Adventure
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Six nightmare scenarios that keep the best adventurers up at night
A couple of months ago, I caught up with 21-year-old pro surfer and youth activist Kyle Thiermann. Possibly the world's most upbeat environmentalist, Kyle's spent the past five years surfing his way through Indonesia, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Hawaii, shooting documentaries…
BASE stands for “buildings, antennae, spans, and earth,” and jumpers parachute from these and other fixed objects—an incredibly risky pursuit that has claimed at least 180 lives since 1981. The world’s deadliest sport has no governing body, but the online magazine Blinc maintains the official BASE jumping fatality list (BFL), which assigns each dead jumper a B
According to the Peltzman effect, helmets and seat belts cause people to ski, drive, and ride more recklessly, if only slightly. We don’t suggest you trash your lid, but consider these numbers.
Finnish freestyle skier AJ Kemppainen gives us an inside (literally) look at what it’s like to train in a country consumed by darkness for most of the winter.
Dustin O’Brien catches a freak fall from the top of New Hampshire’s Tuckerman Ravine. Read True Tales Behind the Web’s Best (Worst) Moments for the behind-the-scenes story.
Pat Keller, Issac Levinson, and Chris Gratsman paddle over Alabama’s 90-foot Noccalula Falls. Read True Tales Behind the Web’s Best (Worst) Moments for the behind-the-scenes story.
If there’s one bike tour that’s a must-do, it’s this Colorado cruise: snowcapped peaks, open valleys, and winding blacktop through the Rocky Mountains. The best part? You don’t need to be an endurance freak to finish.
[all photos: La Ferme du Soleil] It’s been snowing in the Alps, and we’ve got schussing on the brain, especially since we stumbled across this choice ski-in, ski-out mountain hideout at 4,200 feet the Haute Savoie. La Ferme du Soleil (“Farm of Sunshine”) is Sound of…
Can a new fleet of scary-fast catamarans make the America's Cup wild enough to lure a different breed of fan? So far there have been epic wipeouts and multiple injuries. Which means everything is right on track.
It’s that time of the year again—time to start fantasizing about summer river trips. Many of the best stretches of family-friendly whitewater are regulated to prevent overcrowding, and if you want to lead your own multiday trip, rather than go with a commercial outfitter, you need to…
Did two North American alpinists do the right thing when they took the bolts out of one of Patagonia's most famous climbing routes?
Read Almost Famous, Kyle Dickman’s profile of Visser and his attempt to become TV’s next big action hero. …
Professional daredevils Rex and Melissa Pemberton were drawn together by a mutual passion for risk and adrenaline. Now they have a marriage based on love, trust, and the strange, stoic acceptance that their life partner could die at any moment.
The first of three quick vignettes shot by Taj Burrow of surfers riding waves in Fji.
The second of three quick vignettes shot by Taj Burrow of surfers riding waves in Fji.
Guinness World Records didn’t recognize Laura Dekker’s accomplishment as the youngest teen to sail solo around the world. Who cares? Her journey was more inspiring than any other nautical teen quest.
Taj Burrow‘s final short vignette of surfers riding waves in Fji.
The freediving world championships occur at the outer limits of competitive risk. During the 2011 event, held off the coast of Greece, more than 130 athletes assembled to swim hundreds of feet straight down on a single breath—without (they hoped) passing out, freaking out, or drowning. Meet the amazingly fit, unquestionably brave, and possibly crazy people who line up for the ultimate plunge.
The sign read, “Tenaya Canyon is extremely dangerous. Many have lost their lives in the attempt.” Thus warned, my 78-year-old dad was set to hike and rappel through it. And I had agreed to join him.
Aksel Svindal has three Olympic medals, two World Cup titles, and the affections of fellow ski racer Julia Mancuso. But can he transcend the sport and become the next Hermann Maier? HAMPTON SIDES tracks down the Norwegian beast slopeside to talk about the 2007 crash that nearly ended his career and his chances of dominating the 2012 World Cup.
Photo: SN#1 Last Monday, Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy made the first fair-means ascent of the Compressor on Cerro Torre's southeast ridge, a controversial climb dominated by a massive, 400-bolt ladder up a blank face. On the way…
I’ve been in many base camps but I knew I was somewhere special when I was told “… and this is our garbage tent.” Welcome to Everest Base Camp, Russell Brice style. In 2011 while climbing Everest, I spent the afternoon with Brice getting to know this man and how…
Good times for all in the Whistler high country [Photo: Paul Morrison] Now that the snow is finally falling in the Pacific Northwest, Rockies, and Northeast, it’s time to start chasing powder. Given the steep costs and major schlep factor, family ski trips can…
Patrick Symmes baits and tracks down bike thieves with a cherry ride and a cheesy lock for his February feature.
Ali Carr Troxell talks to the Man Vs. Wild star about his new Craghoppers clothing line, his new book, and his new live stage show. Yes, you read that right.
Will America's best skier ever win his sport's most prestigious race?
Photo: Geoff Livingston/Flickr Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy nabbed one of Patagonia's most sought-after objectives on Monday when they made the first “fair means” ascent of Cerro Torre's infamous southeast ridge, bypassing the bolt ladders placed by first…