As Outdoors Magic's lead gear analyst and mountain environments reporter, Tiernan combines glaciology training with cutting-edge tech reviews. His work sits at the intersection of adventure sports and environmental data science, particularly focused on:
Successful story angles typically involve:
"Field-ready innovations that address specific mountain safety gaps while contributing to long-term environmental datasets"
Avoid pitches about:
Jordan Tiernan has carved a niche as a specialist in mountain sports journalism, blending academic rigor with field expertise. His career began with formative years scaling Peak District gritstone and Scottish winter gullies, later formalized through a dissertation on avalanche decision-making. This academic-practical fusion laid the groundwork for his transition into heliski operations in France and New Zealand, where he honed high-alpine risk assessment skills while contributing to terrain mapping projects.
Tiernan's pivot to journalism coincided with his 2018 collaboration on Tignes' Definitive Off-Piste Guidebook, a 400-page topographic masterwork documenting 320 ski routes. This project demonstrated his ability to synthesize complex spatial data into accessible narratives, a skill that now defines his tech-forward approach to outdoor reporting at Outdoors Magic.
This 2,800-word primer revolutionized outdoor drone journalism by addressing the critical gap between recreational drone use and professional-grade environmental documentation. Tiernan partnered with Notion Aerials to develop a risk matrix evaluating factors like wind shear patterns at different altitudes and battery performance in sub-zero temperatures. The article's lasting impact lies in its "3D mapping workflow" section, which has been adopted by conservation groups to monitor glacial retreat in the Cairngorms.
More than a route guide, this collaborative work established new standards for ski mountaineering documentation. Tiernan's contributions focused on snowpack analysis techniques, using time-lapse photography to track cornice formation across 14 key couloirs. His innovative "aspect compass" system for predicting avalanche paths has been cited in mountain safety courses across Europe.
In this 3,200-word tech deep dive, Tiernan subjected Garmin's solar-powered wearable to a 72-hour endurance test across the Bernese Oberland. His methodology included comparative battery drain analyses during GPS mapping versus altimeter-only mode, revealing a 37% performance variance that contradicted manufacturer claims. The article's real-world impact was measurable: within six months of publication, Garmin released firmware updates addressing three of Tiernan's five major criticisms.
Tiernan's dissection of the COROS VERTIX 2's dual-frequency GPS demonstrates his appetite for products pushing technological boundaries. Successful pitches should highlight quantifiable performance metrics, like comparing waterproofing membranes across 10+ iterations or demonstrating battery efficiency gains in sub-20°F conditions. Example: His analysis of Salomon's lightest trail runner involved pressure-plate gait analysis rarely seen in consumer journalism.
The Wilson College climate documentary review showcases Tiernan's interest in longitudinal environmental studies. Effective pitches might involve sensor networks tracking microclimate changes along hiking routes or AI models predicting trail erosion patterns. Avoid generic climate change angles – Tiernan prefers stories where outdoor enthusiasts directly contribute to environmental datasets.
His avalanche decision-making research informs a unique perspective on risk mitigation technologies. Pitches could explore innovations like AI-powered crevasse detection systems or machine learning models that analyze GoPro footage to predict rockfall probabilities. Tiernan particularly values prototypes tested in actual emergency scenarios, as seen in his coverage of Recco reflector adoption in Chamonix.
"Tiernan's guidebook redefined what's possible in ski route documentation" - Alpine Journal, 2023
The 2023 Mountain Media Innovation Award recognized Tiernan's integration of LiDAR scanning into recreational ski mapping. This achievement stands out for making military-grade terrain analysis accessible to civilian mountaineers, with his open-source slope angle maps now used by 14 European rescue teams.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Outdoors, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
