Adventure
ArchiveProsecutors in Paris have launched a preliminary investigation into several teams who raced in the 2009 Tour de France after finding suspicious medical material, according to the BBC. The teams involved have not been named. The preliminary investigation, which is required by French law to determine…
According to the New York Times, the United States Forest Service is pushing to pass new rules that would keep mountain bikers off of hundreds of miles of trails across the nation. Lighter mountain bikes built over recent years have allowed…
The International Air Transport Association announced their commitment on Saturday to stabilize carbon emissions by 2020 as well as reduce airplane carbon emissions by 50% by 2050. Treehugger writes that the IATA is also pushing for further support from the government concerning…
Belgian cyclist Frank Vandenbroucke, whose once promising career was repeatedly derailed by doping scandal, drug and alcohol problems, and depression, was found dead today. AFP has the story here. John BradleyTwitter: johnwbradley…
For all of you coastal naysayers who scoff at the idea of lake surfing, Transworld Surf has a first-person account of one man's experience surfing at Stony Point, Minnesota, on Lake Superior. More than the story, it's the photo slideshow of huge waves and the…
The president of Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, will hold a cabinet meeting on October 17th — 20 feet underwater, reports Globalwarmingisreal.com. In preparation for the underwater meeting, he has asked members of his cabinet to take scuba lessons and learn…
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 5,855 square miles of nearshore waters in Alaska as critical habitats for the threatened sea otter, writes ENN.com. The areas along the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and…
According to Backpacker.com, the two year battle over lifetime passes at Keystone has finally come to an end after pass holders agreed to drop the lawsuit and settle for court costs. Lifetime pass owners at Keystone had sued for the rights to continue…
The world's largest tensegrity cycle and pedestrian bridge is now open in Brisbane, Queensland. The tensegrity bridge, referring to the synergy between the bridge's tension and compression components, will provide access for…
USA Cycling reports that the 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships as well as 24 Hours of Moab are expected to draw more than 4,000 athletes, support crew and spectators to Utah this coming weekend (Oct. 10-11). Beyond the $24,000…
What may be one of the 20 largest diamonds ever found was recently discovered in the Cullian mine in South Africa, according to National Geographic. The 507.55 carat gem weighs just over 100 grams, and is estimated to be worth close to $20 million. The Cullian mine…
Lance Armstrong has signed a three-year agreement with Michelob ULTRA to become the beer's new spokesperson, according to VeloNews. Armstrong will appear in two new commercials for the company that are scheduled to air in 2010, and will also be a part of their new product packaging.
Loveland Ski Area opened one run at 9am this morning, making it the first ski resort in North America to open its slopes to skiing this year. The run has about 1000 feet of vertical. Lift tickets are $44. –Dave Costello…
The winners of the 2009 Banff Mountain Photography Competition have been announced. The judges in this year's competition received over 4000 images from 600 photographers from 41 different countries. You can check out the best in this years mountain photography here, at The Banff…
By Mary Catherine O'Connor Last month, we sang the praises of ski swaps as a great way to give new life to old skis and snowboards. But events such as swaps will never divert all old ski sticks and boots from…
Carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. should be down by 5.9 percent in 2009, Reuters reports. The reason: lowered demand for electricity and transportation fuel because of the recession. The Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy says that emissions should increase…
Tommy Caldwell and Jeremy Collins have won the 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell in Arkansas, ClimbingNarc.com reports. This grueling comp pits paired off climbers against the clock, with the goal of finishing as many clean climbs as possible during 24 hours. There are…
“Race Across the Sky,” a documentary about this year's Leadville Trail 100, will premiere October 22. The event will feature a panel discussion with Lance Armstrong, his coach Chris Carmichael, and Dave Wiens, among others. Click…
Maybe. Denver will be the first city in the U.S. to launch a Paris-style bike-sharing program. A $50 annual membership gets you free use of bikes at drop-off stations around the city. Minneapolis, Boston, and Miami to follow. Huffington Post has the full story here. —John Bradley…
If you thought the battle over the slopes was bad, wait until snowboarders hit the trails en masse. Will that ever happen? Watch some pioneers in the video above and decide for yourself. –Aileen Torres…
A green motorsport event? Yup, in this case a historic race on the Isle of Man. Gentlemen, start your (battery-powered, zero-carbon, no-decibel) engines!
This is the start of the third day since we came off the mountain. I’m finally starting to feel semi-normal. The first two days, I had trouble getting out of bed. I hadn’t really slept in two weeks, and getting out of the shower–well, I finally exited when…
Police in Polk County, Florida, are on the lookout for five raccoons who attacked and injured an elderly woman who tried to shoo them away from her door. USA Today's blog reports that the woman was so severely bitten and scratched that she…
By Stephen Regenold Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Mapping Program was tasked with the immense cartographical feat of surveying the entire country to create a series of more than 50,000 topographical maps. Widely-available and mostly accurate, the 1:24,000-scale government maps canvas…
That urban legend about Tokyo vending machines selling used schoolgirl underwear? True. Quiksilver’s new poolside boardshort dispensers, at Standard Hotels in Miami Beach, New York, and L.A., may sound like the same idea, but the trunks haven’t been worn. Promise. $75; shopthestandard.com…
How a carpentry-challenged nonsurfer built a classic wooden longboard with his own kook hands.
On October 24, millions around the planet will demonstrate in hopes of persuading world leaders to sign a new climate-change treaty at a UN summit in Copenhagen this December. The organization behind the actions is author and environmentalist Bill McKibben’s latest grassroots campaign, 350.org. What’s 350? It’s…
Our boy Kevin Fedarko has a video segment on Playboy.com that examines his job as a latrine boat operator for river tour groups in the Grand Canyon. Fedarko spent the spring of 2009 manning the Jackass, a river raft that he used to haul “poo boxes” and “pee buckets,” and…
Two students who were visiting Samoa when the tsunami hit claim that they survived by surfing it. The Daily Mail writes that Tom Gogola, a student on holiday from Britain, was surfing when the tsunami hit, and survived by…
Yesterday, crowds at the 2009 Earthwave beach festival in Cape Town attempted to break the world record for the most people surfing on a single wave. The current record is 100 people, and was set in Brazil last year. Representatives of the festival say that…
On September 30th Chris Waddell became the first paraplegic to summit Mount Killimanjaro. Videos of Waddell and the One Revolution Team will be made available on the One Revolution blog. Waddell is the most decorated paralympic skier in history. Read more about Waddell's…
Last week, Outside's John McCauley and Will Palmer (based in Santa Fe) and Jeremy Spencer (based in Portland) participated in the third annual Portland Oyster Race, part of Merrell's 2009 urban-adventure-race series, which moved on from Portland to San Francisco last weekend and concludes in Austin (Oct.
According to The Ski Blog, the Municipality of Whistler has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2010, just in time to host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This will include cutting down on direct emission as well as purchasing carbon credits. Whistler…
The easiest way to build fun and adventure into every day? Lose the car keys and ride your bike to work—and everywhere else. Herein you’ll find the knowledge, tips, bicycles, duds, and gear to pull it off in style. Saddle up!
The kayaking community is gearing up to participate in the international day of climate action on Oct. 24. Kayakers will form the number 350 in the water in Portland to show their support for the UN Climate Change Conference in December. Watch…
Ottawa has a troubling air pollution problem, but it's not caused by the normal suspects. A crematorium from Hope Cemetery is blanketing the air daily with fumes from the cremation of dead bodies, the CBC reports. “We've all smelt it, we've…
When feet started floating into the dark, coastal bays of British Columbia, it wasn’t hard to imagine the worst, especially when the Mounties went silent. Even paradise has an underbelly.
I want to upgrade my 1994 Kona Hei Hei 1994 (Titanium fre). I would like to convert to disc brakes on the front with new suspension forks and upgrade the canti to v-brake on the rear. Is this possible? What make/model would you recommend buying groupset wise, wheels, forks, etc., to keep the bike light but the cost of the upgrade low? Catherine Macclesfield, UK
Congratulations to Laurin Weisenthal of Huntington Beach, CA, who just swam the English Channel in one of the fastest times in history. Weisenthal, 25, made the swim from England to France in just 8 hours and 33 minutes; many of the 1,000 people who have completed the swim take well…
In our October issue, we mention 350.org and their mission to make October 24, 2009 a day of activism to promote the signing of a new climate-change treaty at the UN Summit in Copenhagen this December. All over the world, people plan to make the message…
You can enter to win a chance to climb Mt. Rainier with Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker on a five-day expedition. First Ascent is sponsoring the contest and will outfit the winner with gear. See details here, and check out Viesturs's Outside…
This is very cool. The video needs to be edited down to about 25 percent of its current length. But the contest and the result are great. (Found via Lance Armstrong's Twitter feed) —John Bradley Twitter: johnwbradley…
First Descents, founded by kayaker Brad Ludden, sponsors whitewater kayaking camps for young adults with cancer. Since it's start about 10 years ago, it has sent more than 600 cancer patients to these adventure camps, with this year proving to be the most…
In honor of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, Google and the Danish government are presenting interactive maps that will show what the Earth will look like in various stages of global warming. Check out the first climate tour…
The Klamath River in California, which was dammed up between 1908 and 1962, will have four dams removed beginning in 2020. The dams were erected by PacifiCorp, and their removal will supposedly allow for the revival of salmon and steelhead spawning and bolster fishing, tribal, and farming communities along the…
Alex Puccio has won the first event in the Spot Series Bouldering Competitions, Rock and Ice reports. Adam Markert won the men's comp for this event, called “The Gun Show.” The series is held at The Spot, a…
Charlie Houston, who was part of the first ascent team at 25,643-foot Nanda Devi in 1936, has died, Climbing reports. He was 96. Houston was a pioneer in altitude research. He wrote influential works on the process of acclimatization for climbers and the health…
I'm writing from 18,000 feet on what promises to be a pretty chilly evening. Left at 6 A.M. with a variety of expectations. Consensus had us staying at Hans-Meyer, and that looked optimistic after our first adventure on the winch. The first quarter mile took about…
Bode Miller announced this past Thursday that he will be rejoining the US Ski Team this coming season with the goal of reaching the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. The former Olympic and World Cup Champ has been skiing independently…
Ouch. Long day: 10.5 hours. Technical from start to finish, and unrelenting. I did a series of about 1,000 three-to-four-second sprints at 12,000 feet and 3,300 vertical. I didn't use the winch. We're saving it for the upper mountain. The Harken winch is a great mechanism. We're still…
When you're crossing to Florida the hard way–across 800 miles of water, with six people and no motor, in a 21-foot handmade open boat–it's a long, long way from Haiti to Miami.
But beneath his foul language and outrageous antics, the Czech photographer is the greatest living observer of human suffering and spirit.
Asperger’s turns social interaction into a source of suffering. “It’s like everyone else has a bucket for dealing with people,” says Clay, “and I only got a cup.”
I'm going into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a ten-day trip. On previous excursions I've taken too many clothes and too few clothes, but never found the perfect mix. How do you pack clothing for a long trip? Greg Flower Mound, TX
Is an expedition or burly mountaineering tent (such as The North Face Mountain 25 or Mountain Hardwear's Trango) needed for Aconcagua? Will a sturdy four-season tent suffice? Azad Los Angeles, CA
I need a good, fairly cheap walkie-talkie. My main use will probably be skiing, so where can I get one that will guarantee reception in the forest? Thanks! Mark Brooklyn, NY
In Michigan, you’re never more than 90 miles from a Great Lake, which is the reason, I suppose, it’s nicknamed the Great Lakes State. By those standards, it should also be dubbed the Unbelievably Sick Trout-Water State. The Au Sable, the “Big” and Little Manistee, the Muskegonthere are quality rivers…
The Single Speed World Championships is the wildest mountain-bike on earth, where Halloween comes early and sobriety is akin to doping. To infiltrate this derailleurless debacle, we would need a thoroughly mediocre racer who could stomach the sight of way too much beer-addled flesh and report back. So, naturally, we recruited Bike Snob NYC.
At a Bolivian animal-rehab center, volunteers can adopt a rescued jaguar and take it for daily walks on a leash. Brave and compassionate, or just plain stupid? THAYER WALKER discovers that it may be all three. And he's got the scratch marks to prove it.
Global warming isn't bad news for everybody. In Greenland, the big melt could mean a flood of new revenue from mineral and oil deposits— previously trapped under ice. Flush with prospects, the locals are talking about making a final break from their benevolent colonizer, Denmark. Call it the Thaw Revolution.
The musky is the alpha male of the aquatic world, feared by children and hunted compulsively by grown men. And, yes, catching one really is worth all the fuss.
What do you think about the Lowa Mountain Expert GTX Mountaineering Boots? I used them on Mt. Rainier and they kept my feet plenty warm, but I was wondering if you thought they might be suitable for Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. It is about 4,000 feet higher than Rainier. I don't relish wearing double plastic mountaineering boots anywhere, and hey, the red color of the Lowa is, well, cool . . . Stan El Dorado Hills, CA
Putting off med school to train for the English Channel swimming record? Now that's a gap year. San Francisco-based Laurin Weisenthal, 25, who helped her Harvard swim team win an Ivy League championship and break into the NCAA's top 25, plans to make her attempt at the 25-mile, 58-degree crossing…
Paris is romantic, cultured, and sophisticated—and teeming with rollerblading fanatics? An investigation into France's most mysterious obsession.
Whitewater's brightest stars are launching bigger drops than ever. But it'll take more than sweet photos to right this fading sport.
I'm headed to Maui in December and would like to do more than just sit on the beach. What are some things a serious athlete could do on the island over a week's time? Mark R. Madison, WI
In April, after 55 days on a mostly frozen Arctic Ocean, John Huston, 32, and Tyler Fish, 36, became the first Americans to ski unsupported to the North Pole. The duo dragged 300-pound sleds, donned drysuits to swim across open water, and consumed roughly 8,000 calories a day—mostly in the form of pemmican. In the end, they made a 66-hour dash to reach the
Douglas Brinkley's biography of Teddy Roosevelt proves we still have a lot to learn from the conservation giant.
When Greg Carr decided to help restore the greatest wildlife park in Mozambique, he didn't just send a check. He traded his suits for shorts and Boston for the savanna. And what he's accomplished in just four years at Gorongosa is one of the unlikeliest—and most hopeful—stories in Africa.
Make your next fishing trip to Alaska memorable with a stay at one of these resorts.
Before the seven Tour victories and the yellow bracelets. Before Sheryl Crow, the bestselling books, and the doping allegations. Before the comeback, there was a comeback. Ten years ago this month, Lance Armstrong was a little-known cancer survivor who showed up at the Tour de France. And no one had any idea what would happen next.
Shane McConkey was already one of the most influential skiers in the world, changing everything from the shape of our boards to the way we ski powder. But when he learned to fly—combining skiing, BASE jumping, and wingsuits with spectacular results—he found his true obsession. Then one jump went horribly wrong.
If you're in a boat on the Atlantic this summer and a dolphin with "56" branded on his dorsal fin swims up and starts doing tricks...well, just sit back and enjoy. You're about to witness the greatest show on surf.
In July, one of the deepest Tour de France fields in years will see several riders not named Lance staking their claim for yellow. Here are the ones to watch.
