Bill Marriner used to be the chief executive of a multimillion-dollar Boulder company, with a flush salary, a nice office and command of — at one time — about 1,500 employees.

Now, the former CEO of Exabyte Corp. manages a modest group of no more than a baker's dozen and spends his workdays hiking over rocky trails to share a bottle of wine fireside in some secluded rustic lodge.

The change nicely suits him.

In 2002, Marriner ended his five-year tenure at the helm of Exabyte, the local data storage company, and bought The World Outdoors, an adventure travel tour business based in Boulder. In the two years he has owned the trip operator, The World Outdoors has grown by 40 percent, expanding to offer expeditions on every continent except Antarctica.

Marriner's new role as vacation expediter to America's most active is an unprecedented experience. For years, Marriner dealt in the business of manufacturing tape drives and libraries, working first for Louisville's Storage Technology Corp. and then for Exabyte, where he advanced to the company's top position at the age of 43.

After five years spent mostly dealing with efforts to turn around sagging sales and to cut costs for the struggling company, a change was due.

"I was 49 years old," says Marriner, now 51. "I had done tape for 24 years, and I was afraid my tombstone was going to read, 'He did tape.' I wanted to do something different than technology."

Marriner laughs, then adds: "And I was trying to get a jump on my mid-life crisis and get it out of the way."

Marriner had always been an active outdoorsman, hiking, biking and camping in national parks, and he thought the outdoor travel industry was something he could get excited about. After leaving Exabyte in January 2002, Marriner began searching the Internet for outdoor travel companies. The Boulder resident of 30 years was surprised to see the city's The World Outdoors ranked high on many result pages.

On an afternoon in the summer of 2002, Marriner drove to the offices of The World Outdoors at Wilderness Place, off of Valmont Road. He wanted to ask owner Brian Mullis some questions about the adventure travel industry. Instead of giving advice, Mullis told Marriner that he wanted to sell the company. Five weeks later, Marriner was the new owner and president of The World Outdoors.

"It was fortuitous, the right place at the right time," Marriner says. "I hadn't come with the intention to buy the company. I thought I'd just buy (Mullis) lunch."

The unexpected occurrence, however, changed Marriner's life.

"It's proven to be what I hoped for: a fraction of the stress level, a heck of a lot less income and a whale of a lot of fun," says Marriner of the growing company. "And it has good travel benefits."

The World Outdoors was founded 17 years ago. In 2004, Marriner ran about 125 trips for an international clientele of nearly 900 guests. The addition of new trips to Europe, Asia and Africa has increased his international business by 75 percent.

The World Outdoors' most popular excursions remain destinations in the western United States, such as the six-day hiking expedition to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Most domestic trips are in national parks areas, and guests choose between hiking or multisport adventures, the latter of which can include activities such as rock climbing, biking and canyoneering.

A domestic camping trip generally runs between $1,200 and $1,400 per person, while a noncamping trip usually costs between $1,800 and $2,200. International excursions, which typically last one to two weeks, start at about $3,000.

Group sizes are as small as four but are never larger than 13. Each domestic trip is led by two of World Outdoors' guides, all certified Wilderness First Responders, knowledgeable in the trip area and activity. Anyone who meets the physical requirements of a specific trip, which vary from easy to challenging, can participate, regardless of their age.

Unlike Outward Bound or other wilderness programs, The World Outdoors offers a vacation, providing guests with the opportunity to sweat while enjoying fine lodging, good dining and the singular comforts of active traveling. Accommodations for domestic trips can include park lodges, historic hotels, mountain huts and log cabins, where guests often are served dinner unless the guide takes the group to a favorite nearby eatery.

Jim Keyes, a city council member from Pipestone, Minn., has taken an annual trip with The World Outdoors for the past five years.

"You think of a vacation as sitting by the beach with a drink in your hand, and that's great for some people," says Keyes, 47. "But for me, and for other people, you want to go out, challenge yourself, have fun and enjoy the beauty of nature."

Although The World Outdoors employs 15 seasonal guides to lead its domestic trips, Keyes had the chance of having Marriner as his guide on a recent hiking expedition. The alderman was impressed by Marriner's wit, energy and enthusiasm.

"When people tell Marriner something, he does the job of what people want," says Keyes, explaining that Marriner developed a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon trip at the request of Keyes and a few other patrons. "What more could you ask for? A lot of other companies would have said, 'Sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere.'"

Julie Beebe, a four-trip veteran and resident of Mobile, Ala., took an expedition last August to Alaska with The World Outdoors, specifically because the mother of four wanted to try ice climbing.

"It was awesome," Bebee says of the weeklong, multisport excursion. "We don't have snow or ice here, and I'm in my late 50s, and I just thought how cool it would be to go ice climbing."