CATCHING UP WITH OUR AMBASSADORS: THEIR PICKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

CATCHING UP WITH OUR AMBASSADORS: THEIR PICKS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

We have a lot of adventurous friends here at Goal Zero. With passions ranging from the outdoors to food to advocacy and more, they're always on the go. We caught up with some of them to ask about their year, and of course, their go-to piece of Goal Zero gear.
MATT CRAWFORD
Off-the-Grid Chef Extraordinaire
What are you most thankful for this year?
I feel the most grateful for my family first, and then this wonderful gift I have been blessed with through social media to be able to inspire others to get outside and enjoy nature through documenting and sharing my own off grid grilling adventures in the wild.
Do you have any holiday plans or traditions that you want to share?
While not a tradition, I like to escape to Maui a couple times of year when possible. My wife has been working very diligently in her new job as the Assistant Principle at our local middle school and we are gifting ourselves a much needed escape to paradise for our Thanksgiving this year. Aloha.
What are you most excited for in the year to come?

With so many new doors and opportunities that keep popping up in my life, I am extremely excited to see where each and every road leads in the next year and more importantly, the people these avenues will introduce me to.
If you had unlimited money to spend at Goal Zero, what would you get and why?
If I had unlimited money to spend at GZ I would buy everyone I know a battery, panel, lights, food and a Traeger grill so they too could enjoy the freedom you feel when you literally can power up anywhere and get to grilling some good eats.
LINDSEY ELLIOTT DAVIS
Hunter + CEO of Wylder
What are you most thankful for this year?
This year was full of landmarks - I married my husband, became a bowhunter, testified in front of congress, and got a bird dog…there’s a lot to be thankful for, but I’m most thankful for the purpose-driven community that I get to be a part of!
Do you have any holiday plans/traditions that you want to share?
Every year, we drive as far as we can into the Uinta mountains to harvest a Christmas tree. Our dogs tear around in the snow while we debate on what the ‘perfect’ tree looks and smells like. Then, we chop one down with an old school ax and haul it home to decorate. It has become my favorite holiday tradition and also helps to thin some of the overgrowth from our forests.
What are you most excited for in the year to come?

I’m working on two projects for 2020 that are both about how we care for our ecosystems through the food we eat. I’m super excited and thankful for creative projects like this that break up the more monotonous aspects of work life!
If you had unlimited money to spend at Goal Zero, what would you get and why?

If I had unlimited Goal Zero money, I’d transition the entire city of Salt Lake to solar power so we’d never have an inversion again, and everyone would have clean air to breathe! Personally, though, during hunting season, I can be off-grid for up to a week at a time. I carry the Sherpa 100 with me everywhere, to make sure I always have access to my mapping software on my phone. At camp, I stay powered with the Yeti 400, and the Light-a-Life 350’s. The new Yeti 200x is definitely on my wishlist!
BRODY LEVEN
Outdoor Advocate, Forest Tourist, Skier Extraordinaire
What are you most thankful for this year?

My perfect little dog, Spaghetti, has made me a happy person for maybe the first time ever. I’m grateful that my girlfriend Katie is willing to stay home, as I’m off doing my thing in the mountains, enough for us to have a dog and a peaceful home life. I’m also thankful that, when I was hit on my bicycle by a distracted driver, that I wasn’t injured worse than I am.
Do you have any holiday plans/traditions that you want to share?
I moved away from home in Ohio as a fresh 17-year-old, and I’ve been unable to spend enough time with my family ever since. The holiday season is often the only time each year that I am able to see them, and I love it. On Christmas morning, my mom makes homemade cinnamon rolls that raise in front of the woodstove that heats our house while I was still sleeping. Then I wake up and eat then until I get sick. I’d say getting sick is the primary part of this tradition.
What are you most excited for in the year to come?

I am most excited to regain my physical fitness that was sacrificed in the recovery process of my knees, shoulder, and foot from the bicycle accident. It makes me grateful for a decade-long career as a professional athlete without major injury. I’m realizing how rare it is to be able to say that. My fitness’s ability to allow me to spend meaningful time alone outdoors is one of the most important aspects of my life, and regaining that can’t seem to come soon enough.
If you had unlimited money to spend at Goal Zero, what would you get and why?
After our very positive experience installing solar-powered Goal Zero battery solutions on the Navajo Nation recently, I would go buck wild and buy solar kits for every house on the reservation who wants solar to help them power their electronics. Then I guess I would have to spend the rest of my life installing them.
AJ VAN DE WATER
Off-Road Pro, Photographer, Coolest Truck Award Winner
What are you most thankful for this year?
The health of my family, super cliche answer, but its true!
Do you have any holiday plans/traditions that you want to share?
Since our son was born, we have been visiting an area in Northern California with a crazy amount of Christmas lights. It's where my wife grew up, so its a win win and something we would like to do every year.
What are you most excited for in the year to come?
All the adventures and growth we will incur and the new people we will meet!
If you had unlimited money to spend at Goal Zero, what would you get and why?
Ohh, good question! I've been pretty stoked on the setup I have now. Maybe I would upgrade to the Yeti 3000 and use it at home as a back up station in the office. Also I would buy a grip of the Venture 70 and Lighthouse mini's and give them to all my friends. Everyone should have both of those items in their setup!
KALEN THORIEN
Full-Time Outdoor Enthusiast
What are you most thankful for this year?
I'm thankful for two new wonderful beings in my life, my boyfriend, Ian, and his dog, Lady. They've made this year full of joy and love. We had some wonderful adventures and I can't wait to bring in the New Year with them.
Do you have any holiday plans/traditions that you want to share?
I love going to McCall, Idaho to see my parents every year for Christmas. We have a tradition of taking a shot-ski filled with Ullr, a Swedish peppermint schnapps, and also the god of snow in Norse mythology. It's a toast to good luck and a good season of skiing.
What are you most excited for in the year to come?

To continue broadening my adventures and accomplishing some big trips. The bucket list continues to grow and I'm really focused on getting abroad more in the summer and doing more trips on water via SUP or sea kayak.
If you had unlimited money to spend at Goal Zero, what would you get and why?
For sure I have to get the light-a-life mini lights with the party shades and the crush light chroma. They bring such a fun vibe to backpacking or car camping. The Core Lantern is also a great addition for car camping, especially in the kitchen.
Definitely the Yeti 400 Lithium for roadtrips in the Land Cruiser and the Sherpa 100 PD for motorcycle, packrafting, kayaking, sup (basically any activity that involves a vehicle or vessel of some sort). This summer I ran a charging chord from my motorcycle battery to the Sherpa and could charge it while I was riding, and on my multi-day SUP trip I had it rigged to the boat with a solar panel when it was calm out, or take it out whenever we hit land.
Then the Sherpa 50 for backpacking. It fits perfectly in a mesh pocket inside my backpack and for most 3-4 day backpacking trips I can get away with not charging it. For longer trips it's easy to hook up to a Nomad 7 panel that's rigged to the top of your pack. Typically I'm charging my phone and occasionally my Sony camera and headlamp.
Naturally have to get a bunch of panels too. All the Nomad Plus panels and the Boulder 100. Each have their place and time.

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