Seeking adventure? Look no further: Alaska Alpine Adventure ranks top 10 adventure travel companies worldwide.

• Author: Resz, Heater A.

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It's a bit like spinning the globe and pointing a finger to select a destination the way modern-day explorer Dan Oberlatz, owner of Alaska Alpine Adventures, plucks expeditions from his imagination and then plots them using topographic mapping software.

His love of Alaska's wild places led him to start the business in 1998 as a way to help pay for his own trips into Alaska's backcountry, and in the company's second year in business it had two clients, Oberlatz said.

"It took us a long time before we made a dime," he added. "It kind of started as a way to finance our aspirations to see the state."

New trips added to the Alaska Alpine Adventures Web site emerge from Oberlatz' teeming brain.

Say he sets his mind to float the Charlie River. He loads the mapping software on his computer and plans a route. Then he adds the adventure to his Web site's list of possible expeditions and Oberlatz guides the trip if enough people sign up.

After 10 summers of showing visitors the wilderness he loves, he said he was finally able to hire his first full-time employee last year. And if his reservation list is any indication, Oberlatz said, Alaska Alpine Adventures is on a pace to have its busiest year so far.

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His bump in business may be due, in part, to the company's inclusion in a National Geographic Adventure Magazine feature. In the November 2007 issue, called the "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth," Oberlatz' business was listed among the top 10 adventure travel companies worldwide, and was one of eight Alaska companies featured.

"We're on a pretty elite list," he said. Alaska Alpine scored highest on the client interview portion of the six-month-long review. Oberlatz said all of his clients interviewed gave the company the highest possible rating for customer service.

But those high marks only drive Oberlatz to work harder.

"We really have to make sure we are living up to that expectation," he said. "We're challenging ourselves to be better and to improve."

FLAT SCREEN

The majority of Alaska Alpine Adventures customers come from two places: Web bookings and repeat customers, Oberlatz said. He added that one client from Louisville, Ky., has booked eight consecutive trips.

Increasing numbers of travelers are using Internet search engines to browse lists of companies offering Alaska travel options.

For small companies, such as Oberlatz', the Web levels the playing field between...