Adventure
ArchivePoles The Classic Scott’s Team Issue poles ($120; scottusa.com) are made from aircraft-grade aluminum (translation: twice as strong as cheapies) and have a really simple and durable strap. BACKCOUNTRY READY Need extra leverage? A quick flick is all it takes to extend Black Diamond’s aluminum Boundary…
Sure, it's great to see amazing feats of agility and speed in surfing videos, but sometimes you just want to see some wicked wipeouts. Luckily, TransWorld's got it covered with some cringe-worthy crashes from the…
On Sunday, a German man who was about to board a flight from New Zealand was found to have 44 lizards stashed in his underwear, reports TreeHugger. The man confessed to being an endangered species dealer, and expected to get $1,500…
Sure, it's not the world record solo kayak drop (186 ft.) set by Tyler Bradt last April, but this world record tandem drop is still pretty impressive. Anton Immler and Steve Fisher (one of Outside's Top 10 Athletes to follow on Twitter) took this…
First-time participant Greg Long (featured by Outside in 2008) scored a perfect ride to win Quiksilver's Eddie Aikau event. Long rallied in the final heat of the day, knocking Kelly Slater from the lead. Riders at Waimea Bay, Hawaii were treated to the “largest sustained episode”…
First Descents, a nonprofit founded by kayaker Brad Ludden to benefit young adults with cancer via outdoor adventure sports, will hold a ski-weekend fundraiser December 10 to 12 at the Ritz-Carlton,…
Lance Armstrong said the RadioShack Pro Tour team is taking a “team approach”, reports VeloNews. The nine-member team won't be focused solely on Armstrong's objectives, but will instead try to succeed as a team. Armstrong also said he feels better this December than he did at…
The inaugural adidas TERREX Adventure Race will be held in Lake District, in northwest England, August 27-30, according to the Adventure Blog. Registration for the event begins December 15th. The registration fee for a team of four will be £1350. For those who aren't up to the…
The climbing season on the highest mountain outside the Himalayashas just begun and the first death has already occurred. Americanclimber, Michael Nimitsil died during his descent. The 39-year-old climber had attempted the summit twice and on histhird attempt was returning when he is reported to have become lost in a…
Kelly Slater has just scored 98 out of 100 points for riding a big wave in Round 1 of Quiksilver's Eddie Aikau event at Waimea Bay. Slater won in 2002, and he's after a repeat win, which would be…
Quiksilver's Eddie Aikau contest, the only big-wave event of the ASP Tour, is gearing up for what looks to be a day of major swells. Tom Carroll, a two-time world champion, has already fallen victim to a…
The UN defends its stance on the role that humans play in climate change, in response to news of leaked emails that purportedly show scientists suppressing evidence to the contrary, Reuters reports. “Nothing that has come out in the public as…
Elyse Saugstad, 31, is one of the top women freeskiers on the planet, and The Levitation Project recently released a solo video of her footage. (Check it out below. Pretty badass.) I caught up with her this evening…
Not everyone can help David de Rothschild build a ship out of plastic bottles and sail it across an ocean. For those of us stuck at home, Adventure Ecology is offering another option: Build a toy version. The toy Plastiki is a scale model…
Lindsey Vonn, called the “Best Skier in the World” by Outside in 2008, was just .03 seconds off from sweeping the speed events at the first World Cup event of the season, reports the Los Angeles Examiner. Vonn won downhill events at the Lake Louise…
Chris Davenport, the pro who skied all 54 of Colorado's fourteeners in a year, is on to the next big project: Antarctica. At the moment, he and a team of skiers are cruising around the icy continent in a 75-foot boat with enough muscle to navigate through icebergs. Along the…
In the December issue, we looked at the “Most Underrated Ski Resorts” in Vermont. On the other side of the continent, Whistler Blackcomb is getting buried in snow. The resort reported 18 ft. of snow through the month of November. The previous one month record? A…
Climbers Martin Ploug and Kristoffer Szilas were the first to summit Ren Zhong Fen, a mountain in Sichuan province, China. Climbing Magazine has the story and photos from the climb. The 5,800 meter mountain was unknown to climbers until Japanese explorer Tamotsu Nakamura made them aware of…
Welcome to the 2010 Everest Coverage. I will be posting summary updates on Outside Online and detailed posts on my site at www.alanarnette.com. Even though most teams willnot arrive in Kathmandu until late March, climbers are busy training,finalizing expedition members, organizing logistics and for some,making huge plans.
This year's O'Neill World Cup of Surfing was hit with the largest surf ever contested in the 27-year history of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. The waves crashing on Sunset Beach, HI, were 20 to 25 feet and even bigger swells are in the forecast for the next few…
Photos and videos from New Zealand's premier winter sport and lifestyle event.
Imagine this: You live in Summit County, Colorado and a local sheriff's deputy calls to ask if your ski-bum son is having a sex change. Um, what? That is precisely what happened when police busted a woman using a guy's ski pass at Keystone, according to the…
Are you a girl looking to get away? The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is giving away a weekend for you and three friends, worth $1,200, to ski the Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, NC. The package includes two nights at the Boyd Mountain Log Cabins, two days of…
Errol Kerr, 23, will be the only member of Jamaica's ski team for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Sponsored by Spyder, Kerr is predicted to be a medal contender in the skiercross event. Kerr moved to Tahoe when he was ten but has duel citizenship…
Professional snowboarder or indie skateboarder? We're not sure. But, it doesn't matter because we like it! The Burton uniform for the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team to compete in at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, that is. Can't you just picture…
People give when they know it will buy something tangible. We asked directors at five organizations to tell us what donations from $50 to $50K would accomplish.
The Rim of Africa, set to open to the public in October of 2010, will be the first long distance hiking trail on the African continent. Influenced by the Appalachian trail and the Continental Divide, the trail will wind along the gorgeous landscapes of…
Powder days have already been flying in the Pacific Northwest, and they're not far behind in the rest of the country (hopefully). That means backcountry skiers and snowboarders across the land are dusting off the helmets, waxing up the old planks and… brushing up on their avy safety. I shall…
Forest fires get a bad rap. Too often, with all the focus on the damage they could cause, we forget that they're actually necessary to keep the forest healthy and growing. BBC News explains how the build-up of vegetation can prevent seeds…
Five years ago, Chad Kagy broke his neck while practicing a double backflip for the Gravity Games. But that didn't stop him: ESPN has a sick video of Kagy completing a double backflip — and this time, he's doing them over a distance of…
BMX was born when some kids somewhere (commonly thought of as SoCal) started racing their modified 20’ Schwinn Stingrays and created a revolution. These kids were jamming through the dirt, heavily influenced by the motocross heroes of the '70s. As for today, well, my buddies–Mario Correa, Neil Adams, Mark Sheetz–and…
Homer, the dummy, has been taking one on the chin—and everywhere else—for you.
Photo: Anne Mustoe from her website By Mary Catherine O'Connor For some people, the only kinds of bike rides to go on are the epic kind. Such was the opinion, it seems, of Anne Mustoe,…
It’s hard to call an Olympic silver medal a defeat, but that’s what Gretchen Bleiler’s 2006 halfpipe loss to Vermont native Hannah Teter seemed like. Bleiler, the 28-year-old from Aspen, Colorado, has been the dominant woman in snowboarding for the past half-decade, but she’s entering this Olympic year as an…
A new travel outfitter is offering up dream adventures guided by elite athletes. Is it too much of a good thing?
Where would we be without the down jacket, high-altitude sunscreen, and some of the first waterproof/breathable fabrics? Luckily, we don't have to think about that, because we've got Klaus. The founder of ski/snowboard outfitter Obermeyer turned 90 this week, reports Skiing magazine, and it doesn't…
He's kinda fat and more than a little rude (and he drinks like a fish). But long-distance swimmer Martin Strel has become the world's most unlikely philanthropist—out to save the world's dirtiest rivers a million awkward strokes at a time.
Hundreds of people showed up at the extInked event in the UK for a chance to get a tattoo of an endangered species, New Scientist reports. Volunteers had to fill out a form explaining why they should be the one to…
The Endangered Species Coalition has just released America’s Hottest Species, a list of the ten animals and plants most susceptible to extinction from climate change. The list includes: Kaua’i/’Akikiki Creeper…
South Africa has to deal with a new type of criminal: baboons who have learned to open car doors and go through windows in search of food, the AP reports. A band of 29 baboons have gone after…
The most often asked question of anyone who does a dangerous or unique undertaking is “Why?” My altimeter watch shows that I have climbed over 500,000 vertical feet, 90,000 on Everest expeditions alone. I must like it! Today, I climb to raise Alzheimer's awareness and research funds but also I…
The National Ski Patrol is holding an online auction through December 9. Proceeds will go to the emergency care and safety service programs. You can bid on gear, ski passes, vacation packages, and collector's items. Check out nsp.auctionfrogs.org for…
Lange has teamed up with Freeskier Magazine for the Local Lange Girl Contest, a regional and national competition whose goal is to find strong, sexy women who can really rip on the slopes. Regional…
Want to take an exotic trip and engage in some do-gooding, too? Check out Roadmonkey Adventure Philanthropy’s next adventure tour, which combines climbing Kilimanjaro with building a fishpond at a local Tanzanian school (June 12 26, $4,395; roadmonkey.net). And if you can’t make that journey, don’t despair.
The Environmental Protection Agency did not approve an industry wide request to add more ethanol to the standard fuel mix, despite the fact that most cars are equipped to handle the new ethanol-to-fuel ratio. The EPA was meant to decide by December 1…
The first “Girls Can Shred Too” event will take place January 23, 2009 on ski slopes all over the world. Promoted internationally, “Girls Can Shred Too” is an entire day dedicated to getting girls out on the slopes and into snowboarding. Head organizer Kassandra Cassily, a certified snowboard instructor, started…
A study by the University of Rochester cited in Scientific American has reinforced what some of us might have already suspected: Spending time in nature not only helps our moods, it helps us become less self-centered and adopt more intrinsic values (relationships, experiences like powder days) as opposed to extrinsic…
The first of five World Cup events for American alpine snowboarders was canceled yesterday due to poor snow conditions. The events, held in Limone Piemonte, Italy, will also be used as Olympic qualifiers. The U.S. Olympic team…
On his bizarro bottle boat, David de Rothschild is leading us to a new era of reusable plastics while resurrecting purpose in big-time adventure.
Canadian downhill skier John Kucera may miss the Vancouver Olympics, thanks to a high-speed fall on Sunday, reports Reuters. Kucera, 25, was considered one of Canada's top medal hopefuls. The accident occurred during the season-opening World Cup super-G,…
What would happen if aid organizations and other philanthropists embraced the dark arts of marketing spin and psychological persuasion used on Madison Avenue? We'd save millions more lives.
We lost another great climber in November, Lino Lacedelli at age 83. He and Achille Compagnoni were the first two men to summit K2 on July 31,1954 – a year after the first Everest summit. He died in his hometown of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Their summit brought great pride…
Pro skier Matthias Giraud, 26, was the the first to ski B.A.S.E jump off Mt. Hood, Telluride's Ajax, and southwestern Colorado's Engineer Mountain. With his trademark charm-your-pants-off French accent, he dishes about managing fear, losing his mentor Shane McConkey, and how to take the leap…
It's Black Friday, a time to avoid stores if there ever was one. To aid you in this effort, we here at the Powder Feed put together a cheat sheet of items you can buy online for the ripper that holds a special place in your heart. After polling dozens…
My friend Steve Casimiro, former editor of Powder magazine, writer and photographer extraordinaire, and the brain behind The Adventure Life blog just reminded me of this insane video of Frenchie Antoine Montant skiing out of an enormous slide with…
There may not be much powder skiing in Antarctica. Nonetheless a team of eight women from Commonwealth countries set off on skis toward the South Pole yesterday. Hailing from Cyprus, Ghana, Singapore, India, Brunei, New Zealand, Britain, and Jamaica, they are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth with the…
Like free throws or music scales, survival skills can be practiced. If you repeat the exercises needed for a life or death situation you can increase your chances of survival—whether you’re a father perfecting a friction fire in the backyard or a soldier simulating an…
The UCI has ordered Astana to produce a formal bank guarantee in 24 hours before the team can be approved for ProTour status for the next year, VeloNews reports. Astana has already missed the October 20…
Yves Rossy will attempt to become the first person ever to complete an intercontinental crossing via jet-wing on November 25. He plans to take off in a Pilatus Porter aircraft from Morocco, ascend to a height of 2,000 meters, then exit from…
One never to give up, the former record holder for the oldest Everest summit, Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura, is now targeting another summit at age 80 – in 2013. This according to a report today from AFP. He wants to climb the north this time after previously…
ext_script = "//player.ooyala.com/player.js?width=448&browserPlacement=right300px&embedCode=9kNDF4OqxCzUfvaZMmSQecQmWnZrMchS&height=272" Haleiwa native Joel Centeio has won the Reef Hawaiian Pro, which moves him up the ASP rankings to 51st place from 131st. Coming in second was CJ Hobgood, and Jay Thompson came in third. The next…
©Daniel Beltrá, courtesy of The Prince’s Rainforests Project and Sony By Mary Catherine O'Connor Some of Daniel Beltrá's photographs are shockingly beautiful, but many are just plain shocking. And…
I have an old Cannondale mountain bike that I purchased in 1996 or '97. The F500 is an aluminum fre that I think would make a great bike if I overhaul all of the components, including an upgrade to nine-speed. Where do I start in choosing my drivetrain, other components, and re-outfitting my fre? Gary Austin, TX
The roster for Team RadioShack, finalized by manager Johan Bruyneel, was announced today and will include seven-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong among its 26 riders coming from 16 different countries. “It is a well balanced…
Two mountain guides were acquitted this week by the Swiss military court in the death of six Swiss soldiers recruits who were killed in an avalanche on Mount Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps in July of 2007. According to SwissInfo, defending accusations…
Recently while designing new business cards, I considered my title. With my early retirement after 30 years in high tech, I needed a new title and “retired” just didn’t fit. I considered many choices but couldn’t settle on just one. Thus these three made it…
Lino Lacedelli, one of the first climbers to summit K2, died this past Friday at the age of 83. Lacedelli and his climbing partner Achille Compagnoni made it to the summit of K2 in 1954. Lacedelli published an account of the climb in his book K2 – The Price of…
Filmed on Bellport Bay, Long Island, NY, these homemade iceboats look like an excellent break from a harsh New York winter. Found on World Hum. –Alison Kelman…
Expert-only Silverton Mountain in southwestern Colorado has its fair share of die-hard followers—with good reason. It gets stupid amounts of snow, it has steep and alarmingly (in a good way) wild terrain, and the atmosphere is, well, let's just describe it as laid-back. This mom-and-popper for the adventurous…
Yvo de Boer of the UN Climate Change Secretariat says that it will take an initial $10 billion a year from the most economically well-off countries for three years to help developing nations deal with the effects of climate change. “To my…
The Seattle couple Christopher Miller and Brandy Meissner, along with their two dogs, were recently rescued from their 38-foot fishing boat in 40-foot seas by Princess Cruises' Golden Princess, according to Vagabondish. It's one of the largest cruise ships in the world. The couple had been…
Three-time British Kite Surfing Champion, Lewis Crathern, and Jake Scrace, jumped–while kite surfing– the Worthing pier on the south coast of England. Check out the video. It's big. Winds gusting up to 40mph made the jump possible. The pair had been planning the attempt for three years. Courtesy…
If there’s one item of winter clothing to put on the wishlist this year, it’s Patagonia’s new Nano Puff Pullover. Here are three reasonswhy: 1. It has easily one of the best weight-to-warmth ratios of any syntheticjacket I’ve tried. 2. It packs down smaller than an orange (in the…
Just in case you have a cool million or two lying around in your bank account (or really good credit), we here at the Powder Feed have divined a good* way for you to use it: Buy Elk Meadows Ski Resort in southwestern Utah. The non-operational ski resort is up…
The International Cycling Union will deliver a proposal to the International Olympic Committee that looks to create a gender balanced track race program for the 2012 London Olympics. The new program will give equal gold medal opportunities to both men and women. The Beijing Olympics held seven track events for…