Culture
Archive
A new film looks at the world of competitive skydiving and the people who spend all their free time falling out of the sky.
Three men BASE jumped from the One World Trade Center in September 2013. Six months later they were arrested. Their ongoing—and, many would say, harsher than necessary—legal battle raises the question: How serious a crime is leaping off a building?
Instruction in the art of mindfulness is emerging in grade schools around the country to help children relax, focus, and help others. But it still has a long way to go to become part of the curriculum nationwide.
There’s been little scientific evidence that the affection we feel for dogs is mutual. Until now, that is.
It's time pro women got an equal number of slots to compete in triathlon's premiere World Championship event.
100 Miles From Nowhere premieres Sunday April 5, 2015, on Animal Planet. The show follows adventurer Matt Galland and his two best friends, Danny Bryson and Blake Josephson, as they get dropped into incredibly remote locations around the globe. Their mission: trek 100 miles in just…
Star Matt Galland talks about surprise encounters with giant snakes in Mexico, watching his friend nearly drown during filming, and what else we can expect from his new reality show.
Chris Burkard is writing a children’s book for young explorers, complete with unreal illustrations inspired by some of his most famous shots
The upcoming picture book ‘The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth’ is a welcome counterweight to our kids’ plugged-in lives.
The Californian daredevil doesn’t want you to love his film. He wants you to be unsettled. And that may be the best thing about 'When Dogs Fly.'
Shooting 50,000 images for a 12-image assignment, surviving sub-zero temperatures, and being willing to just wait (for months)—all in a day's work for Paul Nicklen.
A fresh look at Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey, plus this month's best novel-soundtrack combo
New books to reach for, whether you're of the mind that everything is going to be okay, or that everything is terrible all the time
We asked an expert to watch the horror movie ‘Backcountry’ and break down the myths and realities of encountering one of the forest's most intimidating animals
A survival guide to adventure envy for the whole family
The 2000 ordeal of four kidnapped climbers in Kyrgyzstan was only the beginning.
Defining moments in sled-dog cinema, from slapstick schlock to Japanese realism.
Journalist Edward Struzik renders a barely recognizable far north—but it’s one worth getting to know.
Secrets to slowing down at home without giving up on adventure
Every spring, two baseball teams meet at California's San Quentin prison. One never leaves. Abe Streep reports from behind bars. Read Inside Baseball here.
It's a long story involving snow gods, the director's next film, and big money for the ski town. Take a seat.
American cross-country legend Craig Virgin lays out the connection between distance running and farm work
The International Ocean Film Tour showcases the best water sports and environmental films of the year, and kicks off in Hamburg, Germany on March 21, 2015. …
A marathon swimmer's reenactment transports theatergoers to the middle of the Florida Straits
Before 'Into Thin Air,' the firsthand report on the 1996 Everest disaster, became a best-selling book, it was an Outside story. Now it's been immortalized as an opera.
The controversy around free-range parenting and how to know when to let your kids go solo
It's time for their doors to be shut once and for all
This video from American Rivers and Skip Armstrong celebrates the best things about rivers in the Pacific Northwest, from a kid’s perspective. From run rain, to waterfalls, to wild salmon, to time with mom, it’s the rivers that make the Northwest such a special…
Never-before-seen footage sheds fascinating new light on the heir who went missing in 1961—and the man who set out on a quixotic quest to unravel the mystery
Peter Kray’s new novella, The God of Skiing, has a lot to say. We’re not quite sure what it all means, but we sure did enjoy the ride.
Can the largest river restoration project in history serve as a template for other waterways across the country?
In Mind the Gap: The Making of unReal Episode 1, we follow mountain bikers Brett Rheeder, Tom van Steenbergen and Cam McCaul to Turtle Ranch in Dubois, Wyoming. The concept for this shoot was fairly simple: ride mountain bikes with horses. The execution, on the other hand, proved to be…
Climate change and the global demand for oil will persist whether or not Keystone is built
A hydrologist lays out why Great Plains groundwater is safe from possible leaks in the pipeline
Jimmy Chin’s documentary on scaling the Shark’s Fin may be the best climbing movie of the year—only it’s not really about the climb.
All good things. “The Climb,” which airs Sunday, tracks the pro skier’s 22-month rehab and singled-minded determination to reclaim women’s skiing’s top spot.
The best ideas often come from spending a little time in the great outdoors. S. Carey’s upcoming EP, Supermoon, was recorded during one weekend in August 2014 when the Supermoon was visible, and this short film explores how nature and a love of fly…
In his relatively short career, Andy Mann has served as the senior photographer at Climbing Magazine and had his images appear in National Geographic and the New York Times. He cofounded Boulder-based 3 Strings Productions in 2010 and has a travel schedule that most pilots would envy. Lucky for us, we get to tag along for the ride courtesy of Instagram. We caught up with Mann for a few tips and to see what separates his shots from the rest.
On the road with two kids, a dog and a vintage RV.
The filmmaker behind 'The Cove' is bringing his groundbreaking approach to...plankton?
Never take a blurry, disappointing star picture again. Here’s how to up your night photography game.
The outdoor-writing legend has made a career out of cheating death in wild places, but he's never cut it closer than this
In his debut novel, John Vaillant delivers a terrifying border tale
It's been a national park for 50 years. One more step will ensure that it's safe forever.
The grizzlies of Yellowstone are about to be removed from the endangered species list. The surprising thing: that's probably for the best.
A conversation with Irvin Muchnick and Tim Joyce, journalists who have spent years documenting the horrible story of sexually abusive swim coaches—and dogging a national governing body that they think is beyond repair
Tiny homes simplify family life and make room for adventure.
With a bevy of new ski and snowboard films in theaters this month, a quick primer on what sets ski porn apart from other titillating genres.
Don't know how to take pictures of stars or the milky way? We walk you though how to do it.
What happens when a wolf comes to visit—and stays? A new book looks at the unlikely six-year friendship between a wild wolf and the people (and dogs) of Juneau, Alaska.
An explosive memoir by Carine McCandless provides new details about a toxic family environment that drove her brother to embark on the famous and fatal quest immortalized by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild
The movie version of Cheryl Strayed's hit book features Reese Witherspoon like you've rarely seen her—tangled hair, ratty clothes, and dirt under her fingernails. But the backpacking film has a secret: it's actually a brutal story about loss and love.
The award-winning journalist's new documentary breaks the mold. The result? A poignant look at quitting war, conflict addiction, and what it means to be a man.
This Friday, Netflix releases Virunga, a documentary thriller about the fight to save the mountain gorillas of Congo’s Virunga National Park. We talked with warden Emmanuel de Merode on what it feels like to be shot while defending the most dangerous wilderness on earth.
The Brooklyn guitarist's lush new record welcomes the snowy season.
Forest Woodward has an enviable travel schedule. In the last year, the climber, surfer, and pro photographer has visited half a dozen countries, including Spain and Peru, and about 20 states in the U.S. Here are a few of the best shots he's taken over the past year. Don't be too jealous: Woodward's images have a way of bringing you along for the ride.
Flicks that bring horror to the wilderness
As a species, we're living longer and having fewer children. And that's a fantastic development for amateur athletes—and society as a whole.
There's no doubt that obstacle-course racing is growing at an explosive rate. In 2014, an estimated 10 million people competed in 5,000 events across 30 countries. In her debut book, Erin Beresini uncovers the growing sport's most compelling characters and provides the most authoritative insiders' guide to date.
The German-American surfing writer was kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2012—and held for two years and eight months. Joshua Hammer reports on his imprisonment, drawn-out negotiations to ensure his release, and the ugly business of kidnapping for cash. As the global debate over ransoming hostages heats up, just how should we be getting our journalists home?
Jamie Smith says he was recruited into the CIA as an undergraduate at Ole Miss, cofounded Blackwater, and has done clandestine intelligence work all over the world, operating out of a counterterrorism boot camp in the woods of north Mississippi. Plenty of people believed him, including the Air Force (which paid him $7 million to train personnel) and William Morrow, which signed him up to write his memoir. There's just one little question: How much of it is true?
The teenager who created the hackschooler movement has enrolled in high school. But don't panic. It's all part of the plan.
The company is growing up fast—and it's not all about action sports anymore.
A new 48 Hours documentary looks into the death of an American multimillionaire—and the bizarre trial of his wife.
Prepare yourself for the worst with the smartest survival tools around.
A look at the human factors that can blur judgment in the field.
The key to digging your friends out alive is how fast you are with these three essential avalanche safety tools.
The greatest entertainer of our generation wants to defy death on wires strung 50 stories over the cold, windy streets of Chicago
Watch online-exclusive videos from our November issue.
Too much competition too soon is bad for your kids and your family
In Hollywood's vision of horror, the real nightmare isn't on Elm Street—it's the cold, desolate forest itself.
Tired of seeing great footage of female skiers left on the cutting room floor? So was Lynsey Dyer, which is why her new film is dedicated to girls who rip—and inspiring more to do the same.
Why the Internet is turning photography on its side
GoPro hopes its summer IPO can turn a single-product company into a media superpower. Sound familiar?
Afterglow isn't just the year's most captivating ski movie—it's also a giant TV ad. And it could be the future of adventure films.
Do cell phones, satellite messengers, and personal locator beacons create more false alarms in the backcountry?
A star political blogger for Grist.org, David Roberts spent so much time posting and Tweeting and staring at screens that he almost went nuts. So he pulled the plug for a year, restarting his relationship with technology and actively seeking health, balance, and adventure in the real world. What he learned just might save you from meltdown.
Ben Hewitt’s essay on “unschooling” in our September issue has sparked some heated debate. Few parents are willing to do as the Hewitts do, and turn their kids loose entirely. But how can we give our children more freedom?
Anxiety, depression, obesity—kids are increasingly becoming unhappy and unhealthy. But there is a pill-free solution: outdoor play.