Published
Six nightmare scenarios that keep the best adventurers up at night
In an interview from Sarah Burke's bedside, friend & fellow ski star Kristi Leskinen gives Grayson Schaffer the prognosis.
Hurdler Lolo Jones was the feel-good story of the Beijing Olympics, until a tiny mistake cost her a medal—and made her tale even more compelling
Outside reviews the iSimple TranZit IS77 an iPod or iPhone car stereo system adapter for your next road trip.
Inside Floyd Landis’s clandestine campaign to torment his former boss
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Chaco Z1 Pro water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Panasonic DMC-LX5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Keen Gorge Boot.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Nikon D7000 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Teva Gnarkosi water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Leica V-LUX-2 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Columbia Sportswear Drainmaker water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Smith Optics Tenet Sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Orvis Access rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the L.L. Bean Wicker Creel fishing basket.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Patagonia Go To shirt.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Orvis Premium Brodin Guide Net.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Patagonia Rio Gallegos fishing waders.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Patagonia Rock Grip Wading Boots.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Waterworks Force SL fishing reel.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Scott S4 855/4 fishing rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sage VXP fishing rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Canon EOS 60D camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Adidas Boat CC Lace water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Olympus E-5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sperry Ping Buckle water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pentax WG-1 camera.
For three top alpinists, pulling off one of the most difficult ascents in mountaineering history required speed and daring. Getting down alive took a miracle.
A look at the outermost limits of human performance, from the fastest marathon and longest swim to smokingest fastball and deepest freedive.
They climbed the biggest walls, descended the longest rivers, and sailed the highest seas. And they went farther and faster under their own power than anyone else in 2010. Chosen for their ambition, their attitude, and their audacious lines, these are Outside's inaugural adventurers of the year.
Whitewater kayaker Hendrik Coetzee had decided to call it a career after a decade of first descents on the wildest rivers in Africa. The river’s most feared predator had a different ending in store.
Your urgent inquiries about the world. Answered.
From hot springs to mountain-town fiestas to one surprisingly easy island getaway, we've got you covered.
Now more than ever, the world could use some bright ideas. Like these.
A coffee-table photography book of the world’s greatest adventurers and the places they tackled.
This classic touring boat got an overhaul for 2006, with improved seat, hatches, and primary stability. Cross-Lock quick-release closures on the hatches are user-friendly, and increased cargo space easily stows gear for multiday trips. While it takes paddle power to get the weighty Looksha going, it tracks true once…
TWICE AS FUN, TWICE AS HARD How much do you really trust your paddling partner? How solid is your marriage? The Topo Duo may have the answers. It’s the only two-person whitewater boat in production. A strong paddler can right both the boat and an accompanying novice, but beware: There…
These four-mil neoprene booties are as burly as the steep granite gorge in the Sierra after which they’re named. Supersoft sticky rubber makes them grip the rocks on tough portages; a low-profile fit makes them comfy in your kayak. teva.com…
Packable Sailboat “I can hardly believe it,” remarked one tester, “but it really does sail like a legit boat.” That pretty much sums up our take on the inflatable Smartkat. It took testers about an hour to assemble, but once on the water this 15'7″ masted catamaran, which is capable…
Now, shelter. The steep walls of BLACK DIAMOND‘s ultralight (2.8-pound), single-wall HILIGHT TENT shed snow, and it packs down small enough to save space for booties. Or build an igloo.
Face it: You’re too old for the PlayStation. Still, an all-business laptop would be pure drudgery. Lucky for you, Alienware—the Miami-based notebook-gaming powerhouse that custom-manufactures some of its systems with twice the computing oomph of an Xbox—has released a hybrid that can crank through the “Legendary” level of Halo 2…
With exceptional primary and secondary stability and surprisingly speedy acceleration, the Tsunami blends beginner-friendly handling with performance that won’t leave you wanting once you’ve mastered the basics. Everyone who paddled it—from testers to their mothers—had fun. A high-backed seat provides superb support, and with seven sizes available, it fits…
CREEK SPECIALIST The Habitat incorporates the trademark roominess of Wave Sport’s previous creekboats, but its new hull design is carvier, more forgiving, and not as flat-bottomed (read: you won’t crush your spine boofing). At just over eight feet, it was fast enough to cut across eddy lines on the Colorado,…
It’s a sandal or a shoe. Four large teardrop-shaped openings and 12 drain holes keep them free of water, and a slimmed-down quick-lace system holds them firm. Step on the heels to turn them into sporty clogs. newbalance.com…
Expert Fisherman Using the underwater pedal-powered flippers and knob-controlled rudder, you can propel the Mirage across the lake hands-free so you can fish, shoot pics, sip a drink. Prefer to paddle? The flippers remove in a snap (OK, the press of a button) and you're free to paddle it like…
GRAND SHELTERS’ lightweight (five-pound), sturdy, and easy-to-use ICEBOX forms perfect blocks.
H2O claims its thermoplastic resin blade is as light as a composite but still durable like plastic. The bent carbon-and-glass shaft eases wrist strain, and indexed grips help you keep your bearings, even while getting thrashed in a hole. www.h2opaddles.com…
There’s no debate: This is one of the best touring boats on the water. We took the Brittany out in the stormy Atlantic and on glassy Lake Champlain, loaded down and completely empty, and in all conditions she turned like she knew what we were thinking. With the skeg…
The micro-brimmed, crash-helmet styling of the Holt—often worn with goggle straps on the inside—is the choice for the park-and-pipe set. Come summer, the winter pads are removable for a warm-weather skate setup. smithoptics.com…
Crocs’ take on the boat shoe, the Cove has a quick-drying suede upper paired with the classic Croslite foam-like midsole. White and blue too Nantucket for you? It’s also available in brown. No socks allowed. crocs.com…
Take It Anywhere The greatest thing about canoes like the Explorer LT is their versatility. There's enough room (1,100 pounds of capacity) to tool around with dogs, lunch, and kids—or pack up camping supplies and head out for a week. And because it has a moderate amount of rocker and…
Illuminate your tent or igloo with PRIMUS‘s SOLAR CAMPING LANTERN for a homey touch.
This high-performance, narrow-hulled speedster tracks like an osprey to a trout: fast and straight. The high-backed seat has a ratcheting backband adjustment that, cranked tight, puts you in an aggressive forward position that will let you race with rowing shells—and win. Extras are few in the stripped-down shell, but…
When portability is paramount, Sony’s Vaio T is the ultimate machine. I’ve road-tripped mine across the United States and Canada. It’s survived a kayaking expedition to Madagascar, where it happily chugged a steady diet of digital photos. On my “recovery” days, it’s a coffee-shop conversation starter: “Is that a real…
Building off its success in mountain-bike helmets, Giro incorporates ample, switch-closable vents and a style-conscious but functional visor on this freeskiing lid. For $30 more get speakers built into the ear pads. giro.com…
The Cimarron might look a little aggro, but it’s virtually indestructible, thanks to its beefy molded-EVA exoskeleton and Keen’s patented toe-stubbing protection. Bonus: A full-length mesh-upper lining keeps feet secure and small pebbles out. keenfootwear.com…
The Big Easy More than 30 inches wide, with a pontoon-style hull, the open-decked Commander is the perfect stable platform for gear-intensive outings—even if that gear is a good book and a well-stocked cooler in the gaping stern tank well. As a canoe/kayak hybrid, it's not quite stable enough to…
JETBOIL‘s ultra-efficient GROUP COOKING SYSTEM has a 1.5-liter pot for melting snow.
Good for Backcountry Because both the head and shaft are made out of aluminum (with steel tips), the Corsa weighs half as much as normal axes (just 8.8 ounces). Of course, that lack of heft also makes getting purchase in blue ice more difficult. Think of it…
Yowza, this one’s thinner than Mary-Kate Olsen! To achieve a sub-one-inch cross section, Toshiba stripped the Portégé R100 down to the basics and offers a separate docking station and a readable DVD and read/write CD drive. While its competitors obsess over silvery Mac-style aluminum, Toshiba—en route to an impressive three-pound-two-ounce…
At 13 ounces, the featherweight of the bunch is for freeskiers who don’t want to feel like they’re wearing a helmet at all. Trim padding makes this a good-looking helmet for narrow faces. markerusa.com…
Good for Backcountry Along with the system of beeps, arrows, and measurements that traditional avalanche beacons produce to help you find your buried friends, the S1 also draws you an easy-to-read picture, with precise distances and locations. It’s quick on the draw, too: When you open it,…
Light and Tough The 13-foot Revolution is part of NRS's new series of urethane boats. With ample rocker and sporty tubes, the Revolution doubles as a high-performance whitewater paddle raft and, as an oar rig, a stable deck for fishing and lounging. We put the 13-footer pictured here to the…
Little Big Gun If Leica’s method is to strip a camera down to its beautifully crafted essentials (and then charge a lot for what’s left), Olympus is doing just the opposite—packing features and even a hefty interchangeable lens onto a true point-and-shoot body and then charging fairly little. That combination…
The God Bless America entry in this group, HP plays to our bigger-is-better leanings with this tote-bag equivalent of Imax. Multiple headphone jacks, Harmon Kardon speakers, BrightView widescreen, and a handheld remote (obviating the long reach from your first-class seat to the tray table) re-create the cinema experience. And because…
Julia Mancuso took hers to Olympic gold. On you, foam insulation, a honeycomb Aramid air layer, and multiple pad configurations make for a snugger (and slimmer) alter-native to the traditional bobblehead-style racing helmets. pocski.com…
Good for Backcountry It’s the tips and tails that most often give you trouble, which is why we’re loving BD’s new nylon-and-mohair skins. In addition to being a bit lighter, faster, and more packable than previous generations, this model has riveted top loops to latch cleanly onto…
Patagonia's Cotton Steersman Shirt (Inga Hendrickson) On your bod Patagonia's cotton Steersman shirt, because, seriously, technical wear for a fishing shirt? patagonia.com Fishpond San Juan Vertical Chest Pack (Courtesy of Fishpond) For day trips, Fishpond's San Juan Vertical Chest Pack fits two fly boxes and a flask—more…
Cameras haven’t been this cool since Nikon brought on the digital era in 1999 with the D1. Now it’s all about the convergence of still and motion photography. Cameras from the simplest point-and-shoots to pro-level DSLRs can now shoot HD video. So stop worrying about megapixels and figure out…
You can’t really consider a Dell a single piece of equipment. Each made-to-order notebook is like a rack of climbing protection you’ve customized for a specific big-wall route. The basic vanilla version—40GB hard drive, 1.6GHz processor, and 256MB of RAM—will get you safely up your backyard crag. When you’re ready…
What started as a utilitarian whitewater helmet has crossed over to snow sports. With alternating layers of plastic and energy-absorbing foam, the Fresh Roy is the safest helmet for the money. Wear it as is with a thin beanie or Velcro in the included fleece liner with ear…
Good for Backcountry We’ve never really liked previous integrated probe-shovel combos—they’ve been either short (the probe), cumbersome (getting it out of the shaft of the shovel), or both. The Arsenal is different. The ten-inch-wide blade and sturdy aluminum construction can move serious snow. And the seven-foot-ten-inch 240…
Most snow saws rely on puny teeth better suited for cutting crusty bread. This 14-inch (seven when folded) igloo saw uses quarter-inch shark teeth to rip through even the most consolidated snow. Use it for pit work or carving the perfect shelter blocks. Attaches easily to just about anything—ski…
This play vest takes a quantum leap forward in comfort and range of motion by splitting the bulky front flotation into two independent panels and adding neoprene shoulder straps. It’s like paddling naked—but safer. www.astralbuoyancy.com…
When you finally decide to give up the dirtbag lifestyle and finish that degree, you’ll want an M210X riding shotgun. The Ultrabright widescreen supports ideal viewing of your digital scrapbook from the life nomadic or the latest huck-doll videos from your friends still livin’ it. When homework calls, the dazzlingly…