Everything
When the results were tallied after our on-mountain evaluations, these were our female testers’ favorite planks.
Our Vermont-based test crew started with a field of more than 30 snowshoes and narrowed them down to these three favorites.
Go deeper with our favorite telemark and alpine touring bindings of the year.
We found three fashionable boots ideal for snowshoeing and general winter tomfoolery.
*UPDATE: I heard from kiteboarder Damien LeRoy via Facebook on Tuesday at 11 Eastern. He included more details about the video, which features kiteboarder Rob Douglas, and the safety precautions taken by his team. I have included those details below. You can also click to watch this…
Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy as seen from space Photo: NOAA GOES-13 When Hurricane Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, around 8 p.m. last night, it lived up to the deadly reputation forecasters feared, and the death toll from the storm has continued to rise…
On March 11, 2011, an underwater earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale caused a tsunami that may have killed an estimated 20,000 people in Japan, flattened tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and led to a disaster at…
A pair of polar bears walks across the ice near Churchill. Photo: FloridaStock/Shutterstock The first European to encounter the polar bears of what is now Churchill, Manitoba, was Jens Munk, a Norwegian explorer who wintered on the southern…
After air bags saved lives in several high-profile slides last year, demand (and curiosity) has never been higher. In 2011, there were five manufacturers making air-bag packs. This winter there are at least 10, and an increasing number of cat- and heli-ski operations are outfitting their clients with them.
Think of your pack as a closet on your back. And just as there’s no right way to fold your clothes, there’s no single pack that’s suited to everyone. But allow us to offer some advice.
From wool-insulated workout wear to the hardest hard shell we’ve ever seen, this year’s backcountry jackets are an eclectic crop. Material upgrades and smart design leaps have made outerwear a locus of innovation. (Molecular-level polymer coating, anyone?) But enough lab-speak.
Those lift-line elitists snickering at your old traditionally shaped skis could use some manners, but they’ve got a point: the new rockered shapes make skiing more fun. Which ones should you buy? There are two schools of thought.
You don’t have to give up the amenities of a large urban environment just because you prefer traveling on two wheels over four
Step 1: Get rid of all chew toys. They encourage possessiveness.
Pumpkins are cheap, local, and plentiful at this time of year. Should I fit them into my diet?
Most flip-flops aren’t very high-tech. That's just the nature of this kind of footwear. Unless they’re being made by Olukai. That company's Kia'i II flip was researched and developed with the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association. A hand-picked group of elite guards—from Oahu, Maui,…
At first glance, the Santa Cruz TRc (as in Trail Carbon) seems to fit neatly between the California company's venerable Blur XC model, a nimble, fast race platform with four inches of travel, and its more enduro oriented 5.5-inch Blur LT. Indeed, looking at the TRc stats on paper (five…
Patagonia National Park, under construction. Photo: Eli Steltenpohl “Buying the land was the easy part,” Kristine Tompkins told a packed house during a presentation at the San Francisco Patagonia retail store last week. She was referring to the 2.2 million acres that she and…
For life's little scrapes, there are Band-aids; for the hard knocks, there's SourcePoint. Photo: Erika Benson Earlier this week, I took my daughter to get cranial sacral therapy. Pippa is four and recently hit her head on the concrete floor so hard she threw up. My acupuncturist…
Photo: NASA Goddard Photo and Video/Flickr New York, New Jersey, and Maryland are already flooded. Sandy is coming and doesn't look like it'll be another over-hyped New York-centric storm. Record storm surge is expected. Emergency declarations have been signed. Presidential…
Hurricane Sandy expands, taken Sunday, October 28, at 9:00 a.m. Photo: NOAA GOES-13 Satellite As scientists feared late last week, Hurricane Sandy has morphed into…
Residents of British Columbia told to seek higher ground
Six rugged timepieces that are up for any adventure, be it on snow, water, or dirt.
Your skis might be flashier, but your boots are the more critical piece of gear. You could roll the dice and buy online, but we highly recommend getting them the old-fashioned way: in person. The more knowledgeable the shop is, the better.
Unfortunately, you can’t just wear your sorels everywhere. Sooner or later you’re going to have to come down from the mountains and return to civilization. But fear not. Bring the spirit of the slopes with you everywhere with our favorite après shoes.
Will further examiner relationship with the cyclist
Sharing powder shots, filming your friend's huck, and keeping in touch have never been easier with gadgets like Fujifilm's XP170 and the DeLorme InReach communicator.
Cyclists, climbers, alpine skiers, and trail runners are all crossing over to nordic skate skiing for two simple reasons—it’s fun as hell, and it delivers a freakishly efficient full-body workout. First know this: skate skis aren’t alpine skis; you don’t choose them by length alone.
New Balance Winter 110 Trail Boots Like the Salomon Snowcross CS, the uninsulated Winter 110 is essentially a minimalist running shoe (9 ounces; 4-millimeter heel-to-toe drop) wrapped in a waterproof-breathable gaiter. The outsole lugs shed snow like a champ. Got Gaiters? Our favorites are still Outdoor Research's…
A list of the best articles, videos, and photos that I didn't post this week—until now. For the best longreads of the week, check out “Weekend Reading: Invasion!“ ADVENTURE What's the story behind the explosion in popularity of…
Is it true that sleeping well two nights before an event is more important than sleeping well the night before?
Heidi Volpe speaks with Rich Roll about his transformation from addict to ultra-endurance athlete
When it comes to producing climbers, there's one college that stands above all the rest
In this weekly roundup, we scour the Web for our favorite long-form articles, collecting them here and on Longreads and Twitter. This installment focuses on furry pests, the dangers of hitchhiking, and the power of geography.
The island traps you. That’s what Manhattanites say when rationalizing their inability to travel freely. But with a little creativity, finding adventure is easier than you think. Outside fan Joe Sacaridiz, an ad-agency art director who lives in Hell’s Kitchen, spends spring and fall weekends climbing upstate and winters snowboarding in Vermont. Here’s
Whether you’re looking for glacier glasses, everyday drivers, or racy speedsters, we’ve got the right pair for you.
Originally created for epic winter races like the Iditabike, fat bikes lately have gotten as big as … well, their oversize tires. In addition to dedicated snow events—and the list of those is ballooning—we’ve seen these beefy bad boys at 24-hour races, on tour in the desert, and, most recently, at the Leadville 100.
It makes no difference to Mother Nature whether you’re a few hundred feet outside the resort boundary or deep in the backcountry. At a minimum, if you plan to ski any uncontrolled slope, you need four things: a buddy, a beacon (worn over your midlayer, not stuffed in your pack), a shovel, and a probe.
Says federal researchers not responsible for mauling
You’re late getting home from work, and your buddy will be over in 10 to pick you up for the epic mountain bike ride you’ve been scheming all summer. You still need to get dressed, but you also need to find your wrenches, chain tool, patch kit,…
Even at 75, Ray Ives still has the pluck to don a dive suit made in 1900 to plumb the depths around England for treasure. The Brit, who began work as a commercial diver in 1965, is retired now, but still a dab hand at fishing up old weapons, ship…
Jacob Beck-Jaffurs. Photo: Professional Pathways On Friday, March 11, 2011, 24-year-old freediver Jacob Beck-Jaffurs was found unconscious on the ocean floor by a dive partner off the coast of Kawera Island, New Zealand. He had been spearfishing when he…
Deal with hurt pets like you would deal with a human emergency: use common sense. And if you’re heading into the woods for a day or longer, bring a first aid kit that will work for man and beast alike.
What’s your thought on the new law allowing you to carry firearms in national parks? I bring a handgun when I backpack in Yellowstone, but my girlfriend thinks it’s pointless.
The Revenue Cutter Thomas Corwin, in which John Muir sailed as part of an Arctic research trip. Photo: Frank H. Nowell In July 1879, 33 Navy men set sail for the North Pole aboard the U.S.S. Jeannette Arctic expedition. That…
On Socotra, an island 250 miles off the coast of Yemen, the roads are so bad that 90 minutes of tailbone-bruising driving equates to five miles of travel. The roads would be one reason to paraglide…
At the Tour de France route presentation in Paris yesterday, reigning champ Bradley Wiggins surprised the pundits when he said he would likely forgo his title defense at the Grand Boucle next year and instead aim…
America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine is looking for a digital editions designer to join its team. Think you have what it takes? Apply now. Outside magazine, America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine dedicated to covering the sports, people, places, adventures, discoveries, health and fitness, gear and…
“To the Arctic”. Photo: Florian Schulz The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is an annual gathering of the biggest names in adventure and environmental writing and…
Urban bike commuters might want to study this graphic. It’s taken from a recent paper published in the American Journal of Public Health and it shows injury risk based on the type of urban bike route taken by commuters. The further to…
Jason Diamond looks at how the Hudson Bay's gone from a treasured heirloom blanket to a vintage fashion piece
The Samaria Gorge Trail in Crete is one of the most popular hikes in Europe. But in the summer, when the trail is unbearably hot and overrun with tourists, visit the Imbros, a simple walk in an area full of charm.
Over the past five years, Google has taken its Street View maps to 43 countries, deploying cars, trikes, snowmobiles, and even a submersible to map 360-degree panoramas of the world around us. In June, the company announced a new initiative to bring the same seamless experience into the backcountry in a bid to create the world’s most amazing trail maps.
I’ve been reading about how sitting at work all day can cause heart attacks and early death. But if I’m training 15 hours a week, should I still get a standing desk, or do I need to sit to recover faster?
I’m headed to Vegas for a long weekend with some buddies, but we don’t want to spend all of our time at the casinos and we don’t play golf. Where can we go for outdoor adventure?
For years, runners have been told that technology—bags of air, gel, shock absorbing and overbuilt arch and heel support—is supposed to make running better. Still, there is no proof that overbuilt support systems reduce injury or make running better for you. In fact, there are many studies now that show…
How can you have both a career and enough time for adventure? The new video series Balance offers its answer to that question by profiling three men who have found different ways to make a living and enjoy their favorite outdoor sports. Catch the trailer above, and a new episode…
Romero near his home in Big Bear Lake, California. Photo: Jennifer Briggs What do you do when you’re 15 years old and you’ve already climbed the highest mountain on every continent? If you’re Jordan Romero, you launch a nationwide campaign to scale the tallest summits in…
America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine is looking for a designer to join its print team. Think you have what it takes? Apply now. Outside magazine, America's leading active-lifestyle and adventure-travel magazine dedicated to covering the sports, people, places, adventures, discoveries, health and fitness, gear and apparel,…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=dfjn3YNZf0Y%3Frel%3D0 If Japanese climber Tomoko Ogawa looks like she's been practicing the problem in the video above for years, it's because, well, she has. Ogawa, 34, starting working Catharsis, a V14 in Shiobara, Japan, three years ago. At the time, no woman had ever climbed a boulder problem harder than…
Make sure to bring these emergency items on your next camping or hiking trip
Navajo ultramarathoner Shaun Martin, a cross-country coach and teacher from Chinle, Arizona, uses running as a powerful motivator for high school students who yearn for opportunities beyond the reservation.
Each year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) takes a look at their registration statistics to see which types of dogs Americans love best. Their list of most popular dogs in the U.S. for 2012 contained few surprises, with popular breeds like the Poodle and Beagle remaining favorites. But there was one telling pattern: “Bigger breeds are making their move,” said Lisa Peterson, a spokesperson for the AKC. The sturdy and family-friendly Bulldog, Golden Retriever, and Rottweiler moved up in the list this year, showing that many Americans are starting to see big breeds as “more dog to love.” Read on to see which breeds made the list—and which dog claimed the title of America’s most popular.