We get to chat with so many customers on the reg, with countless emails, notes, and calls from happy TREWthers wanting to share their most recent adventures with us. Getting to know you all and hear about where you're bringing our gear has got to be the best, most rewarding part of our jobs. 

For a long time now, we've been thinking about doing a deeper dive on some of these folks who get in touch and share their stories with us....and after many months of being 'too busy', we have finally made it happen!

Welcome to our first ever Customer of the Month Journal post.

It felt only natural to drag Jessica 'Sweeps' Wenke in for this opening feature since she just joined us on our recent trip to the Blanket.

We'll be featuring one TREW customer every month from here on out, and we cannot wait to get to know more of you soon!! If you want to throw your name in the hat to be featured, email katherine@trewgear.com

Jessica 'Sweeps' Wenke

Name, location, and occupation.

My full name is Jessica Wenke, but I'll answer to Jess, (just) Wenke, Messy Jessy, and Sweeps. I currently live in Leadville, CO, but I grew up in NY and I've lived in NH, MT and WA. I work remotely as a Customer Enablement Manager at a company called ZoomInfo - not in the outdoor industry, unfortunately.

How did you get looped in with TREW?

I'm always striving to be more environmentally friendly. Whether that means eliminating most paper products from my home or investing in local gear that will last, I believe small steps can add up. While I was living in WA I came across the TREW brand and I loved their gear, their environmental and community initiatives, and that they were based in Portland, OR (just across the river from me!). And now they're stuck with me ;)

What is your first memory of snow?

I grew up in a really flat area with the nearest mountain being a 3 hour drive. One of my first memories of snow and of my whole life (I know it sounds dramatic, but I swear I'm telling the truth) was this big snow storm when I was just a tot. I begged my dad to take me sledding, but all the roads were closed and the nearest hill was pretty far away. He took this orange baby swing off our swing set in the backyard and pulled me around the block as many times as I wanted.

How and where did you learn to slide on snow?

My dad taught me to ski when I was 3 years old in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I never went consistently until I was in college though.

A fun fact about yourself that most people don’t know.

In college, I was a collegiate Lumberjill champion. I've metaled in pole climbing, canoe racing, crosscut sawing, fire building and numerous group events. 

Who would win in a fight: grilled cheese or a taco?

Grilled cheese, tacos tend to fall apart.

Bibs or pants?

Bibs! And Pants?! I love them both - There's no rhyme or reason, but I love bibs for backcountry days and pants for resort.

Trees, Steeps, Bumps, or all three?!

Ooo all three - lifes too short to pick favorites! They each challenge me in different ways. My thoughts: Trees, only ski as fast as you want to hit one. Steeps, heights aren't my thing so I get a little nervy on top of the steep stuff, but once I jump in I'm "wooing" all the way down! Bumps, I usually say no bumps/avoid them to save my legs, but then I gravitate towards them on every run.

Coolest place you have ever skied?

The Blanket, DUH! Seriously - the coolest experience of my life.

Happy tears heading into the Blanket!

Please share a favorite thumbs up moment you've experienced while skiing/riding.

It's my first winter season living in CO and during the first big storm of the year, I was skiing some trees with friends and a snow snake bit me! (See pic) I was immediately buried and laughing and threw a thumbs up to tell my friends I was ok. It's a simple answer, but it was the most snow I've ever skied in my life and it's a great representation of all the laughs and memories I've made this season.

What is a design feature that you would add to your outerwear?

Oh, the possibilities are endless! An insulated pocket to stop my lunch from freezing, a flask pocket with a camelback type straw so I don't have to take my gloves off for a drink, maybe a zip off to make bibs convertible to pants and vice versa (think those neon 90s pants that are shorts, capris, and pants in one!), more vents - always, or a specific phone pocket for backcountry outerwear that's lined with something that blocks its signal or whatever gets in the way of a beacon transmission. There seems to be a pocket theme, maybe I should just leave this to the professionals ;P

If you could have two animal sidekicks, what would they be?

The first would definitely be my dog, Timber (see pics). He's this eternally lazy boxer-husky mix who reminds me that it's ok to slow down sometimes. The second would be a Condor. Their wingspans are like 9 ft and how cool would it be to be the girl with a pet Condor that pulls her up a mountain to ski down?!

Name three musical artists/songs to summarize your ski/ride style.

Oh this is tough! I tend to like flowy and repetitive music when I ski. My main songs this year were Somebody Real by Schmarx & Savvy, Body on Fire by Dillistone, NOEP, and Rolling Stoned by Kembe X, Hippie Sabotage, Isaiah Rashad and anythinggg by Noah Kahan 😍. My guilty pleasure though? Any Big Bootie Mix by Two Friends! Regardless, the best songs make you feel like you're the main character in an inspirational movie montage as you're skiing down the mountain!

What describes you best: "Après early and often." "Lift snacks only." "Huh? You won't catch me in bounds!" Or do you have your own mantra?

Ooo, this is a fun question. I don't have a specific mantra to skiing, but I have one for life and it's, "Move your body and do something creative - EVERY. DAMN. DAY." Maybe it's the Libra in me, but I'm always seeking balance in life and movement and creativity give me that.

What other hobbies are you involved in?

Anything outdoors! I love to hike, backpack, camp, bike, rock climb, run, paddleboard, and chill in my hammock. I'm also an artist? I struggle with calling myself that, but I love to paint and draw outdoor scenes and sports! (See pics)
Whether you ski or ride - have you tried the other, and how did it go? I'm a skier, but I dabbled in snowboarding in college for two years. I went to school in the northern Adirondacks and Whiteface, AKA IceFace, was my home mountain. Somehow I dislocated my knee after a bad fall on a patch of ... you guessed it, ice and that's where my snowboard dreams ended.

Peep some of Jess's art below, and check her out on Instagram here!

Thank you Jess for being our first Customer of the Month and for being so epically enthusiastic for life - you bring such a contagious passion to everything you do, and we were so lucky to spend 5 days (and over 22 hours in a truck) with you!

Jess's art taking center stage on our TREW Blanket trip guestbook entry.