Featured Stories
First Look: In the Sawtooths with Scott
Tal-ee Roberts checks out Scott's new line of ski gear by skiing some pow in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho.
What’s Selling: A Closer Look at Outdoor Retail Sales
Looking to get the best deal on your next gear buy? The latest outdoor retail news should give you that extra edge.
Meet our new Knives & Multitools tester
We've been looking for an expert multitool tester for a while—looks like we found one.
Our Favorite Women's Hiking Gear for Spring
We tested out some of this spring's coolest new women's gear for hiking, camping and trail running. Check out our top picks.
Why we believe in Mountain & Outside magazine's ski test
70 skis, 18 testers, three days of true big mountain skiing at Snowbird—and one ski test you can really trust.
Gear Institute Faculty
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Megan Michelson
Skis, Alpine Boots
Michelson is a longtime ski editor, freeskiing world champion—and our amazing women's ski and boot test director.
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Jordan White
AT Bindings
In 2009 Jordan became the youngest and the 5th person to ski from the summit of all 54 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks. Jordan is a mountain guide and ski guide for Aspen Alpine Guides, in Aspen Colorado as well as a ski guide for Ski Arpa, Chile.
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Ali Carr Troxell
Snowboards & Jackets
Former Outside magazine assistant managing editor Alicia Carr Troxell
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Julian Smith
Running & Cycling strollers (kids)
Runner, cyclist, father, writer—Julian Smith is a guy with a lot in tow, and a lot to say about the best running strollers and trailers for active parents wth kids.
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Frederick Reimers
Tents, Sleeping Bags, Ski Jackets (Resort)
Frederick Reimers was the editor of Canoe and Kayak Magazine from 2007-09 and has been writing for Outside, Men's Journal, Skiing and Powder ever since.
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Allison Pattillo
Running Apparel (Women's)
Living at 9,000 feet in the Colorado mountains, Allison Pattillo has ideal running apparel testing right out her front door.
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Dave Ratner
Goggles, Ski Helmets
Dave Ratner is a hard charging telemark skier from Denver. He spends every weekend powering his way through the I-70 corridor to test helmets and ski goggles for the Gear Institute.
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Steve Doviak
Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUPs)
On flat water and in surf, Doviak has a bigger board than you.
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Bob Lee
Gloves, Ski Poles, Hiking Shoes
Pro ski patroller, outdoor specialty shop gear expert, and wildland firefighter—Bob Lee takes his gear to the brink.
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Jennifer Coulter
Dog Gear Tester
Along with her dogs Farley and Pika, pro patroller Jennifer Coulter puts gear to the test for the benefit of four-legged adventurers everywhere.
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Ken Lucas
Avalanche Airbags
Telemark ski innovator, watersports writer and snow kite competitor, Ken Lucas brings his own style of engineering-based enthusiasm to the Gear Institute.
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Matt Samet
Climbing Shoes, Ropes
Former editor of Climbing magazine, author of the Climbing Dictionary, and climbing gear tester par excellence.
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Grant Davis
Vehicles, Racks & Boxes
Grant Davis has covered automotive and motorcycles for more than 10 years, first as an editor for Stuff Magazine and then for Outside, Outside’s Go, Forbes Life. His career has taken him to Italy to review luxury cars and down the spine of Baja to test motorcycles.
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Peter Kray
Publisher
Peter Kray is a co-founder of the Gear Institute, and a longtime specialist in the testing of skis, snowboards and outdoor equipment.
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Nick LeFort
Knives & Tools
A skilled custom knife-maker, LeFort is a known abuser of multitools and edged steel.
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Jean-Marc Blais
Alpine Skis
A ski club operator at 18 year of age, JM has grown within the ski industry publishing Ski Press.
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Craig Dostie
Telemark Bindings, Avy Packs, Beacons, Shovels
Backcountry skiing gear guru. Everything from beacons to skins...
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Catherine Lutz
Women's Ski Pants
A freelance writer, editor and photographer, she regularly logs 100 days a year on the slopes. Catherine has written for a variety of publications including Aspen Sojourner magazine, the Rocky Mountain News' Adventure section, Skiing magazine, and Powder.com.
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Dan Nash
Backpacks
Dan Nash has used his 25 years of extensive hiking, backpacking and mountaineering experience, to test outdoor gear on five continents in all types of environmental conditions. Dan has been writing reviews for over five years and loves educating about the outdoors.
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Ryan Stuart
Rain & Storm Shells
If you lived on the trails of rainy Vancouver Island, and worked as a gear editor, you'd get to know your jackets pretty darn well, too.
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Mike Schneiter
Climbing Hardware (Draws)
Schneiter is an AMGA-certified guide, founder of Glenwood Climbing Guides, and very quick on his draws.
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Jeff Ellis
Cross Country Skis & Boots
Ellis has been a ski Technician with the Australian ski team since 2009, which includes the 2009, 2011 Nordic World Championships, 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.
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Dan Nelson
Fly fishing rods, reels
Dan Nelson is a veteran outdoor journalist, and tests sleeping bags and fly fishing rods and reels for the Gear Institute. He's based in the Pacific Northwest.
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Rich Owings
GPS devices
Rich is editor of GPSTracklog.com, the leading consumer GPS site in the U.S.
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Doug Schnitzspahn
Tester at Large
Editor of Elevation Outdoors and Sustainabler.com, Schnitzspahn is one of our go-to testers at large.
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Craig Rowe
Camping Cookware
Guide, Sin City resident and creator of the HikeClimbSurfRun blog, Craig Rowe is the Gear Institute's chief camping cookware tester.
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Rich Siemer
Bike Accessories (Helmets, Gloves, etc.)
Rich Siemer is a self-described "slightly-higher-than-mid-pack-finisher" who races cyclocross for the fun and suffering in the Mid-Atlantic region. He has raced bikes in one form or another since 1992, and currently races for Route 1 Velo, based in Hyattsville, Maryland.
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Leah Gallant
Boots, Running Bras, & Hiking Apparel
Leah tests hiking boots, running bras, and hiking apparel in central New Mexico.
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Billy Brown
Helmet Cams
A climber, runner, snowboarder, and backpacker, Billy Brown lives with his wife in Northern California.
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Andrew Bisharat
Climbing Shoes
Senior editor at Rock & Ice, 5.14 climber, El Cap aid routes in a day—meet the force behind Gear Institute's climbing shoe tests. (Mind the sloth!)
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Tal-ee Roberts
Technical Editor, Technology Director
In addition to being Technical Director and co-founder of the Gear Institute, Tal-ee is a contributor to Gear Tests and News.
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Berne Broudy
Women's Jackets
Berne Broudy is author of Outside Magazine's Gear Shed blog, and she is among the best known and most widely respected gear writers in the outdoor industry.
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Jeff Burke
Ski Pants, AT Boots, Avalanche Airbags
Jeff Burke is a Jackson Hole-based ski patroller, ski mountaineer, and freelance writer.
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Ben Fletcher
Sport Watches, Running Apparel
If you're a runner and need a watch, Ben Fletcher is the man you need to know.
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Erinn Morgan
Sunglasses
Erinn Morgan knows more about sunglasses than is probably healthy—and that's why we love her.
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MeganSkis, Alpine Boots -
JordanAlpine Touring -
ScottTrail Running -
AliSnowboards -
JulianRunning & Cycling -
FrederickHike & Camp
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AllisonRunning -
DaveSki Helmets -
SteveSUPs -
BobSki & Hike -
JenniferDog Gear -
KenSkiing
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MattClimbing -
GrantCars & Racks -
PeterPublisher -
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SteveHike & Snow -
NickMultitools
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Jean-MarcAlpine Skis -
CraigSki Gear -
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DanBackpacks -
RyanShells -
MikeClimbing
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JeffXC Skis & Boots -
DanFly fishing -
RichGPS -
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CraigCookware -
RichCycling
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KristaWomen's Skis -
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BerneJackets
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BenRunning -
TannerSoftshells -
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