In the light of recent challenges facing the field of outdoor adventure education in higher education, this exploratory study sought to identify some of the underlying political and institutional factors and societal influences on an international level that have led to the success of some programmes and the closure of others. Thirty-eight outdoor adventure education academics with a minimum of seven years' experience in higher education institutions, representing seven countries (Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Norway, and Denmark) participated in the study. These academics were questioned as to their perceptions of the importance of various characteristics and attributes to an outdoor adventure education programme's survival and academic excellence. At least 80% of the respondents reported 10 characteristics to be "very important" or "critically important", including pedagogy, leadership, management, resources and advocacy. All respondents reported the critical importance of having a departmental chair/supervisor advocate for their department's outdoor programme. The findings suggest that outdoor adventure educators must collaborate on both national and international levels to promote the value of their discipline. (Contains 5 tables.)