Chelsey Cook

Title: Contributor
Email: chelsey.r.cook2@gmail.com
Location: Palmer, AK
Social Media: , , https://transientchelsey.substack.com/

Expertise

• Topics of Expertise: Fishing, Skiing, Mountaineering, Trail running, Camping, Hiking
• Years in This Expertise: 15+
• Number of Products & Number of Hours Expert Has Tested: 250+, 1,000+ hours

Education & Certifications

• Education: Bachelor’s in Anthropology; Plymouth State University. Master’s in Creative Writing; University of Cambridge, UK. Master’s (ongoing) in Coastal and Maritime Cultures: University of Highlands and Islands, UK
• Years of Writing: 15+
• Certifications: WEMT; AAA Pro 1
• Previous Publications: National Geographic, Territory Supply, Explorers Web, Wide Open Spaces

Experience

Chelsey is an Alaska-based freelance writer, mountain guide, conservationist, and veteran. The Army pulled her to the Far North back in 2014, and while her Army career only lasted four years, her love for Alaska has endured. Shortly after leaving the military, Chelsey began guiding backpacking and mountaineering across the world; her career has included pulling climbers out of crevasses at 13,000 feet on Denali, getting trench foot during a packrafting misadventure above the Arctic Circle, and snowball fights with Quechua children in Peru. When not guiding, she lived in her van, traveling the Lower 48 in search of the flowiest mountain bike trails. 

Craving a little more stability than seasonal work offered, Chelsey pursued a master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge, where she specialized in adventure writing that rewrites historically masculine narratives. She began supplementing her guide work with freelance writing, and her bylines include Explorers Web, National Geographic, Territory Supply, and Wide Open Spaces. She’s now also the communications director for a small nonprofit in Alaska that works to protect the landscapes and wildlife she loves most. 

When she’s not writing or guiding, you can find Chelsey mountain biking, fishing for salmon, reading history books, and traveling the world solo.

Career Highlights

• Mountain biking the best parks and freeride spots in the world, including Scotland, Canada, and Utah
• Guiding Denali’s West Buttress
• Completing the White Mountains 100 and epically DNF-ing the Moab 240 ultras
• Thru-hiking the Scottish Highlands
• Working as the communications director for a small Alaska nonprofit that protects the state’s wildlife and wild places. 
• Successfully befriending dozens of stray cats while traveling around the world

A Word From Chelsey Cook

As a lifelong outdoorswoman and avid reader, writing for publications like GearJunkie is the perfect outlet for two of my great passions. After working as a full-time mountain guide for several years, I craved a work-play balance that left more room for me to take personal trips and build community at home. Now, I only guide a few contracts a year and spend the rest of my worklife testing gear and running the communications for a small wilderness nonprofit. In my free time, you can find me fishing, traveling, mountain biking, and spending long days outside with friends.

My favorite gear reviews to write are ones with a focus on sustainability. As a smaller woman who has worked in conservation for many years, I love helping other women find gear that works for both them and our planet.