Title: Contributing Writer
Location: Portland, OR
Pronouns: she/they
Social Media Links: Instagram
Expertise
- Snowboarding, Camping Gear, Roadtrip Gear, Backpacking, Splitboarding
- Years in This Expertise: 3 years testing gear, and a lifetime of snowboarding and outdoor adventures
- Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Spent Testing: 50+, 500 hours
Education & Certifications
- Education: Bachelor Degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership and Journalism from Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe
- Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, AIARE 1, RYT 200 HR
- Years of Writing: 10+
- Previous Publications: Outdoor Gear Lab Testing, Outside Magazine Snowboard Testing, Road Affair Reviews, Sierra Nevada College newspaper editor
Experience
Rachel Lightner is a contributing writer and gear tester with The Inertia. Prior to her work in journalism and gear testing, Rachel worked at Pacific Crest Snowcats as a backcountry ski guide, Carpe Diem, Pacific Discoveries, and Global Routes as an International Gap Semester Instructor, Boojum Outdoors as an Experiential Educator, and festivals around the world working production and artist relations.
Rachel learned to snowboard on Mt. Ashland when she was eight years old, and 20 years later, she still can’t get enough of the sport. Rachel competed in slopestyle, rail jams, halfpipe, and boardercross in high school. She continued through college, competing for Sierra Nevada College’s collegiate team and taking home podium medals in all her divisions.
Rachel still competes today but prefers the laid-back nature of banked slaloms and carving. She even achieved the bragging rights of taking home a duct tape trophy at the Legendary Banked Slalom at Mt. Baker. Rachel is a backcountry snowboard guide at Pacific Crest Snowcats – She has her AIARE Level 1 Certification and is set to get her Level 2 this winter.
Snowboarding has brought her around the world, from Japan to Alaska, to explore her backyard in North Lake Tahoe. Now based in Oregon, Rachel has explored the depths of the forest and the peaks of the mountain, bringing her favorite gear along the way. She is happiest when sharing stories with the world and documenting her experience as she travels out of her truck camper.
Career Highlights
- Testing jacket and bibs in Hokkaido powder in Japan
- Riding snowboards at Whitewater resort in Canada
A Word from Rachel
From a young age, I was writing stories in my childhood bedroom. Dreaming of ways to bring my thoughts to reality on paper. I pursued a degree in journalism to bring my writing skills to a professional platform. In my free time, I love snowboarding, dancing, music festivals, camping, and long-distance backpacking in faraway places.
