Everything
Ashima on Steady Plums Direct. Photo: 27crags Last we heard from fifth-grade climbing wunderkind Ashima Shiraishi, she was fresh off a spring bouldering trip to Hueco Tanks, Texas, and getting some serious press. The New York Times gave her front-page sports coverage (and…
Mississippi River south of Memphis, August 2011. Photo: NASA Mississippi River south of Memphis, August 2012. Photo: NASA A drought that has led to low water levels in…
It's hard to pick a specific moment to highlight from this video of Alexander Polli. He pilots his wingsuit dangerously close to several outcroppings at ridiculous speeds, winds through incredibly narrow canyons, and then zips through a waterfall. He said it felt as though the spray hit every part…
American Tejay Van Garderen wins Stage 2 with a strong sprint finish up to Mt. Crested Butte. See more USAPCC coverage on our 2012 Bike Special page.
An interview with the founder of the One World Futbol Project, the makers of a virtually indestructible soccer ball that's being donated to children in need
There is something about a bicycle that stirs the soul. In some souls, the act of riding also inspires the act of writing and, naturally, as one wheel follows another, there are books about bicycles. These are our favorites.
I'm experiencing knee pain as I start to up my mileage. Can I put on a brace and keep running?
I’m planning a cross-country road trip this fall. Any suggestions for good driving music?
Fisherman. Photo: Piotr Wawrzyniuk/Shutterstock Here’s an outdoor recreation stat worth breaking out at the water cooler. One out of every one hundred dollars of all goods and services produced in the United States in 2011 was due to hunting, fishing, and…
Faces three-day deadline to choose arbitration or sanctions
The Sound of Dust is a roughly three-minute tribute to surfboard shaper Tim Stamps. There's no glory or praise uttered by other shapers or surfers. The testament to Stamps' greatness comes from witnessing his constant attention to detail.
In a sprint finish on a course with more than 11,000 feet of climbing, American Tyler Farrar wins Stage 1 of the USA Pro Challenge. See more USAPCC coverage on our 2012 Bike Special page.
“Missy.” Photo: Screenshot from 14ers.com Let's start with the rescue. On August 11, Amanda and Scott Washburn were hiking a Colorado 14er named Mount Bierstadt when they came across a dog on a ledge. She had…
The International Olympic Committee is set to add a new sport for the 2020 Summer Games, and climbing is on the shortlist. Here's why the Olympics needs it.
Watch Lucas Brunelle's controversial documentary about the world of alley cat racing
Putting women's racing back on the map
Over recent months—well, years, actually—the debate concering hardshell fabrics and their capabilities has been…
The quiver at Oh Be Joyful Campground. Photo: Katie Arnold There are few places in the Rockies more beautiful than Crested Butte. The Colorado mining town-turned-mountain-biking-nirvana sits at the dead-end of a wide, lush valley in the exact middle of the state. Ringed…
Officials apologize for impromptu open-water swim
The Seychelles is a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean that relies heavily on tourism. It is about two-and-a-half times the size of Washington, D.C., with a population of roughly 90,000. Ninety percent of the people speak creole. They are mostly of African, French,…
Leipheimer won the 2011 USAPCC with a TT win, and he could do the same this year. Photo: Alex Kehr/Flickr. The hottest race on the American cycling circuit begins today in Durango, Colorado, and the event is even more…
Quadruple amputee Philippe Croizon has completed the last portion of his great adventure, swimming from America to Asia.
Here's a little inspiration for anyone pondering whether to go out for a run this weekend. Watch as South African runner Ryan Sandes sets off to complete the 52-mile trail in Fish River Canyon in five days. I picked this…
The best stories, videos, and photos I didn't post this week—until now. OLYMPICS It should be mathematical, Propeller via Science of Sport Extremely close up at the Olympics, The New York Times Analyzing Semenya’s race, The Science of Sport…
In this weekly roundup, we scour the Web for our favorite long-form magazine and newspaper articles, collecting them here and on Longreads and Twitter. This installment focuses on novel sources of food, what it's like to be very tall, the health of the seas, and how awes
My mom always said to stay inside during dust storms because the dirt could make me sick. Can racing a muddy, dusty event make me ill?
It’s not the first inflatable tent, but it might be the most affordable and easiest to use. By replacing traditional poles with inflatable “AirPoles,” Kelty’s family camping-sized shelters set up in under a minute with a dual-action floor pump, the kind you’d use to pump up an…
Breck Epic Stage 4. Photo: Courtesy of Daniel Dunn Photo This week, several hundred mountain bike racers are depriving themselves of oxygen and beating themselves silly in the fourth annual Breck Epic. In the…
Sea turtle hatchling, Baguan Island, Philippines. Photo: Keith Ellenbogen Examples of poor ocean health are too easy—unfortunately—to find in many parts of the world, especially along densely populated coastlines or in the midst of ocean gyres filled with plastic pollution. But what is…
Yao Ming in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve. Photo: Kristian Schmidt/WildAid Yao Ming is a giant man, but he paled in comparison to the corpse of the elephant stripped of ivory that lay at his…
Dave Heckman (left) with Marshall Ulrich. Photo: Rick Baraff By now you've probably heard that July registered as the hottest month in the history of the lower 48 states since the U.S. government started tracking…
Take your eyes off of the race every once in a while to enjoy some of these beautiful Colorado cities, home to incredible food, breathtaking views, and countless outdoor opportunities
David Hill thought he was joining a bookstore-sponsored basketball league in Brooklyn, but it turned out to be a lot more than just thick-framed glasses and set shots
From Ibex wool to Princeton Tec headlamps, outdoor gear is increasingly being manufactured in American factories. Tom Vanderbilt explores the amazing new economics of insourcing.
The U.S. men's soccer team made history against Mexico last night. But what makes one win so impressive?
This month marks 25 years of amazing footage, corny hosts, and fake blood for the Discovery Channel’s most-watched series
Many sunglasses are designed for specific sports. How can I buy a pair that works in all different conditions?
I’ve always dreamed of climbing Mont Blanc, but I'm rethinking it after the recent incidents there. I’m not a mountaineer, but I’m an avid hiker who’s in great shape. How doable is it for me, and what’s the best route?
Benedikt Böhm leads the charge. Photo: Dynafit One of the next big high-altitude speed feats will take place on Cho Oyu. In late September, German mountaineers Benedikt Böhm, 34, and…
Field testing gear in real-world conditions is the only way to know which pieces are exceptional and which are run of the mill. So, immediately after the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt lake City wrapped, I hopped on a plane bound for Anchorage, Alaska, with Helly Hansen,…
Paul Hildebrandt began a love affair with space as a child through science fiction. As an adult, the director has set out to make a documentary called Fight for Space. “Since the Apollo era of the 1960s, NASA's…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9-GVpIaPEGM When a Portland man had his $2,000 Fuji bike stolen, he took matters into his own hands. The man, who gave himself the alias Simon Jackson, watched Craigslist and Reddit until he found his bike for sale in Seattle. He…
The staff of Outside has more than a passing interest in this year's 621-mile, 25-station Mongol Derby. That's because the man currently in 11th place is former Outside intern Will Grant, 31. The race started with 35 competitors who will ride roughly 1,000 semi-wild…
Fall is here, and the temps are dropping—time to pick a fresh new adventure in the American Southwest
In early August, a 34-year-old record-breaking endurance racer died on a six-mile solo run in the 120-degree heat of Death Valley, California. Now friends in the community are left wondering how such a formidable athlete succumbed to heatstroke on
A fundraising trip in Tigray, Ethiopia, next February gives 14 runners the chance to train with some of the world’s greatest runners—and help restore sight to more than 1,000 locals
I was reading Running USA’s statistics about marathoning and saw that the number of finishers didn’t increase nearly as much from 2010 to 2011 as it did in previous years. Is that a sign that the marathon boom is coming to an end?
Photo: Bradleygee/Flickr One point four million. That's how many cigarette butts volunteers collected during beach clean-up events in the United States in 2008 alone, according to Ocean Conservancy. Think of how many they missed. And consider all the butts you've seen tossed off…
Two design students spent seven years crafting a new cycling safety device that's been dubbed the invisible bike helmet. They raised $10 million and spent years studying crash data in order to make their dream a reality. I won't ruin the surprise. Watch the video above to see the result…
At work. Photo: Quiksilver This past July, 24-year-old Australian Stephanie Gilmore clinched her fifth world title when she won the Roxy Pro Biarritz, the penultimate ASP event of the year. The victory signaled a…
Big wave surfer Shane Dorian took home the Waterman of the Year Award during the Surf Industry Manufacturer's Association's (SIMA) annual Waterman's Weekend on August 10…
We know what our readers look for in any kind of experience: adventure, grit, sweat, a worthy struggle, tested endurance, goosebump-inducing views, wide-open skies, maybe some roiling water. So why should college be any different? The correct answer is: It shouldn’t.
On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted and its northern flank collapsed, leading to the largest landslide in U.S. history. Volcanic debris from the explosion, collapse of the flank, and subsequent lahars spread out over roughly 230 square miles. The…
Mountain bikers tend to get short shrift when it comes to high-quality apparel, especially shorts. While many companies make solid outers, the accompanying chamois is often thin and insufficient. We used to lament baggies that don't ship with pads but have recently changed our tune: Not only are they cheaper…