Everything
Survivorman LES STROUD talks about venturing into the world's harshest environments alone, and the importance of a good harmonica.
Outdoor Research's Primovolta gloves contain a rechargeable heating element that keeps fingers warm for up to six hours ($259; outdoorresearch.com). Outdoor Research Primovolta Gloves …
The rooster. That’s what makes Rossignol‘s Mike sweater cooler than all the vintage ski apparel out there ($150; rossignol.com). Rossignol Mike Sweater …
Wear Nobis‘s hyper-cool Teabag and all other beanies will start feeling a little insecure ($45; nobis.ca). Nobis Teabag Hat …
Scott‘s Witness goggles are some of the best all-conditions spherical shields we’ve tested ($90; scottusa.com).
For winter, classic is always in style. Eddie Bauer’s down High Mesa vest is retro without trying too hard ($99; eddiebauer.com). Eddie Bauer High Mesa Down Vest …
With their slightly duck-footed stance, Nordica‘s Sportmachine 14 boots make carving the perfect turn that much easier ($655; nordicausa.com). Nordica Sportmachine 14 Ski Boot …
Catch more air: Burton‘s Vapor is the lightest snowboard they’ve ever made ($1,000; burton.com). Burton Vapor Snowboard …
Is a women's bike fre always the best fit? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
I'm going surfing in Hawaii. Can you recommend a bikini that will stay on? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
I'm going sea kayaking in the Bahas. What sunglasses would you recommend? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What's the best stinkfighter: merino, bboo, or synthetic fiber? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What's the best designer bag for an outdoor girl? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
I’m planning to run a marathon. What shoe should I get for training? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What's the best sports bra for running? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What is the best pair of yoga pants? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
Can you recommend a warm, but cute ski jacket for my next trip to Aspen? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
Why do some women trash women's specific skis as being too soft? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What’s the latest scoop on a very good pair of compact binoculars that can handle rough weather and hiking conditions? Jes Kailua, Hawaii
My son is cycling the Lower 48 starting on January 1, and I would like some way to keep up with him. Is there a GPS unit that can accomplish this? Karen Atlanta, Georgia
When collapsed, Black Diamond‘s ultrabright Orbit Lantern is the size of a cell phone ($30; bdel.com). Black Diamond Orbit Lantern Train: Oakley Radar Sunglasses Oakley Radar SunglassesBecause the Oakley Radar‘s photochromic lenses quickly adapt to changing light conditions and repel almost…
Where in the United States can I stay overnight in a tree? Alice Massillon, OH
A few inches of fresh snow doesn’t mean it’s time to hit the treadmill. The lightweight, stride-friendly Atlas Run snowshoes will keep you running through winter ($179; atlassnowshoe.com). Atlas Run Snowshoe …
Like nearly everything Crank Brothers makes, the new Cobalt XC mountain-biking wheels are as beautiful as they are high-performance. You’ll want to wash off the mud before you even hit the finish line ($1,000; crankbrothers.com).
Ice axes are dead weight, until you need them. CAMP‘s aluminum-alloy Corsa is just seven ounces—and worth every one ($110; camp-usa.com).
The Bell Volt, featuring a removable visor, will keep you up to speed on-road or off-. Proof: Carlos Sastre won this year’s Tour de France wearing one ($175; bellbikehelmets.com).
They might be cute, but Guyot Design‘s silicone Squishy Bowls are also packable, tough, and practical ($16; guyotdesigns.com). Guyot Design Squishy Bowls …
The narrower nose and arrowhead shape of Selle San Marco‘s Mantra saddle were designed to minimize chafing ($260; sellesanmarco.com). Sella San Marco Mantra Bike Seat…
Think flash drive but with a headphone jack. Philips‘s matchbook-size 2GB GoGear player plugs right into your USB port ($50; philips.com). Philips GoGear …
Sigg‘s aluminum 100 Year Bottle is a modern update of a design from the thirties ($30; mysigg.com). Sigg 100 Year Bottle …
Your audiophile brother who spent twice as much on his home theater system as you did on your bike? Ultrasone‘s velvet-lined, seventies-inspired HFI-2200 headphones—the first cans to minimize eardrum pressure—are for him ($299; ultrasone.com). Untrasone HFI-2200 Headphones …
Whereas most midsoles take a thousand years to decompose, the biodegradable ones in Brooks‘s Trance 8 stability trainer turn into plant food in about 20 ($140; brooksrunning.com).
Looking for more information than just your weight? Transparent electrodes on Tanita‘s BC573 Body Composition Monitor also measure body fat, water retention, and muscle mass ($109; thecompetitiveedge.com).
Armed with rust-proof everything (brackets, grille, hardware), Polk‘s outdoor-ready Atrium 45 speakers can weather salt water, rain, and sandstorms. And, yes, even your buddy’s homemade recordings ($240; polkaudio.com). Polk Atrium 45 …
Thanks to bendable rubber clips, the Airdrives Interactive Stereo Earphones stay put even when things get bumpy. And, because the buds rest just outside your ear canal, you can hear oncoming cars while you’re riding or running ($80; airdrives.com). Airdrives Interactive Stereo Earphones …
Half approach shoe, half hiker, SCARPA‘s Zen keeps you confident on any angle of terrain ($120; scarpa.com).
Not only is Motorola‘s Talkabout EM1000 two-way radio the first with features like an emergency-alert siren and NOAA weather channels; it also has a range of 20 miles and a hands-free function ($70; hellomoto.com). Motorola Talkabout EM1000 Radio …
Odometer, altimeter, barometer, compass—the water-resistant Suunto X10 watch (with improved GPS and battery life) is an instrument panel for your wrist ($600; suunto.com). Suunto X10 Watch …
Why do I keep hearing now that soy is bad for me? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What are the best guides to edible plants? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What are the 10 things I should always have in my pack? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What's the most reliable tool for starting fires? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
Is a multivitin a day enough, or are there other supplements I should be taking? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
I know muscle burns more calories than fat, but is it really enough to make a difference? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What produce needs to be washed, and how? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
Is there a nutritional advantage to eating local and in-season? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
What survival gear should I pack in my car? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
Deserts tend to be, well, dry. But there's still sometimes water to be found—if you know where to look.
Still, traversing the rugged and remote Olympic Peninsula is doable, thanks to inflatable boats called packrafts—and a bit of ingenuity
Pick one frontside ski (1, 4, or 5) and one fat powder board (2, 3, or 6) and you'll be set for the season
Expat conservationist John Cain Carter, a former elite Army soldier who did a tour in Iraq, is anything but typical. Same goes for his plan, which calls on ranchers to preserve Brazil's wild west. Can he have it both ways and still save—and survive—the Amazon?
Whether you're the all-mountain type or a park-and-pipe specialist, your new ride awaits
The goal: To rank the continent's top ski destinations. The deciding factors: Snow quality and terrain. The judge: Marc Peruzzi, intrepid Colorado-based ski reporter, former Outside staffer, and editor of Skiing magazine, 2003-2008.
Two years ago, Arc’teryx gave lead designer Carl Moriarty a dream mandate: Build the best mountaineering jacket in the world, cost be damned. It needed to be warm enough for nasty conditions, so he stuffed it with the company’s top-of-the-line ThermaTekinsulation, which, in addition to being more hydrophobic than other…
A quarter-century after his now classic record of a trip down America’s two-laners, Blue Highways, William Least Heat-Moon is back in the driver’s seat. And though he’s given up sleeping in his ’75 Ford Econoline for places more along the lines of a Holiday Inn Express, he’s still a helluva…
After a half-century on his hands and knees, poking at bugs, Harvard ant geek and accidental eco-celebrity E.O. Wilson, 79, is back with The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies (W.W. Norton, $65), co-written with Bert HÖlldobler. It’s a follow-up of sorts to their 1991 Pulitzer Prize…
DEAR MISTER PRESIDENT: Congratulations on winning the election. I always knew you would win, and not that other guy. I told all my friends that. You can ask them. Jack Handey Offers to Be an Ambassador Mister President, let’s get down to business. One of your first jobs,…
My nine-year-old son informed me that my helmet fits him. I wear an adult medium helmet. Do I really have to go with one that’s youth specific? Dave Sierra Vista, Arizona
In November, the Banff Mountain Film Festival returns for its 33rd edition, with some 500 screenings in 30 countries. Here's a look at how high-altitude cinema arose from low-rent beginnings.
An American is the best female skier in the world. Better start paying attention.
November's Down Under epic, Australia, is the classic story of an aristocratic woman (Nicole Kidman) who falls for a rough-edged cowboy (Hugh Jackman), but making the film wasn't so predictable. Australian director Baz Luhrmann, 46, whose previous film (2001's Moulin Rouge!) also starred Kidman, had his entire crew of 300 trucked hundreds of mil
By 2010, Denver-based Jet Pack International hopes to release the first commercially available jet pack. The forthcoming T-73 model is already five years and 100 pairs of burned shoes in the making.
Fresh Loot Get the daily dish on the newest outdoor gear and industry trends from our stable of experts. If you’re looking for something a little more specific, check out the individual pages below. The Gear…
I work outside year-round (at the flightline of an airport), and in the winter the cold wind really gets me. I need a jacket that is comfy, warm, and tough, and that blocks wind. With all of the shells out there, I'm overwhelmed. What do you suggest? What about pants? Mike Apalachicola, Florida
I climbed Rainier in June of 2008 and hated the plastic boots. I’m returning to Rainier next summer and looking for a good pair of non-plastic boots that take crampons. What do you suggest? Dayton Baltimore, Maryland
1. Most frontside skis are too precise and exhausting for freeskiing. Not the pared-down CX 80, which does away with heavy add-ons like complex binding plates for a more responsive feel. It’s ten millimeters fatter than most, but its World Cupinspired…
The 37-year-old Victor, Idaho, resident spends over 100 days a year in the field, often chasing the world's best skiers around in snowy ranges from Bolivia to Morocco. Here's what he usually takes along.
In the Store: If you’re buying just one pair of skis (and not building a quiver), look for a set that matches your style of skiing and the terrain you frequent 70 percent of the time. And don’t be afraid to upgrade: Buy skis slightly above…
DEAN KARNAZES talks about racing in the most extreme conditions on earth.
My 12-year-old daughter gets very cold at night when we’re camping. We are backpackers and tend to camp just under treeline between May and October. She currently uses a junior polyfill bag with an inflatable pad and some good long underwear. What could we do to keep her warm and give us a peaceful night’s sleep?
My wife and I have finally decided to take the trip of a lifetime and splurge on an African safari. What options should we explore if budget isn't an issue? Eric M. Omaha, NE
ON THE LEFT Columbia’s moisture-wicking Omni-Dry Mountain Tech Thermal Baselayer. ($60; columbia.com) Few‘s acrylic Moa Hunter Sweater, for the bold. ($54; few.co.nz) Aigle‘s lightweight Polartec recycled-fleece Walker Track Jacket. ($105; aigleusa.com Obermeyer‘s insulated Tungsten Jacket is tricked out…