Everything
Need a daily powder fix? Chase epic snow through the calendar with our guide to the best places to ski and snowboard each month.
This September, speed climber Dean potter flashed Half Dome and El Capitan in a continuous 23-hour, 23-minute blitz that left his competition eating chalk. The 30-year-old Zen king of Yosemite is the first ever to free-climb—that is, use ropes and protection only as backup in case he falls, but otherwise…
Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht, the world’s leading authority on freezing to death, believes the best way to study the effects of cold on the human body is to get intimate with the elements. Along the way to claiming numerous research firsts, the 45-year-old physiologist and director of the University of Manitoba’s…
In the dark of winter, monsters lurk near the glow of Seattle. And man, that's when the jigging's good.
Mount Everest becomes a prize on TV's Global Extremes. Is this a Good Thing?
Is paradise drowning? The serene South Pacific archipelago of Tuvalu wants the world to know it will soon be the first nation to sink beneath the rising waters of global warming—an early warning of biblical inundations to come. And guess what? It's your fault.
For a faster, stronger you, take it slow (with a grain of salt)
Rama the cama—the world's first llama/camel hybrid— meets Kamilah, his camalicious bride-to-be
With his supreme skills on rock, hypercompetitive intensity, and new-age bag of tricks, Dean Potter scrambles up big walls faster than any man alive. So what's the trajectory of all this velocity?
Amped by a new Colorado superstore, Mont-Bell hopes to sell the USA on its streamlined swagstreamlined swag
In the January 2003 issue, Outside editors announced our picks for the 25 best adventure books of the last 100 years. The arduous selection process required hundreds of hours of reading, conversation, and debate, involving a wide circle of writers, explorers, scholars, and friends. Along the way we suffered…
Mount Everest becomes a prize on TV's Global Extremes. Is this a Good Thing?
One score and five years ago, this magazine burst onto the scene with a bold idea and a mission. The idea was that, against all odds, adventure is alive and well—and a force to reckon with and celebrate. The mission was to find new heroes, phenomenal athletes and explorers, the…
A generation ago, mounting an expedition meant drafting a herd of porters, slogging loads of gear to a rocky base camp, and laying siege to a Himalayan peak. These days, light, fast, and self-supported expeditions are in, and multisport explorers like Mike Libecki, Mark Synnott, and Brad Ludden are showing us how to do it. Here, our preview of the hottest adven
Majoring in steeps at New Mexico’s Taos Q: I’m getting older and I’d like to learn to ski better. Even if you’ve never been to my home state of Illinois, you probably know there aren’t many ski slopes nearby. I’d like to spend a week to ten…
From technical clothes for sport to chic outfits for dinner, here's how to dress like a local
With western drought lowering Lake Powell daily, Glenn Canyon fans dream of going all the way
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE For more photos and an audio interview with Andrew McLean, CLICK HERE EXPEDITION: ARCS OVER THE ARCTIC TEAM: ANDREW MCLEAN, BRAD BARLAGE LOCATION: BAFFIN ISLAND, NUNAVUT, CANADA OBJECTIVE: TO EXPLORE FJORDS AND VALLEYS BY KITE IN SEARCH OF…
Every adventurer knows those magical moments when it all flows—and those wretched times when it won't
Trek the Bay of Fires and soak in Tasmania's wild northeastern shores
Who would want a $100 million theme park devoted to the belching drama of volcanoes? The French, that's who—if they can ever stop arguing about it.
High over Hemingway's Africa, our hero discovered a last epic feat somehow still undone. Going where no man has ever bothered to go before, he vowed to become the first person to descend Mount Kilimanjaro on a pair of stubby Kneissel Big Foot snowboards. Never mind that it was illegal, and basically insane.
True fitness follows the adage "Use it or lose it." Turns out the brain follows the same rule.
After its triumphant coming-out party in Salt Lake City, American snowboarding faces a bright future. Is that a good thing?
A vetern journalist argues that the ski industry has sold its soul to Wall Street, turning too many mountain towns into overbuilt Disneyfied retail hubs. But don't despair: All over snow country, a back-to-basics counterrevolution is under way.
Sierra palms on the slopes of the Caribbean National Forest Q: I’m heading to Puerto Rico soon and want to learn more about the bioluminescent bays/lagoons there. Can I visit any of them from San Juan in one night? Or would it require a sleepover nearby? I…
In the company of coral: a diver fins past a school of grunts off Florida’s Tavernier Key Q: I’m a bloated son-of-a-gun with a physique like a manatee who’d like to try scuba diving. I have no experience at all outside of watching Sea Hunt and a…
Remember the rainforest? Fourteen years after the martyrdom of Brazilian activist Chico Mendes, environmentalists are once again being murdered, while illegal logging pushes deeper into the world's last great tropical jungle. In this investigative report, Patrick Symmes follows the money, the mahogany, and the mafias—and goes underground to join a brave ne
Predicting the future of exploration is a risky proposition, but SARA WHEELER is ready to cut loose with a few bold guesses
One of climbing’s most famous survival sagas began on the night of July 13, 1977, after British mountaineers CHRISTIAN BONINGTON and Doug Scott completed the first ascent of Pakistan’s 23,900-foot Baintha Brakk—a beastly massif known as The Ogre. During his rappel down, Scott swung wildly across the face and broke…
“I looked down to find my crotch on fire.” Tom Kluberton holds up gutted pants as evidence. “OK, they’re crotchless, but they are still good Carhartts.”
Set loose in the land that invented terrorism ten centuries ago, Tim Cahill finds crumbling castles, legends of hash-smoking hit men, and Iranians who won't stop being nice. You call this the axis of evil?
Dreams of Bengal tigers and visions of imminent extinction led Peter Matthiessen to a predator's last stronghold in the jungles of India. It was a place, the author discovered, where not seeing is believing.
A quarter-century after he changed everything by summiting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, Reinhold Messner is looking fit, feeling adventurous, and acting about as mellow as a snapping turtle. Ah, well: Great men aren't always sweethearts—and Messner is still the best there ever was.
Q: I need to take a three- to four-day getaway somewhere secluded. I’m very familiar with the outdoors and am looking for a place far away from people, perhaps even a fly-in trip. I’ve never been to Montana or any of the northwestern states. I might like to…
The 21,200-foot Illimani Volcano standing tall above La Paz, Bolivia. Q: We’re looking for a South or Central American destination with challenging mountain biking. Not everyone in our group bikes, though, so it’s important that there be other activities too. Any suggestions? — Amy Fredrick, New…
Rocky road: Red Rock’s Calico Hills right and La Madre Mountains. Q: I am heading to Las Vegas in October and want to escape the neon and glitter and get active outdoors. What can you recommend? — Henry Adderley, Bermuda Adventure Advisor:…
It was once a crown jewel of African beauty—a place blessed with so many rivers, so much pristine coastline, and such teeming, verdant savannas that it made God jealous. But after 27 years of brutal civil war, Angola is slowly rising out of the graveyard of its sad history. A tale of diamonds, ghost elephants, despair, and that rarest of Angolan treasures:
You'll find endless rewards in just 48 hours of freedom. We've got 50 close-to-home adventures right here.
The next wave of night-vision and sports-lighting systems equips you to explore more—and sleep less
Ever since Chanel models toted ice axes down the Paris runways last year, fashionistas have been looking to the REI racks for inspiration. And while this latest crop of haute outerwear may not suffice on a Chugach Range overnighter, it'll certainly keep you sleek and toasty for a brisk stroll this fall—while giving your fleece a well-deserved rest.
TALL LATTE BEFORE WORK, double espresso in the afternoon, short cappuccino after dinner—it's the only way to tolerate Seattle's gray days. But when the clouds break and the Cascades, the Olympics, and Puget Sound appear, you know where you need to be. Grab a quadruple shot and get going.
Behind the green door: Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai Q: My husband and I are going to Hawaii for three weeks in October (mostly for hiking, kayaking, and snorkeling). We were thinking of spending some time on Kauai and the Big Island. How many days…
To be a surfer girl in Maui is to be the luckiest of creatures. It means you’re beautiful and tan and ready to rip. It means you’ve caught the perfect dappled wave and are on a ride that can’t possibly end.
Outside Online and our partner sites www.away.com and www.gorp.com depend on advertisers to pay the bills. Without the support of these companies, we wouldn’t be able to provide all this content and travel services for free. The Internet changes quickly and as a result we are…
Got insurance?: a bite will hurt but the evacuation cost is deadly. Q: I plan to sail around the world over the next three years. Can you recommend a good international insurance policy that covers emergency medical evacuations? — Mark Downing, Portland, Oregon…
Remember the lessons of Everest 1996? Nobody else seems to. The world's highest peak is more crowded than ever—and ripe for a deadly reckoning.
Something happens in the high latitudes around Cape Horn. Eighty-knot williwaws blast down from the surrounding peaks. Thiry-foot waves rear up. Ships are tossed around like ice cubes in a blender. Why embark on a wind-powered expedition in these waters? For one sailor, it's a pilgrimage to the place where his great-grandfather came to grief in 1875—an
Deep in the redwood hills near Mendocino lies the Big River Estuary, a secret cache that will soon belong to bears, bobcats, otters, and you.
The Big River's been saved—and just in time. Here's how to enjoy the northern coast's newest playground and its spectacular environs.
Dispatched to the annual Gearapalooza on the banks of the Great Salt Lake, our man returns with a vision of next year's swag.
Kayaking, biking, hiking and gawking along the wild west's farthest shores
Thanks to smart design and engineering, today's tents deliver high-altitude performance at a low-elevation price
DOWN TO EARTH MUSIC: IT'S A HIGH, LONESOME WORLD COMPILED FOR the International Year of the Mountains, the ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MUSIC OF THE ALPS, together with companion CDs from the Himalayas and the Appalachians (World Music Network, each), are the first to finally unite Krishna Das…
Marine iguanas? Yes. Tourist crowding? No.: Bartolome Island in the Galapagos Q: I'm looking for a Latin American vacation spot with great snorkeling and rock climbing and not too many tourists. Any ideas? — Carrie, Portland, Oregon Adventure Advisor: A: The first place that…
Monsoon hopeful: Arizona’s Mount Lemmon Q: We had planned a climbing trip to northwest New Mexico and southeast Arizona but are worried there’s nowhere open given the recent fires. We’re looking specifically for top-roping spots. The skill level in our group ranges from amateur to intermediate, and…
Yoho National Park Mountain Hut Trip Canada’s Rockies Just another brick… China’s Great Wall MINIMUM AGE: All ages welcome DESCRIPTION: Who better to introduce kids to backpacking than a naturalist who was a teacher for 27 years? The owner of Back of Beyond, Bud Ettiger, puts his expertise…
230 Miles, 28 days, countless castles, and a giant snag—one family's transformative journey by kayak down the Guadalquivir River
For two credulous seekers, dreaming of the lost big-wall treasure of the Sierra Madre Occidental is better than the real thing
Cool off north of the border, in the land of boundless rivers, lakes, and pristine wilderness.
REMEMBER WHEN SUNGLASSES served only to dial back the squint? Today’s featherweight specs perform a veritable OSHA list of functions: they reduce eyestrain; protect against ultraviolet, infrared, and wind; fend off dust, debris, and bugs; and block out glare. Alas, no single pair of shades will save you from all…
To sort through this season's trail-runner bounty, mix equal parts rugged design and motivational psychology
The tumultuous, rolling waters off british columbia's haida gwaii lead to eerie totems of the past
Most families plan one big blowout vacation each summer—which still leaves a lot of summer left to enjoy. Our advice: Think weekends. Our seven getaways are active enough to keep older kids entertained, yet won’t be daunting for the younger ones. And they’re close to major cities, so you won’t…
Three variations on pain-free wilderness trekking... hut-to-hut hiking, mule packing, and base camping.
Up a creek? Find the right trip—raft, sea kayak, or canoe—and the right adventure level for your family.
Is a great beach more than a gazillion grains of sand mixed with sun and water? You bet. Here, the 15 best for families.
