Home is the wilderness-rich Gunnison Valley and Crested Butte, CO, next door to where I grew up in the San Juan Mountains. I’m an adventure journalist with a focus in travel, outdoor industry news, and human narrative. My editorial work is featured more than 70 publications including Outside, Outside Business Journal, Men’s Journal, Forbes, Backpacker, SELF, and Gear Junkie among others.
A fourth-generation Coloradan, I was raised in the outdoors skiing and hiking. At 18 years old, I moved to the state capital where I earned three degrees—English creative writing, journalism, and Italian language studies—while working in-house with the editorial teams at various publications including Backpacker and 5280 Magazine. I also moved to Italy for a year to study fine art, work, volunteer, and hone my second language.
Post graduation, I launched my business as a writer, in 2013. In less than a decade, I became a recipient of 11 North American Travel Journalists Association awards including a recent accolade for, “Connecting with Tarahumara through Trail Running,” an essay on my shared experience running with the indigenous community of Copper Canyon, Mexico–an experience that reaches beyond language and cultural barriers.
I have worked as a journalist for 16 trade industry events including live reporting for the newsroom-style print publications of the Outdoor Retailer and Snowsports Industries America; filed features as the Teton Gravity Research Snowboard Editor; and secured stories as a two-time international media delegate for the Adventure Travel Trade Association in Canada and Jordan.
Today, I’m a Staff Writer for AllGear, which consists of nine outdoor and adventure publications; Contributing Editor for MST Magazine; and WeRunFar columnist of iRunFar.
I also write authentic, credible stories for brands, many in the outdoor industry, and advertorial content for publications; and provide photography, social media campaigns, speaking engagements, and consultation for writing and outdoor industry career paths. Read more about my writing and content creation for enterprises like REI, Mountain Hardwear, and Ski.com, as well as my other services, here.
After six years of post-collegiate city life, cultivating a business network, and being posted near Denver International Airport, it was time for me to return to the mountains. At the moment, I’m developing writing retreats for 2022. Away from the keyboard, you can find me splitboarding, trail running, and mountain biking while learning the history, geography, and snowpack of the Elk Mountains, where I explore and rejuvenate.
To reach me, please email me at morgan.tilton@gmail.com.
