Meet Our Team
“You don’t conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit a few brief moments and then the wind blows your footprints away.”
— Chris Townsend
Steve Johnson
Author of more than 50 books from destination guides to children's titles, Steve Johnson writes for the likes of Nat Geo, Outside, Backpacker, Forbes and partners with national and global influencers to write their riveting stories.
His lifelong passion for nature inspired responsible outdoor recreation publishing projects in the Upper Midwest, Rockies, and west coast, as well as student-led conservation campaigns and other nature-centric work. He also delivers industry-driving, business-focused titles including start-up inspiration and strategy, science, sustainability, and much more.
If you were perched on a barstool next to him at some high alpine tavern, he might say it like this: “I’m a self-propelled recreation junkie, big fan of what’s Out There, editor, and all-around scribe. A curious nomad, explorer, goofball prankster romantic. Part shoulder-to-the-wheel, part scholar. I rarely wear shoes. I live on wanderlust, adrenaline and joy, with an insatiable hunger to learn and laugh and live.”
Steve hails from Wisconsin’s far north, where he cultivated a love of the outdoors that resonates in an active, exuberant lifestyle. He spends copious time hiking in the Midwest and the West’s high mountains, camping at every opportunity, competitive cycling, and cultivates inspiration with spontaneous adventures all o’er the land.
Ted Alvarez
Whether chasing grizzly bears in the North Cascades, stranding his only siblings in an icy Alaska river, or drinking his own urine in the desert, Ted Alvarez goes to unhealthy lengths in pursuit of a good story. He was a National Magazine Award finalist for Backpacker Magazine’s “The Truth About Bears” in 2014 (he lost to Oprah), and contributed to Ellie-winning stories for that publication in 2015 and 2009. He is Backpacker's Northwest editor, and is the author of The National Parks Coast To Coast: 100 Best Hikes (Falcon Guides).
In 2011, he joined environmental news site Grist.org as managing editor, and became executive editor in 2014. His writing has appeared in Outside, Men's Health, Skiing, Alaska Beyond, Crosscut, Mountain, The Vail Daily, Rollingstone.com, The Boulder Daily Camera, Gear Patrol, New West, Budget Living, Westword, SEED, Scientific American's 60-Second Science, and many more. Obsessions include outdoor adventure travel, science, survival, the environment, gear, goofs, and coffee in heroic doses. He lives in Seattle. You should probably hire him for something.
Shannon Davis
Brian Dixon is an adventurer and writer deeply inspired by the American West, especially Horace Greeley’s famous advice circa 1865: “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.”
In 1989, he traded the flatlands of Frederick, Maryland, for the foothills of Boulder to run track for the University of Colorado. Sidelined by injury, he adventured throughout the West to fill the void left by competitive running.
He graduated CU with a Journalism degree and a fascination for outdoor people and their stories, working stints at the Boulder Daily Camera and Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine, as well as freelancing.
He is quite content to scribe alongside his wife, Mina, from a cozy corner in their 1960s log home in Masonville, Colorado. When his inner-Kerouac calls, however, a dirt-baggy alter-ego known only as “Dixon” begins loading up a burly, off-grid RV named “Mighty Max” and proceeds to point the steering wheel into parts unknown.
The result is @LiveWhereYouPlayTV, a mix of backcountry snowboarding and mountain biking content on YouTube. Most recently, and when the wind is right, you’ll find him flying his paraglider across Colorado in a fiery, take-no-prisoners tour of modern midlife.
His first book is underway and aimed across the bow of Gen X men seeking vibrancy in their second chapter.
Shannon Davis is a writer and editor with 25+ years in outdoor media and marketing. He’s served as Editor-in-Chief at Climbing and Backpacker, and Editorial Director at REI’s Adventure Projects, among other things—but he’s just as adept at swinging a fly rod or leading wilderness trips.
Davis is driven to move you beyond the churn of clickbait and create content that’s useful, memorable, and built to last. He’s currently writing a memoir and raising a family at a home on the banks of the North St. Vrain River outside of Lyons, Colorado, where he also serves full-time as an engineer with the Lyons Fire Protection District.
Brian Dixon