Home is the wild Gunnison Country and Crested Butte, Colorado, next door to where I grew up in the San Juan Mountains. I’m an adventure journalist specializing in travel, outdoor industry news, and human endurance. My editorial work is featured in nearly 90 publications including Outside, Outside Business Journal, Red Bull, Men’s Journal, Forbes, Backpacker, SELF, and GearJunkie among others.
A fourth-generation Coloradan, I was raised in the outdoors skiing and hiking. At age 18, I moved to the state capital where I earned three degrees—English creative writing, journalism, and Italian language studies—while working in-house with a range of editorial teams including Backpacker and 5280 Magazine. I spent a year in Italy to study fine art, work, volunteer, and hone a second language. Post graduation, I launched my business as a writer, in 2013.
Less than a decade later, I became a recipient of more than a dozen North American Travel Journalists Association awards including an accolade for “Connecting with Tarahumara through Trail Running,” an essay about running with the indigenous community of Copper Canyon, Mexico. In 2025, I was named the North American Travel Journalist of the Year by NATJA including three accolades for the story “Bikepacking Dinétah,” in Trails Magazine, which was published in February 2024.
I’ve worked as a journalist for nearly 16 outdoor and tourism trade events including live reporting at Outdoor Retailer and the former Snowsports Industries America Snow Show. I served as the WeRunFar feature columnist of iRunFar for six years and enjoyed a winter season filing features as the Teton Gravity Research Snowboard Editor. In 2022, I was selected as the state’s outdoor recreation reporter for the NewsBreak pilot project in Colorado. Memorably, I penned stories as a two-time international media delegate in Canada and Jordan on behalf of the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
Today, I’m a GearJunkie Senior Editor for the publication’s Buyer’s Guides, specializing in SnowSports. I continue to contract write for a handful of local, regional, and national print and digital publications.
Over the years, I’ve also written authentic, credible stories for brands, most of which are in the outdoor industry, and advertorial content for publications. I also provide photography, talent, 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 living near Denver International Airport, it was time for me to return to the mountains. Away from the keyboard, you can find me splitboarding, snowboarding or skiing, snowmobiling, dancing or 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.
