Oh, hello! Didn't see you there. Welcome! My name is Jen. I live in Utah. I really love snow, especially when it covers the mountains enough that I can strap flat sticks to my feet and slide down said mountains! That's my favorite thing ever. When I can't do that, I like tying a rope to my waist and climbing up rock faces.
A few disclaimers about me:
1. I am extraordinarily obsessed with bright colors. When preparing for my four day backpacking trip through Yellowstone, I searched for hours to find brightly colored hiking boots, and when I finally found them, you'd think I'd found El Dorado. I will seriously pick certain things over others simply because of color.
2. I'm admittedly a little bit of a brand snob. Okay. I'm a huge brand snob. And it's stupid. But when I walk into camp with that Patagonia duffel slung over my shoulder, boy, you'd think I was the maharajah of gear for how proud of myself I am. And you know what? It's the little things in life.
3. I'm a deal hunter. If something is "xyz% off!!" I'm way more likely to buy it than something else full price (even for the same price). I love to brag about getting stuff on sale. Especially when it's a lot on sale. $500 jacket for $320? So much better than a $320 jacket. (This also goes back to my brand-snobbiness.) I can't tell you how many times I've said to my mother, "But MOOOOOM, it was xyz% off!"
4. It's really tough for me to let go of gear. This means I still have my racing skis from when I was like, 14. And a seriously way-past-its-prime climbing rope that just needs to get chucked. But I keep telling myself I'll find a use for it.
5. I'm an incredibly straightforward individual. If for some reason I bought gear that sucks, I'm going to tell you that it sucks, and why. Obviously it's my opinion, but you're going to hear the extent of it. I also like others to be straightforward with me AND share their own opinions, though I generally don't take kindly to people being pointlessly rude. If I write a review about my sweet new Salomon running shoes, don't just comment and say, "Salomon sucks you should wear Merrell instead." Gee, that was really informative! Thanks! However, if I write a review about the new BD X4 cams (which are siiiiiick, by the way), and you had a different experience with them, feel free to share with me what you thought and why you disagree/agree with me. This goes back to "the more you know."
Sometimes I'll feature guest reviewers. I may agree with them, I may not. Remember that their opinions are theirs, and my opinion is mine, and your opinion is yours, and if we all agreed, there would only be one kind of shoe in the world. As Bill Nye would say, "Something to think about!"
Please keep this in mind as you make your final selections. If you need any additional assistance, please talk to an REI specialist in a green vest. Thank you, and have a great night!
(Wow. Think I spend enough time there...? But seriously I love that store.)