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Another east coast transplant, Julia aka Ruggs moved from New England to Oregon in search of bigger mountains and bigger adventures in 2021. Officially, Marketing and Ecommerce Director, unofficially, Commander of Vibes. When she’s not at the shop, you can find her skiing, overlanding, or hanging out by any body of water with her dog, Spoon.
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Like many of his fellow rental coworkers, John is an east coast transplant who headed west after college in search of bigger mountains and wide open spaces. He’s often trying to do a few more outdoor activities than can realistically be fit into one week, but spends most of his time running through the woods, biking around the greater Portland area, and skiing as much as he can.
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A father, builder, writer, and adventurer, hailing from Humboldt County, and living in various places west of the Rockies, Brad Kerstetter is a jack of many, a master of none. A love of the outdoors and all things flowering, inspired him to get a degree in Botany. While he never professionally used his degree, as a carpenter, then as a cabinet and furniture maker, he could tell you more than you wanted to know about the role of xylem and phloem in the grain structure of Bird’s Eye Maple. During the great recession, he happily let go of his cabinet and furniture making business to become a full-time dad, and to remodel his Portland home. Curiosity killed the cat and keeps Kerstetter—whether it’s farming powder, fishing for salmon and cod out of his Hobie, or exploring a canyon—seeking new escapades. When asked if he will ever finish his house, he will remind you of the ancient Chinese proverb: When man finishes house, man dies. Besides, there’s too many adventures to be had.
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Jan is an avid lover of the outdoors. When not working, she can be found running, hiking, mountaineering, skiing (Alpine, Nordic, Backcountry, Alpine Touring and Telemark), bicycling, mountain biking, paddling or remodeling her 1894 Farmhouse. Her dogs Alex and Cleo like to join whenever they can, but would really rather be swimming! Jan is cross-trained as a Biochemist/Parasitologist, but enjoys being the Apparel and Accessories Buyer at Mountain Shop in her spare time. Jan is also trained as a Master Bootfitter and is a Trail Butter Ambassador.
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A Portland native, Mike grew up going on family ski trips to Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor. While attending university in Salt Lake City, he was introduced to the backcountry and embarked on a life-long pursuit of the deepest powder. Now a proud father, Mike has been enjoying passing his passions down to the next generation.
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Jeremy grew up in New England, and first started climbing, skiing, and hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He moved to Portland at the end of 2019, spending his time cooking and climbing.
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Susie has lived and skied all over the world but has found her place in Portland, OR. Susie loves mountains, art and science in a major way. Her fave things include skiing, snowboarding, splitboarding / touring, backpacking and camping with her husband and dog. Susie takes care of all things creative for Mountain Shop.
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Gary was born and raised in North Carolina. After a three year stint in Alaska in the late 80′s he settled in Portland and is happy to call Oregon home. Gary has worked in outdoor retail for over 28 years, and has been at the Mountain Shop since October 2012. He simply loves life in the outdoors and loves to share his experience in helping others choose the right gear, especially if it means lightening their pack. Over the years he has enjoyed hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, and bicycling. His greatest accomplishment in the mountains was a summit of Denali in 1997. His current “passion” is ultralight and long distance hiking and is a Triple Crowner, completing the Pacific Crest Trail in 2012, the Continental Divide Trail in 2014, and the Appalachian Trail in 2016. He added the Pacific Northwest Trail to his resume in 2017. You could say he loves to hike.
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A family man and avid backpacker, Steve is a certified search and rescue K-9 handler. He never sets out on an adventure without telling a loved one where he is going and when he will be back, who will report him missing if he is overdue. He and his faithful K-9, Jacqui, are on 24 hour call to locate lost persons in the wilderness or in the city. Originally from Massachusetts, Steve relocated to Oregon and started at the Mountain Shop in 1998.
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Growing up in Nebraska, Marcus always looked forward to high school trips to Colorado where mountain life and skiing became more and more intriguing. After leaving home, he lived in Vail, CO for a couple of years and then worked his way west, stopping in Jackson, WY and Lake Tahoe, CA. Portland has been his home with his wife and three daughters for the past 17 years. Marcus is always planning his next outdoor adventure on mountains all over the world and those in our own PNW backyard. Marcus is proud and excited to continue supporting the Mountain Shop business, employees, and its amazing outdoor community like it has been doing since 1937.
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Josh is a native Oregonian with a passion for the outdoors including skiing, backpacking & rafting. He started skiing & backpacking with his family at the age of five. He spent 2 years living on Mt Hood working both as a liftie & a National Park seasonal ranger at Timberline Lodge. Joshua has worked in the outdoor industry for over 25 years accumulating a vast knowledge of equipment used for BC skiing, backpacking, climbing and mountaineering. He has summited many of the volcanic peaks in the Northwest including Mt Hood, Mt Adam’s, Mt Washington, Mt St Helens, the Three Sisters & more. He shares his love of the outdoors with his family, camping & skiing. Pucci, Shop Dog, is his constant companion.
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Also known as “SAMRAD” in the downhill skateboarding scene, Samuel ‘Radical’ Radtke is our videographer, photographer, and content-creation machine based just outside the Columbia River Gorge near Portland. A full-send Oregonian with San Diego roots, he’s an expert hill bomber, wave chaser, powder slasher, boulder scrambler, and camera enthusiast — always chasing the next big PNW or West Coast skate trip.
His path into the outdoor industry was forged on trials and trails of fire with Original Skateboards and refined to precision through 4+ years of full-time social media management and creative freelancing.
“Forever Stoked.”
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An avid telemark skier and surfer, Tom was raised in Phoenix cycling and backpacking around Arizona. He moved to Oregon in 2019 and today enjoys freeheeling the Mt. Hood area and surfing the Oregon coast.
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Sven was born and raised in Belgium. In 2006, while traveling in Thailand, he met and fell in love with a woman from Portland. Soon after, he visited her and immediately fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. To pursue these two loves, he left behind a 20-year career as a longshoreman and soccer player to begin a new life in Portland, where he started working in the outdoor industry. Today, when Sven isn’t at The Mountain Shop, he’s likely out enjoying the very activities the shop caters to – skiing, biking, hiking, or climbing, always putting their gear to good use.
