C O V E R
Fitness Special 1999
Finishing Strong
All good things must come to an end, and so too the five-month Outside Fitness Plan. But in this case, the grand finale is just the beginning: Day One of a new program specifically tailored to your chosen sport — and designed to last a lifetime.
By Paul Keegan

F E A T U R E S
Adjustment in Midflight
Ever since he blasted onto the scene at age 15 with his bigger-than-yours moves, Terje Haakonsen has been the undisputed best. Best at flying in the half-pipe and carving up the backcountry; best at throwing serious rude-boy attitude; and best at roiling the world of professional snowboarding, simply because he can.
By Karl Taro Greenfeld

Blow-Up
Can you picture it? The nation's great dams blasted to smithereens, ripped up or gouged out, the crippled rivers behind the concrete plugs suddenly vital again. On Idaho's Snake River they can see this future all too clearly, because there — to much joy and even more worry — the controversial movement known as dam breaching is soon to arrive.
By Bruce Barcott

Cross-Country Ski Your Way to Shining Health, Renewed Vigor, and Everlasting Happiness!
Take a somewhat musty, granola-sprinkled sport. Add an occasionally wimpy, athletically challenged writer. Cook for 12 months. Voilà! Presenting an elite ski racer, fresh from the oven.
By Bill McKibben

D E P A R T M E N T S Dispatches: News from the Field Austere and beautiful, Mojave National Preserve is besieged by plans for a new airport, an Army test range, and a devilish array of other development projects. Could this be the most recent — and ominous — sign of a park system in peril? Most likely to succeed: A who's who of sport climbing's brightest young stars. What does retirement mean for world champion mountain biker Ned Overend? A chance to beat other athletes at their own games. In a bold twist on pest control, a mountain town overrun by elk puts its trust in wolves. Wastewater snow, ski wax from soybeans, and the alpine answer to electronic ankle cuffs — all "innovations" headed for your local hill. P L U S : Record-breaking Around Alone sailors brace themselves for the brutal Southern Ocean, the world's toughest dogsled race (hint: not the Iditarod) gets media savvy, and more. The Wild File Is it true that the magnetic North Pole is moving? Why does snow squeak underfoot? Are elephants really afraid of mice? Field Notes Hang around with apocalyptic fretters and you'll be treated to visions of rising oceans, monster tornadoes, and the coming Ice Age — in short, one very pissed-off Ma Nature. But with swank bunkers full of canned goods, they're ready. Are you? By Alex Heard Destinations: Galápagos, U.S.A. In Arizona's Chiricahua range, you'll find everything from jaguars to hummingbirds to the Chihuahuan whiptail — not to mention some of the wildest terrain in the Lower 48. How to lose yourself in a remarkably diverse landscape without straying far from home. P L U S : Detouring to Bisbee, a funky desert oasis full of vintage buildings, vintage Airstreams, and a postmodern-hippie vibe. A world-class surf town that's yet to be discovered by world-class surfers. The East Coast's unlikely answer to heli-skiing. Postsafari R&R at Zanzibar's luxe Mnemba Island Lodge. P L U S : Our new monthly tip sheet to wallet-friendly travel, which kicks off with surprisingly affordable schussing in the Alps and an airline deal that makes travel through Asia — and we mean damn near all of Asia — too good to pass up. Review: Travel packs that go the distance These days, the most practical luggage morphs from well-appointed suitcase into trek-ready backpack with the flick of a zipper. Eight of the finest convertible bags from Eagle Creek, JanSport, Lowe Alpine, Madden Mountaineering, Osprey, Pangaëa, Patagonia, and The North Face. Plus: On-the-road accessories for staying organized and in touch. Buying Right: The latest breed of digital camcorder puts superior electronics in the palm of your hand — literally. The Other Stuff: The mother of all ski and snowboard haulers, compliments of the folks at K2; an ingenious new gizmo that makes telemark bindings as safe as their fixed-heel brethren; R.L. Winston's next-generation (read: lighter and stronger) saltwater fly rod; and no-itch long johns from SmartWool Books: Out of the Woods, by Chris Offutt; Richard Conniff's Every Creeping Thing; and more. Between the Lines Letters Active Traveler Directory

©1999, Outside magazine