Leigh started skiing at 8 and converted to snowboarding soon thereafter. His first board was an original 1985 Sims Kidwell Roundtail, which he still rides on powder days. He has written articles for numerous magazines and recently published a novel. He lives and works in Denver and hits the hills on weekends with his family.
Monica Prelle is an outdoors and adventure writer who lives at 8,000 feet in Mammoth Lakes, California.
A runner, hiker, yogi, snowboarder, and adventure journalist, Mattie Schuler lives in Boulder, Colorado, where her apartment is slowly being overcome by gear.
Daniela Liscio, our women’s sleeping bag tester, is an attorney and the Founder and President of Eat for Sport LLC. When she isn’t running her business, she is chasing adventures whether down into ocean depths, up into mountains, or anything in between.
Scott Morris guides backpacking expeditions and hiking trips for Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. He is a writer, traveler, and runner. Scott tests backpacking equipment.
Erica provides news and reviews for Gear Institute, with an Industry Insider's eye on the business of climbing.
My husband and I have been avid skate and classic cross country skiers since 2000. A couple years ago, we became certified instructors and started teaching for The Mountaineers club in Seattle.
Yitka Winn is a freelance writer and lifelong snowboarder based in Telluride, Colorado. She tests snowboard boots for the Gear Institute.
Dave Thibodeau is a veteran world traveler who tests travel apparel for the Gear Institute.
Christopher Cogley is a freelance writer who spends as much time as possible biking, hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoor playground of Western Colorado where he lives with his wife and two boys.
Chris Weidner climbs like an All-Purpose shoe: he’s competent on most terrain but not the best at anything. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and thousands of rock climbs.
Traveling the world as an aspiring explorer, Milo's whereabouts are generally unknown. However, you can track his most recent expeditions and photography at his Adventure Milo website. He has produced a "Real Gear Reviews" YouTube series and is a veteran tester at Trek Tech, as well as author for some of your favorite websites. Most recently, he is producing a speaking series based on the transformation from his past life as a New York City attorney into the passionate explorer he is becoming today.
Because he pushes his own limits with his expeditions, he demands top performance out of gear. That makes him for a pretty harsh critic and tester of equipment and he welcomes all invitations to break your gear in the field if you're up for it.
