The Daily - January 31, 2020 - 39

F R O M L E F T: P H OTO S CO U R T E SY O F K I R S T I E E N N I S , B I L LY L I S T E R I I I

In 2017, Ennis
tackled Mount
Everest.

North and South Poles). First, she
summited Mount Kilimanjaro,
followed by Carstensz Pyramid,
Mount Elbrus, and Aconcagua.
Last spring, she made it to within
600 feet of the summit of Mount
Everest. Her feats attracted attention. In 2017, she was featured on
the cover of ESPN The Magazine's
Body Issue, the first climber ever,
and in 2019, she won the Pat Tillman award at the ESPYs.
Through it all, she has spread
her message of healing in the outdoors. "Inclusivity in the outdoors
doesn't discriminate; it's the sport
for everybody, open to all," she
says. "Healing does not have to
take place inside hospitals and
pill bottles."
One of the intuitive core beliefs
in the outdoor industry is that
getting outside and getting dirty
is good for you. That life is better
when you connect with nature.
It's a message that is embedded in
the DNA of show attendees and
has been conveyed to consumers through myriad marketing
efforts. But how do we convince
consumers that it is true?
Modern science has weighed in
with numerous studies released in
the last decade that show a direct
correlation between a person's
health and the amount of time
they spend outdoors. That's not

Billy Lister III pedals
in California's Million
Dollar Challenge ride.

"IT BLEW MY MIND THAT THERE
WERE ADVENTURES OUT THERE FOR
PEOPLE LIKE ME. I HAD NO IDEA.
FROM THAT MOMENT, MY EYES WERE
OPENED, AND MY LIFE BEGAN TO CHANGE."
-BILLY LISTER III

the most compelling information
to build an ad campaign around.
Instead, perhaps the industry
should embrace the stories of
people who have experienced the
healing of nature.
That's a message that numerous
nonprofits and advocacy groups
are working to spread. No Barriers
was launched by Erik Weihenmayer, who became the first blind person to summit Mount Everest in
2001. By preaching the message of
healing through wilderness therapy, the group has helped turn thousands of lives around. Focusing on
veterans, children, and disabled
individuals, No Barriers was able
to garner support from numerous
outdoor and Fortune 100 companies. "Companies whose mission
combines profit objectives with
being a good citizen are the new
norm," says David Shurna, the
executive director and co-found-

er of No Barriers. "We find that
connecting company employees
and customers with authentic
content that celebrates diversity
is a win-win for the business and
our nonprofit."
BILLY LISTER III WAS A TYPICAL

teenager growing up in upstate
New York until complications from
brain surgery caused him to have a
stroke at the age of 17, leaving him
with partial paralysis on his left
side. For a decade he was "lost and
confused, just trying to survive"
until he attended a No Barriers
Summit in 2009. "It blew my mind
that there were adventures out
there for people like me. I had no
idea," says Lister III. "From that
moment, my eyes were opened,
and my life began to change." Less
than seven years later, he was
competing as a cyclist in the Rio
Paralympic Games. He's aiming for

the 2020 Tokyo Games and works
tirelessly with organizations to
share his story, in the hopes it may
help others.
Both Ennis' and Lister's stories
are remarkable and ones that inspire others, but for every story like
theirs, untold more are out there.
Individuals struggling with weight,
depression, loss, illness, and a host
of other ailments have found help
by embracing the outdoors.
Medical science is getting behind
it too with innovative treatments
that promise to harness the power
of sunshine and fresh air. A study
published in Scientific Reports in
June 2019 showed that spending
120 minutes each week in nature
correlates with higher levels of both
health and well-being. Doctors are
now literally writing prescriptions
for doses of nature to help heal
their patients. Currently there are
71 Park Rx programs (parkrx.org)
in 32 states that allow doctors and
therapists to prescribe time outside, something that was common
before the birth of the Space Age in
the early 1950s. In a society that is
so interconnected, people are looking for a break, for a way to mend.
So, for an industry that is forever
looking for new and inventive ways
to spread its message, this might
help. If Mother Nature can't heal
you, who can?

OUTDOOR + SNOW SHOW 2020

http://www.parkrx.org

The Daily - January 31, 2020

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