Sean Sewell
Owner and Director of Stoke (dog dad, pirate joke teller, and dirtbag)
When Sean was a young boy, he had a paper route. His first purchase from his paper route money? A Swiss Champ knife. He was officially hooked on gear. That was 30 years ago and the knife is still getting used! After thousands of days in the field, testing gear in all kinds of climates, conditions, and activities he is ready to help you get into the best gear for your adventures!
When not obsessing about gear, Sean is a certified personal trainer and owner of Colorado Personal Fitness and Mountain Fitness School. He loves training clients to get into shape to enjoy all outdoor activities and adventures and loves getting them into the right gear so they can make the most of the experiences! If he’s not training his clients in the gym and in the mountains, Sean is consumed with research into the best gear technology and testing it on adventures. Sean is TRX-FORCE, NSCA-CPT, NPTI, NSNF, FMS1, AIARE Level 2 and a 100% certified gear enthusiast.
He also wrote the book on Splitboarding.
Instagram – Sean Sewell Mountain Man
Aaron Rose
Kate Agathon
Dr. Of Stoke
Freelance writer, bicyclist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, social justice advocate, and mom to her furbaby, Utah the Adventure Dog.
A Colorado native, Kate considers the outdoors her mother ship. She brings her passion for bicycling, the environment, and issues of diversity to her writing. Her primary outdoor recreation activities are mountain biking, fat biking, snowshoeing, camping, peak bagging Colorado’s 14ers, road cycling, and Nordic skiing. After suffering two major knee injuries within four years, Kate hopes to return to alpine skiing next season.
Kate earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Colorado State University and later an MSEd and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. In addition to her education, Kate’s background serving on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and experience working for non-profits and bicycle sales well position her to bring depth and understanding to the complex changes currently taking place in the outdoor recreation industry.
We also heard she has a (slight) obsession for blue heelers.
Samantha Sewell
Colorado Native and Seeker of Happiness
I am so fortunate to have been raised in Colorado and some of my favorite memories are camping with my Dad and family.
We would set up huge camping areas (tent camping with designated kitchen areas and community spaces) and camp for a full weekend. We rode dirt bikes and getting dirt under my nails was the best part.
Today I live in Denver with my best friend (aka Husband) and our two dogs (Chloe & Riley). I work as a professional downtown & retreat to the mountains as often as possible.
I am so lucky to continue to camp (side note: my gear is much lighter now compared to when I was a kid), hike, ride my bike on the Cherry Creek Trail, raft & snowshoe often.
My hubby is my adventure partner and our two pups tend to be our compass.
Follow my reviews for honest feedback on products you are curious on, have not seen a review on a piece of gear let me know and we will do our best to get our hands on it!
Rafael Pease
Rafael was born in France and grew up all over the world. He has always been active in the outdoors but didn’t actually begin to snowboard till he was 17. Now 24, he spends nearly every month chasing snow and adventure in both hemispheres. Rafael splits half of his time between Chile and the United States, where he just completed his degree in Environmental Sciences and Geography at the University of Colorado, where the rest of the year you can find him somewhere exploring in Asia, Europe and beyond.
His particular style of snowboarding is self-sufficient high and remote alpine expeditions, where there is 1 pain peak objection with a dozen or more ‘mini’ objections. The ride down is only a tenth of the fun that is had, the puzzle of logistics and suffering of access is the other side of fun.
Dave Marcus
Dave’s obsession (should we call it that? Yes, we should.) with gear began early with a stint at summer camp. Long trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada’s Quetico came with packing lists and packing lists got him thinking: the list says backpack, but which one?
Since then, he’s led trips back to the BWCA and Quetico and into Utah’s Escalante and Grand Staircase National Monument and guided mountain bike tours through the mountains around Colorado Springs. While acting as the head guide, he was also chief bike mechanic for the rental fleet. He’s AIARE Level 1 certified and has completed two Ironman triathlons.
Dave has used his gear all over the world. He’s skied the Swiss Alps, hiked the Great Wall, explored ancient cave strongholds in Turkey, and watched the sunset over Mt. Fuji.
What gear does Dave use?
Skiing– Custom Ski Logiks with Fritschi Vipec bindings and Scarpa Maestrale RS boots; Black Diamond Traverse poles with Carbon Probe lowers, Carbon Whippet; Ortovox S1 Beacon; Ortovox Lite PFA 240 Probe; Brooks-Range Backcountry Shovel; Arc’teryx Stinger bibs; Black Diamond First Light Hoody; Patagonia Merino Airbase.
Fishing– Tenkara USA Sato rod; Patagonia Rio Gallegos Zip Waders and Foot Tractor boots; Yamatoyo 3.5 level line; Rio Powerflex 5x tippet; Peak rotary vise for tying flies.
Camping– REI Flash 45 pack; Black Diamond HiLight or Megalight tents; Exped Synmat UL7 or Downmat UL7; Montbell UL Super Spiral Down Hugger #1; Jetboil Sol Ti or homemade alcohol stove; Snowpeak 450 titanium mug.
Mountain Biking– Stooge Cycles frame and fork; Thomson Elite stem and seatpost; Light Bicycle Carbon 50mm rims laced on Chris King Hubs; Answer 20/20 carbon handlebar; Crank Brothers Eggbeaters; Shimano XT 1×11.
Commuter Biking– Van Dessel Whiskey Tango Foxtrot frame and fork; Gates Carbon Drive Centertrack – 46×28; Whiskey Parts Co. No.9 carbon wheels; Clement X’plor MSO tires; TRP Hylex disc brakes.
Trail Running– Pearl Izumi Trail N3 shoes, Patagonia Baggies.
Carrying Gear– Thule Aero Crossbars, Yakima Skybox 12, 1up USA Heavy Duty Bike rack.
Trevor Price
Producer
Trevor is a self-described geek that grew up hiking 14ers and playing with computers. He serves as a web developer, photographer, videographer and occasional writer at Engearment.
Will Coleman
Mountain Man, with a Van and Stoke
Hi, I’m Will, I’m currently living the van life in Colorado. I enjoy mountaineering, splitboarding, climbing, trail running and type 2 fun! I’m 28 years old and spend as much time outside as possible. I moved to Colorado in 2014 from Mississippi and grew up in the mid-south. I have been snowboarding since 2000 and the mountains have had my heart ever since. You can find me anywhere from riding Colorado’s high peaks to climbing desert towers, to climbing in the PNW!
Brian Sullivan
Producer/Director/Cinematographer
It has been said that storytelling is the act of dreaming while we are awake and that our dreams render our reality. Dreaming is how we take in our external reality, weave it through our subconsciousness, and anchor it into our value systems. Dreams, stories, and films then become the fertile ground and birthplace of new ways of looking at the world.
As a filmmaker, my aim is to create films that have an emotional resonance and cathartic impact on our culture. I desire to create films that serve as inter-cultural bridges and lenses with which to see the world from a broader perspective. We live in a storm of stories. We communicate through them and learn from them. The image has never been more powerful, and as a storyteller, I want to plant new metaphors within the collective subconscious that bring us closer together in our diversity and our humanness. We are hardwired for stories. Great stories and films teach us how to live and are crucial to our survival. We would not have survived or evolved to where we are today without them.
Mike Sanchez
Born in Silicon Valley California, Mike started Mtn bike riding and racing at the tender age of 14 in the mountains that surround the South Bay area. He hasn’t looked back since. After 4 honorable years in the United States Marine Corps, he spent a year on the east coast chasing fireflies while night riding to avoid the hot and humid days. In December of 1998 he was “going back to Cali” equipped with a 1992 Dodge truck, zero degrees sleeping bag, snowboard and a few grand in his pocket…… let’s just say he never made it!
After spending a considerable amount of time with a snowboard strapped to his back and snowshoes on his feet during those first two seasons, he picked up his first splitboard in spring of 2000 before a west coast road trip.
Mike considers the Gore Range his home range and spends countless hours ski mountaineering, backpacking, trail running, and attempting to call in any elk, bull or cow into his bow range. The last one seems to be elusive despite his efforts for the past 3 hunting seasons.
With splitboarding being his gateway method of travel to the enchanting winter wonderlands that Colorado has to offer, he was forced to learn telemark style turns for the efficiency of travel on his first splitboard in ski mode. That led to a natural curiosity of what telemark had to offer the backcountry traveler! The exact year he picked up his first telemark ski setup is a bit foggy, but confidently says he has been refining his tele turn for at least 15 years. While developing his ski skills, he always fell back on his snowboarding ability to tackle bigger lines such as the north face of
Mt. Democrat one of Colorado’s many 14,000 ft peaks. In 2012 he sold one of his splitboard setups as a way to force himself to not fall back on snowboarding and wait out the evolving market of gear offerings.
It is now 2019 his daughter Luna is 10 years old and has developed a proficient set of ski skills. Mike feels the time is ripe with gear offerings and the time is quickly approaching to start teaching his daughter the beauty and grace of the snowboard turn.
So the journey back full circle is here and he is back on splitboards using his telemark skills to help on his quest for multi-day adventures deep in the backcountry.
Mike also leads moderate trad routes and enjoys ice climbing when the snow is less than ideal. He has a passion for pushing his limits and enjoys finding his boundaries and figuring out how to overcome them. For example summer of 2018, he did a complete N-S single push effort of the Gore Range Trail that took him 19hours or so. He only attempted it one other time in 2003 and failed, So he feels that this is his biggest endurance accomplishment to date and says he has even bigger goals for the future!
Mike completed his first avalanche class with Silverton Avalanche School in 2001 and feels that is the primary reason along with some luck that he has survived his learning curve despite a handful of encounters with slides.
He completed his second avalanche class(AIARE level 1 Rec)in 2016 with Colorado Adventure Guides from Summit County Colorado.
He holds a CPR/First Aid cert and sees the need for ongoing snow science and medical training as his schedule and finances allow.
Alexandra Flower
Alexandra Flower was born and bred in Denver, CO in the magnificent 80’s era. Top of the list activities in life include hanging out with Chris Flower, splitboarding, climbing and running restaurants (and probably in that order). Beliefs include being kind, sometimes polite and loving what you do.
Ten years on a splitboard and over a decade climbing doesn’t make me take myself too seriously. I just want to be out there enjoying the scenery.
Let it snow!
Wil Rickards
Wil was born in North Wales and steeped in its rich maritime, mountain and river folklore. In response to the request to “get a real job” he became first a teacher then professor of adventure education.
He then emigrated to where the sun shines for 300 days and snowfalls for 100 (Colorado). During more than 25 years as an outdoor educator, he worked Scottish winter seasons, taught canoeing, climbing, kayaking, and skiing throughout the States, Europe, and Australia. He also regenerated the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Outdoor Education program. His biggest adventure (by far) is fatherhood. It has also been the inspiration for his website www.wherethefruitis.com.
Things he likes to do include (middle) aging gracefully, and skiing (telemark) aggressively. He is happiest outdoors with a good view, good company, good weather/snow and the residue of self-powered adventure; sweat, a manic grin, and wild eyes.
Eliza Lockhart
Growing up snowboarding and hiking in the bitter cold winters and humid summers of northern Vermont, Eliza learned how to beat up gear and quickly became infatuated with new technologies. After moving to Colorado in 2015 to pursue a degree in recreation and outdoor education at Western Colorado University, her passion for the outdoors grew exponentially. Soon after, she picked up rock climbing, telemark skiing, backpacking, canyoneering, and is slowly learning to love rafting. Through these learning processes, Eliza began to understand the importance of the right gear and hopes to share her experiences and knowledge with others through Engearment.
Now working for Beacon Guidebooks as the ‘Wearer of Many Hats’ (yes, that is her official title), Eliza has learned the ins and outs of the outdoor industry. She has also worked on marketing teams, as a photographer, media coordinator, outdoor instructor and as a wrangler. She is especially excited to encourage other women in the outdoors and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion.
Mike Opland
Mike is an aeronautical engineer, father, road and mountain biker and all around badass. Fun fact, he is also the 2nd place Red Bull World Champion for Paper Airplanes. Not making that up. Do NOT challenge him to a paper plane competition, unless you want to lose!
Mike builds rockets, sensors and all sorts of things that hurt our brain to think about. He is damn smart and good with his hands. We once built an impromptu rocket out of a beer can and fire. It was quite the party trick!
When Mike is not on dad duty or building things to go into space, he enjoys working on his 1940s Ford truck, named Atlas. We have enjoyed more camping adventures with Mike and his wife Brandi than we can count. If you get a chance to have a beer with Mike, ask him about the escaped donkey of Vail Pass.
Drew Thayer
Evan Green
Since moving to Colorado in 2014 he has become an avid splitboarder, mountain biker, climber, backpacker, and mountaineer.
When not working at his full-time job as a geologist Evan can usually be found exploring a new peak or pursuing his passion for adventure photography.
Erin Machan
Erin Machan was California born and Alabama raised. When she isn’t talking shit about SEC college football (WAR EAGLE) she’s probably riding her mountain bike, talking about mountain bikes or teaching about mountain bikes. She learned how to ride a horse before she could walk and eventually became obsessed with competitive horse show jumping. When she wasn’t competing in show jumping, she was probably snowboarding, doing yoga or traveling the world looking for the next best horse.
Eventually, life changed as it always does and her Olympic dreams were behind her, so she was on the hunt for something new to be completely obsessed with, and that’s when she found bikes. It started with a used Trek on craigslist for $250 and soon escalated to a full-blown addiction. She’s since completed the Arizona Ironman, too many half Ironman’s to count, 3x 24-hour MTB races, 3x Leadville MTB finisher, and a handful of big races ahead including the Breck Epic! Erin is also the Co-Founder of Project Bike Love, an organization committed to empowering impoverished women and changing their lives with the gift of a bicycle.
She lives and breathes bikes, but when she’s not riding, she’s planning her next Rock or Ice Climbing adventure, learning how to Split Board and chasing adventure. You’ll most likely find her anywhere in Colorado, Moab, Red Rocks, Joshua Tree, Lake Tahoe, Pisgah National Forest, or recharging at her family’s Lake House near Auburn, AL. If you’re lucky enough to catch her, she’ll definitely talk your ear off about what gear she’s using. This girl is a gear junkie through and through. She’s spent over 6 years in the cycling industry and loves getting people stoked on the best gear the industry has to offer!
Marca Hagenstad
Marca Hagenstad is a snowboarder with an economics problem. She enjoys backcountry splitboarding but spends most of her time working to save snow through climate mitigation and helping companies reduce their environmental impacts.
Marca has determined the economic values of snow for the UN IPCC and for Protect Our Winters (POW). She founded Circle Economics in 2018 to facilitate the transition to a sustainable and circular economy. She helps companies measure their environmental, economic and social impacts in industries ranging from manufacturing to utilities.
Her training by the Sustainability Consortium, created to transform the consumer goods industry, enables her to advise clients on sustainable business strategy and responding to sustainability indices. She advises clients to go beyond compliance, turning data into insights to guide profitable business strategy.
Marca has a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.S. in Economics from Utah State University. She tests splitboards for Backcountry Magazine and teaches snow science with Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA).
Reid Pitman
Michael Clemente
Michael loves to ski. No, seriously,Michael loves to ski. Let’s qualify this.
Growing up on the East Coast he found NYC and DJ culture. While working for a massive tech company during the day he played and mixed electronic music at night. Somewhere amid this excess, he found skiing. It was enough to inspire a transfer to Denver. And, after driving over Loveland Pass on his way to ski at Arapahoe Basin for the first time, he realized how good his decision was. He also took up yoga.
60lbs lighter and tons of fun later he recognized how skiing had started him on a journey. He gave up the corporate job, bought a truck and a multi-resort ski pass and took off. #trucklife is like #vanlife only smaller and more frugal. A winter touring the US, Canada, and AK was inspiring. But, he wanted to be home in Colorado, so he moved to Summit County and started working in Outdoor Retail.
Did you guess you can find him skiing in the winter? Backcountry or resort its all good. In the summer he is thinking of skiing, riding a mountain bike, or hiking in the mountains.
You can find out more about his trip skiing 22 resorts or some of his other adventures at www.othersidemtn.com or Instagram @michaelclemente
Austen Beason
A transplant of the Midwest, Austen immigrated to the promised land of western Colorado in 2012 in search of good climbing, deep snow, quality rivers, and a college degree when his goofing off allowed. He learned pretty quick the difference quality gear can make on the outcome of a day (or days) in the mountains and began looking for the best gear to abuse.
In the summer Austen is an avid whitewater kayaker, bouncing his boat down the steep, rocky waterways of Colorado, trad climber in search of the route less traveled, and works as a federal river ranger along the Gunnison River. During the winter Austen spends his time telemarking around the backcountry of western Colorado and working as a ski patroller up on the continental divide.
Austen says, “A hundred days of skiing and paddling each per year and you’ll figure out what is wrong or right with your equipment, especially when your lively-hood depends on it.” Austen also has his American Avalanche Association Professional Level 1 avalanche certification, EMT-B, and ACA swift-water rescue cert, as well as a member of the Search and Rescue team in Gunnison County for 6 years.
Becky Walter
Becky has been living the ski bum life in Summit County, CO for close to a decade. Originally from Chicago, she moved to Fort Collins in 2007 and graduated with a Biomedical Science degree from CSU in 2011. She decided to “take a year off” before grad school, moved to Breckenridge off a Craigslist ad, and never left.
Her main passion is skiing, closely rivaled by mountain biking. You can also find her rafting, climbing, and mountain running in the summertime.
Becky has her AIARE 2 and companion rescue certifications and has completed both EMT and technical ropes certification classes from CMC.
In her free time, she’s a volunteer guide for the 501(c)(3) organization High Country Veterans Adventures, a non-profit dedicated to bringing Veterans together in the mountains. When she’s not outside, she’s playing the violin in the Summit Community Orchestra. Life in the mountains is good, the stoke is high.
Nicole Doty
Nicole Doty grew up in Florida and shocked all her friends and family when she moved to Denver in 2014 and became “outdoorsy”! Nicole loves living in Denver and tries to balance her life as a Human Resources Professional working in downtown Denver with her love for being outdoors and spending time in the mountains. Favorite activities include camping, hiking, skiing, drinking wine, snowshoeing, and yoga! As a new mom, she is enjoying sharing her love for the outdoors with her son Archer. Every day is a balancing act, but when you have the right gear you feel ready for anything!
Clark Smitherman
I am Clark Smitherman, a veteran, a photographer, and a business owner. I have spent 14 years in the Armed Forces Special Operations community, traveling across the globe multiple times, spending time in 27 countries on multiple continents.
Through my travels I fell in love with the ever-changing beauty of the landscape, not one ever like the one before, I learned the importance of a photo.
The goal of a photo is to freeze a moment in time that allows a viewer to use their imagination to create a story. My goal in life is to share my story and the stories of the people I meet around the world.
Kyle Juszczyk
Kyle grew up in Iowa and after high school ditched the midwest to begin college at Western State Colorado University and start guiding in the summers.
Kyle says he spent his time at Western climbing, snowboarding, volunteering on the rescue team, and instructing for the outdoor program. He claims if he had spent any less time actually in class he certainly would not have graduated. Kyle’s time with the Western Mountain Rescue Team was extremely formative and revealed his passion for wilderness search and rescue (SAR). He made it his goal to make a career out of SAR. Kyle is well on his way to achieving his goal and currently works as a Ski Patroller in Colorado and a Climbing Ranger in the Pacific NorthWest.
Kyle’s certifications and training include WEMT-IV, Avalanche Pro 1, Single Pitch Instructor, AMGA Rock Guide Course, and a Rigging for Rescue Course. He will be taking the AIARE Instructor Training Course this February and hopes to teach avalanche education courses starting next winter.
When Kyle has free time he climbs and skis. He’s taken the hard way to the top of El Capitan and the steep way down peaks in Colorado and Washington.
Kyle’s jobs allow or force him (depending on the weather) to work 200 days a year outside. He’s constantly testing gear in all conditions and refining his setups to make work and play easier, faster, and more fun.
Cai Rickards
Despite his age, Cai Rickards has managed to spend upwards of a decade and a half exploring nature. The first time he slept through the night was in a tent during a thunderstorm. He started his exploits before he could talk. Skiing almost as soon as he could walk, climbing not long after, hiking trips became a weekly occurrence before he was 2, and he began canoeing, climbing, and kayaking before he was 3.
Alongside a heavy presence of outdoor activities in his life, Cai has spent his free time being a nerd. From a very young age, he began learning about different world histories and mythologies, in particular, the legends of Camelot and history surrounding pirates. Later on, those interests shifted to fandoms such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, with academics and music (particularly violin) becoming central to his life.
Currently, Cai attends an arts school, climbing on a regular basis, playing D&D, and dressing in a manner preppy enough to annoy his father on a regular basis. Despite being a teenager he still does leave his room to see the world, with ski adventures and backpacking trips being the major perpetrators. He lives at 5280 with his dog, Baggins, and his father, Wil, both of which have and continue to support and further his interests in the outdoors.
Cai Rickards and Baggins
Andrew Piotrowski
Andrew is a trail runner, climber, paddler, snowboarder, marketer, and most importantly a dog dad. Andrew grew up in suburban Philadelphia and now lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
While he lives pretty far from the mountains, he puts a heavy focus on preparing for them and inspiring others to do the same. He first fell in love with the mountains on family trips to the White Mountains and the Adirondacks. He spent the majority of his early life competitively running and leisurely paddling, however after college he began focusing on learning to climb, snowboard, and backpack.
Over the past ten years since then, he has been fortunate enough to gain some amazing experiences exploring North America. Some of the most memorable thus far are alpine climbing in the Sierra, trail running in Alberta, learning to splitboard in NH, countless days hiking in the Catskills, or a plethora of mellow days paddling the Chesapeake Bay with friends.
When he can’t be in the mountains Andrew is often running or hiking with his favorite training partners, his two rescue dogs Calvin and Enzo. Andrew is also a self-proclaimed gear junkie and confessed that his gear loft is the most organized place in his home.
Blog: Flatcityclimbing.com
Instagram: pack_mule_piotrowski
Katie Botwin
Katie wasn’t born into adventure but has lived her life trying to make it seem like she was. After moving to Colorado from the mountainous midwest in 2011, Katie quickly fell in love with the landscapes Colorado offered and the plethora of activities that allow you to explore them.
From snowboarding to camping, road biking to climbing, Katie has a hard time honing in on one outdoor activity because she loves them all. After quitting a corporate job and building out a van with her partner, Katie ditched city life to become an adventure photographer on the road.
After driving Canada to Mexico while learning to surf, spending months backcountry touring Japan’s legendary powder, and touring the U.S. west in her trusty van named Acorn, she has since found somewhat of a home base in Utah.
You can find her touring in the Wasatch, climbing in Indian Creek, biking the canyons of Salt Lake, or tending to her many succulents, always with a camera in hand. Check out her photographer at katiebotwin.com and her adventures at instagram.com/katietreks
Jace Jackson
Jace is a third-generation Coloradan, raised in the foothills of Evergreen. He fell in love with the outdoors at a young age, summiting his first 14er at 8 years old. He studied business at the University of Denver, where he was an All-American Rugby player.
He lives to play in the mountains with his wife, Taylor, and their super-mutt Samson. You can find them (usually together) playing on Colorado’s high peaks… Backpacking, mountaineering, snowboarding (split and solid), trail running, and mountain biking — these are a few of their favorite things.
He has an affinity for high-quality gear, but he’s not afraid to use it and is notorious for testing his equipment to its fullest potential.
James Terry
Nate Smith
Nate Smith moved to Colorado from the Bay area California, when he was two years old. Raised among the mountains in Evergreen, Nate holds a deep reverence for being in a natural environment. When he left high school that’s when his journey of outdoor adventure truly began.
His main interests include, climbing, hunting/fishing, skiing, camping/backpacking and anything by the water. In addition to all this, Nate attended culinary school, has a background as a chef, and then pivoted into the fitness industry.
He went back to school to study holistic corrective exercise, physiology, and ELDOA; a manual therapy for the spine. Eventually opening MovNat Denver (since closed due to covid) a gym that made training for adventure and moving well in nature its priority.
Having many interests Nate has been figuring out a way to build a cohesive framework for all his passions. This framework took the shape of a lifestyle/fitness brand and podcast called Primal Aspects. The podcast is his platform to speak on all his interest and provide more detailed content for free.
In the winter months, Nate works part-time as a Ski Tech for Boone Mountain Sports. Mounting skis, doing repairs and testing the latest skis on the mountain. This job affords him the time to hone his skills as a skier and take a behind-the-scenes look at the outdoor industry.
More recently Nate has been helping to guide Hunts in Texas with Mansal Denton founder of Sacred Hunting. Mansal created sacred hunting to take men through indigenous rites of passage using hunting as the medium. Nate views hunting as the most human act, it is also the ultimate way to contribute to conservation efforts of the wilderness.
If you want to learn more about Nate and his projects check out his Instagram’s @coachcooknate and @primal_aspects
Mattis Sessel
While growing up in St. Louis, MO, Mattis spent his summers with his family in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). The trails of RMNP became his favorite stomping ground and he went to summer camp in nearby Estes Park first climbing Longs Peak as a 13-year-old camper.
He shared this passion for the Rockies with his wife, Deb, and ultimately they decided to imprint the Rockies on their three daughters by spending their childhood summers in Estes Park camped in a travel trailer. This love affair with the Rockies continued while Mattis pursued his business interests for 25 years on the East Coast. Winter ski trips and summers spent in RMNP stoked the fire to ultimately make the move to pursue his passion’s full time in Colorado in 2015.
Hiking, skiing, biking and fly-fishing were the activities of choice and Mattis decided to build any future businesses around these pursuits. He’s come a long way since he caught his first fish in Kentucky Lake as a 3-year-old with a bamboo pole.
His first fish caught on a dry fly was in the Indian Peaks and he quickly took to hiking to alpine streams and fishing for wild trout. He’s fished throughout Colorado and into New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. He’s always got his fishing gear in the car and has created the concept of the “double,” skiing / biking in the morning and catching some fish in a nearby river in the afternoon.
He maintains his fitness on his road and mountain bikes and is known for his all-seasons, all-weather, “always train outside” approach to his physical training sessions with Sean Sewell at Colorado Personal Fitness. His passion for gear that enhances his pursuits and allows for more time outdoors is reinforced in a favorite Colorado adage, “there’s no bad weather, just bad gear!”
Yoseph Lakein
Growing up as a kid in Brooklyn, NY, my first-time skiing was at age 9 at Loveland ski area.
After that first time I was hooked, I would come back to Colorado to ski with my uncle every winter, eventually moving to Colorado.
I enjoy spending the winter months ski touring in Colorado, I spent two winters in the Baker Backcountry area taking pictures and skiing the best the PNW has to offer.
I lived for a winter season, ski touring in Les Arcs France And skiing in Switzerland.
When the snow is all gone, that’s when the MTB season is open, I have been downhill biking for over 20 years, I have traveled all over the world for skiing and biking, the best summer I can recall was in 2006 when I spent the entire summer in Whistler and traveling all over the MTB freeride spots in BC.
I spent 3 months living in Nepal trekking all over and even made it to Everest base camp in 2012.
My true passions are outdoor sports, that’s what keeps me alive and has shaped the person I have become today!
I also meet Sean the founder (of Engearment.com) in my AIARE 2 class in Estes Park back in 2015 and we have been friends since then, speeding each winter touring Jones Pass, thanks to him, I have met all the other amazing people in the Backcountry community!
Ryan Humphries
Growing up in southeast Missouri, Ryan spent most of his days playing in the woods, swimming in creeks, capturing wildlife, and dreaming of adventure. His asthma kept him from playing a lot of sports as a kid, but it didn’t stop him from achieving the ranks of both Eagle Scout and a Black Belt in Taekwondo by the age of 16.
Cori Bucherl
Cori moved to the PNW for grad school but found her soul in the mountains. In 2015 she tucked her engineering degrees away for future use and embarked on a seasonal life in those mountains – living, working, and skiing at Crystal Mountain, WA in winters and riding bikes, running, and wrangling a bike shop in Hood River, OR.
IG @corilives
Luke Cunningham
36-year-old outdoor enthusiast. I spent seven years in the Army as an infantryman, obtaining the rank of SSG. While in the Army I spent 27 months deployed to Iraq. Awarded bronze star for valor and Purple Heart.
Post military life I attended the University of Central Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in industrial safety with a minor in criminal justice. I am currently a physical security consultant.
Brian McCarthy
Chris Nation
Dan Jimenez
Dan’s favorite hobby is learning new hobbies, and his favorite adventure is, well…life!
He grew up surfing and skating on the Jersey shore. After college, he spent 10 years in the US Air Force as a Security Forces Officer, living in Montana, Hawaii, Colorado, as well as in undisclosed locations overseas.
On one of his assignments, he was the “Officer in Charge of Supply, Logistics & Training”, where he was responsible for researching, testing, and buying new gear to outfit his 350 person SF Squadron for the home station mission, as well as on the battlefield abroad.
In 2012, after his second overseas deployment, he decided it was time to take what he had learned and dedicate himself to training people in fitness, survival, and outdoor readiness. He co-created Denver’s one and an only gym designed for adventure athletes (Axistence: Training For A Life of Adventure), and later started the Axistence Platt Park location.
Dan now lives on the West Shore of Oahu, HI where he spends his free time surfing, skating, diving, hiking, hunting, and exploring the island with his wife and 3 kids.
Stats:
– US Air Force Veteran – Security Forces – 10 years of service – Rank of Major
– Eagle Scout w/ 28 years of camping, hiking and survival experience
– National Outdoor Leadership School, Certified Wilderness First Responder
– Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Field Course Graduate
– Backcountry
– 40+ Backpacking trips in 8 states and 7 countries
– Camping – 180+ nights
– Trained Primitive Skills with Huaorani Hunters in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador
– “A” License Skydiver – 87 jumps
– Certified SCUBA & Freediver – 33 Dives; Deepest 149 ft; multiple night dives; 62’ Freediving PR.
– Board Sport Enthusiast – Skate, Surf, Snow, & any board shaped object he can get his hands on!
– Surfing- 14 years; surfed breaks in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Oahu, Kauai, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and New Jersey
– International Travel – Nepal, Thailand, Germany, Belgium, England, Italy, Austria,
Colombia, Ecuador, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Canada, Iraq & Qatar.
Stephen Starks
Follow Stephen on Instagram – www.instagram.com/Starksstrong
Phil Smith
Growing up in Colorado, as the youngest of 8 kids (7 boys 1 girl) I have gotten to experience outdoor life with my family in so many incredible ways. Everything from camping to mountain biking to fly fishing to river rafting to 4wheel rock crawling. I have been an avid skier since I was 10 but if push came to shove, I would give it up to be on a paddle board year-round at any time.
I got hooked on stand-up paddle boarding with my wife nearly 10 years ago and even when I am on the water I can’t wait until the next time I can be on the water.
There is a serenity on the water that is hard to replicate elsewhere, combine that with the exercise, sun, ability to explore and great people and I am all in. I have been on all forms of water; rivers, oceans, lakes, baby pools and tried (and bought) a wide variety of boards and have to say I love a killer river float with friends the most.
Luckily and thankfully, I have an incredible job as head of marketing for a national non-profit (There With Care). I get to bring community and care to families with children facing a medical crisis. I plan to build an outdoor element to all aspects of this incredible nonprofit and fortunately have the flexibility to spend time doing what I love outside.
Unfortunately, I ruptured my Achilles 7 months ago and could not paddle board. That said I was driven to get back on a board and did so within 5 months of my injury. This sport has helped me regain balance and strength and I am so thankful to be able to be at it again.
Wade Lancaster
Wade grew up hunting, water skiing/wake boarding, and riding dirt bikes in West Texas. When he moved to Colorado in the early 2000s, he knew he had found his forever home, discovered snowboarding and mountain biking, and now spends as much time as possible outside with his family and friends enjoying all that our amazing state has to offer.
The Lancaster Family is excited to add a rooftop tent to their outdoor gear this season and bring Engearment readers the best in gear reviews from splitboarding, mountain biking, and camping in the mountains of our wonderful state.
Wade’s big boy job is as a private health insurance advisor and takes great pride in protecting the outdoor community from the “what ifs” in life.
Abbey Gottinger
Health and strength motivate Abbey in all areas of her life. When not exploring, Abbey is probably in her backyard swinging kettlebells or teaching others how to.
She wears many hats, working in the field of instructional design as a certified StrongFirst Level II Kettlebell Instructor and as the editor of StrongFirst’s online journal.
The more Abbey adventures, the more she recognizes the importance of quality gear. Gear can make the difference between blisters and a sore back and the memory of an epic adventure.
Derek Toshner
Paul Gallaher
Paul grew up in Minnesota where he learned to love the outdoors, riding his bike, fishing and canoeing in the summers and skiing in the winters on Minnesota’s 300 foot-tall “mountains”.
After finishing college, he was commissioned as an officer in the USAF eventually becoming a special operations and reconnaissance instructor navigator flying and serving around the world for twenty-two years.
Living and traveling around the world has given Paul opportunities to explore outdoor passions. He is an advanced scuba diver, a pilot, a sailor and has skied in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.
Amir Alrubaiy
“I didn’t want to work at Pizza Hut, and I didn’t want to join the Army. So I just decided to go out and be awesome.” – Henry Rollins.
I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up; I just knew I wanted it to be rad. That simple pursuit has directed most of my life. Dad started me skiing at 5 yrs old. I got a skateboard at 11 and an electric guitar at 12. My first mountain bike at 18 squared the circle of passions.
I was a competitive freeskier during the salad days of the U.S. Extremes. I lived through the evolution of fat skis and twin tips and saw the backcountry explode with the invention of the BCA Trekker.
I’ve also been riding, racing, and wrenching on mountain bikes since the early nineties. I’ve raced the Leadville 100 a few times and lined up at my share of XCO and CX races. Suspension forks on road bikes…not new. Tubeless tire plugs…ever heard of a rubber band?
Finally, teaching architecture and design at The University of Colorado for 13 years helped me develop a keen appreciation for the simplicity and effectiveness in all scales of products. I’ve seen a lot of technology come, go, and come back again. The new stuff is great, but I still regularly wear the green windbreaker I got in ’96…stuff that works is better.
The radness, for me, now runs through Axistence: Training For A Life Of Adventure, where I help coach an amazing community of athletes in functional fitness. Preparing them with strong, resilient bodies so their gear breaks before they do. Hefty doses of Van Halen and barbells can prepare you for nearly anything.
Performance and products come and go…radness is forever.
Erica Arakawa
Erica Arakawa is a first-generation immigrant of Japanese parents. She is a native of Colorado and the first in her family to earn a college degree.
She graduated with a bachelor’s in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado, Boulder. At CU, she continued to take classical ballet classes three to four times a week with her childhood instructor, who trained at the American Ballet Theatre in New York.
She also took Kendo classes at the Rec Center. She traveled through Japan that summer with the American Federation of Kendo, visiting Dojos throughout Japan and stopping to see her grandparents in Tokyo.
She lived in Rome studying Renaissance Art and Architecture, In London studying British art and architecture, and interning at an architectural firm. She traveled thru the UK to Greece to research public squares.
Her passion is traveling. Her goal within the next couple of years is to become a Digital Nomad, allowing her to work from anywhere in the world given an internet connection – something that she feels fortunate enough to do with having found support from her boss at everDriven, where she works as Product Manager.everDrive provides transportation services for special needs students and homeless children.
In addition to her career endeavors, Erica has many other hobbies that keep her active. She holds scuba certification and loves SUPing (Stand Up Paddleboarding) as well as kayaking – both newly learned activities for her! To keep up with her physical wellness further, Erica trains at Axistence gym multiple times during the week, along with taking Hula and Tahitian dance classes with her ‘dance sister’ community which has become quite important in recent times.
As an interesting footnote – Erica recently took a 23andMe test which came back confirming that she is 100% Japanese!
Talia Sessel
Nurse, Strength Coach, Health Nut, and “Mom” to her 8-year-old son and two cloud babies (Samoyed pups).
Often found somewhere outdoors in Florida or Colorado, Talia takes advantage of both mountain and coastal lifestyles. In her “free” time, she enjoys powerlifting, running, hiking, horseback riding, and skiing.
By role-modeling an active, healthy lifestyle, Talia believes it’s possible to inspire others to join in and do the same. Not a day goes by without some sort of physical activity and inspirational post on Instagram.
Active rest days often include skateboarding with her son, training the dogs, or practicing breathwork with hot/cold therapy to improve mental resilience.
This year, Talia completed her nursing degree at Barry University’s School of Nursing and most recently joined the respiratory intensive care unit at Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale.
Talia has previously worked as an EMT and continues to run her own personal training gym (Backcountrygym.com). Her motto…TRAIN FOR LIFE!
Jon Cunningham
