Table Of Content*“Evaluations,” Backpacker Magazine,
Volume 5, 1974, p. 57
Praise for Let My People Go Surfing
“For everyone who is alternately outraged and depressed by the wave of greed
that has been the hallmark of corporate America in the twenty-first century, there
is a name that inspires hope: Yvon Chouinard…. Unique and compelling.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“Chouinard the antibusinessman is businessman to the bone. Maybe more so.
Because it’s not a set of clothes he puts on, or an office he shows up at. It’s not a
role he can pick up or put down. It’s who he is. How he thinks. The fly rod was
always beside the point. The point, as Surfing shows us, is how powerful an
organizing force authenticity can be.”
—Inc.
“The highest compliment I can…pay Let My People Go Surfing is that I’d love
to break bread with Yvon Chouinard…. It’s heartening to read about a company
that has stuck to its principles and flourished.”
—The Washington Monthly
“Chouinard’s biography, Let My People Go Surfing, reveals a fascinating and
colorful character…. For all of our sakes, it seems the responsible thing for
companies to do is follow Chouinard’s ascent.”
—USA Today
“Yvon Chouinard’s message is clear: if you’re not part of the answer, you’re part
of the problem. Mr. Chouinard has made it a life’s work to be part of the
answer.”
—Santa Barbara News-Press
“Yvon Chouinard is a mountain climber in both the literal sense and the
metaphorical sense, and no mountain he ever climbed literally was more
daunting or important than the one he is climbing in his business: ‘Mount
Sustainability.’ Here he tells the story of that climb, not only the what and how
of it, but also the why. What an important and inspiring read!”
—Ray Anderson, chairman, Interface, Inc.
“Yvon Chouinard is far more than a world-class mountaineer and brilliant
outdoors haberdasher. He stands out as a mountain himself—a mountain of
integrity, responsibility, courage, and vision. No matter what you do, you will
find essential guidance and inspiration in Let My People Go Surfing. I probably
wouldn’t be here without Yvon’s support over the years; his book now gives me
more strength to carry on.”
—Dave Foreman, The Rewilding Institute
“At last Yvon Chouinard has taken time to write his story, some of us in the
progressive business world have waited decades. This is a wonderful, wonderful
book. Two hundred-odd pages of truth-telling, consciousness-raising and ballsy
bravery. Every wannabe entrepreneur, every school teaching a course on
‘business’ and every MBA program should buy this book. Yvon, thank you!”
—Anita Roddick, founder and owner, The Body Shop
“Humility coupled with clear vision has made Yvon Chouinard personally, and
Patagonia corporately, the natural leaders for many of us in business. Not only is
this book a great read about the history of Patagonia, but it is a thought-
provoking benchmark for one’s own personal and civic values.”
—Nell Newman, president, Newman’s Own Organics
“An appealing practical guide to encourage capitalism and ethics to play nice
together.”
—Kirkus Reviews
PENGUIN BOOKS
LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING
Yvon Chouinard is founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc., based in Ventura,
California. He began in business by designing, manufacturing, and distributing
rock-climbing equipment in the late 1950s. His tinkering led to an improved ice
ax that facilitated the French ice-climbing technique and is the basis for modern
ice ax design. In 1964 he produced his first mail-order catalog, a one-page
mimeographed sheet containing advice not to expect fast delivery during
climbing season. In 2001, Yvon cofounded 1% for the Planet, an alliance of
businesses that contribute at least 1 percent of their net annual sales to groups on
a list of researched and approved environmental organizations. Today, he makes
significant contributions to activist environmental concerns, serves on the boards
of numerous environmental organizations, and spends much of his time in the
outdoors.
LET MY PEOPLE GO SURFING
The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
Yvon Chouinard
Founder and Owner, Patagonia, Inc.
PENGUIN BOOKS
For Malinda Pennoyer Chouinard,
my wife and partner
for all these good years.
PENGUIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014,
U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin
Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St
Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin
Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia
(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11
Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi–110 017, India Penguin Group
(NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand
(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty)
Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published in the United States of America by The Penguin Press, a member
of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. 2005
This edition with a new preface published in Penguin Books 2006
Copyright © Yvon Chouinard, 2005, 2006
All rights reserved
An extension of this copyright page appears at the end of this book.
:
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS
Chouinard, Yvon.
Let my people go surfing: the education of a reluctant businessman / Yvon
Chouinard.
p. cm.
1. Chouinard, Yvon. 2. Businesspeople—United States—Biography. 3.
Social responsibility of business. I. Title.
HC102.5.C42 2005
658.4'083—dc22 2005047650
Description:In his long-awaited memoir, Yvon Chouinard-legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.-shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of
