Meet the Slope Magazine Team

Bradley grew up feeling more at home in the national parks of Canada than in the city. Having an affinity for the seasons and a penchant for finding second-hand gear, he embraced the philosophy that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

Canoe tripping throughout Algonquin park for longer periods of time without meeting other souls or standing on the backside of a Rocky Mountain at dawn, looking down at a fresh snowpack drew him into the outdoor industry.

And from canoeing to sailing, the tack was also natural. He sailed dinghies since he was a boy, on the Great Lakes and up and down the St. Lawrence river. When he met his Danish wife, he was drawn into a Viking ship club where he spent 17 weeks building a copy of a 72-foot warship out of oak. He now sails and cruises as much as possible.

Getting hired at Slope Magazine has given him the opportunity to test and research gear as a full-time job. He thinks this is awesome.

Torben traveled to South East Asia for scuba diving and never really stopped his search for new adventures. His affinity for gear that works and his generosity for guiding people on their own path match his energy as editor-in-chief at SlopeMagazine.com.

Nicolai co-founded Slope Magazine back in 2009 with his brother Torben – initially with the idea that “if we have a popular blog about diving, then we’d have a reason to go dive more often”.

As Slope Magazine grew from a hobby blog about diving, and into a business with a team of people, tons of equipment to buy (to test it), and a range of responsibilities, Nicolai mainly moved behind the scenes to manage the day-to-day operation of Slope Magazine.

However, he still loves to contribute with articles or reviews, especially in the diving section – and he has taken the role of editor for our new Everyday Life section, as he appreciates the quality of a product when it clearly has a design that shows its worth.

Consummate amateur and true master of none, Hunter specializes in throwing himself in over his head and figuring it out along the way. Beginning his career as a PADI-certified scuba instructor at 19, he soon crawled his way onto land and discovered a love for mountains, culminating in 2016 with a hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.

While finishing a BA in Creative Writing at the University of Washington, Hunter picked up climbing, trail running, and skiing. He then spent 9 months leading youth and adult conservation corps crews in Washington’s national parks.

With an odd 30 days of skiing under his belt, he moved to Crested Butte to teach 4-year-olds the finer points of the wedge turn, earning the distinction of 2018-19 “Rookie Instructor of the Year.” Spending summers teaching youth how to climb granite friction slabs and weaseling his way into empty seats on whitewater rafts, Hunter started learning the basics of backcountry skiing on the stable summer snowpack.

He continues chasing certification, furthering his formal training to make better decisions and have more fun outside.

Now located in Bellingham, Washington- Hunter spends his time riding in the North Cascades, running in the Chuckanuts, reading Michael Moorcock, and searching out obscure 90s death metal releases. You can read his seldom updated, fiercely beloved outdoor blog at https://inthebight.home.blog/

Whether it’s hiking in her current home of Pennsylvania, safaris and photography in Uganda, windsurfing in Malta, paddle boarding on Lake Malawi, skiing in Nagano, aerial yoga in Johannesburg, fishing in Liberia, or scuba diving in Belize, she’ll try whatever is available and has fun people around.

Hailing from Aspen, Colorado, Derek began his skiing career in the illustrious Powder Pandas ski school program, eventually sort of growing up to ski professionally in slopestyle and big air, while moonlighting as a ski tuner and writer.

Now living in Colorado’s front range, Derek can be found among the i70 crowd racing to find hidden powder stashes on the back bowls of Vail, on Park Lane in Breckenridge, under the lights on Keystone, and returning home to the High Alpine steeps in Snowmass. When he’s not skiing he’s wishing he was, or nerding out on mountain biking, climbing, and golf.

Kate McMahon currently lives in a roof-top car tent, solo-traveling across North America to surf, ski&board, mountain bike, and vibe. Kate recently graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, in December 2021, with a B.A. in Liberal Arts.

After skiing and snowboarding all her life, Kate’s first post-graduate job was as an instructor at Kirkwood Ski Resort, California. During this season, she earned her PSIA-AASI Level 1 Teaching Certifications in both skiing and snowboarding. Gaining and sharing knowledge is a service that brings great enjoyment to her life.

Her family travels the world, leading her to a bold lifestyle. Kate lived on a sailboat in the Eastern Caribbean when she was five, making alternative outdoor activities second nature. Since then, she has spent her life pursuing dauntless activities and researching new destinations to do extreme sports, as she often visits alone. She has collected the best gear to aid her adrenaline-seeking lifestyle along the way.

With the technology of sports changing so rapidly, Slope Magazine is the perfect fit for Kate to stay on top of her game by researching the latest trends in equipment, gear, and hot spots for you to check out so you can stay on top of your game too! This job supports the nomadic lifestyle that allows Kate to chase waves, send mountain bike jumps, or shred the ski slopes every day of the year.

Michael has been on a board of sorts ever since he could walk, and has always said that ‘life makes more sense sideways’.

He found his love for splitboarding in the San Juan Mountains of Southwest Colorado. It was in the Juans where he learned to appreciate larger terrain, and long days in the mountains.

Now located in the Pacific Northwest, he spends his Summers climbing around the Cascades, and winters riding everything he can in preparation for bigger objectives come spring.

An avid snowboarder and gear enthusiast passionate for all things travel and mountain-related based in Bellingham, Washington.

Travel is a means to explore ourselves through new experiences.

Renee is an adventure traveler willing to try anything at least once. She is also a personal trainer, yoga instructor, dive master, downhill ski instructor, and ocean sailor. These days you will find her on St. Croix, playing in the water or in the States, sharpening her hiking skills. Movement is her Mediation.

Yoga/Meditaion Specific

Renee has been practicing & teaching yoga for almost 25 years. As a 500-hour RYT and yoga studio owner, she teaches Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Hatha yoga along with Meditation.. New and returning yogis are her passion. Movement is her Mediation.

Diving/Saling
Renee is a professional Dive Master in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She prefers her vis high, warm water, and fish colorful. When she is not shore diving, you can find her on a sailboat diving the Caribbean waters.

Skiing
Renee is downhill Children’s Ski Instructor. She loves sharing her love of the sport with the young and young at heart.

Hiking
Renee is a new/want-to-be backcountry hiker. Her goal: Section Hike the Appalachian Trail. Currently, she is gaining knowledge through workshops and training while testing and learning about the equipment needed. Not a rustic adventure, think of the lightest chairs and best electronic trail mapping and emergency beacons.

Additional

Renee is a lifelong learner and researcher by nature. With an MS in Clinical Exercise and a Ph.D. in Physical Activity Epidemiology, writing has been a constant in her life. She is excited to share her thoughts on the activities you love as part of the SlopeMagazine.com Team. If there is a new activity to learn, you can be sure she will be one of the first in line to try it; after she has researched the activity, the gear, and what to expect.

Born in the Midwest, and soon thereafter relocated to the West, Samuel was raised amidst the Rockies. Growing up, Samuel found himself feeling more at home skiing the trees than in the city. It quickly became his sole focus to ski as much as possible, for as long as possible. After taking up climbing while studying at the University of New Mexico, graduating in 2019, Samuel built out a van and took to the road, looking for big mountain adventures. During his time on the road, Samuel found a passion for putting his experiences into words, and he hasn’t stopped writing since.

In 2020, Samuel settled into a long term position, working as a firefighter. A perfect career for someone transfixed by the mountains, as it provides him with more than enough time (and healthcare) to pursue his passions in the outdoors.

Today, Samuel spends his summers climbing, mountain biking, and trail running. His winters are split between the resort, the backcountry, and taking courses to achieve his AMGA certifications, with hope of one day becoming an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide.