Adventure
ArchiveThe third boot I tried in my quest for the perfect alpine touring boot was the Dynafit Gaia TF-X, the company's premier women's alpine touring boot. (Check out tips on buying AT boots and a review of the Black Diamond Shiva in Quest, Part I and…
One measure of climbing difficulty is the rating and climbing has aterminology of it's own. You read that she just redpointed a 5.12c andwonder if this was something from NASA, or Congress. I have seen Everest described as a simple “walk-up” meaning that noactual climbing is involved so I…
Chad Kellogg, 38, will attempt to set a speed record on Mt. Everest without oxygen.* Kellogg will spend five to six weeks preparing, learning the route, and establishing camps. For the journey, he plans to start going up through the…
The US Mint recently announced the first five quarters in the “America the Beautiful Quarters Program”. The Mint will release five quarters each year until 56 National Parks are represented. This year's…
The husband-and-wife duo Allison and Justin Mann made a note-worthy showing at the recent U.S. Cup Pro XCT #1 in Fontana. Allison came in fifth for XC, second in super D, and ninth in short track, while Justin came in second in Cat One.
Park rangers are finding measurablespikes in groundwater bacteria as a result of human waste near popular hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, according to backcountry.com. Thesolution? Handing out free poop bags at the trailhead and asking people to pack it out. The good…
At the Criterium International, Alberto Contador finished 15th and Lance Armstrong 47th, according to bicycling.com. With its tough time trial and climbing stage, the Criterium is…
Here's one thing I don't get about ski culture: In November, everyone is thinking about skiing, and the skiing usually sucks. In April, everyone has their eye on the beach, and yet the skiing often rocks. Here's a secret, folks: Spring can actually be the best time to ski. Why?…
And the season begins. This week, climbers started arriving inKathmandu. Some immediately tried to get to Lukla, without success, andothers tried to get into Tibet, without success. However, as we enter Sunday in Nepal, the clouds broke and flights to Luklastarted again. I am receiving notes from climbers…
Resorts are diversifying their offers more and more to try to please as many riders as possible. A new generation of skiers wants something new, and resorts are building terrain parks to cater to them. Not only do terrain parks present a place to play, they also…
In my quest for the perfect alpine ski touring boot, my second trial pair was the Scarpa Diva, the company's premier women's Dynafit-compatible alpine touring boot. (See Quest, Part I for tips on how to buy…
Climbers continue to stream into Kathmandu from all around theworld. I updated the expedition count and can already identify over150 named climbers just on the south side and over 50 on the north. But the true number could easily exceed 350 total on both sides. Toput this in context,…
Here's a video recap of the 10th annual U.S. Ski Mountaineering National Championships. The event featured 7,850 feet of ascending and descending in Jackson Hole and took on place March 21st. Contestants skinned…
The year may be young, but it's been a roller coaster of events and emotions so far for Julia Mancuso. The skier, who was the only American female Olympic gold medal winner in 2006, won two silver medals in the…
Julia Mancuso took third at the Nissan Xtreme in Verbier last weekend (video above). Not bad, considering she lacks freeskiing experience. In a Ski Magazine…
Another batch of snow in Santa Fe means one thing: Time to watch some surfing videos. You can check out the ASP WQS Vans Pier Classic at Huntington Beach live at the Vans website. The event began…
When it comes to backcountry ski gear, climbing skins might be the the least exciting things to buy. But think of them as unsung heroes. They don't look sexy, but hell, if they get gunked up with snow or don't stick, they'll ruin your day. A little care in…
Jeff Rouse [47, West Palm Beach] I had a pretty good sense of the devastation in Haiti themoment I stepped off the plane. You get a vibe. It’s on the people’s faces. Igot the same feeling when working in Turkey and Columbia after theirearthquakes. As…
Outside readers entered the Expedition of a Lifetime contest to win a five-day climbing expedition of Mt. Rainier with legendary guides, Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker plus First Ascent gear. Entrants were required…
Orvis is holding a contest for people to submit their favorite outdoors or fishing photos, with the winning submission being used for their Fly Fishing catalog, according to orvis.com. The…
French captain Franck Cammas and his nine-person crew aboard the multi-hulled Groupama 3 have set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by sail,crossing the finish line this past Saturday 48 days, 7 hours, 44minutes and 52…
Here's a video wrap-up of our expedition. We finished in under 14 days, setting a new record, despite having to go slower than planned. The ice rubble and the winds were tough, but we stuck it out and made it through. –Kevin Vallely and Ray Zahab In March…
Finally. After four years spent designing, re-designing and building a ship like no other, Eco-adventurer David de Rothschild, his crew, and 12,000 plastic bottles set sail on March 20, bound for Sydney, by way of the Eastern Garbage Patch and its vortex of plastic crap. The swirling mass…
Photograph by Kyle Dickman Environmentalists, supported by the U.S., have won a key victory in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, a 175-nation affair held for two weeks in Doha, Qatar. The…
Sledding, that noble winter-weekend sport, looks simple. It’s not. Here are the ten best sleds** to do it right (don’t worry, there is still plenty of snow), whether you’re a kid in the Rockies or an over-the-hiller in Flatlandia. (Watch our testing video.) 10. TSL…
On my first Himalayan expedition, I spent $1 per character to sendan email. “Hi, I’m back safely” costs $19! How times have changed. Twittering from the Top is not unheard of today. Expeditions sendemails, pictures and videos from trek to summit – all for pennies.Social media is a key…
Last Thursday, I had an early morning flight to San Francisco. I left my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, without my morning coffee but remembered my reusable cup. (I’m patting my back right now, by the way.) The coffee shack at the airport told me if…
If you blew it on Valentine's Day or need to earn some extra points with your snugglebuns, I have two words of advice: Aspen/Snowmass. My boyfriend Andrew and I recently splurged on a short-n-sweet weekend getaway and devised an excellent game plan, if I do say so myself. All you…
I took a trip just south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, recently with High Mountain Heli Skiing. The day kicked off in town with introductions to the guides, an overview of safety rules for the Bell 407, avalanche safety, and transceiveruse.
Over at The Cleanest Line, Patagonia's do-good blog, you can track the progress of team Rios Libres, a pack of writers (including Greg Childs), photographers, guides and general adventure types who are have traveled to South America in an effort…
You've had a season's pass to your local mountain for a decade and lap runs like they're mole hills. You're ready to hit the backcountry and maybe even some bigger lines. But how? To take it to the next level you need a good guide, and to get the…
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, said to be the Last Great Race on Earth, spans from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, over 1,100 miles in 11 days or less. Teams cover the harshest cold weather imaginable through treacherous mountain terrain and over frozen seas. For…
Starting this morning at 1am, Washington State and federal authorities began searching a remote part of Orcas Island for the teen burglar known as the Barefoot Bandit—this according to San Juan County Sheriff Bill Cummings. Dog-tracking teams and personnel from various law-enforcement agencies are swarming the area, where they…
The 2010 U.S. Open Cycling Championships have been canceled. Race organizers cited lack of funding and sponsorship as the primary reason for canceling the race. The U.S. Open began in 2007, running from Williamsburg to Richmond, Virginia. This year's…
During the tragic 1996 climbing season on Mount Everest, there was only one medical doctor at Camp III: Ken Kamler. Kamler spoke at…
The Sierra Club is offering the world's best internship, according to sierraclub.org. From the club's San Francisco headquarters, interns will travel the country to raft and hike with the…
I just returned from Thailand where I spent two weeks working with Trip Jennings, one of the athletes feature in this month’s Adventure Issue, on his Elephant Ivory Project. The 27-year-old filmmaker is…
Masochistic surf kook bent on taming very large stand-up paddleboard seeks Graveyard of the Atlantic for island-linking expedition entirely at whim of wind and waves.
Lance Armstrong (Team RadioShack) and AlbertoContador (Team Astana) will compete in the 2010 CriteriumInternational, their first race…
Cruise ships and wildlife buses? The tourist staples miss the point of Alaska: It's the last real place to find an epic, crowd-free adventure on American soil. We've scoured the state for the best wilderness lodges, river trips, lonely highways, and DIY escapes. Bear mace not included.
For two men who've previously run across the Sahara, biked the Iditarod trail, and trekked to the South Pole, this expedition has proved to be one of our toughest. The harsh Siberian winter showed its teeth as we made our way across Lake Baikal unsupported, dragging 110-lb.
These days, cutting-edge expeditions often happen because gear companies believe there's promotional gold in the combination of top outdoor athletes, dream adventures (like skiing first descents in the mountains of Antarctica), and cool Web images from the bottom of the world. Does it work? Heck if I know. But it sure was fun being a content provider.
The First Descents' EddyFlower Vertical Challenge kicks off today. Founded by kayaker Brad Ludden, First Descents is a nonprofit that raises funds to send young adults with cancer to adventure camps. For the…
On March 21, 2010, extreme athlete Bill Heaner will attempt to jump from an air balloon, take a spin on his paraglider, and then reenter the same air balloon on the same flight…
The list of seven summits climbers used to read like an alpinist all-star team. Now there are kids who can include it on their college applications.
A scientific survey stated women find men who rock climb more attractive, according to ukclimbing.com. The report also stated men liked women who practice Yoga and cook. In a shocking revelation, men who enjoy Cheetos and Guitar Hero did…
Ina few weeks climbers will trade their warm homes and soft beds for twomonths of bitter cold, extreme heat and mind numbing oxygen deprivationas they seek to stand on the top of the world. I will be covering this season as I have for the past 8 years as…
Last spring, I decided to ride my bike to an event in a distant suburb of San Francisco. So I went to the Internets, plugged in my destination and, voila, my journey was charted. Except, it wasn’t. About 15 miles into the ride, I ran into a…
We're still moving along, but slower than planned. We've averaged less than our target of 60 to 65 kilometers a day because we've had to walk, instead of run, through blocks of ice heaved upon Lake Baikal's surface. There are stretches when we can run relatively clear and free,…
You voted on the 10 Greatest Adventurers Since 1900. We're impressed with your picks—but we'll stick with our list. Check immediately below for the top 10. If you want to see the full results, a list by percentage is embedded at the bottom of this…
I was lucky enough to race duo with Specialized's rock star, Rebecca Rusch, in Argentina's Tour de la Patagonia, a three-day stage race. This was our first race–and first ride–together. We ended up winning the open women's category and came in 23rd out of…
The 2010 Iditarod is underway. As of this post, Sebastian Schnuelle was in first place and fan favorite Lance Mackey was in 14th, although the race is far from over. The 1,150-mile…
Target has announced its stores will soon be carrying Shaun White Shoes, which will…
Not in person. On a Wheaties box. Wheaties recently announced the athletes to be featured on their famed boxes. Vonn (the best female skier in the world?), Shaun White, and Seth Wescott were all chosen…
Checking in after Days Four and Five, when we've made some decent mileage: 53 and 41 kilometers, respectively. The numbers are below our target daily average of around 60 kilometers, but we had to slow down and walk once we hit some ice rubble. As you can tell from…
Lance Armstrong was interviewed by Spanish newspaper El Pais today. In the interview, Armstrong was asked whether or not he could beat Contador in this year's Tour de France, Reuters reports. His reply? “It doesn't look…
Outside online contributor Josie Boulding recently started an online web series on travel. Here latest trip took her to the North Shore of Hawaii where she interviews Jamie O’Brien and gets surf tips from a pro at Hans Hedemann surf…
It's been years since I bought my first alpine touring set-up, and I'm long overdue for an upgrade. So this season I set about testing all sorts of equipment in search of the perfect quiver. Step one: boots. I tested four pairs: the Black Diamond Shiva, Scarpa Diva, Dynafit Gaia,…
A better day today. Made it 50.5 kilometers. And we actually got to run, even as we maneuvered around broken ice! We woke at dawn to a snow-filled tent. Another wind storm had blown a foot of snow inside overnight, which we took an hour to clear. We were…
A difficult day today. We were hit with a wind storm first thing, which slowed us down considerably and left us having to run quickly in the last 20 kilometers before another wind storm stopped us. We decided to set up camp instead of risking getting caught in another…
We’ve traveled 60 kilometers on our first day of the expedition, meeting our daily quotient. If we keep this up, we’ll be able to traverse Lake Baikal in record time. Our day started before dark, when we pushed through deep snow, but once we got onto the ice, we…
This past weekend, not one but two groups of snowboarders got lost while riding the gnarly backside of Maine’s Sugarloaf ski resort. Five snowboarders ducked the ropes Friday and were rescued later that night. Four more went out of bounds Sunday and were rescued Monday. Now Sugarloaf plans to stick…
Olympic viewers will remember Alexandre Bilodeau as the first athlete to win gold for Canada in Vancouver in the men's moguls. He's also the first Canadian ever to win a gold medal on home soil. But just as memorable…
Photos retracing Mao Zedong's epic 1934 long march through China's great snowy mountains.
The last few days have been a flurry of activity as we have been organizing our gear and packing our sleds for our run across Lake Baikal. An unsupported expedition like ours requires a meticulous eye for…
Photos of the big-wave skier from Jimmy Chin and Angel Rodri.
Don't like our list? Tell us your picks for the 10 greatest adventurers.
The International Olympic Committee has granted full recognition to the International Federation of Sport Climbing, making climbing eligible for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics. In recent years the sport has gained popularity, especially in…
The Olympics have officially wrapped up, and in case you missed the major events of the last week of the Games in Vancouver, here's our list of the best moments: 5. Canada beat the U.S. in men's hockey, 3 to 2, in an overtime…
Last weekend, Swiss engineer and leading avalanche-safety expert Manuel Genswein was near Salt Lake City to showoff a device meant for surviving a deadly snow slide — a set of airbags designed into a backpack for floating atop avalanche debris, states the Associated…
Lance Armstrong finished 46th in the first stage of the Tour of Murcia, reports espn.com. Robert Hunter of Garmin-Transitions won the stage, a 103-mile ride around the coastal town of…
The first ascent of a giant north face in northern China, completed last summer by Americans Jed Brown and Kyle Dempster with Scottish climber Bruce Normand, is one of five nominees for this years Piolets d'Or, states…
Lei Wang may be about to accomplish something by her calculations only nine other peoplehave done thus far: stand on top of the 7 Summits and ski the lastdegree to north and south poles – assuming she summits Everest about 3months from now. Growing up in China, Lei spent…
Olympic gold-medalist Shaun White was a guest last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He's also on the cover of this month's…