Worn Out Wednesday – Alpine Climber Jess Roskelley

By Cator Sparks Published December 21, 2019

My name is Jess Roskelley. I’m an alpine climber sponsored by adidas outdoor, Julbo and CAMP USA. I was born, raised and still live in Spokane, Washington. I grew up learning to climb and enjoying the outdoors with my father, John Roskelley. My father is one of America’s most renowned alpinists, so naturally I was introduced at a young age.

I started climbing in high school and then began guiding on Mt. Rainier when I was 18. At 20, my dad gave me a great chance to climb Mt. Everest. I summited, and for a short time was the youngest American to summit Everest. It was an amazing bonding experience with my father, but it wasn’t until I was about 25 that I found my niche and real love for the sport. Eventually, I figured out that alpine climbing was my calling. I love the mountains in Alaska, Canada and Patagonia. The climbs that I’m most stoked about involve first ascents on steep, technical rock and ice routes all over the world. With alpine climbing you are forced to be great in all aspects of climbing rather than just a single aspect such as rock or mountaineering. I’m also a welding inspector by trade. This allows me to work for short commitments making the maximum amount of cash to keep up the expensive addiction of climbing. It also helps that I have a beautiful, supportive wife with a great paying job.

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Jeans: As a welder, you can imagine that durability is a must. I wear Ariat’s fire-resistant jean. They look good and last forever. Plus my favorite attribute is not catching my pants on fire.

Shirts: adidas outdoor makes the lumbercheck shirt. They are comfortable and fit well. I climb, work and go out to dinner in these shirts. I recommend getting a few for your closet. You won’t be sorry. I also wear a lot of The Great PNW t-shirts (the owner is from Spokane, and the brand is all about the Pacific Northwest) and Filson crew sweaters.

Pants: If I’m not working I usually spend most my day wearing pants I can climb in, go to yoga in and do anything in between. It doesn’t make sense for me to change pants all day. I can’t bring myself to wear sweatpants…ever! For that reason, I live in the adidas Outdoor Terrex Swift All Season Pant. They stretch and are water and wind resistant.

Suits: I can’t say I’ve ever needed a real suit. I prefer an adidas sequence jump suit.

Shoes: My favorite shoes by far are the adidas Outdoor Terrex Solo shoes with Stealth rubber. They are light, look good and climb well.

Accessories: As a welder and a climber I have a hard time wearing any sort of jewelry or watches. I don’t even own a watch. I do enjoy a nice crisp flat-billed hat though. adidas makes a couple that are pretty sexy. I also carry a Filson briefcase when travelling.

Outerwear: Jackets are easy. I always have an adidas Outdoor Terrex Ndosphere Hoodie with me. As an alpine climber, I end up getting damp no matter what, and for that reason I love this jacket. With PrimaLoft insulation it dries fast and still stays insulated when damp.

Favorite Cologne: I wear authentic man scent, which often smells like burnt steel and welding rod, or climbing chalk!

Your favorite App: My favorite app is NOAA weather radar. This is a good weather app for me to find out what the weather is doing all over the world. I look at the weather daily at areas that I would like to climb. To waste time, the CHIVE app keeps me entertained.

Favorite piece of technology: I always have a hard time charging all my cameras and my phone in the backcountry, but my mother-in-law recently bought me a Cobra JumPack 7500. It charges mobile devices multiple times and will jump start a car, and it’s less than a pound!

Next tech purchase: I think I’m going to throw down on a Goal Zero Yeti 1250 Solar generator kit. I have a small A-liner camper I use ice climbing in Canada. Generators are generally loud and have fumes. This generator will run everything for quite a while and I don’t have to hear it run all night.

Topics

Outdoors

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…

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