I’m a freelance writer and editor. I write about a range of things, from butchers to birth control, but, to generalize, most of what I cover happens outside. I like the intersection of science, adventure, and culture. I’m the environmental columnist for Outside online, and I write for places like The Guardian, Sierra, and The New York Times.
My new book “Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow” was released in November of 2021. It’s about the fantasy of living the ski bum dream, and why it’s not always as dreamy as it seems. You can order it here or tell your local bookstore about it. I like this review.
My first book “Downriver: into the Future of Water in the West” about my trip down the length of the Green River, and the water system in the Western U.S., was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2019. You can order it here or anywhere you buy books. And you can listen to me talk about it here, here, and here.
I’ve been recognized for both my writing and my social (media) skills. My essay “Lighthouse for Sale” was a notable in the “2015 Best American Essays” book, I won the 2010 Thompson Award for Western Writing for my story about declining livestock prices, “The Cost of Sheep,” and the “Ski Town Throwdown,” a Facebook campaign I ran at Powder, won a 2013 Maggie for best use of social media.
I live on a lake in Seattle but I still have East Coast reflexes.