Destinations
ArchiveBig-mountain skier Ingrid Backstrom picks her 5 favorite places to ski
Central America's best travel destinations
Norway's forbidding Hardangervidda Plateau nearly killed Roald Amundsen when he attempted a ski traverse in the winter of 1896. But the failure set him on a path of training, study, and exploration that led to his historic conquest of the South Pole. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of that feat, Mark Jenkins and his brother Steve skied the route, an epic challenge that even now can prove deadly.
Steamboat was the only town awarded both a USA Pro Cycling Challenge start and finish.Photo courtesy of David Dietrich Photography. I was skeptical when I heard that Steamboat Springs, the low-key ski town…
Winter comes to British Columbia. Is it too late for Kevin and Jeremy to ride the trail they spend the summer building?…
How to add more excitement to your work week
Greg Martin in Sun Valley Last month, I interviewed Greg Martin about building the USA Cycling Cross Country National Championships course in Sun Valley, Utah. I posted a quick by the numbers on…
Blair Beakley Guest Blog by Emily Brendler Shoff With young kids, it can be an accomplishment to get out the front door. So when my husband, Andy, and I decided to take our girls camping and meet up with some…
From farm shares to bike shares, these seven flashes of genius are reinventing a metropolis near you
Adventure amenities make a lot of towns seem dreamy. What sets these 19 burgs apart is their nod to reality: affordable homes, solid job prospects, and vibrant nightlife. Start packing.
It's been seven years since legendary bull runner Julen Madina was gored five times in Pamplona. Here he relives the moment in detail.
The recipe for a 100-mile day in the saddle
The ten best ways to have a great time at the Fiesta de San Fermin, without taking a horn or nightstick to the head.
Our favorite women’s specific recreational snowshoe.
The 51-year-old bike builder talks about Rwanda's potential for change.
Go behind the scenes with photographer Chris Buck as he shoots Wells Tower's ill-conceived, possibly insane crossings of alligator-infested North Florida waters in an inner tube.
Michael Brown and the crew at Serac Adventure Films geek out on all the new gadgets they're bringing to Everest.
This year's Killer Value also happens to be one of the most versatile snowshoes.
Our Gear of the Year winner excels in any kind of snow conditions.
Tips to find the perfect pair for running, hiking, or mountaineering.
A retro—and well-priced—model that works well for casual winter outings.
Turns out you can get there from here
Where do you end up when you want a community with incredible access to the outdoors, affordable homes, and solid jobs? Some very surprising places. Introducing the top 25 towns in America for cycling, paddling, running, surfing, skiing, andbecause you might want everythingall of the above.
GearJunkie.com and the CORDURA® brand have partnered this week to launch a contest with a goal of discovering the outdoor world's “most durable person.” To enter, participants upload a quick story, photos, or a video to show why they or a friend/family member are among the outdoors' “most durable” people. (“Durable”…
The plan was to check out Yemen, a little-visited Arab nation that offers glowing deserts, forbidding mountains, and lonely Socotra Island—a naturalist's paradise as imagined by Dr. Suess. But instead all hell broke loose, and a tourist romp became a front-row seat to the bloody upheavals sweeping the Middle East.
Looking for a domestic weekend escape with international flair? Pack a bag and head for Miami. The city, known for beaches, beautiful people, and wild nightlife, has plenty of adventure options. Paddle: The obvious choice would be to paddle around South Beach (…
Looking for a domestic weekend escape with international flair? Pack a bag and head for Miami. The city has a rep for beaches, beautiful people, and wild nightlife, but that’s not all it has. Presenting the top five adventures in Miami. The Party Circuit: Like I said, there’s…
Photo by overdrive_cz on Flickr Brazilian airports currently being upgraded for the 2014 World Cup likely will not be ready in time, according to Reuters. The incomplete projects are expected to cause…
I'm going hiking for a week in Iceland this spring. What kind of pants would be right for cold and rainy, but good for dry weather, too? Tom Springfield, VA
Obscura Day 2011 Preview from Atlas Obscura on Vimeo. The Atlas Obscura is holding their second annual International Obscura Day this Saturday. Around 100 events will take place all over the world, on every continent. Head to Buenos Aires to check…
Obscura Day 2011 Preview from Atlas Obscura on Vimeo. The Atlas Obscura is holding their second annual International Obscura Day this Saturday. Around 100 events will take place all over the world, on every continent. Head to Buenos Aires to check…
Photo by fletchy182 on Flickr Adventure travel company Pedalers Pub and Grille has announced plans for their 25th…
Courtesy of Amble Resorts Become the first (paid!) intern on Panama's Isla Palenque, future home of the Resort at Isla Palenque. You'll travel, blog, take photographs and film life at the…
South America contains the Amazon, the Andes, 19,000 miles of coastline, and arguably more adventure than any other continent. So where to start? These ten perfect trips, from exploratory rafting in Peru to skiing in Chile to beach-hopping Brazil.
What qualifies an adventure lodge as one of the world's best? Hot tubs and high thread counts, sure. But what sets these ten launchpads apart is access—to remote trails, steep runs, and lonely peaks.
Leo Hoogenboom leads it out. Photo by Barry B. Brown/Coral Reef Photos On the island of Bonaire last week, I solidified my opinion of cold-weather biking: like getting a flu shot or cleaning the toilet, you have to do…
South America contains the Amazon, the Andes, 19,000 miles of coastline, and arguably more adventure than any other continent. So where to start? Try one of these adventure lodges.
The Alto Atacama, Photo by Kyle Dickman Chile is South America's New Zealand, which is to say, it's an adventurer's paradise. And the most popular destination is San Pedro de Atacama, a dusty 400-year old village on the northern edge…
We'll be rafting the Grand Canyon in August and the gear list includes a full rain suit. Any recommendations? Steve Charleston, SC
#8 Mexico Is Safer than You Think.
We present our Trips of the Year, everything from whitewater rafting in Siberia to mountain biking in Argentina to the greatest multisport vacation in Alaska.
Britt, Iowa; RAGBRAI 2010 On July 24, RAGBRAI riders will clip in at Glenwood, Iowa and cycle east through Atlantic, Carroll, Boone, Altoona, Grinnell and Coralville before cruising into Davenport — and the Bix Beiderbecke jazz festival…
Your Challenge: Choosing the right adventure in New Zealand, a place that offers the best of everything. Your Solution: Our heavily researched, carefully formulated, and totally brilliant ten-step plan.
Josh Cox broke his own American 50K record yesterday after winning the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona marathon. His time for 31.2 miles was 2:43:45, three minutes faster than the record…
Courtesy of Sacred Rides. Sacred Rides and GoPro Cameras are rewarding mountain bikers for their patience during snowy winter months with a free trip to Central or South America. Enter the Flip…
I seek wisdom from the experienced Gear Guy on winter clothing layering. I will be hiking up Mt. Washington in January and I am hoping I can beseech your advice on finding the best layering combination (starting with base-layer clothing suggestions to mid-layer clothing suggestion and finally the outer shell layer suggestion). Thank you, exulted Gear Guy! -Nathan St. Louis, MO
Courtesy of Navicore on Flickr. Sky and Telescope says that tonight's shower should be the year's “richest and most reliable meteor display,” and estimates that as many as two Geminids may be visible every minute under ideal…
Ride along as an international group of up-for-anything clients gets schooled on tourism's wildest frontier: Afghanistan.
The mutant Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle makes its way to the South Pole.
Could floating in a sensory-deprivation tank for several hours be as mind-expanding as a real-life adventure? Our neurological guinea pig is about to find out.
Photo Courtest of Flickr Three South Pacific teenagers were recently found after 50 days adrift in an isolated stretch of ocean, almost 900 miles from where they were lost, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The Tokelauan boys, of the Atafu…
The following dispatch is from extreme kayaker, Ben Stookesberry, a member of the First Ascent kayak team. They are currently on an expedition in Africa to make a first descent of the Lukuga…
The following dispatch is from extreme kayaker, Ben Stookesberry, a member of the First Ascent kayak team. They are currently on an expedition in Africa to make a first descent of the Lukuga…
For all the allure and mystery of the Himalaya, perhaps the mystery of the Yeti stands out. And one man, Mike Allsop is doing his best to keep the mystery alive. Mike, a pilot for Air New Zealand, has visited Nepal many times and summited Everest in 2007. Like…
The Mountains of the Moon (called the Rwenzori by the native people) literally inspired our expedition when planning began six months ago. Before friend and trip advisor Dr. Jessie Stone first mentioned the Rwenzori, I had little…
Seven years ago, Florida resident Hitesh Mehta embarked on a journey that took him through 46 countries in six continents. The purpose of his trek? To find the world's greatest ecolodges–places where tourism and sustainablility combine to create one-of-a-kind, environmentally friendly vacations. The result?…
There's more to Scotland than rain and whisky. A couple of weeks ago, I hit up the Adventure Travel World Summit in Aviemore on a mission to find the best international trips of 2011. I found them, and also brought back the top…
Mamils: A term used in London for triathletes pushing middle-age, which stands for middle-aged men in Lycra. A little context for those looking to use the word in conversation: Research conducted by the retail analyst Mintel suggests there has been a surge in the number of middle-aged men choosing to…
Italy boasts an enduring culture of Alpinism, to-die-for cycling, and hard-core ultrarunning. It's why I planned a trip there this fall. (Yes, there's also…The food! The vino!) I spent a week trekking in Abruzzo, a multi-sport mecca for climbing, trekking, paragliding and mountain biking. It's…
Photo Courtesy of Flickr At the end of the Trans Canada Highway, surrounded on three sides by water, lies Tofino, a town of 1,500 people. It's a beautiful place—old-growth cedar, migrating whales, a rich native history—packed full of adventure options. I hit…
Why hordes of Yankee travelers are exactly what the island needs.
Photo courtesy of Flickr. A baby snow leopard was caught on camera high in the Himalayas of Bhutan, the BBC reports. The cub triggered a camera trap set up by a BBC Natural History film crew, walking…
Hiya Outsiders, Last week, I moved from Outside HQ to Newcastle, England. (Yes, like the beer.) So i…
A new Australian resort built by Unilever, makers of Axe products, will open in November–for men only, the New York Post reports. Lynx Lodge, located just outside of Sydney, promises to fulfill…
Last summer, in our June issue, we wrote about our favorite summer music festivals. Jazz Aspen Snowmass, of course, was one of them. Well, Labor Day Weekend is nearly here and a bunch of us are…
Any top-ten list is open to debate, but the folks over at Budget Travel have done a good job with their list of the world's ten most beautiful lakes, with picks like Crater Lake, Peyto Lake in Alberta, and Lake Matheson in New…
In which you mount a horse and follow a charismatic Iranian-American visionary into a Mongolian no-man's-land known as the Dark Heavens. Watch out for the bandits, don't give the shaman too much vodka, and hold on for dear life.
For the second consecutive month, Yellowstone National Park has seen record-breaking attendance, the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Daily reports. Nearly one million people visited the Park in July, more than any other month since Yellowstone…
Runner Up: Best for Road Running
He dodges sharks, fends off charging elephants, and parries David Letterman with relaxed aplomb. Meet scientist and pitchman M. Sanjayan, coming soon to a channel near you.
In an era of massive oil spills and increasing energy demands, why does river conservation still matter? Because free-flowing water is fun. Because it's good for the national chutzpah. And because, as these four comeback stories illustrate, saving rivers is more profitable than exploiting them.
Last year, I took a half-day road trip through Yellowstone with my brother Garrett. We saw four bears, two herds of buffalo, antelope, elk, four moose, and thousands of tourists. Garrett, an ecologist in the Rockies at the time, could name…
Photo courtesy of alobonzo on Flickr. On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee voted 25-20 to do away with the long-standing restrictions on American citizens visiting Cuba. The vote was largely partisan, the New York Times…
Cruise trips to the Antarctic may end next August, according to The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald. The article states that the International Maritime Organization is banning the use and carriage of heavy oil fuels, the kinds commonly used by big ships in the…
Now that I'm part way through day three of my first Telluride Bluegrass, I've officially drunk the festival kool-aid. We're already making plans to come back next year. I've already been on two incredible mountain bike rides—the pic above if from yesterday's ride up the Bridal Veil trail, before snow…
As I mentioned in my earlier post, a bunch of us are getting fired up for Telluride Bluegrass this weekend. If you're on the fence about going this year, it's not too late. I just got a press release last…