David Gladish

David Gladish is a contributor to GearJunkie. David has been writing about climbing, backcountry skiing, and backpacking for 4+ years. Prior to that, David spent time at/worked at Mountain Madness, Edgeworks Climbing, and as an outdoor gear Sales Representative. Based in Washington, David feels most at home climbing pristine granite in the Cascade Mountains.

• Title: Contributor
• Email: dbgladish@gmail.com
• Location: Shoreline, WA

Expertise

• Topics of Expertise: Climbing, backcountry skiing, backpacking, trail running, surfing, mountain unicycling
• Years in This Expertise: 20+
• Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 500+ products, 2000+ hours

Education & Certifications

• Education: Bachelor of Arts, University of Pittsburgh
• Years of Writing: 4+ 
• Certifications: AIARE Avalanche I, WFR (expired), CPR (expired)
• Previous Publications: Outside, Backpacker, Climbing, The Seattle Times, Alpinist, Seattle Magazine, Trailrunner, Alaska Magazine 

Experience

David Gladish has spent the last fifteen years climbing, skiing, backpacking, and exploring close to home in the Cascades near his home outside Seattle as well as traveling to far-flung places like Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, and Iceland. 

Gladish has stored up intimate knowledge and stories of adventures and mishaps while simultaneously finding micro-adventures in the day-to-day.

His goal is to dig deep into the meaningful experiences we encounter in the outdoors, while traveling, and to share stories that inspire, question, and bring about reflection. 

Gladish has written many journalistic, how-to’s, exploratory, and adventure pieces for publications such as Outside, Backpacker, Climbing, The Seattle Times, and Alpinist. 

Career Highlights

• Traveled to over 30+ countries
• Guided mountaineering and rock climbing trips as a guide for Mountain Madness in the Cascades
• Worked as a sales representative for prominent brands such as Black Diamond, Altra, Gregory, and Sterling 
• Wrote for Outside, Backpacker, Climbing, The Seattle Times, and Alpinist
• Worked on an Alaskan trail-building crew for 5 months

A Word from David Gladish

As a writer, I seek to convey stories of introspection, analysis, and to expose the narratives of the less known, the quiet side of exploration. Authenticity, thoughtfulness, and stoke are the pillars of my work. 

I began writing as a way to tell stories about my personal adventures and experiences in the outdoors, where it’s grown to tell other people’s stories and help get people excited about going on adventures big and small. 

I live to work and play in the outdoors, to push my limits, and the limits of my gear, and to share my love of the outdoors with my two young sons.