Outside Magazine, Jul 2002
Stories
POSTs
Have trail and gym work turned you into a stiff? You need some flex time with Ashtanga yoga.
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
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…
Nothing comes easy for the riders of the TOUR DU FASO, West Africa's tortuous answer to the Tour de France. Their bikes are beaters, the heat is infernal, la dysenterie is inevitable, and every year the locals get shown up by European interlopers looking to find an exotic thrill. But for Jérémie Ouedraogo and his teammates—proud citizens of the fourth-
He's no Lance (yet), but former U.S. Postal rider Levi Leipheimer has won the right to lead Rabobank, one of Europe's fastest squads
Illustration by Dan Winters and Gary Tanhauser Illustration by Dan Winters and Gary Tanhauser The thrill of adventure is worth a few calculated risks. But sometimes whitewater rafts flip, bike frames snap, and wilderness guides lose the map. In a society where people are increasingly aggressive about putting…
Hey, brah—at the Camp, Southern California's new outdoor-retail supermall, you can catch big air and fill big bags
He's No Lance (Yet), but Former U.S. Postal Rider Levi Leipheimer Has Won the Right to Lead Rabobank, One of Europe's Fastest Squads
Scientists never bought his theories, but Thor Heyerdahl's prove-it-yourself adventures captivated the world
Speed hiker Ted "Cave Dog" Keizer has a blistering dream: to climb 140,000 vertical feet in the Adirondacks—in five days
F E A T U R E S
LIQUID THUNDER
Every attempt to run Tibet’s unimaginably violent Tsangpo River has ended in defeat or death. Last February, the Outside Tsangpo Expedition, led by extreme kayaker Scott Lindgren, decided it was their turn to pit themselves against the torrent that paddlers around the world call “the Everest of Rivers.”
By Peter Heller
WARNING: This Article Is About Million-Dollar Lawsuits Prompted by Accidents, Injury, and Death in the Outdoors…
Who’s responsible when things go really wrong in the wild—when the raft flips or the belayer lets go of the rope? A disturbing look at wilderness liability and the crisis now brewing among lawyers, insurance companies, guides…and you.
By Bruce Barcott
RACING FOR THE HELL OF IT
Each year, a pack of heroic African road racers on beater bikes gets thrashed by slick European amateurs pedaling flashy new rigs in West Africa’s Tour du Faso. And each November, the citizens of Burkina Faso hold out hope that they will yield up a champion who will bring their nation glory. A down-and-dirty salute to the miracle of breaking away.
By Bill Gifford
D E P A R T M E N T S
DISPATCHES
Tour de France 2002:
Could a 28-year-old Montanan upstart UNSEAT LANCE ARMSTRONG? Also, a first look at high-tech tour strategy and the USPS lieutenants who could deliver Lance a four-peat. PLUS: A guy named CAVE DOG goes on a peak-bagging binge; the Great Outdoors GOES TO THE MALL; IVAN THE IRRITABLE halts the Ice Challenger Expedition across the Bering Strait; THOR HEYERDAHL reaches the last horizon; Outside puts its EAR TO THE GROUND; new BOOKS by Eric Scigliano and Heather E. Heying. And this month’s RADAR.
THE WILD FILE
How high can the oceans rise before there’s a GLOBAL CATASTROPHE? Why do so many different animals have tails? And more.
By Brad Wetzler
DESTINATIONS
CLEARLY CANADIAN
Discover 169 million acres of wild, watery adventure north of the border, including sea kayaking in BRITISH COLUMBIA, expedition canoeing in SASKATCHEWAN, and pike fishing at MANITOBA‘s most exotic lodge. PLUS: Your essential guide to the Great North’s NEWEST PARKS.
THE HARD WAY
On a mythic granite wall deep in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental, our recon agent puts his life in the hands of America’s most controversial climber.
By Mark Jenkins
REVIEW
With all the new options in TRAIL RUNNERS, choosing the right shoe is tougher than an off-road marathon. We sort through the choices to find you the perfect fit. PLUS: SUNGLASSES get sport-specific; RLX Polo Sport introduces KEVLAR JEANS; and more.
BODYWORK
Flex Time: The third installment of THE SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE, our five-month fitness plan, introduces flexibility to your regimen through the ancient practice of Ashtanga yoga.