Hi! I'm Jake, a shy goofy millennial who gets a little nervous around strangers. (Thankfully, I move from stranger to friend pretty fast!)

I grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado, spent eight years in New York City, and recently moved to San Francisco, CA.

These days, I press buttons for a living. In a past life, I worked as a sound designer for theatre in New York. Ask me about that! I have some good stories.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

When I travel, I try to make an effort to engage with locals and other travelers. Conversation is the best way to curb polarization! And these days, we have a lot of work to do on that front – especially where I come from.

I'm looking to break bread over stories from our lives, and and make new friends around the world.

Interests

I grew up in Colorado, and spent basically all of my childhood playing outside in the mountains. When I travel, I am inevitably drawn towards areas where I can get lost in nature.

In practice, that means lots of ski and cycling trips, and more recently kite surfing.

I also love exploring new places on foot. Truly, I have no idea why people drive or take transit when they don't have to. You get to see so much more when you slow down and saunter down back streets.

• live music
• backpacking
• kite surfing
• skiing
• telemark skiing
• good conversation
• mountain bike

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a music person. I listen to everything, but here are some favorites (in no particular order):

David Bowie
Oneotrix Point Never
Bob Moses
Rhye
Floating Points
Nicholas Jaar
Pink Floyd
Satori
Boards of Canada
DJ Shadow
Led Zeppelin
Sheila Jordan
David August
Baths

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I spent a couple of summers as a sound designer at Shakespeare in the Park in New York, which is probably one of the best jobs in the world – and also one of the harder ones.

Teach, Learn, Share

I would be delighted to teach you how to telemark ski, or give tips if you're already on your way! I started teleskiing when I was 8 years old. (Yep – almost 20 years of experience!)

I love learning how to cook different cuisines. I'd make a fine line cook in your home kitchen 👨‍🍳

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can introduce you to some pretty amazing music. Tell me what you like, and I'll almost always be able to push you in a musical direction that is simultaneously familiar and thrilling.

If you’re looking for travel suggestions for New York City, I’m your guy! In particular, I can tell you about all the best bars and hang spots in Brooklyn. Also, if your preferred mode of exploration is walking, I know some absolutely amazing places to explore on foot that will never be mentioned in a guidebook.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, France, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Switzerland, Thailand

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States