• Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
• Umiak Outdoor Outfitters

Umiak Outdoor Outfitters — Paddling a river is a spot-on metaphor for life. Some days the trip is calm and serene; others it's harrowing and rough. Regardless of whether you know what's coming around the next bend, it's always about the journey, not the destination.

Umiak Outdoor Outfitters is all about enabling water journeys — on lakes, rivers, reservoirs, even snow. Headquartered in Stowe, it also maintains summer locations in Richmond, on the Waterbury Reservoir, and along the Winooski and Lamoille rivers.

Whether you're taking a nine-mile kayak or canoe trip on the Lamoille, a lazy tube float down the Winooski or a standup paddleboard outing on the Waterbury Reservoir, Umiak can bring you there, outfit you with top-notch watercraft and safety gear, and then shuttle you back to your car at journey's end. About the only service the experienced staff doesn't provide? Post-paddle massages for your sore arms, back and shoulders.

Other Finalists

• Bayside Paddle Sports
• Burlington Surf Club (WND&WVS)
• Clearwater Sports