to enjoy or consume in a way—is really important. That goes all the way down to even your equipment and your clothing.


Some companies are really good at creating that relationship, like, "This is a jacket that you have to take care of, you have to wax it. It will live with you for a long time, and it will be your friend on these adventures." I think that is so important—to create that relationship when we give information.


My other tip is also not to be afraid of including the negative news. While we want to inspire and make people feel empowered, it’s really important not to forget the sad stories. If you come to a glacier, it is your opportunity to tell someone that this glacier is melting due to climate change and that it is human-induced.


That creates a really deep emotional connection. Don’t miss out on that opportunity to really make someone feel sad that this is disappearing. I think those are really important conversations to have, even if it’s digital, even if it’s printed.


Meg: Yeah, and having that type of conversation, especially for people who are further removed than the guides who maybe see it on a regular basis, I could see that being really impactful.


Because I think oftentimes, out of sight, out of mind is the mindset for a lot of people, especially about the climate crisis in general. So if you’re out there and you see, "Oh, this is the marker of where this glacier used to be, and this is where it is now," and understand the causes, I could see that being a really impactful conversation.


We touched on this here and there throughout the conversation, but what are some other things or areas that you would love to see changed within the industry of adventure tourism?


Xenia: I think that the biggest challenge we’re all facing—on a societal scale, but certainly for any type of travel and tourism—is transportation.


So, I am really excited about seeing more train networks being expanded or rebuilt, about trains being run on sustainable or renewable resources, and about seeing that transformation in both the way we travel—the type of transportation we choose—and how often we travel and how long we stay in places.


That’s a change that is happening right now, and I feel it’s really exciting. People are becoming more conscious of how they travel and why they travel. As soon as we know why we’re traveling—if we’re traveling to learn something, or to discover something—we’re already in more of a mindset of protecting these places and valuing them, not just consuming them.


Transportation is a big part of making this industry, at the end of the day, sustainable.

We touched a little bit on materials. It’s really exciting to follow the changes in the materials that our outdoor equipment is made of—how they can be built in a better way to be recyclable or reusable, and, of course, last longer.


We see many outdoor clothing brands that are doing really well, with everything from compostable woolen underwear to wetsuits that are not made of petroleum-based materials anymore. There’s a lot of really exciting innovation happening there, but that is certainly also a part of the industry that needs to be improved.


Finally, I’m just really excited about this journey that we’re all on—that we continue to learn and change from each other and always do better. I think, during COVID, this whole time has been such a wake-up call for anyone in travel, adventure, or nature-based tourism.


We’ve had to take a good look at ourselves and really ask, "Why do we exist? What do we contribute in a meaningful way? Why should we survive after this pandemic?" That’s when this really good conversation about transformative travel has come up—this mindset change about why we travel. That will change how we travel as well.


And, of course, I’m really impressed and excited about the conversation you’re having—primarily in the U.S., to be honest—about inclusion and diversity in the outdoors. That is something I really want to see in more places around the world. Just continuing to recognize both the responsibility we have and the privilege it is to be in nature, to be in these places—it is not ours to take or to have. It’s a privilege, and with that privilege comes responsibility and the opportunity to connect and have a positive impact.


Meg: Yeah, and there's a lot of information, but all very positive. It’s just a lot to think about and process.


Xenia: Yeah, um, I’m sorry. I’m really passionate about this, and sometimes it comes out in a lot of information.


Meg: It’s really interesting, though, because it’s so full circle. I mean, you started the conversation here focusing a lot on mindset and then kind of integrating it into all of these different realms and aspects. And there are so many moving parts when it comes to tourism.


Xenia: Yes, I think we often hyper-focus on certain areas that seem maybe more controllable—things like transportation, which still needs to change because that’s a really big contributor to greenhouse gases. But yeah, there are so many other aspects that also need to be discussed, and we need to continue that conversation, like you’re saying.


Meg: So, for people who are interested in the work that you’re doing or even maybe want to sign up for—I don’t know what to call this—a workshop, a training session, an expedition, any of those things, whatever you want to call it, how can people find more information about Summit Adventure Academy and the work you’re doing?


Xenia: So, obviously, we are on all the social media platforms. People are super welcome to just, you know, reach out and connect with us there. We’re on Facebook, Instagram, and, uh, recently, we started a TikTok account, so we’re trying to keep up.


And to find more details about the education—our international mountain and river guide education—you can check out our website: it’s summitadventureacademy.com.


Meg: Awesome. Thank you so much, and I’ll be sure to share the links to all of that in the episode description and show notes. So, if people are driving or something and want to look at it later, you can just reference it there.


But with that, thank you so much for taking the time to be on the Outdoor Minimalist podcast. I’m really excited about the conversations you’re having and the changes you’re making in adventure tourism. So, thank you.


Xenia: Thank you so much for having me and allowing me to share it with you and all your listeners as well. It’s, uh, it’s a privilege.




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