Outside Magazine, Sep 2002
Stories
POSTs
We asked four top fitness coaches for their tape-it-to-the-fridge-door advice. Here's what they told us. (Bonus: We kick your excuses to the curb.)
Fine-tune your fitness with balance and agility exercises. Here's how.
To keep a workout program fresh, you need to make it your own, and some days you need to break the rules—within reason.
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.
A Wyoming mountain guide sounds off on a famous Teton toilet and the politics of packing it all out
Optional take-it-out policies are cropping up in our parks—but will anyone volunteer?
A Florida cemetery offers die-hard greens the ultimate in recycling—no coffins, no pickling, just a home in the loam
On Truthquest—a spirited version of MTV's Road Rules—teens go wild, but without the pagan excess
BLUE LATITUDES From Our Pages Outside adventure laureate Tim Cahill journeys from Sahara salt mines to a Jamaica yoga retreat in his new collection, Hold the Enlightenment: More Travel, Less Bliss (Villard, ). Pairing lively history with nearly 30 years of vintage photos, Jocko Weyland’s The Answer…
br NAME: LISA RANDS AGE: 26 GIG: BOULDERING SPECIALTY: TECHNICAL OUTDOOR CLIMBS HOMETOWN: BISHOP, CALIFORNIA HEIGHT: 5′ 4″ WEIGHT: 115 POUNDS SEEN NEXT: September 14 and 15 in Rovereto,…
There are easy ways to reach the North Pole—by plane, helicopter, or icebreaker. And then there's the Børge Ousland way. A super-tough son of Norway and the greatest living Arctic explorer, he likes fellow adventurers who ski hard, pull their own weight, and can take a touch of frostbite—no whimpering allowed.
Thirteen otherwise courageous writers reveal their deepest, darkest fears in our homage to the creepy, crawly, menacing world of phobias. Prepare to squirm.
F E A T U R E S
LET’S ALL CHILL
Sixty miles on skis is no big deal—unless they’re the last 60 miles to the North Pole, your fingers are bleeding from frostbite, and the guy in front of you is Børge Ousland, king of the coldest ordeals on earth.
By Stuart Stevens
WHAT SCARES ME
Thirteen otherwise courageous writers reveal their deepest, darkest fears in our homage to the creepy, crawly, menacing world of phobias. Prepare to squirm.
FREEZING When the ice starts to crack, somebody’s going in.
By Stewart O’Nan
SLEEPING BAGS The demons that haunt your snooze sack.
By Michael Perry
SWIMMING He’s afraid of water—exquisitely afraid.
By John Updike
LIGHTNING If an electric bolt catches you outside, you’re toast.
By Katie Arnold
JUMPING Forget vertigo. How do you handle the urge to leap?
By Pico Iyer
ARMADILLOS Tiny dinosaurs may lurk under the porch.
By Bucky McMahon
LIMA BEANS One man trembles before the sinister legume.
By Bruce McCall
WHITEWATER Once you almost drown, you’re always underwater.
By Donald Katz
BATS Hell hath no fury like a million flying creatures in a cave.
By Jack Hitt
TICKS They exist for one reason: to drink your blood.
By Jane Smiley
BEING BURIED ALIVE Rest assured—you will never be found.
By David Rakoff
SNAKES When a cottonmouth hits the ground, run like hell.
By Jo Ann Beard
STARS Why the night sky is infinitely terrifying.
By Mary Roach
THIS IS THE SITUATION. THIS IS THE CONFUSION. THIS IS ANGOLA.
After 27 years of civil war, rapacious diamond mining, and ecological devastation, one of the loveliest countries on earth prepares to rise from its own deathbed. Can Angola flower again?
By Mark Jacobson
D E P A R T M E N T S
DISPATCHES
Will a new voluntary PACK-OUT-YOUR-OWN-WASTE-POLICY clean up our smelliest national parks, or should rangers enforce a backcountry hygiene regime? PLUS: PICKUP GAMES for the willing; The bold NEW FACE OF BOULDERING wears lipstick—and climbs like a man; rest in peace (and fertilize trees!) at America’s newest ECO-CEMETERY ; a spirited version of MTV’s Road Rules TAKES TO THE PAVEMENT ; Outside continues to keep its EAR TO THE GROUND in Hollywood; BOOKS by Tony Horwitz, Timothy Ferris, and Olivia Judson; and more.
THE WILD FILE
Can a mockingbird and a robin mate? Why are planets round? Are there any whirlpools south of the Equator?
By Brad Wetzler
THE HARD WAY
Thanks to GPS technology, the lowly printed map (and its inspiring beauty) seems destined for decorative wallpaper, right? Not so fast.
By Mark Jenkins
REVIEW
Turn-ons: The LIGHTS and LAMPS you need to bike, climb, and paddle all night long. PLUS: A CARBON-FIBER SURFBOARD that breaks in half—on purpose; NEW ICE-CLIMBERS from Vasque; functional and STYLISH OUTERWEAR from the fashionistas at Bonfire, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Prada; and more.
BODYWORK
The final installment of our five-part fitness plan, The Shape of Your Life, offers BALANCE AND AGILITY drills to fine-tune your athleticism. PLUS: A blueprint for SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE that’s guaranteed to last.
DESTINATIONS
FAST GETAWAYS
We mined the nation for 50 close-to-home ADVENTURE QUICKIES that squeeze a week’s worth of bragging rights into 48 hours. Start
packing now.
SEATTLE: Ever try heli-biking? How about paragliding?
SAN FRANCISCO: Lucky bastards—you have the Pacific, Tahoe, and everything in between.
LOS ANGELES: Like NoCal, ‘cept the water’s warmer and days are sunnier.
DENVER: Packed with mountains high, rivers deep, and bliss nearby.
HOUSTON: This hot town has plenty of stay-cool escapes.
MINNEAPOLIS: It’s the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Water sports, anyone?
CHICAGO: Heaven’s due north. It’s called Wisconsin.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Surrounded by outdoor options that’ll satisfy both Democrats and the GOP.
NEW YORK CITY: Rock climb! Paddle whitewater! Witness real life!
BOSTON: Classic scenery and shockingly modern thrills.