Jake Stern

Title: Affiliate Editor

Email: jstern@allgeardigital.com

• Location: South Lake Tahoe, CA
• Social Media Links: instagram.com/jakesternskis
• Pronouns He/Him/His

Expertise

• Topics of Expertise: Alpine and Backcountry Skiing, Ski Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Backpacking, Sea Kayaking, Bikepacking, Mountain Biking
• Years in This Expertise: 8
• Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 500+, 2,500+

Career Highlights

• Managed all-mountain ski and alpine and backcountry ski boot reviews for SKI and Outside Magazines for the last four years.
• Crossed more than 40 miles of unmapped, glaciated terrain in Patagonia—for four days without food.
• Led Outside Magazine’s public land policy reporting, editing the column written by Wes Siler.
• Former Gear Editor at Powder Magazine.
• Profiled the diehard ski scene in the Los Angeles Basin.
• Professional bootfitter at Footloose Sports in Mammoth.

Education & Certifications

• Education: BA in Comparative Literature, Northwestern University
• Years of Writing: 8
• Certifications: WFR, AIARE 1, Lapsed AMGA SPI
• Club or Association Memberships: AMGA
• Previous Publications: Powder, Outside, SKI, The Ski Journal, Freeskier, Ori, Climbing, Backpacker

Experience/Personal 

I cut my teeth climbing Southeastern granite and sandstone, driving endless stretches from Chicago for good rock. A chance stint waiting tables at the Alta Lodge turned me into a skier—some would say it ruined my life. I worked as the Assistant Editor and Gear Editor at Powder until the pandemic shut down the title. I then moved to the Eastern Sierra and never looked back, skiing countless couloirs up and down the East Side while working as a Digital Editor at Outside and fitting boots at Footloose Sports.

I managed all-mountain ski and boot reviews for SKI, attending the annual SKI test where I would often ski more than 60 pairs of skis in a week.

Some of my most memorable adventures include my first big wall climb of Moonlight Buttress in Zion National Park, skiing 3D Chute in the June Mountain backcountry — not to mention skiing complex terrain around Engelberg and Andermatt, Switzerland for my honeymoon. Aside from my outdoor endeavors, I love to read, cook stir fries and noodles outside on my massive wok burner, shake cocktails, and pull espresso on my manual lever machine.