Kurt got his first mountain bike when he was 13 and has been hooked ever since. Formerly known as The Angry Singlespeeder (aka The ASS) after an opinionated editorial column for MTBR.com, Kurt considers himself more of a storyteller than a journalist. Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA and racing mountain bikes in West Virginia in the early 1990s, Kurt attended Indiana University - Bloomington, graduating in 1999 with Journalism and Political Science degrees, as well as being a Little 500 Bicycle Race Hall of Fame inductee. Since moving west in 2000, Kurt has been a freelance writer and published author, working primarily in the mountain bike world for names including Shimano, Patagonia, REI, BIKE Mag, Freehub and Adventure Cyclist. He is passionate about trails and the positive societal impacts they can have on communities, and is the storyteller for Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. Over the last five years Kurt has been resurrecting the non-Wilderness portion of the Toiyabe Crest Trail, a National Recreation Trail in Central Nevada, cutting out nearly 40 miles of trail by hand. Kurt’s also a gearhead, engine swapping and 4x4 converting his 1990 Toyota Sunrader RV. Kurt lives in Verdi, NV with his wife and adventure partner Elisabeth, aka “Swan John”.

Born and raised in western Michigan, one of the early epicenters of snowboarding, Tom has spent his life in the snow. A graduate of Squaw Valley Academy in 1993, he was an early pioneer in the growth of snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada. Tom then attended UC Boulder for a degree in Environmental Studies (and a minor in big mountain adventure). Tom was along for the ride in the first days of split boarding, when a snowboarding team friend from Michigan, Brett Kobernick, developed the first split board for Voile in Utah. As one of the first split boarders in North America, Tom has developed an extrasensory perception for finding powder, hence his moniker. Tom worked as a head coach for snowboard teams in Telluride and Jackson Hole, and is passionate about mentorship and sharing knowledge with the future generations of split boarders and skiers. Tom has also spent time behind the lens of a camera, documenting the early days of split boarding for Couloir magazine and National Geographic Explorer. A storied career as a restaurateur at Planeta Restaurant in Truckee, Tom loves striking up conversations with his guests, especially when it comes to snow, the skin track, mountain biking and mountain culture. Tom lives in Incline Village, NV with his wife Nicole.