Mission: Drive to Alta on a Powder Day, SKI, March 1, 2023

This article ranked among’s SKI’s most-read of 2023. You’ll want more than Google Maps if you’re coming from Salt Lake City to Alta in a storm–namely intel, patience, and a pee bottle. I was visiting Salt Lake City for a trade show when I heard that Little Cottonwood Canyon was expected to get 10 inches…

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Meet Brenda Mosby, 5280, February 2023

Connoisseurs of roller coasters know that rides feel wilder at night. In the dark, our brains stop receiving the visual cues that help us stay balanced, so movement feels destabilizing enough that most of us teeter like drunkards whenever we simply close our eyes. But wobbling through life felt like defeat to Brenda Mosby, who…

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Review: Pivot Shadowcat, Gear Junkie, December 2022

Pivot has long made it a priority to build lightweight bikes — and not just for cross-country racing models.  Pivot’s Mach 5.5 Carbon weighs about 28 pounds (ultralight builds actually duck 27 pounds) while delivering 160 mm of front suspension and 140 mm in the rear. That’s an impressive squish-to-weight ratio. It earned the Mach…

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Eric Pollard’s Crazy New Skis, SKI, fall 2022

After designing some 50 ski models for Line over his 22-year run as a sponsored athlete, Eric Pollard had an epiphany: The world didn’t need any more skis. “There are a lot of great options out there already,” he explains. Pollard himself helped launch many of them. As a collaborative designer for Line, he pioneered…

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Moab Elevated, Men’s Journal, November 2022

Swanky hotels in Moab are elevating the town’s backcountry vibe, but that’s not all that’s new in Utah’s top adventure hub. Surrounded by the Southwest’s most impressive red rock scenery, Moab has long been a crossroads for gritty climbers, bikers, paddlers and hikers who rank a simple shower among life’s luxuries. So it’s fitting that…

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Grand Junction, AFAR, April 2022

The first time I ate at Taco Party, in downtown Grand Junction, I felt obligated to choose one of the canvas-shaded outdoor tables lining the sidewalk. My shirt was salt-stained and smelly after my morning hike, and a gritty crust of sunscreen covered my flushed face. I had no business mingling among the deodorized couples…

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Jake Lah Landing profile

The King of Tents, Outside Business Journal, Winter 2022

Jake Lah, the founder of DAC Poles, may dislike camping—but his genius with aluminum has turned him into the wizard behind many of the world’s best outdoor shelters. Walking into Dongah Aluminum Corporation (DAC) feels like stepping inside the lobby of a grand hotel: The soaring two-story ceiling creates plenty of space around the large-scale…

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stuffication

Stuffication, The Voice, Winter 2021

To become more sustainable, the outdoor industry should make less gear. But can brands battle their own bloat? My gear closet is an embarrassment of riches, and I’m not the only one with an overabundance problem. When the outdoor industry last convened for Outdoor Retailer in Denver, its skis, snowboards, pants, boots, jackets, sleeping bags,…

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Cortina Travel Age West

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Travel Age West, October 2021

An Adventurer’s Guide to What to Do and Where to Stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy The 1956 Winter Olympics were what first launched Cortina d’Ampezzo into the global spotlight, as the games’ first-ever live television broadcasts highlighted the stunning beauty of the mountain village and the sharp, sheer-walled limestone peaks of the surrounding Dolomite Mountains.…

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Frontier Planes Reuters

Frontier’s Turbulent, Meandering, Bold, Problematic Flight Plan, 5280, July 2021

Frontier Airlines’ handling of pandemic-related flight cancellations triggered outrage and spurred appeals for reform. Yet the Denver-based airline expects increasing demand for what it calls “Low Fares Done Right.” Will passengers who believe they were defrauded return to the ultra-low-cost airline? By late March of last year, Darcy Lundstrom knew she wouldn’t be boarding any…

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Kids E Bikes

Do Kids Need E-Mountain Bikes? Outside, July 2021

Our ten-year-old ripper tests the pedal-assisted Woom UP 6 to find out Rarely has a piece of test gear caused so much controversy in our household. Ski boots, bikes, fly rods, camp showers—all manner of gear lands on my doorstep for review, and my husband and ten-year-old daughter greet every item with curiosity. But unboxing…

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E Bikes Mens Jrnl

E-Mountain Bikes Take Off, Men’s Journal, May/June 2021

Pedal-assist makes steep climbs and technical terrain less intimidating. Bikers are getting charged up. Barely a year ago, e-mountain bikes were a curiosity on backcountry trails—now they’re here to stay. Twenty-five percent of all dollars spent on mountain bikes in 2020 went to models equipped with a motor and battery that boost pedaling power. That’s…

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Rental rigs

The Best Rental Rigs for Your Next Road Trip, Outside, May 2021

If you’re worried about how the current campsite and rental-car shortages are going to impact your summer travels, consider these options. We’ve rounded up our favorite companies in six cities, plus the itineraries to test them out on. This summer is set to be another huge season for camping and road trips. Already many places…

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seven summits

The (New) Seven Summits, The Red Bulletin, May 2021

If you’re looking for a huge summer adventure that doesn’t involve crowds or international travel, consider climbing the highest mountain in one these seven states. Trust us, they deliver the goods. CALIFORNIA MOUNT WHITNEY, 14,505 FEET Even if Whitney weren’t the highest summit in the Sierra (and the contiguous United States), it might still rank…

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Mobile hotspots

Mobile Hotspots, The Red Bulletin, January 2021

Snowmobiling turns social distancing into a thrill. For crowd-free winter fun, check out these three sled neck meccas. NORTHWOODS, WISCONSIN Let the rest of the U.S. worship cars: Northern Wisconsin swaps out steering wheels for handlebars come winter, when residents ride snowmobiles to stores and restaurants—and gas stations preserve snow around their pumps to offer…

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29er short cyclists

29ers for Short Cyclists, Outside, October 2020

New technologies and better materials have enabled a few willing brands to make bikes with big wheels and extra-small frames feel nimble and fast Ten years ago, when I first rode a mountain bike with 29-inch wheels, I hated it. A lot of cyclists were hyping the performance benefits of the larger wheel size. But…

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The Artifact Fly Fish

The Artifact, Fly Fisherman, August-September 2020

Colorado’s Yampa River is one of the best trout streams in the Rockies—and locals are working to keep it that way. It was in May, when melting snow turns the Yampa River into fire hose, that the water almost took my daughter. She was two, and we were walking on the paved bike path that…

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Leatherman Innovators

Innovators: Tim Leatherman, Uncommon Path, summer 2020

The multi-tool as we know it didn’t exist before Tim Leatherman invented foldable pliers—and that was just the beginning. Like microbreweries and chocolate shops, the Leatherman factory in Portland, Oregon, offers public tours. Visitors come to watch silver ribbons of steel cut into intricate shapes by a massive press that booms like a giant’s footsteps,…

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Spring Jackets Outside

The Best Spring and Summer Jackets of 2020, Outside Buyer’s Guide, Summer 2020

This sprawling review (co-written with Ryan Stuart) evaluated 2020’s new jackets to select the seven best models—including “Gear of the Year.” Take Cover Layers to keep you moving no matter the weather. Black Diamond Highline Stretch, $299 Waterproofing, breathability, durability, packability, comfort, sustainability—usually, you’re lucky if your jacket has a few of these attributes. The Highline…

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Building for Tomorrow, Headwaters, Summer 2020

Phasing out old infrastructure creates opportunities for Coloradans to envision futuristic ways of moving, managing and treating water In 1937, teams of men swung their pickaxes into the Colorado sod just north of Golden to build Ralston Dam and bury veins of pipe that would carry water south toward the fledgling city of Denver. That…

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Coloradan Pastoral

Coloradan Pastoral, Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine, Summer 2020

From elk to bighorn sheep, our valley’s wildlife population is crashing. Are trail users, residents, and visitors ready to make sacrifices to protect the iconic animals they profess to love? Insomniacs count sheep. Craig Wescoatt counts elk. And lately the numbers have been keeping him up at night. Driven by a love for wildlife that…

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Young and Wild

Young and Wild, The Red Bulletin, May 2020

Around the world, countries have created new national parks to preserve the planet’s last pristine bastions. Early adopters can experience a kind of solitude that’s impossible to come by elsewhere.  Patagonia National Park, Chile The Lagunas Altas Trail is one of those ridgeline hikes that makes you feel like an eagle in flight—or in my…

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Trail Mix Red Bull

Trail Mix, The Red Bulletin, April 2020

Hiking is one of summer’s sweetest pleasures, and the right gear makes the miles fly by. Here’s the footwear, packs and apparel you’ll want for summit bids and seaside rambles FOOTWEAR HOKA ONE ONE STINSON MID GORE-TEX Heavy backpacks and rocky trails can punish feet, but not if they’re cradled by the super-plush cushioning of…

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Fox Live Valve

Fox’s Revolutionary Live Valve, Outside, December 31, 2019

Is Fox’s Electronic Suspension Worth Thousands? Our writer will never go back The next time you shop for a mountain bike, you’ll need to decide if you want intelligent suspension that senses the terrain every three milliseconds and optimizes performance accordingly. Fox unveiled such magic in 2019 with its Live Valve system, which does what all…

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Ski Boots Outside

The Best Alpine Ski Boots of 2020, Outside Buyer’s Guide, Winter ’19-20

This sprawling review evaluated 2020’s new Alpine ski boots to select the six best models. You’ll Fit Right In Control made comfortable. Lange LX 100, $500 The 100-flex LX brings Lange’s race-bred technology to intermediate skiers. Its 102-millimeter last is generous, but nothing is dumbed down about the Dual Core shell, which sandwiches soft plastic…

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Walking On the Wild Side, 5280

Walking On the Wild Side, 5280, August 2019

Colorado is in the midst of a trail-building bonanza. But research has revealed an inconvenient truth: The humans recreating on these trails are negatively impacting wildlife populations throughout the state. Is there a way to spend time in the backcountry responsibly without endangering the state’s fauna? One morning this past August, I pedaled my mountain…

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Best Gear Babies Kids

The Best Travel Gear for Babies and Kids, AFAR.com, June 2019

The ultimate list of road-tested, kid-approved strollers, play yards, car seats, diaper totes, and more that will make travel with your brood so much easier. Experienced travelers know that when it comes to baggage, more isn’t necessarily better—and that holds true for trips with kids, too. Bringing along the full equipage of booster seats, strollers,…

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On Move In Moab

On the Move In Moab, Family Getaways, June/July 2019

With two nearby national parks, Moab, Utah, is a perfect hub for an outdoor family vacation Blazing red rock formations and watery canyons make Moab, Utah, a playground for all ages—but particularly for kids, who delight in this region’s abundant opportunities to climb, splash, dig and explore. With a good sun hat and plenty of…

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Mountain Modern

Mountain Modern, Departures, May/June 2019

Aspen throws a party for its unsung master of Bauhaus architecture and design. The fact that there is more to Aspen than celebrities and designer skiwear is common knowledge; indeed, with its world-class art museum and influential art fair, this Colorado town has emerged as a serious cultural powerhouse. But one highlight of Aspen’s aesthetic…

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Prescott, Los Angeles Magazine,

Prescott, Los Angeles Magazine, May 2019

Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson and Sedona get all the love, but Prescott is an enchanting hamlet that’s stayed frozen in time Prescott is in love with its past, and that’s not a bad thing. No garish chains surround the wedding-cake courthouse and grassy central square, which still serves as this Arizona city’s de facto front porch.…

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Crested Butte, Big Life

Crested Butte, Big Life, Winter 2019

I could feel the buzz as soon as I boarded the bus linking Crested Butte to its ski resort. Roof-high piles of snow flanked every downtown doorway and parking lot, and storms had dumped 30 more inches on Colorado’s Elk Mountains earlier in the week. So I expected leftovers that morning, but the skier sitting…

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Close Encounters, AFAR, Sept/Oct 2018

There’s always a reason to visit U.S. National Parks, but these four destinations, all within easy reach of big cities, are offering new ways to experience their treasures. 1. Arches National Park Start from: Salt Lake City (3.75 hours) or Denver (5.5 hours) What’s there: Red rock spires and more than 2,000 sandstone arches Why now: Expanded monthly…

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Landing Gear

Landing Gear, Outside, September 2018

What you need to bring in a lunker A. Patagonia Middle Fork Packable waders $349 Though extremely durable, these 1.6-pound waterproof-breathable waders scrunch down to the size of a camp pillow, so they don’t overwhelm your pack on treks to remote waterways. B. Ross Evolution LTX reel $385 Ross modernized the classic Evolution LT with a larger…

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Future Bright AFAR

The Future’s So Bright, AFAR, March/April 2018

Why are France’s most famous sunglasses making a comeback? The answer is perfectly clear. Meaux knows how to wait for perfection. Located 25 miles northeast of Paris, the city took 400 years to build its cathedral. Meaux’s celebrated Brie cheese is known to get better with age. And every pair of Vuarnet sunglasses—also made in…

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Bahamas Boneyard, Field And Stream

Bahamas Boneyard, Field And Stream, March 2018

As the bonefish bulleted away with my line, my heartbeat seemed to lurch into fast-forward. Here in the Marls, a 300-square-mile expanse of tropical flats off the west coast of the Bahamas’ Great Abaco Island, the fish must’ve sensed that it could run forever. I let the reel whir until the line slackened slightly, then…

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Best bars in Vail

Vice Royalty, Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine, Midwinter 2018

24 bars, pubs, nightclubs, and publicans that give our ski villages their distinctive flavors and buzz “Don’t bother with churches, government buildings, or city squares,” Ernest Hemingway, that most prolific of drinkers, once opined. “If you want to know about a culture, spend a night in its bars.” That sage advice applies equally to the…

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Vahldiek

A Modest Proposal, 5280, February 2018

The High Lonesome Ranch in western Colorado is big enough to be a national park, but its owners, led by Paul Vahldiek Jr., don’t take their cues from the government. Instead, they’ve developed a unique approach to land management that could revolutionize the conservation movement for both private and public open spaces. The field looks…

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Rocking the 'Boat, SKI Magazine

Rocking the ‘Boat, SKI Magazine, February 2018

Snoozy no more, Steamboat’s base area is rekindling its playful spirit with a new coaster and nightlife—plus big plans for the future. The afternoon sun droops toward the roofs surrounding Steamboat’s Gondola Square, where hundreds of skiers are milling around on the bricks. Some are churning to the blasts of brass and bass issued by…

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Star Trek, San Francisco Chronicle

Star Trek, San Francisco Chronicle, October 1, 2017

“Star Trek” ran as a three-page feature story. Click here to see the online version with photos. Lack of light pollution has made Utah’s Canyonlands National Park among the best places on Planet Earth to witness the final frontier A shooting star flashes across the night sky, but I’m out of wishes. I’ve already ticked off…

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Breaking Down the Walls, Marlin

Breaking Down the Walls, Marlin, Aug/Sept 2017

An all-female team takes on the world at the Los Sueños Triple Crown The Pacific Ocean parted obligingly before Geaux Fly on that January afternoon as Amanda Sabin stood at the stern, scanning Costa Rica’s indigo plain for fish that refused to rise. These waters off Los Sueños are famous for their primordial numbers of…

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Bras Runners World

Show of Support, Runner’s World, August 2017

Our team of testers ran in 42 new sports bras and selected 15 favorites that deliver reliable stability with comfort, breathability, and flair. DISTANCE PROS Streamlined bras that fit like a second skin. Zensah Seamless Running Sports Bra This minimalist pullover doesn’t chafe, trap sweat, or call attention to itself. It simply provides low-fanfare support…

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Women Supporting Women

Women Supporting Women, Runner’s World, August 2017

Forty years ago, an ordinary runner invented what she couldn’t find in stores: a sports bra. Since then, pioneering women have continued to design better and better models, enabling females of all body types to join running’s ranks. “Here’s your jockbra, ladies!” It sounded like the kind of catcall a woman might hear on the…

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River Revival

River Revival, 5280, May 2017

River advocates recently secured nearly $8 million to revitalize a roughly 30-mile stretch of the Colorado River headwaters. It’s the largest such restoration ever attempted on the Centennial State’s signature waterway and it required nothing short of a miracle to pull off: a truce between sworn enemies. In the fall of 2002, while his fellow…

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Namibia Discovers Seafood, AFAR

Namibia Discovers Seafood, AFAR, March/April 2017

I’ve eaten bivalves in France, on the Chesapeake Bay, along Florida’s Gulf Coast, and in trendy Seattle oyster bars where I’ve blown my meager paychecks on the ephemeral pleasures of Washington Kumamotos and Quilcenes. During those moments, an oyster’s raw, creamy brine is the only sensation I know, and it’s bigger than mere food: It’s…

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Travel Leisure chiles

Hot On The Trail, Travel + Leisure, January 2017

Chef Michael Beary heads to the Mexican state of Oaxaca to find–and revive–some of the world’s finest chiles. When Michael Beary opened Zocalito, his Oaxacan restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, more than 15 years ago, he quickly found that many of the ingredients he needed weren’t available in the United States. Even in Mexico, some heritage…

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Art Judson

Loving the Monster, 5280, December 2016

Avalanche forecasting pioneer Art Judson doesn’t just study these powerful snow slides–he worships them. Now that’s a beautiful avalanche path,” said Art Judson as he gazed at the wallpaper on his computer, which depicted Hahns Peak split by a broad white stripe. It was 2007, shortly after I’d first met Jud, as his friends and…

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A Perfect Day in Aspen, Sunset, December 2016

A new art museum, farm-focused restaurants, and on-trend indie shops make this storied ski town about more than Gucci and Gulfstreams. Art-museum makeover A good deal of controversy still lingers over the incongruously huge, blocky building that Pritzker Prize–winning Japanese architect ShigeruBan had designed for the formerly diminutive Aspen Art Museum. But three things are…

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Surftown Rising, AFAR

Surftown Rising, AFAR, Nov/Dec 2016

Mexico’s once-sleepy Puerto Escondido is poised for prime time—and a new highway promises to let everyone in on the secret. When it opens in 2018, the Oaxaca coastal highway will shrink the drive from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido from seven hours down to two. Go before that floodgate opens to savor a swath of Pacific…

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tragic crash during a slopestyle competition

Fallen, Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine, Holiday 15/16

This article was a finalist for a 2016 Maggie Award for Best Feature. A tragic crash during a slopestyle competition last winter left Kailyn Forsberg physically shattered. Now, it’s up to the Eagle teen to rearrange the pieces of her fractured life and figure out who she is—and what she may become. At dawn on…

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best bikes kids

The Best Bikes for Kids, Outside, August 2016

David Weiner refused to buy his son a bike. His objection wasn’t the cost or concern for his kid’s safety. After all, Weiner founded New York City-based Priority Bicycles to provide average Janes and Joes with easy-button bicycles that would encourage people to ride more. But shopping for his toddler son, Jake, he discovered a sea…

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If You Build It, Will They Hike? Backpacker

If You Build It, Will They Hike? Backpacker, March 2016

You can now discover the other Caribbean on Dominica’s new long trail. But should you? The rumble coming from somewhere off in the rainforest should cue me to trouble. I’m hiking toward 275-foot Middleham Falls, the tallest cascade on the Caribbean island of Dominica, and I expect to see what I’d previewed in photos: A…

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Mikaela Fast Lane

Fast Lane to Glory, 5280, February 2015

For Vail skiing prodigy and Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin, success can’t come fast enough. Adulthood, though–that can wait. There’s a section on Vail’s Golden Peak course that even good racers dread. It’s a steep rollover, usually covered with thick ice, that melts into a treacherous dip in the slope. Coach Simon Marsh remembers standing…

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Mikaela VBC

Girl Power, Vail-Beaver Creek Magazine, Holiday 2013/14

This article was a finalist for a 2014 Maggie Award for Best Profile. You may not recognize her face yet, but if this Eagle-Vail teenager slaloms to gold at Sochi, her superstar status will rival Lindsey Vonn’s. Meet Mikaela Shiffrin, the girl next door who just might be America’s best skier. Ever. “Give me some…

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NPCA annual 2012

National Parks Conservation Association, Annual Report 2012

Strong interviewing skills and engaging writing helped me compose an annual report for National Parks Conservation Association that thrilled the organization’s leadership. I interviewed NPCA’s president and board chair to craft their opening letter, spoke with topic experts and donors to represent key NPCA achievements, and introduced the recipients of NPCA’s annual awards in a…

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NPCA Annual 2010

National Parks Conservation Association, Annual Report 2010

Strong interviewing skills and engaging writing helped me compose an annual report for National Parks Conservation Association that thrilled the organization’s leadership. I interviewed NPCA’s president and board chair to craft their opening letter, spoke with topic experts and donors to represent key NPCA achievements, presented financial reports, and introduced the recipients of NPCA’s annual…

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