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The San Joaquin is Central California’s largest river, but runs “bone-dry” in stretches due to dams, levees, and excessive water diversions, threatening the habitats, agriculture, and communities that are dependent on the river. In Walt, from Justin Clifton and American Rivers, we meet grape…
To The Explorers is a short film by Alex Goetz and Justin Grubb that serves as an ode to all the adventurers, explorers, and environmentalists that have dedicated their life's work to conservation and wildlife. The film won the Nat Geo WILD's 2016 Wild to Inspire short film competition. As a…
Last winter, a federal government report acknowledged a long-standing pattern of sexual harassment against female river guides employed by the National Park Service in the Grand Canyon. But no official account can capture the day-to-day realities of that harmful environment. Here, three former Park Service river guides recount what they endured, and discuss what needs to change.
In the summer of 2015, the guys behind Filme von Draussen teamed up with Ride magazine and hit some of the best mountain bike trails in Switzerland. In this short video, the riders summit the peaks of Regitzerspitz and Pizalun and then enjoy steep downhill rewards before cruising…
On April 18, 2014, a massive avalanche crashed down Mount Everest and killed 16 Sherpas. At Base Camp, director Jennifer Peedom (“Solo”) and her film crew followed the tragedy as it unfolded, capturing the immediate reactions of the Sherpa community, their families, and the Western adventurers who were getting ready…
Ask us for our favorite sport climbing spots in the East, and we'll point you to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or to the Gunks in New York. That said, this video from Outdoor Gear Exchange drew our attention to Vermont,…
In the 1920s, long before the days of soloists like Alex Honnold, pioneering climbers like Dawson put up daring ropeless ascents across the West
Ski season may be winding down, but that doesn't mean ski patrollers are any less busy. In this episode of Powder People, Ski Utah teams up with Snowbird Ski Patrol to show us what goes into safely managing a ski resort like Snowbird. From…
Earlier this year, Outside sat down with two of the world's best climbers, Sasha DiGiulian and Emily Harrington, to find out why they switched their focus from climbing in gyms to tackling big outdoor walls. While both women continue to build their skills on…
In the fall of 2015, pro mountain bikers Eric Porter and Jess Pedersen planned a bikepacking trip through the final sections of the Colorado Trail, from Silverton to Durango. They stashed provisions at the halfway point of the route, caught a train to the trailhead, and took off on the…
Vulture populations are rapidly declining in South Africa as the birds of prey fall victim to poaching and poisoning. Farmers and poachers alike lace carcasses with pesticide to kill predators, but vultures often get to the carcasses—and the poison—first. Poachers then sell vulture body parts to witch doctors and traditional…
Each of these diptychs pairs similar or contrasting images of both natural beauty and humans interacting with nature. I hope the combination says something greater than either image could say alone.
This generation’s best climbers built their skills in climbing gyms. Now they’re venturing onto big walls.
As we've written before, the Flint Hills region outside Emporia, Kansas, is rugged, remote, and surprisingly ideal terrain for the booming cycling discipline of gravel grinding. In 2006, Jim Cummins and Joel Dyke organized the inaugural Dirty Kanza, a 200-mile bicycle race on the gravel they'd been riding…
“Every parent's duty is to help your child find their passion, and once they find it, support it.” Tim Harrington's approach to supporting daughter Emily Harrington throughout her climbing career is in and of itself something to be applauded, which is why we love this short film. Role Reversal profiles the bond…
Win one of four trips led by an outdoors pro
This short video is a simple reminder (rooted in an ever-growing body of research) from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources that trees improve our health, happiness, and overall well-being. From absorbing harmful air pollutants to keeping global temperatures in check,…
When a cougar is trapped by mistake, the Division of Wildlife Resources steps in to set it free.
Meet the man revolutionizing how we save snow from season to season—climate change be damned
Even Sierra Club-approved activities can have disastrous effects on the natural places we revere. And that's led to a fracture between two should-be allies: recreationists and conservationists.
Alvin Dedeaux catches bass on a spun deer hair fly on the Colorado River in Texas. Greg Dini chases redfish and tarpon down the Gulf Coast of Louisiana. Hilary Hutcheson can read the Flathead River in Montana like the back of her hand. But there is more to a fly…
The Rio Chontalcoatlán runs underground for nearly six kilometers, carving an intricate tunnel system in the heart of the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park near Guerrero, Mexico. With high-lumen headlamps as their only guides, paddlers Jared Meehan, Andrew Pollock, and Rafa Ortiz navigated a three-kilometer stretch of the Chontalcoatlán. This…
Mountain biker Steve Storey and his friend Danny Martins spent two years building their dream trail in the backcountry of British Columbia—far from prying eyes. In 2015, Storey finished the final stretch of the trail, dubbed it Salsa Verde, and invited filmmaker Mike Gamble out to capture a ride. After…
SeaWorld's new CEO made a shocking announcement today about the future of its entertainment and breeding programs for killer whales. But what does that really mean for the future of its animals in captivity?
This 1,000-mile race across the frozen wilderness of Alaska necessitates some very specialized kit
Ski hills are major landforms, not just vertical playgrounds. New tools like Google Earth allow us to glimpse the entirety of the mountains on which ski resorts reside, and even zoom in, tilt, and twirl to experience the pitch and roll of these areas. Thank DigitalGlobe for many of those…
GPS trackers and cell phones give us a false sense of security in the wilderness. And with more thru-hikers than ever set to take on the Appalachian Trail this year, we should be on alert.
The latest technology takes the sport out of the shacks, onto the ice, and nets you big catches
Ashima Shiraishi, 14, and Kai Lightner, 16, talk climbing in caves, high school life, and Olympic dreams
Climbing is one of those sports that can seem way out of reach for newcomers. But it doesn't have to be.
In 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes, Jennifer Pharr Davis hiked from Georgia to Maine—a total of 2,181 miles. That time stands as the women's record for fastest thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. In this short video from filmmaker Kerrin Sheldon, Davis talks about what the trail means to…
The Iditarod is one of the most grueling races in the world, covering 1,000 miles of Alaskan backcountry, and the dogs that run it train harder than almost any athlete
A proposal championed by Senator John McCain would essentially erase one of the country’s best bouldering spots
In Southwest. Proven Here., the latest film from Yeti Cycles and Craig Grant, riders Joey Schusler and Michael Larsen check out from the daily grind and disappear into the landscapes that epitomize the region and the spirit of mountain biking. From balancing on the…
A mysterious plague that one expert calls “tree Ebola” threatens to wipe out the islands’ iconic ohia forests—and no one knows how to stop it
Whenever he needed to check his email, Mahabir Pun made a two-day trek from Nangi, a mountain village in western Nepal, to Pokhara, the nearest city with Internet access. In 2001, he sent an email to the BBC asking for ideas on how to connect his remote community to the web,…
In 100 Years, A National Park Love Letter, a combination of quotes from Theodore Roosevelt guides a stunning visual journey through Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Grand Tetons, and Dinosaur National Monument. The short film produced for O.A.R.S. by Thelonious Step is a…
For Lorenzo and Patti Diaz, paddleboarding the waterways along San Diego county's coastline evolved from a recreational pursuit into an environmental one when they began collecting marine debris. From tires to hypodermic needles, the trash the couple found shocked them into action, and they began organizing regular cleanups with other paddleboarders. In 2015,…
In 1905, the Colorado River breached irrigation canals and began flooding into the Salton Sink, a dry lakebed. The Colorado River flowed into the basin for two years, giving rise to California's largest body of water, the Salton Sea. The Useless Sea, from Open Valve Studios, is a…
After more than 2,000 pounds of hydraulic pressure crushed his left foot in an industrial accident, snowboarder Keith Gabel decided to amputate his foot. Three months later, Gabel got back on the slopes and went on to win Adaptive Gold at the 2012 X-Games and bronze in the 2014 Sochi Paralympics.
In Step Out, a short film from Shibby Stylee, a group of highliners set out to rig and walk across two unique lines in Hawaii: one at South Point and the other near a waterfall on the Hamakua coast. Highliner Joshua Lambus narrates the footage, reflecting on the…
A remote car accident, a broken ski, a tumble in the snow, and a slow descent into hypothermia before (spoiler alert!) a dramatic rescue
Flowing along the southern border of the rugged Kalmiopsis Wilderness, the North Fork of the Smith River is one of the most beautiful stretches of river in the U.S.—and one of the most endangered. Proposed nickel mining in the headwaters of the Smith River threatens its…
In 2010, professional climber Majka Burhardt saw a photo of the 2,000-foot granite face of Mount Namuli. Fueled by curiosity, Burhardt led a team of biologists, conservationists, and rock climbers on a daring and unconventional expedition to Mozambique’s second highest mountain and one of the world’s most threatened…
Virtually extinct in the 20th century, bison are returning to Europe's mountains today
When a person goes missing outdoors, there’s a specific protocol for finding them within the first 24 hours. After that first day, it becomes much tougher.
With a design in mind, compass in hand, and snowshoes on foot, artist Simon Beck stomps deep tracks in the snow to create beautiful works of art. In this short film from Flash Studio, Beck talks about how patterns in nature motivate him to create these massive geometric…
Dogsled racing, or mushing, is one of the rare professional competitive sports that is truly co-ed.
To celebrate the release of Diamondback's Level Link suspension platform, pro mountain biker Mike Hopkins and his team set out on trails across the American West with a simple goal: film the most beautiful locations in the best light possible, and create the sense of…
Officials at Baxter State Park, at the north end of the AT, are concerned about an anticipated increase in the number of thru-hikers tramping through the park. Their solution? Hiker registration cards.
Wolf pack takes down elk on highway overpass in Canada
The third annual International Ocean Film Tour brings water sports and environmental films back to the big screen. The tour kicks off on March 12 in Hamburg, Germany. You can follow tour updates on Facebook here.
If you want to beat this spring’s biggest video game, you’ll need to learn how to survive in the real world
He surfs sixty-foot waves, performs Hollywood stunts, and can hold his breath underwater for six—six!—minutes. Now he's freediving to tag hammerhead sharks for science.
Tim's Lane, from filmmaker Oliver Sutro, is a story about a (somewhat) famous ski run in Colorado's San Juan Mountains. You can follow him on YouTube here. …
Simon Beck spends a lot of his time with snowshoes strapped to his feet, clomping in circles through powder. It’s much more than a futile exercise—it’s art.
What you need to know to start competing in the ultimate chill winter sport
A pioneering big-wall climber who made his mark in Yosemite and Joshua Tree died unexpectedly earlier this week
EXPLORE. Chapter Two is a film from Cooper Lambla and Tyler Allyn, presented by the U.S. National Whitewater Center, about exploring the whitewater-filled rivers of Labrador, Canada. For more stories and images from this adventure and others, check out explore.usnwc.org. …
As many as 900 wild bison that graze in the park will be killed this winter, either by hunters or slaughter, to offset population growth and appease ranchers. Bison advocates, however, want to move the animals to other lands. At its heart, the debate about how to handle these creatures comes down to whether we believe them to truly be "wild."
Mark Healey is a renowned waterman and big-wave surfer. The big-wave surfer talks about the personal challenges of working in the last frontier in this video from GoPro.
The Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom is the country’s longest-running snowboard comp, having started in 1985 as a flowy ride through a naturally-formed halfpipe that snakes down the White Salmon side of the mountain. Today, the pioneering snowboarding event is also one of the last in which pros compete alongside amateurs.
In early February, pro cyclist Tim Johnson became the first person to pedal to the top of New Hampshire’s 6,288-foot high Mount Washington in the dead of winter.
He's the speediest skier on earth. Just how fast can he go?
For the past seven years, Lael Wilcox and her boyfriend have been semi-nomadic, spending roughly half the year exploring the world by bike. Last fall, she decided to enter one of the most unforgiving mountain bike races on the planet – the Arizona Trail Race. …
Utah congressman Rob Bishop, a conservative Republican who has long opposed federal management of western lands, has emerged as the unlikely architect of a grand compromise, one that would involve massive horse trading to preserve millions of acres of wilderness while opening millions more to resource extraction. Is this a trick, or the best way to solve ancient disputes that too often go nowhere?
For the past seven years, Lael Wilcox and her boyfriend have been semi-nomadic, spending roughly half the year exploring the world by bike. Last fall, she decided to enter one of the most unforgiving mountain bike races on the planet – the Arizona Trail Race. …
A year ago, the Italian pro surfer's gnarly wipeout at Pipeline broke a vertebrae and nearly paralyzed him. He thought he'd never surf again.
The North Shore local brought a self-effacing attitude to pro surfing that reminded everyone close to him what riding waves is really all about
As the Yosemite trademark case drags on, California legislators look to take a stand
An Alaskan engineer brought a bicycle to a 1,000-mile dogsledding race through the remote Yukon. He spent two weeks pedaling through the wilderness, with no tent.
A recently released report details how officials plan to address hostile working conditions on the river
The Gelande Quaff harks back to the true spirit of skiing—having a damn good time
Adventure filmmakers Taylor Rees and Renan Ozturk thought it would be a mellow working vacation: they’d capture footage of four young Brits as they traversed 250 miles of Iceland’s fissured terrain, starting in December.
In the wake of the X Games star's suicide, friends contemplate the role of repeated head injuries and the psychological toll of retiring from BMX
Back for More, from filmmaker Pat Branch, is a film that looks at what drives skiers and snowboarders to come back season after season, risking injury in order to progress in their sports. Look for the full film in the fall of 2016. …
>Today, the White House created three new national monuments in the California desert, adding nearly 1.8 million acres to one of the largest and most pristine swaths of protected land in the Lower 48.
Jesse Aizenstat of Aize Media is used to big-budget shoots and working with high-end cinema cameras, which is why he wanted to do something different with his recent film, Picacho Del Diablo. When he and his friend set out to climb the tallest peak in…