Sean Snyder

 

• Title: Contributor
• Email: ssnydo@gmail.com
• Location: Truckee, CA
• Social Media Links: See below.
• Pronouns: He/him

LinkedIn Page: Sean Snyder LinkedIn

Instagram Page: @snyderish

www.seansnyderstudio.com

Background

Expertise

• Topics of Expertise: Skiing, backpacking, motorcycling, mountain biking
• Years in This Expertise: 15
• Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 100+, 5,000+

Experience

For Sean, the merger of writing and the outdoors was inevitable. As a young boy with a boundless imagination, Sean reveled in writing and illustrating crass short stories and comic strips to make his friends and classmates laugh. In the third grade, he was caught reading Congo by Michael Crichton during class when he was supposed to be reading Stuart Little or some other class-assigned and “age-appropriate” book.

Mischief and curiosity have been equally guiding forces in Sean’s life. Around the time he was secretly poring over the mysterious murders in the Lost City of Zinj, he was creating his own outdoor expeditions, slipping away from Boy Scout campfires at night in search of the rumored Girl Scout camp located nearby. Balancing an earnest love of learning with a wild untameable energy has led him to study philosophy, build a successful career in the physically and emotionally demanding field of residential construction, and to relentlessly pursue his love of the outdoors by means of mountain biking, skiing, backpacking, and motorcycles.

The merger was realized in 2023 when Sean and a group of close friends, athletes, and writers launched Out of Office, a fun and honest gear, travel, and athlete highlight page on Men’s Journal Online. In a short timeframe, Sean made strong connections, tested tons of new gear, and dove headfirst into the world of freelance journalism while maintaining his career designing and building custom homes in Lake Tahoe. 

Sean brings a unique perspective to his assessment of the tools and toys used for fun and recreation. In no small part due to his career in high-end residential design and homebuilding, he possesses a thoughtful sense of quality, craft, and precision detailing that when coupled with his love for outdoor activity, creates a unique appreciation and ability to analyze the equipment he tests and reviews.

Sean currently lives in Truckee, California and enjoys pushing himself and the equipment that he relies on to the fullest. 

Career Highlights

• Leading a stealth expedition along the shore of Shaver Lake from Camp Chawanakee to the nearby Girl Scout camp, circa 1999.
• Placing dead last in the “Pro” category of the 2024 Lost & Found 100 mile gravel grinder after an online registration mixup (he is not a pro).
• Skiing and howling at the moon with friends in the Beartooth Wilderness, Tahoe National Forest, and the big ascents of the Eastern Sierra. 
• Successfully killing and subsequently reviving a Honda CRF 250X dirtbike during a self-supported Moto-to-Ski spring trip in the central Oregon Cascades. 
• Recipient of Infinite Bragging Rights™, having completed the infamous Tahoe “Rose to Toads” cross country ride on a day’s notice with a horrifically bruised butt. He has the certificate (and photos) to prove it. 
• Unconfirmed record holder for number of single incident mosquito bites as a result of selfless sacrifice, while swatting them off of a friend so that they could fix a flat bike tire deep in the woods. Total bites resulting from the incident exceeded 250. No medal awarded, but the legend lives on.
• Co-founder and finisher of The Great Western Loop, a 24-hr, 7-day road cycling relay around the western US. Highlight segments of the trip include riding over and down Tioga Pass in Yosemite NP, through Grand Staircase/Escalante at two in the morning, pushing over Teton Pass and into Grand Teton NP,  descending the winding park entrance road from Yellowstone NP into Gardiner, MT, and possibly the highest of highlights: descending from the summit of Going-to-the-Sun Road down to a cold beer and a skinny dip in Lake McDonald, Glacier NP, at sunrise.

Education & Certifications

• Education: University of Colorado, Bachelor of Environmental Design
• Years of Writing: 30
• Certifications: AIARE 1 
• Club or Association Memberships: 
• Awards or Recognitions: 
• Previous Publications: Men’s Journal

 

A Word From Sean Snyder

Sean found reading and writing early in life, but it wasn’t until much later that he combined it with his love of the outdoors and his appreciation for the detail of made objects. Having the ability to test and review new products in a way that is hopefully practical, helpful, and enjoyable to read scratches the itches that drive him.

In the Fall of 2023, a friend and Senior Writer at Men’s Journal invited Sean to write and review ski, mountain bike, and backpacking/camping gear for a new section of MJ Pursuits. Balancing a rigorous career building custom homes near Lake Tahoe, Sean was able to publish around 40 articles in the Fall and Winter of ‘23/’24. When he wasn’t on site, shoveling snow, and seeing to successful construction for his clients and subcontractors, he was pushing his boundaries in the backcountry, motivated by his love for sports and writing. 

Sean has spent countless days backpacking through the Sierra, Wind River Range, San Juan Range of Colorado, and the Olympic Peninsula. He has mountain biked up and down the west coast, stayed in backcountry huts and yurts in the Sierra, Rockies, and Cascade Ranges in pursuit of powder, corn, and a good game of Gin Rummy. He loves seeing how far “out there” he can get on his Husqvarna 501 and can always find a way to fit a couple cans of beer in his pack.