Everything
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.
Gold-medal gorgeous: end of day on the coast of Olympic National Park Q: We are traveling to Olympic National Park in July. We have two small children, ages three and four. Do you think the coastal hikes are realistic? Do we need reservations? — John Perdaems,…
A grand day for a paddle: Snake River with the Tetons looming in the background Q: My fiancé and I are going to Grand Teton National Park for our honeymoon. I remembered reading an article in Outside that said the best way to see the park and…
A cragged view of South Korea’s Seoraksan National Park Q: I’m headed over to South Korea for the World Cup and would love to work in some whitewater rafting while I’m there. The rivers should be runnable, as it appears to be the rainy season. Any recommendations?…
It’s no wonder that the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia has produced some of the world’s best mountaineers: You can’t travel north of the country’s capital, Ljubljana, without butting up against some of Europe’s most precipitous ranges. And since the 11-year-old country is still underneath most Americans’ radar, Europeans have…
THE LAST AMERICAN MAN BY ELIZABETH GILBERT (Viking, $25) TO MEET EUSTACE CONWAY is to be dazzled. Here’s a man who stalked, killed, and dressed the deer whose skin he wears as pants; who rode a horse clear across America; who dines on roadkill and sleeps…
Rick Young—restaurateur, technophile, obsessed basement hobbyist—is about to pilot the first perfect replica of the 1903 Wright flyer, the rickety, wood-and-fabric biplane that kick started aviation history. At least four other teams are poised to launch flyers of their own, but Young is rushing to make it into the record books first—or become th
A bird obsessive chases a maddening truth: the more elusive the prize, the more tantalizing the hunt
Love, War, and Circuses The Age-Old Relationship Between Elephants and Humans BY ERIC SCIGLIANO (Houghton Mifflin, $24) THERE ARE LOTS of elephant books out there, ranging from the cute to the clinical, but Eric Scigliano’s is the first to take a careful look at the human-elephant…
Iceland isn't the only place to revel in Nordic madness. Once the rest of Scandinavia has made it through another winter, the residents start to vibrate...they grin...they regress...and turn positively Viking. All you need to know is where and how to tap
Only on this remote North Atlantic island do you find such glorious quirks as tolting ponies and entire villages of sleep-deprived puffin chasers
Spread brilliant images of your adventures across the wide-open spaces on your walls with the latest generation of photography's technological wonders
WARNING: If you are pregnant, or have kids of any age, read on. This report contains information guaranteed to provide you with the premier places to rest you head. Then rip it in the great outdoors with your wee ones. Access and Resources 888-502-9612 www.cheatmountainclub.com Ten…
After a decade of failed attempts and fatal rebuffs, an Outside-sponsored expedition runs Tibet's Upper Tsanpgo Gorge—and lives to tell about it.
Pretty in pink: flamingoes at Lake Bogoria National Reserve Q: I’m about to spend three weeks in Kenya, starting with a game drive in Masai Mara. After that, I want to get off the tourist track and see some more remote parts of the country. Any ideas?…
What do Sheryl Crow and a 22,000-gallon wave pool have in common? They’re both going on tour this summer with the Jeep World Outside Festival, a first-of-a-kind union between a major popular music concert tour and the exploding world of outdoor adventure sports. 2002 Summer Tour Dates The Jeep World…
How To Get Off the Beaten Trail (or River, or Mountain) With These 43 Soon-To-Be-Classic National Park Adventure
Fifty-five parks, 70 all-new experiences, and nothing but long summer days ahead. Here’s how to CLIMB. KAYAK, HIKE, FLY-FISH, MOUNTAIN BIKE, or just wander far from the maddening crowds in every national park in the United States. You’ve got 61 million acres of wilderness heaven at your disposal. What are…