I am a writer, editor, and journalist covering outdoor adventure and travel with a few offbeat stories here and there.
My work has taken me heliboarding in Russia, rickshaw-riding across India, trekking through the jungles of Central & South America, ski mountaineering in the Alps, hiking in South Korea, dogsledding in Alaska, mountain biking in Bhutan, and watching people run across Japan.
- Scott Yorko
Recent Stories:
Off the Back of the Truck
Outside
MATT MCADOW was sitting on a cardboard box in a Montana warehouse, tapping out emails on a laptop and waiting for his shoes to arrive. It was Monday, September 18, 2023, a pivotal moment for Bedrock Sandals, a boutique footwear company headquar- tered in Missoula. The shoes, Bedrock’s first to be manufactured overseas, were supposed to have arrived four days earlier. continue reading
Ski Progrès in the Balkans
The Ski Journal
An old, rickety farm tractor is weaving circles on the tarmac of the Podgorica Airport. It’s decorated with multicolor swirls and flames and some googly eyes spray-painted around the headlights. It appears to be lost, perhaps missing from a nearby parade. continue reading
On The Edge In Chamonix
Lonely Planet
In the spiritual home of alpinism, glacier harnesses are as ubiquitous as ski goggles. Chamonix is the ski town you visit to scare yourself. continue reading
Dream Lines in Alaska
Lonely Planet
You have to be pretty brave to ride the extreme spines in the great state of Alaska. It also costs an arm and a leg – unless you go DIY. continue reading
Trans Japan Alps Race
Runner’s World
“My life is getting shorter,” says Naomasa Kimura over a fried pork cutlet rice bowl drizzled in a sweet and savory sauce. “It’s too much. I promised my wife this is the last time I try…It’s a touchy subject.” continue reading
The Daring Dirtbags Who Make Salt Lake Sparkle
Outside
Ryan Irvin is 55 feet in the air, on the railing-guarded platform of a cherry picker, when the mechanical boom that moves him around stops working. He’s standing on the second rail with no safety gear, reaching into the top of a 67-foot ponderosa pine tree named Big Red, continue reading
In The Footsteps Of Horror
Backpacker
“You guys got gaiters?” asked a gruff voice from behind.
An old timer with a scruffy white beard under a Royal Canadian Navy hat stood in the back of the line continue reading
This One Time, On Ski Patrol
SKI
From traumatic and fatal injuries to Darwinian stupidity to downright criminal activity, war stories are a dime a dozen on ski patrol. continue reading
A Rough Ride to Bliss in Bhutan
The New York Times
Severe pain and happiness don’t usually mix, unless you’re mountain biking in Bhutan. continue reading
ALONE IN A CROWD
Backpacker
The Limousine bus smells like octopus. Plush leather seats recline almost horizontally, but at 6 a.m., each passenger, dressed in brightly colored hiking clothes, is sitting upright, listening attentively to the PA system. It’s a Saturday morning in Seoul, South Korea, and the 40-50 Seoul Metropolitan Mountain Club is headed to the trailhead. continue reading
Pulling Through
The Red Bulletin
Deep in the Alaskan wilderness, one intrepid dogsled team battles the elements and harsh terrain to preserve a hundred-year-old mountaineering tradition—the long, technical ascent up Denali, North America’s highest and nastiest summit. Meet the dogs who deliver the goods. continue reading