Rick Ridgeway
Mountaineer and Wildlands Conservationist, Formerly Patagonia, Inc.
Rick Ridgeway is an outdoor adventurer, writer, and advocate for sustainability and conservation initiatives. For 15 years, Rick was a VP at Patagonia developing environmental and sustainability initiatives including Freedom to Roam, the Footprint Chronicles and Worn Wear. He was also founding chair of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (renamed Cascale), which is now the largest apparel, footwear, and home textile trade organization in the world. In addition, Rick is recognized as one of the world’s foremost mountaineers. With three companions, he was the first American to summit K2, and he has done other significant climbs and explorations on all continents, about which he has written seven books. The National Geographic honored him with its “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award, and the Explorer's Club with its highest honor, the Explorers Medal. Today, he serves on six boards of conservation organizations, is a featured speaker at conferences and events and, with his recent memoir Life Lived Wild, has returned to his passion for writing. Rick says that since “retiring,” he’s working more than ever.