2 articles

Emma Renly

Gear Reviewer

  • Topics of Expertise: Skiing, rock climbing, whitewater, mountain biking, mountaineering
  • Years in This Expertise: 10+
  • Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 100+ products, 500+ hours

Education & Certificates

  • Education: Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
  • Years of Writing: 10+
  • Certifications: Avalanche 2 REC, High Angle Rope Rescue Technician, EMT-B
  • Previous Publications: Columbia Gorge News, Moab Sun News, Men’s Journal, FREESKIER, Trail Break Magazine

Experience

Whether it’s snowing, raining, or sunny the most likely place you’ll find Emma Renly is exploring the outdoors by whichever means possible. Over the years, she’s created a career that delicately combines all her passions in life – journalism, outdoor recreation, and the impact of climate change.

Her first work in the outdoor industry was as a surf photographer for the various Waikiki surf schools, where she was able to combine her love of surfing and the ocean with an actual paid job. The surf breaks overlapped with her studies at school about the Ala Wai, a channelized canal of the mountain rain runoff that often polluted the breaks she’d surf and work at.

After that, the trend continued – in Moab, Utah she’d write about the impacts of a low snow season on the Colorado River while subsequently running that same river every day. While working as a ski patroller, she wrote about snow science, and while working as a wildland fire EMT, wrote about the ecological impacts of wildland fire. She’s also joined SheJumps as their primary staff writer, where she wrote about the importance of creating programming for historically marginalized groups in the outdoors.

Going forward, you can bet Emma is going to continue to write and research about the intersection of natural resources in the outdoors. It’s no secret the majority of her jobs require her to withstand some of the grittiest conditions, so she’s excited to test various products and get a feel for how well they can withstand the elements.

Career Highlights

  • Published the anthology, “Poems for Ex Lovers, a Collective Work of Anonymous Poetry,” which features the art and poetry of 48 individuals from various outdoor towns
  • Wrote a profile on Kari Brandt and her nonprofit Women of Patrol in early 2020, and because of that decided to become a ski patroller the following winter
  • Led multiple meet-ups for Women’s Wall Street Wednesday in Moab, Utah, and personally witnessed many friends conquer their fears and get on the sharp end of the climbing rope
  • Once got invited to an influencer trip to Canada from Volkswagen and wrote an article about it for Men’s Journal which is always fun to note
  • Participated in and published pieces on the SheJumps WildSkills events for Junior Wildland Firefighting and Junior Ski Patrol

A Word from Emma Renly

I’ve duct-taped, glued, welded, and sewed together my worn-out gear until long past it’s expiration date. I’m so happy to join the GearJunkie team to test out new products to see what works and what doesn’t.