Jean Arthur has hiked, backpacked, skied, biked, boated, and floated Montana's trails, slopes, rivers, and lakes for 45 years. As a teenager, she began writing for her high school newspaper, which led to a journalism degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing from the University of Montana. Jean has taught writing at Montana State University since 2003.

Jean has written four books, Hellroaring: Fifty Years on The Big Mountain, Timberline and a Century of Skiing Mount Hood, Winter Trails Montana: The Best Cross-Country Ski & Snowshoe Trails, and Top Trails Glacier National Park. She has contributed chapters to several books on outdoor adventuring, and her writing frequently appears on the pages of travel magazines, ski-adventure publications, and many other adventure and travel publications.