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Why I Built Lost Terrain Tours
Updated: 5 days ago
An outdoor guide's perspective on adventure travel, the people behind it, and why I wanted to do things differently.
I've spent years working as an outdoor guide, and there are a lot of things I love about this job. The early mornings. Getting to know a place well enough to notice the little things. Watching someone experience something outdoors that they've never seen or done before. And, of course, the people you meet along the way.
Guiding gives you a pretty unique perspective on how people experience the outdoors. You see what makes a trip memorable, what people are excited about, and sometimes, what they wish they'd known before showing up. You also get a firsthand look at what it takes to run an outdoor guiding business.
And along the way, I started noticing a disconnect between the way outdoor adventures are experienced and the way they're marketed and sold. That's where the idea for Lost Terrain Tours started.
There's a lot more to an adventure than a booking button
Booking an outdoor adventure isn't quite like booking a hotel room. If you're signing up for a multi-day backpacking trip, a gravel cycling expedition, or a guided kayaking experience, there are probably a few things you want to know first. What's the terrain actually like? How challenging is the trip? What equipment do I need? What's included? And perhaps most importantly, who am I going with? These aren't small details. They can make a real difference in whether an adventure is right for someone.
As a guide, I've seen how easily important information gets overlooked. Sometimes people arrive without the right gear. Sometimes they underestimate the physical demands of a trip. Other times, they simply didn't know what questions to ask before booking. And I get it. Outdoor trips can involve a lot of moving parts, especially when you're traveling somewhere unfamiliar.
I started thinking about what it would look like to build a place where discovering an adventure also meant getting to know what the experience actually involves. Not just where you're going, but what you're getting into.
The people behind the adventures matter
The other side of this comes from working in the guiding industry. There are some incredible guides and small outdoor businesses out there. People who have spent years learning their local landscapes, developing their skills, building relationships within their communities, and creating experiences they genuinely care about. Some are small teams. Some are family-run businesses. Others are guides who have built something around a place or activity they love.
What many of them don't have is the time, money, or marketing resources to compete with larger travel companies. Running trips is already a lot of work. There's planning, logistics, equipment, communication, safety considerations, and the actual guiding. Somewhere in there, you're also supposed to find time to market your business, make videos, manage a website, and reach new customers. That's a lot to ask of someone whose expertise is being outdoors. I kept coming back to the same question: What if guides could spend more time doing what they do best, while someone helped more people discover their work? That question became a big part of Lost Terrain.
Getting to know the guides before you go
One of my favorite things about guiding is hearing people's stories. Everyone has a different reason for getting into the outdoors, and guides are no exception. Some grew up exploring the places they now work. Some discovered an activity later in life and never really stopped. Others started guiding because they wanted to share something they loved with more people. Those stories tell you a lot about the experiences they create.
Take George and Lea of Chilco Bike Expeditions in Northern Patagonia, Chile. They offer supported gravel cycling adventures through a landscape of volcanoes, forests, and araucaria trees. But there's so much more to their story than the itinerary. When we sat down with them, we talked about guiding, running their business, and even a bikepacking adventure with their moms that helped inspire the trips they offer today. Those are the conversations I want people to have access to. Because when you're considering spending eight days riding through Patagonia, it's pretty cool to know something about the people you'll be riding with. You can explore their 8-Day Supported Gravel Ride: Volcanoes & Araucarias and get to know the experience for yourself.
Better information makes for better adventures
There's something really satisfying about showing up for an outdoor trip feeling prepared. You know what to pack. You have a good understanding of the terrain. You know what the days might look like, and you've chosen something that matches your interests and abilities. That doesn't mean everything will go exactly as planned. It's the outdoors, after all. But it does mean you can spend less time worrying about things you could have known beforehand and more time enjoying the experience.
That's why I want Lost Terrain to go beyond a few photos and a short trip description.
We're working toward a way of presenting adventures that helps people understand the important details without having to dig through endless paragraphs or piece together information from multiple places.
That means clearer trip descriptions, useful visuals, practical preparation information, and opportunities to hear directly from the guides. It's also why we're investing in videos, interviews, and stories about the people and places behind the trips. Sometimes seeing a landscape or hearing a guide explain an experience tells you something a list of itinerary details can't. And sometimes you just want to know how many miles you're riding each day. Both matter.
Building something for both sides of the adventure
Lost Terrain Tours is an adventure marketplace connecting outdoor lovers with local guides and small guiding businesses. For travelers, I want it to be a place where you can discover interesting destinations, learn about different experiences, get to know the people leading them, and find adventures that genuinely interest you. For guides, I want it to be a place where their expertise, personalities, and businesses are recognized. We're not trying to replace what makes these guiding companies special. Quite the opposite. The goal is to help more people find them. That means putting the guides at the center of the experience, sharing their stories, and helping them reach people who might never have discovered their business otherwise. It also means continuing to listen to the people on both sides of the booking process. Because the best way to build something useful for the outdoor industry is to keep learning from the people who are actually part of it.
Wild Places Change Us
This is the idea at the heart of Lost Terrain. I believe spending time outdoors changes how we see the world. Sometimes it's through a big experience in a place we've never visited. Sometimes it's something much smaller: noticing wildlife, learning something from a guide, or having a conversation with someone you wouldn't have met otherwise.
The outdoors has introduced me to some pretty remarkable people and places, and guiding has given me the opportunity to share those experiences with others. I wanted to build a business that reflects that. One that celebrates wild places, respects the people who know them, and makes it easier for others to get out and experience them.
We're still building, learning, and figuring things out along the way. But I'm excited about the guides we're getting to know, the places we're exploring, and the stories we get to share. And I hope Lost Terrain becomes a place where you discover something that makes you want to get outside and see it for yourself.
— Eli Adams
Founder & Outdoor Guide, Lost Terrain Tours
A few questions about Lost Terrain Tours
What is Lost Terrain Tours?
Lost Terrain Tours is an outdoor adventure marketplace that helps people discover and book experiences with local guides and small guiding companies. We focus on sharing useful trip information, introducing the people behind the adventures, and helping travelers find experiences that match their interests.
Why was Lost Terrain Tours created?
I started Lost Terrain after seeing firsthand how difficult it can be for travelers to find the information they need before booking an outdoor adventure, and how challenging it can be for small guiding businesses to reach new customers. I wanted to create something that helps both.
What kinds of adventures can I find?
Lost Terrain focuses on outdoor experiences such as hiking, backpacking, cycling, kayaking, and multi-day adventures. We're continuing to develop our collection of trips and destinations as we build relationships with guides and small outdoor businesses.
How does Lost Terrain support guides?
We help independent guides and small guiding companies reach new audiences by showcasing their trips, sharing their stories, and creating opportunities for people to discover their work. Our goal is to make the guides themselves an important part of how people choose an adventure.
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