Client, Mountain Madness

Survivors from Everest '96 recall a day of terror and confusion that many still believe was distorted in ways that oversimplified complex events and dishonored the dead.

David Sharp's lonely death on Mount Everest revived the old, raging debates about personal ethics and the wisdom of commercially guided climbing. But whatever went right and wrong in 2006, the bottom line remains: You challenge this peak at your own risk, because its punishments are swift, terrible, and blind.

You need to learn your lesson! So listen up to Mike Roberto, a fast-talking consultant who uses the '96 saga as a teaching tool for students, lawyers, and businessmen.

With 25 national parks, 815 miles of coastline, and thousands of wildlife species, Costa Rica is indeed a rich coast. Experience it all with these seven sea-to-jungle family adventures.

The Bahamas' Out Islands offer a warm welcome and a quick island fix

I'm pondering going to Thailand in the winter—I'd like to do a lot more than just stay in Bangkok—but I'm a 25-year-old female wanting to travel alone. Do you think this is safe? Do you have any recommendations where to go? Kyle San Francisco, CA

Four more resorts for turning bulge to buff

In search of travel treasure at the world's most colorful markets

Music will carry you away—literally—to these far-flung festivals

Does that first sprig of mistletoe make you giddy with Christmas cheer—or would you rather drown in a bucket of eggnog than spend another December awash in commercial glee? Our travel wish list features three spots brimming with holiday spirit and three distant, carol-free getaways.

We sit down for a candid conversation with Outside contributor Eric Hansen about his most recent assignment, a quest to find the world's most extreme bar, Colombia's El Mirador, for the September feature story, "It's Thriller Time."

When we travel, we think we don’t want to get sick, but maybe, less consciously, we’re not so sure. If nothing of note happens on a journey, was it one?

Wanna live where the action is? The goal: Trails out the back door, a serious Saturday-morning peloton, whitewater just up the road, and neighbors eager to join in. Our source: The best adventure athletes in America, who tell us where they live and why. The result: 20 places where locals work, train, and play hard. Start packing now.

Think life in America's favorite outdoor mecca would be dreamy? Careful what you wish for.

Is it possible to guide safely on Everest? Or will the mountain always demand its pound of flesh? MARK JENKINS talks to a dream team of veterans—between them, they've reached the summit 17 times—in a frank look at the risks, rewards, and nightmares of taking clients to the top.

WILLIAM LAMSON takes a road trip every year in search of modern American landscapes, but, says the 28-year-old Brooklyn-based photographer, “you don’t always find things to shoot when you’re out driving around.” Which is why a series of “self-portraits,” in which Lamson figures more as prop than subject, seemed the…

North Korea opens its doors to American tourists

To air is human. To go big is divine. To huck for dollars at the hard rock cafe... a cry for help. Why are action-sports athletes suddenly channeling Evel Knievel?

We're planning to take my 16- and 18-year-old kids with us to Europe this summer to watch a Tour de France stage finish in Morzine. What outdoor sports can we do there afterward? Jackie Dallas, Texas

Befuddled and heartbroken after watching the New York Yankees end their beloved Boston Red Sox’s 2003 playoff run, Jeff Neumann and Ray LeMoine needed to get away. Far away. So, using the money they’d earned from selling “Yankees Suck” T-shirts in Boston, they hopped a plane to Jordan and bussed…

For the Italian-born photographer, a trip to the Caribbean to shoot W. Hodding Carter for August's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin Swimmer" was more than an assignment, it was a rum-soaked adventure.

It's time to take a fresh look at how to make the most of your 48 hours of weekend freedom. From high-adrenaline blasts to ultimate Zen sessions, we've created 37 custom plans to match every mood. Start packing—your adventure starts Friday.

When a study this past spring revealed that the British are significantly healthier than Americans, we went looking for the wellness benefits of warm beer. But it turns out there are plenty of more wholesome buzzes in the UK.

My family is interested in a two-day rafting/camping trip. However, we have a seven- and nine-year-old. Both swim pretty well. Any trip suggestions? Would later in the season be an option when the flow is down? Paul Brunswick, OH

Strap in for a road trip through the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan with Robert Thurman—Uma's dad and one of the planet's most magnetic Buddha boosters—and get set for stunning scenery, harrowing S-curves, and face time with the wild side of your soul

What happens when a Type A relaxation-phobe takes his first vacation in years? Life gets good again.

With on-call mechanics, high-energy meals, and leg massages, boutique bike hotels turn cycling into a destination sport on par with skiing

Here's how to ship your ride without snafus

My fiancée and I are interested in a wedding that incorporates our love of the outdoors, preferably with an ecotourism spin. Do you know of any ecotourism companies that plan weddings? What would you recommend we do?

What is the best way to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu? How can I find the best guides? Richard Oviedo, Florida

Costa Rica's Nature Air gets an emissions-free face-lift

Biking & Nightlife

BRIDGE CLIMBING— scaling the trusses and cables above suspended roadways—has been popular in Australia for years. But if you tried it stateside, you’d likely land in jail—until now. Cincinnati-based Purple People Bridge Climb has received permission to lead patrons on half-mile scrambles from Newport, Kentucky, across five spans of the…

Snowbound in the Andes after their plane crashes, the starving members of a Uruguayan rugby squad are forced to live off the flesh of their fallen teammates. Now, for the first time, the hero of their ordeal writes his own story. In this exclusive excerpt from Miracle in the Andes, Nando Parrado reveals the untold horrors of their suffering—and the

It seems like every time I've looked at the weather this year, ski areas out West are getting hmered with more snow—even in April. Can you tell me the best places for spring skiing? Pete Salisbury, Maryland

Hook up with Carmichael Training Systems and Santa Fe Mountain Adventures for one of the most comprehensive adventure racing camp in the country.

Get behind the wheel for the Banger Rally, a 4,500-mile blitz from England to the Sahara in which globe-trotting wrench-heads, posh speed freaks, and sand-blinded adventurers crank up the crazy and stomp on the gas

Refugee rockers JJI Exile Brothers give Tibetan youth a new attitude

SCOTT LINDGREN, whose first descent of Tibet’s deadly Tsangpo was chronicled in our July 2002 issue, continues to paddle and film the world’s most dangerous whitewater. His upcoming DVD, Burning Time II (out in May), features first descents in China and Turkey. And during a recent trip to Zambia,…

Get steeped in Sri Lanka's tea country at four new lodges in the southern highlands

Where is a good place to stay in Australia's Cape Tribulation without breaking the bank? Karin Olympia, Wa

I'm traveling to Germany this June for the World Cup. I'd like suggestions for both daylong and overnight hikes. Is there a hut-to-hut system? Bill Coral Springs, FL

A virtual tour of South Asia's pearl-shaped island.

Scientists turn to Hollywood for the origin of species names

Is it a bird or a haunting memory? Wells Tower tracks an uncertain resurrection of the ivory-billed woodpecker in the big woods of Arkansas.

…Or Just Go

All it takes is one trip to change your life - and we've got 40 of 'em. Dreaming of close encounters with cheetahs or penguins? Want to climb a mountain in Peru? Experience an epic trek in China? One trip, one world - that's all it takes.

Don't let the info revolution leave you dazed and confused. Here's how to boot up the best of the new and classic travel media so you can filter, focus, and get out the door.

There's no substitute for the natural world, but engineers are catching up. Ten years ago, an indoor climbing wall turned heads; now developers are mimicking mountains, rivers, and oceans. As urban centers swell, so do the latest man-made achievements.

I going to Argentina for work and have one to two weeks of personal holidays at the end. What would be the best thing to do in Argentina or South erica? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Michael Griffith, Australia

The Golden State gets set to host America's richest bike race ever

Here's why ten Winter Olympics have been staged high in the Alps: James Bond glamour, beautiful slopes, and raging après—ski that lasts till 3 a.m.

Syria is an enthusiastic state sponsor of terrorism and a fiendish fan of torture and oppression. But have you tried the stuffed grape leaves? PATRICK SYMMES invades before the coalition of the willing can.

Seamus Murphy's recent trip to Syria with writer Patrick Symmes was one of many in a long list of far-flung adventures across the globe. Read about his experiences in Syria, then view an exclusive photo gallery of the country.

I like to road cycle, and a good workout for me is 35 to 60 miles per ride. My husband doesn't enjoy this. Do you know of any vacation spots where I can ride while my husband hikes and/or mountain bikes or can otherwise entertain himself? A spot where he can meet me at the end of my ride as we travel would also be nice. Denise St. George, Utah

Can you suggest lodges in the US or Canada where we can take our 1,4 and 6 yr old boys for hiking, fly-fishing (beginner), beautiful vistas, rafting and decent accommodations (preferably our own cabin with meals in the lodge)? Imran Shelocta, PA

I'm planning a trip with my family (two daughters, ages five and one). When our oldest daughter had turned one we spent a month in South Africa (Cape Town & the Garden Route). It was great! I would like to see more of that country, but my wife is lobbying hard for Asia (Thailand). What should we expect from Asia that will differ from South Africa, concerning weather, safety, and general standard of living? We plan to stay away for six to eight weeks. Jan Stockholm, Sweden

For the veteran adventure photographer, Bhutan broke the mold.

When it comes to adventure kingdoms, all roads eventually lead to California. Here's where to find the Golden State's secret stash.

Time to tune up that garageful of gear (we don't mean lawn chairs) and devote your next outing to full-throttle fun.

Now you can explore Easter Island's famed stone statues in style

IN JANUARY, ARIZONA’S Hualapai tribe, whose 2,000-person reservation covers 1,500 square miles along the Grand Canyon’s south rim, is opening a glass-bottomed, horseshoe-shaped walkway that will jut 70 feet from the edge, 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. Located 200 miles west of the crowded lookouts of Grand Canyon National…

I'm trying to plan a winter backcountry/nordic ski trip in Yellowstone or somewhere else in the Rockies and not sure where to go. I'd like to stay either in cabins along a set route or ideally in some sort of base lodge and do day trips from there. I've got some experience nordic skiing and alpine skiing but not much backcountry skiing, so it can't be too technical. Any ideas? John Washington, D.C.

Surrounded by the beauty of the world's highest range, thousands of people live without sight. The Himalayan Cataract Project is curing blindness—literally overnight—in the most remote villages of Nepal and India. And, hey, as long as you're performing mass miracles, why not run up a 21,000-foot peak?

Fight back! Don't succumb to the cold-weather blues this winter—head south to the Caribbean and Central America, where the sun comes up early and the ice comes shaved. Presenting the six freshest surf-and-chill outdoor adventures this season.

Some two to three million people have been left homeless by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck South Asia, according to a press release issued by the North Face and GlobalGiving. Here, find out where you can donate gear to the help in the relief effort. Donated gear will be collected…

So it's a vast, faraway adventure mecca,no worries, mate! Here come ten abso-bloody-lutely awesome Australian odysseys—from Sydney to the bush—plus locals' picks and all the beta you need to get there.

Patagonia's wild peaks and blue glaciers have long been the ultimate lost frontier. Now an American gone gaucho is carving out an incredible new trekking kingdom in Chile's vast, unspoiled Ays�n region, and adventure's South American dreamscape just got a whole lot bigger.

A veteran documentary photographer, Teru Kuwayama frequently finds himself on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan—the latter of which he calls his “hands-down favorite country on earth.” This despite the fact that he and Outside Reconnaissance Agent and Hard Way columnist Mark Jenkins were arrested after traversing Afghanistan’s northeastern…

Whoa! It's the best new trek in Queensland.

From Caribbean hurricanes to the Asian tsunami, last year was hell in paradise. A special recovery report.

In the brave new world of Eastern Europe, a bond forged in adventure�then nearly forgotten�is reborn. Just in time.

Ride the rails in style on these six epic train odysseys

Thirty vehicles, 16,000 miles, and not a single tank of gas

Luggage

Nevada may be big and windswept, but don't dare call it empty. An adventure road trip through the Silver State turns up a secret-stash playland of backcountry splendor, high-end diversions, and a horizon that never stops beckoning.

How to deal with layover purgatory? Make airports more fun. We've created the ultimate—a fantasy composite of our favorite terminal amenities from around the world. Airport developers, you are cleared for takeoff.

You can't buy it in any store, can't send away for it online, can't meet the author (there are thousands), and you probably won't be able to read it if you do find it, since much of it is written in Hebrew. PATRICK SYMMES follows the trail of an underground global legend: the everywhere-and-nowhere travel bible of Israel's combat-fatigued, footloose vagabond yo

Think Utopia doesn't exist? Maybe not yet—but these ten towns are making a play for perfection with adventure-friendly innovation and cool ideas for building smart communities. Plus the hottest concepts in urban revival, combating sprawl, and better hometown living.