About the mountain shop

Ruggs

Another east coast transplant! Officially, Marketing and Ecommerce Manager, unofficially, Commander of Vibes; Julia aka Ruggs moved out to Oregon in search of bigger mountains and bigger adventures. When she’s not at the shop, you can find her skiing, at the gym, road-tripping, camping, or hanging out by any body of water with her dog, Spoon.

John

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.

Emma

Emma grew up playing outside, going camping with her family almost every weekend (or at least that’s what it felt like as a kid). From there her dad introduced backpacking and climbing, bringing her and her sister along to chase his newest outdoor dream. Now Emma is chasing her own outdoor dreams, starting with a big move across the country to Oregon to get closer to the outdoor wonders that the west has to offer. She plans to explore new places through camping, backpacking, climbing, running, kayaking, and maybe even learning how to backcountry ski now that she lives closer to snowy peaks.

Brad

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.

Rob

A devoted alpine skier, Rob left a career in corporate marketing in search of better work/life balance and has worked in the outdoor industry for more than a decade now. Skiing is his “one sport” and he’s been doing it for over 50 years (with ski roots in the Mid-West)! Between touring and resort days, Rob insists there are really no bad ski days… In the off season he enjoys backpacking, camping, fly fishing, film, gardening and FOOD!

Jan

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.

Mike

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.

Eric

Eric started outdoor adventuring when he rode a bike across his home state of Kansas with his mom when he was 10. Since then, he’s ridden his bike from Kansas to Alaska, ran ultra marathons, hiked across Colorado and kayaked from Washington to Alaska. In between adventures Eric taught middle school in China, New Orleans and Portland. Currently, Eric finds adventure by running aimlessly through the woods, inexpertly but enthusiastically backcountry skiing, and exploring the wilds of Clark County, Washington by bicycle. He dreams of skiing the Iditarod Trail across Alaska someday if he can ever get the time off work and his wife lets him.

Jeremy

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.

Susie

Susie grew up riding the cold east coast hills and working for local ski shops before she migrated with her family to Portland, OR in 2002. After college, she spent 10 years as a biomedical scientist, then went back to school for design and illustration. Now she’s back to her outdoor industry roots here at Mountain Shop as our Creative Director. Susie loves mountains, art and science in a major way. Her fave things include skiing, snowboarding, splitboarding and touring, backpacking and camping with her partner and dog.

Gary

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.

Steve

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.

Marcus

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.