The news came earlier this week from a colleague at Outdoor Retailer Daily: “I’m not sure if you’re in the loop—Doug has lymphoma. He’s undergoing chemo, and I think it’s going well, but it’s definitely taking a toll. Ugh.”

Doug Schnitzspahn’s friends Megan Odom and Erica Randall have started a GoFundMe, writing, “He will be okay. But right now, he needs us to take the lantern and hold it up in the darkness. He needs us—his friends, his family, his communities (yoga, writing, all things wild)—to bring the light.”

I’ve been writing for Doug for nearly 15 years, but he’s always been more than my editor. We’ve shared Thanksgiving meals at his home in Boulder, Colorado, and I’m like an uncle to his kids, Kieran and Isa. When they were infants, I’d help babysit them; as they grew into teens, I coached them in climbing and guided them on the rock. I’ve watched their plays, picked them up from school when Doug’s wife, Radha Marcum—a poet, writer, editor, teacher, and author of Bloodline and Pine Soot Tendon Bone—was slammed, and spent time with them at the climbing gym. Doug and I have climbed together, roping up in the Flatirons above Boulder with his brother Greg “Max” and ice climbing in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We’ve collaborated on some difficult stories, too, ones that involved the loss of climbers. I remember spending hours with him, recounting memories of the late Hayden Kennedy, helping him piece together a tribute to Kennedy and Inge Perkins for Men’s Journal. We worked together again after Hansjörg Auer, David Lama, and Jess Roskelley died on Howse Peak in Canada. Thanks to Doug’s unwavering dedication to getting every detail right, that piece resonated within the climbing community. My inbox was flooded with heartfelt messages, and for a week, I read each one with tears in my eyes, knowing the story had touched so many people. I owe Doug a great deal for guiding me in sharing these climbers’ legacies authentically and honoring what they meant to so many.

But our work wasn’t only during difficult times; Doug also helped me highlight uplifting stories, like when my longtime climbing partner Mike Schneiter and his friend Mark Reiger ascended El Cap with Mike’s daughter, Selah, who, at the time, was the youngest person to climb The Big Stone. Doug brought them to Outdoor Retailer, put them in front of the camera, and had me interview the two stars about their family’s climb on El Cap. Doug also put Selah on the cover of Elevation Outdoors.

Thanks to Doug, I’ve sat down with legends like Alex Honnold, David Lama, and countless other prominent names in the outdoor world, all with cameras rolling. For as long as I can remember, Doug, the editor-in-chief of Outdoor Retailer, The Daily, and Elevation Outdoors, has assigned me to work at both the summer and winter shows, year after year.

What Makes Doug Shine

What makes Doug truly special is how he treats his team like family. Anyone who’s worked with him knows he keeps us close, no matter how packed his schedule or how tight the deadlines are. He always made time for me, made me feel like part of something bigger, and shared his contagious enthusiasm. Travel + Leisure describes him as “a leading voice in outdoor, travel, music, and conservation journalism in North America.”

Now, Doug needs our support. As of this writing, his GoFundMe campaign has raised just under $20,000, with a goal of reaching $44,000.

Doug’s Background

Raised in Little Silver, New Jersey, Doug studied English literature at Boston University before earning an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington, where he was awarded the Mary Rouvelas Prize in Fiction. He also taught at the UW Rome Center in Italy. Before grad school, where he met his wife, Doug worked for the U.S. Forest Service, building trails and fighting fires. He later collaborated with various environmental organizations advocating conservation, including The Wilderness Society and Sierra Club.

Doug’s writing has appeared in Outside, Men’s Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Backpacker, and National Geographic. He’s been the driving force as editor-in-chief of Elevation Outdoors since its inception, and he’s held editorial roles for Outdoor Retailer, The Daily, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, SIA SnowPress, and Exit 205 Magazine, among others.

Whatever publication he works for, he brings his crew along, and I’ve had the privilege of writing for him at most, if not all, of these publications.

Doug is known for his dedication and leadership in adventure writing. His stories and deep involvement in the outdoor community inspire countless individuals. And he doesn’t just talk the talk—Doug has skied in Japan, climbed in Chamonix, trekked across the Sahara, and even joined me on countless road and mountain bike rides around Boulder.

However, his recent cancer diagnosis has introduced significant physical and financial challenges. Chemotherapy has impacted his ability to work, and the primary source of his income has diminished.

What Makes Doug Shine

“I’m doing okay. Responding well to the chemo,” Doug wrote me this morning. He then sent over a series of photos—first, him rocking a mohawk in the spirit of his chemo treatments. Other images followed: one with his son by his side and another with his wife. If his daughter weren’t still at school in New York, I imagine he’d also send a photo with her.

Doug has always prioritized his family. Countless times, he’s packed everyone into his aging SUV, loaded the roof rack, strapped bikes on the back, and set off on a family adventure. He’s not just shared his love for the outdoors with his kids; he’s also taken them to live concerts across Colorado. I remember many Outdoor Retailer shows where he’d rush off to Red Rocks with his family after wrapping up his daily deadlines to catch Sigur Rós or Coldplay.

Once, we were invited on a press trip with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, exploring Yosemite. For a week, we traveled through the Central Valley, backpacked through the Park, and stopped to boulder wherever we could. Doug, despite only climbing occasionally (his top sport is skiing), gripped the rock with fearless determination. I remember him getting high up on a boulder in Camp 4, at an ankle-breaking height, pawing up an arete, and fighting his way to the top. I was impressed by his perseverance!

I remember Doug’s coffee orders well—always a large, and his affinity for a cold IPA. After a long day of writing, he’d gather with friends and colleagues over a brew, recharging with good company. Covering stories at Outdoor Retailer, we’d work hard, setting up our laptops along the massive windows overlooking the Show floor. By night, we’d hit the parties, close down the bars, then rise early to do it all over again the next day.

Doug is all about bringing people together. Back in the day, he visited my small apartment when I lived in Loveland, Colorado, and stayed in touch as I moved around the country, working for various magazines and eventually settling in the Sierra foothills. And if I worked with someone in his team, we’d stay in touch and connect for a mountain run, an editorial project, or a memorable climb. Every year, Doug would reach out, not just to check in but to offer help, asking if he could lend a hand guiding my clients at Yosemite E-Biking. “Can I come out sometime and help you guide a trip?” he’d write.

Since Doug’s son Kieran and I share the same birthday, I’d get a message from him every April: “Hope you’re having a beautiful birthday. And hope to see you sometime soon.” When I was diagnosed with alopecia and lost all my hair—and then lost my house in a fire—Doug reached out with a message: “Hey, we’re thinking about you here. Hope you’re well and have a great holiday. More than that, I hope to connect more in the coming year and see you soon.”

Oh, Doug—what a sweetie.

To me—and dozens, maybe hundreds of others in the outdoor industry—Doug is a king. There’s no one I’ve worked with more, no one who has brought me in closer. Without his mentorship, I wouldn’t have the experience or confidence to pen the stories I do today. When Doug wrote, he approached each story with meticulous research and genuine expertise, whether tackling topics like public lands, climbing culture, skiing, or outdoor gear. As an editor, he worked tirelessly to ensure our stories came out just right.

Doug’s work has earned well-deserved recognition; he was featured in Best American Essays (2005) and received a fellowship in nonfiction literature from the Colorado Council on the Arts.

Why Doug Needs Our Help

His medical bills are stacking up as he undergoes treatment, and he’s still supporting a family of four, carrying the weight of his responsibilities as a parent and as a key member of a community that owes him so much.

As his friends Megan Odom and Erica Randall wrote in the GoFundMe:

Dougie—the guy who humbly bows to you when he rolls his mat out next to yours in yoga; the guy whose deep yawn toward the end of class reminds us to breathe and to laugh; the guy who drives like he’s still on the East Coast but loves openly like the West. He’s the one who makes enchiladas and sends you home with leftovers, takes the best pictures at your wedding, texts you poems because they remind him of the shape of your heart, and can out-swear us all, making you swear to do better.

Doug has dedicated his life to adventure writing and building the outdoor community. Now, it’s our turn to support him.