After six-and-a-half grueling days, the British team Helly-Hansen Prunesco bested 14 international teams and held on to their title at the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race, the “world's toughest and wildest race” through the southernmost reaches of Chilean Patagonia. The 600km course has teams…

Overlooked mountain ranges, river beer, running album, gear of all time, and 47 other big ideas, accidental winners, and awesome things about the world outside we've come to love over the past 33 years. Introducing our first annual Editors' Choice Awards...

This may be your best shot to look like a world-class snowboarder. Beginning February 15th we'll be giving away 20 pairs of limited edition Bollé goggles signed by Olympians Lindsey Jacobellis and Seth Wescott. It's easy to win. All you…

Between now and the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, athletes will receive a total of 1014 medals. All that bling represents a goodly amount of the Earth's minerals. But this year, and for the first time, a percentage of the metals used to forge…

I got to catch up with three-time 24-hour solo world champion cyclist Rebecca Rusch, who is in Patagonia, Argentina for winter training. She decided to participate in the Trans Andes stage race and chose…

Daniel Woods has just completed an ascent of what he calls “The Game” in Boulder Canyon, a V16 climb, which The North Face said could be the most difficult boulder problem in the world. Others…

Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old luge competitor in the Olympics, died in a training crash today at the Whistler Sliding Center's track, The New York Times reports. He lost control of his sled 48 seconds…

The Richmond Olympic Oval, the arena for speed-skating at the Vancouver Olympics, is getting a thumbs up from athletes for its environmentally conscious design and its beauty, Reuters reports. The roof was made from…

In his latest suspected airplane heist, teen fugitive Colton Harris-Moore nearly entered restricted airspace surrounding the city of Vancouver, which is under tight security ahead of the Winter Olympics, according to CNN.

Colorado rafting outfitters, who contribute $142 million to the state'seconomy every year, won their first battle in securing rightsto float in-state rivers, reports paddlinglife.net. Developers want to prohibit rafters from providing trips on some…

Wild weather makes the next couple of months the hardest time of the year to plan an adventure. To help you out, we've worked up game plans for all kinds of conditions. Your job? Just check the doppler—then go.

The Center for Biological Diversity is distributing 100,000 free Endangered Species Condoms in all 50 states for Valentine's Day to underscore how unsustainable human population growth is driving species extinct at a cataclysmic rate,…

A couple of years ago I got the chance to interview the cast and crew of The Deadliest Catch in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. My first interview was with Captain Phil…

Last night, a stolen Cirrus plane landed on Orcas Island, a favorite stomping ground for infamous teen fugitive Colton Harris-Moore, giving residents reason to assume the “Barefoot Burglar” is at it again, according to the…

It is about a month before teams from all around the world packtheir duffel bags for the flights to Kathmandu. Thus far the southlooks like business as usual with about 16 teams already announced. Toput this in perspective, in 2007, when we saw a record number ofEverest…

Seventeen avalanches in Afghanistan's 12,000-foot-high Salang Pass area buried more than two miles of highway yesterday, after heavy winds and rain loosened up recent heavy snowfall.  More than one hundred cars were trapped — many inside the notoriously dangerous tunnel — and at at least 64 people are dead or feared dead…

Skiers Keith Christien and Michael Wagener of Team Rampinnnggg took home gold last weekend at the first of several Helly Hansen Big Mountain Battles.  The event, held at Taos Ski Valley Resort in New Mexico, challenged 47 two-person teams to an intense, big-mountain course of ascents and descents. The winners…

CNN reported today that alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn may not be able to compete in the Olympics due to a crushingly painful shin injury. Her worst injury yet, it was sustained in a crash during a recent practice in Austria. Though there is…

Just days before Lindsey Vonn is slated to compete in her first event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. We just blogged that the skier revealed a shin injury she'd sustained Feb. 3 during…

Ellen Miller is a quiet climber. Many people have not heard of her athletic and mountaineering achievements. For example, she is the only woman to summit Everest from both sides within the span of one year. I first met Ellen in 2002, on an expedition in which she summited…

Think of it as skiing's equivalent of a backstage pass: This March, Chugach Powder Guides will host a special heli-ski trip with pro skiers Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad in Alaska's Chugach Range. Let's just say that these two know what they're doing.

More sad news to report: A slide killed at least 17 soldiers when it hit a military training camp near Gulmarg, a popular Indian ski resort, today. This border with Pakistan has long been disputed in one of the world's highest-altitude wars. The Christian…

I shamelessly swiped this VholdR helmet-cam video from my friends over at Skiing magazine. Check out these pretty (ahem) sweet-looking lines from Chamonix, courtesy of athletes Tim Dutton, Jackie Paaso and JT Holmes.  —Kate Siber…

We don’t know where this video was taken or how Backpacker found it, but it’s pretty cool. The video features a three-legged black bear and her cub. All is normal until the bear stands up on two legs and walks…

When a young woman is killed by coyotes on a busy trail in broad daylight, how worried should we be?

The 2010 adventure racing season is about to begin. The first big race of the year, the Wenger Patagonian Expedition, begins tomorrow in Chile. The course runs 372 miles (600 km) over eight days. The…

Kick Kennedy The dynastic brothers are gone, but up comes the next generation. Kick, 21, a senior at Stanford, has quietly built a résumé fighting for water conservation. In 2006, she joined an Imax crew filming Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk and became…

Eight skiers and climbers were killed by an avalanche in Iran's Alborz Mountains on a road between popular ski areas Shamshak and Dizzine, reported Iranian and international news agencies today. Rescuers saved another 49 victims, including three foreigners.  Iran might not immediately conjure images of steep, snowy mountain ranges, but…

Merced River Waterfalls photo by David Liu The National Parks Service is crafting a new Merced River Plan that could restrict climbing and camping near the river. The plan isn't finalized yet and the park service extended the public comment period to the end of…

You already heard about the SnowSports Industries of America (SIA) trade show that happened in Denver, Colorado, last week from our Powder Feed blogger, Kate Siber! She gave you a round-up on some of the best new gear out there. But, wait. What…

Women's ski jumping will simply have to wait to become the next sport deemed worthy enough for the Olympics. Check out this awesome contender:  —Kate Siber…

The New York Times Magazine features Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn this week. Of course, we're partial to our own profile, “Nine…

The 2010 Billabong ISA World Surfing Games are headed to Latin America. Peru will host 200 of the world's best surfers this October. Sound like you've heard this before? Maybe you're thinking of the great 1965 World Surfing Championships…

Freestyle mountain biker Andreu Lacondeguy has just acheived unprecedented amplitude on a 45-feet long speed jump. He got about 35 feet out and 25 feet high from his FMX ramp, which he had hauled to the small village of…

Pro Kayak Angler Drew Gregory knows a thing or two about catching fish from a kayak, but he's certainly no match for the birds. In a surprise attack featured on backcountry.com, Gregory has to worry about a new obstacle while kayak…

Once again, an Everest expedition is trying to solve the who done itmystery of Everest: did George Mallory and Sandy Irvine summit Mt.Everest in 1924? You see Sandy Irvine, who went missing on Everest'sNorth side in 1924, had a camera. A  plan is emerging for a new search for the…

Injuries? What injuries? Both of America's great medal hopes for ski cross, Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves, are ready to compete in the Olympic Games despite recent injuries, says U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association CEO Bill Marolt. In Aspen's Winter X Games last weekend, Rahlves sustained a dislocated hip and…

Courtesy of Flickr Punxsutawney Phil, a.k.a. Mr. Groundhog of Groundhog Day, has seen his shadow this morning in Pennsylvania, the AP reports. That means six more weeks of winter, so you’ve…

In my book, every trade show or conference necessitates at least a day or two of recovery, ideally in a ski town. So on my way home from SIA in Denver, I stopped in Breckenridge. I hadn't been there since a family ski trip in, oh, 1993. It wound…

When visiting one of the best ski towns in North America, it's worth it to splurge on a meal in one of the country's best restaurants. But these days such trips are in short supply, so what can you do? Not much, unless you have a recipe.  I gathered up…

“Pipeline likes certain people.” That’s how surfing legend and two-time Pipe Master Gerry Lopez explains the epic performance of Brett Barley at this year’s…

What does it take to make the U.S. Ski Team's Olympic roster? A lot, according to the new documentary “Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team's Road to Vancouver.” After airing on Saturday, it's now free (in HD!) at iTunes, thanks to sponsor Audi.  —…

There have been several trade shows in outdoorlandia in the past couple of weeks. I just spent the last two days at SIA, the big snow sports show in Denver.  If you've never been to a trade show, it can best be described as a spectacle. Picture…

Just in case you were out and missed the 2010 Winter X Games, we compiled a list of our ten favorite moments. You don't have to agree. Tell us what you think in the comments section below. 10) Anything involving…

Daron Rahlves sustained a heinous crash in the ski-cross finals of the X Games yesterday, dislocating his hip. He was wincing as an ambulance sped him from the course, reported the Denver Post. This brings up the obvious question: Will he recover in time to compete in…

In 1999, at the age of forty-three, Lori Schneider awoke with numbness in over 50 percent of her body. Two months later, her entire body was numb. She had Multiple Sclerosis – MS. MS is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, and often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed…

Courtesy of Wikimedia The Kızılot municipality in Turkey's Manavgat district of Antalya has just banned fireworks during the summer to protect loggerhead sea turtles in the area, the Anatolia News…

Ted Ligety has won the World Cup giant slalom in Slovenia for the third year in a row. This is his first World Cup win this season, and he cinched it with a combined time of 2:22. Austria's Marcel Hirscher took second…

Portraits from photographer Michael Lavine of the next generation water conservationist.

I'm picky about ski packs. My requirements: It has to carry well. It has to have enough pockets but not too many, enough straps but not too many, and a good weight-to-capacity ratio.  I have to admit that I wasn't overly keen on the Deuter Freerider PRO 30 when I…

It seems everyone is a fan of Avatar. Officials in China renamed the Southern Sky Column to Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, according to The Goat. Hallelujah Mountain, of course, is the exact name of the mountain in the film Avatar. Chinese officials,…

Actiona and lifestyle photos of the three-time champ.

Chris Davenport has returned from his Antarctica skiing adventure. And the film crew that accompanied him (Granite Films) brought back some pretty amazing footage. Below is…

Courtesy of Wikimedia E. coli's been the culprit for many a food poisoning, but it turns out the microbe's got some good uses, too. The company LS9, which bills itself as a “renewable petroleum company,” has just made a major breakthrough…

The creation of the European-based Freeride World Tour has taken freeskiing (also called extreme skiing) competition to a whole new level.  Athletes that areawarded one of the few coveted spots on this circuit get the chance to competeon massive, unskied faces in…

In the climbing world there are a few people who uniquely stand out:Messner, Viesturs, Moro, House, and many more – you know the names. Andthen there are those climbers who have forgotten more climbs than mostpeople have attempted. They may not have been the most difficult orgarnered the fame…

photo: Pavel Novak Historian Tom Holzel may have figured out a way to determine once and for all if George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the first to summit Everest in 1924,…

Wish you could be climbing in Patagonia right now? This as close as you'll get from your office desk. Colin Haley wore a helmet cam while ascending Aguja Guillaumet. The audio is a little choppy from the wind, but the video is well worth it. (Hat tips:…

Courtesy of Flickr The West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide Ice Core drilling project, whose goal is to improve scientists understanding of climate change, has just finished pulling up about 75 percent…

Live screenings of this year's Aspen X Games will be hosted in Denver, Colorado, according to…

Courtesy of NASA Hayley Shephard will attempt the first ever solo sea kayak expedition around South Georgia Island. Her goal is to bring attention to the endangered albatross bird. She will set out on February 3, facing extreme cold, frigid…

A comprehensive training program will not only prepare us to run 636 kilometers across Lake Baikal in about ten days, it will also help to prevent injury while dragging 100 pounds of gear and food along the way. Here are…

The 2011 Tour de France will begin with a flat stage in the Vendee region on the western coast, states…

Freestyle skiers were some of the last American athletes to find out whether they were Vancouver-bound this season. After the long wait, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Bill Marolt, the U.S. Olympic Committee and Team, and Visa announced the official Olympic roster at Utah's Deer Valley Resort…

Colorado's Arapahoe Basin will host its eighth annual Beacon Bowl and Avalanche Awareness Day  on Saturday, February 6, according to skinet.com. The…

For a few seasons now, Salomon has been handily churning out mini ski movies and publishing them on its website. These bite-size bits of inspiration are the best antidote to the Tuesday afternoon blues I've found so far. The latest episode, #15, is one of the better ones—a story about…

The PacSun USA surf team has taken the overall lead at the 2010 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships in…

TAWOCHE 2k10 dispatches #4 from renan ozturk on Vimeo. Renan Ozturk and Cory Richards completed the first ascent of Tawoche's central south buttress, reports…

Five Americans represented the U.S. National Team at the final round ofthe UCI Track World Cup in Beijing, January 22-24, reports…

“Truth in Motion”, a documentary on the U.S. Ski Team produced by Audi, will premiere this Saturday, 8 p.m., on NBC. The film follows the lives of the U.S. skiers as they prepare for the…

Felix Baumgartner wants to become the first man to break the speed of sound with his own body. The project is called…

The human spirit is an amazing creature. Somehow, climbing big mountains brings it out. Cindy Abbott is no exception. With a broken leg on Aconcagua, she hobbled down from the high camps to be helicopter out, had surgery and was climbing again seven weeks later. Now she is going…

Andre Greipel has clinched his second Tour Down Under, reports Bicycling News. Greipel took an early lead in the 2010 Tour, winning the first two stages, and fought off challenges by both Lance Armstrong and Team Sky. Greipel…

The U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Park City was held last week. Kelly Clark placed first on the women's side, and Shaun White took the victory for the men. Oh, and White also landed the first ever…

As we mentioned in our November issue, Yosemite National Park is a great place to play in winter. But not this weekend: Thanks to El Nino's weeklong onslaught, all roads leading into the park are temporarily closed. Check the park's homepage…

Courtesy of Flickr The U.S. Energy Department has put out a report stating that 20 percent of the electricity demand in homes and businesses in the eastern half of the country could be met with wind…

Courtesy of Flickr Ryan Waters, 36, and Cecilie Skog, 35, have become the first to achieve an unassisted crossing of Antarctica, Explorers Web reports. They started their expedition on November 13, 2009 and ended…

Colton Harris-Moore, a.k.a. “the barefoot burglar” of Camano and Orcas Island, is still at large after 640 days since breaking free from prison, Bob Friel reports. Friel, who wrote the story on Harris-Moore in the January/February issue of…

It's been dumping (again) here in Southwest Colorado, so last night I took off early from work to lap some runs at the local pint-sized home-town ski area: Hesperus. It has precisely one wooden-seat lift (circa 1958) that goes approximately 2 miles per hour,…

Last one up the mountain? Well, you can be the first down the pow with this handy skin-ripping technique. Veteran ski mountaineer Andrew McLean, who's bagged first descents on all seven continents, shows how in this recent video he posted to his blog.  —Kate Siber…