JUNKIE

From a dirtbag climber to foremost adventure journalist, Stephen Regenold rode a rare arc over 10+ years building the "Gear Junkie" brand. He started from zero and leaned into an obsession as a writer and adventurer who was eventually put on contract to travel the world for the New York Times. 

Readers followed as Regenold chronicled adventures from Patagonia to Jordan's Wadi Rum. His tales drew millions to NYT, and soon Regenold launched a startup media company at GearJunkie.com.

JUNKIE is Regenold's forthcoming book debut. The story starts in 2009, where Regenold joins a self-described "cult of adventure and gear" that holds life to be a proving ground for pushing limits on raging rivers and high peaks.

We follow this crew on a multi-year itinerary of expeditions and mountain climbs. They trek to Mount Everest with an experimental altitude suit; it fails at 28,000 feet. In another scene, in remote Tierra del Fuego, Outside magazine cites a Gear Junkie feat as “the most credible endorsement of gear” of all time.

Regenold doubles down to build his brand, riding a rare line as a journalist, athlete, explorer, and entrepreneur. His growing media company makes millions in revenue and wins awards, eventually employing 20+ staffers tapped to join the Gear Junkie tribe. 

JUNKIE is part autobiography, part guide to embracing a no-compromise career and life. It's also a continent-hopping journey with cameos from Bear Grylls, Alex Honnold, Conrad Anker, Kilian Jornet, and other luminaries of the outdoor world.

But the mountains give and they take. Regenold finds his absolute edge, dodging death in Chile after an equipment fail. Friends claim victories and first ascents, and they trek unexplored swaths. Some slip and fall, some even perish along the way, an ultimate price paid in the pursuit of… what? 

In the end, Regenold reassesses his view of risk as he starts a young family in Minnesota back home. More and more, the "cult of adventure and gear" strikes as reckless, maybe meaningless, his friends evoking the fabled "conquistadors of the useless" to climb nameless, windy peaks.

JUNKIE closes in the present day with Regenold competing in a 125-mile endurance race. Now middle-age and a father of five, he continues to push limits while seeking balance in life, business, and the gray area in between.