Backpacker Magazine – Online Exclusive

2012 Winners of the Gear Tester Contest

BACKPACKER announces the winners of the Summer 2012 Gear Tester Contest

by: Kristin Hostetter

Tags:
• Gear
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Four lucky readers were chosen from mountains of applicants to join our gear testing team this summer. Not only will these gearheads participate in our testing program, they’ll join us at the Summer Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City. At the show, they’ll scour the aisles for the coolest new gear, write daily reports, and keep fellow readers in the loop via our Facebook page. To follow their coverage, like our Facebook page and subscribe to our free daily newsletter and get live updates from Outdoor Retailer!

MEET THE WINNERS:

Lisa Chu is a 36-year old musician from Half Moon Bay, California. She works in the camping department of her local REI, loves carrying “big packs,” and hopes to explore Denali National Park soon, following in the footsteps of her uncle, who was the first Taiwanese man to summit McKinley in 1974.

Scott Rohrig is a 38-year old small business consultant and dad from Denver. He recently tackled a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike with his own dad and brother, and intends to spend the summer fostering a love of all things outdoors in his two young kids.

Gerben Scherpbier is the 19-year old president of the Dartmouth College Outing Club, a telemark ski instructor, and member of the local search and rescue team in Hanover, New Hampshire. Gerben leads fellow students on trips all over the world–from hiking in Austria to trailwork in Glacier National Park to sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands— teaching them to be safe and have fun in the outdoors.

Erica Schlatter is the 22-year old president of Northeastern University’s Outing Club. Erica was destined to be an outdoorswoman from childhood: While her friends were obsessed with Snow White and Cinderella, Erica idolized Pochahontas. As a hiker, climber, skier, kayaker, and cyclist, she spends all her free time exploring the wilds of New England, especially the White Mountains.

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