A South Carolina man died on Saturday after falling off a 125-foot waterfall while trying to rescue his dog. David Allan Lewis, 29, was hiking with his girlfriend and dog near Heritage Falls in Greenville County when the accident occurred. Deputy Coroner Kent Dill said Lewis was trying to grab…

Do you have any recommendations for a one- to two-week honeymoon adventure outside of the United States this summer? We would like the trip to involve outdoor activities mixed with relaxation. My fiancée and I are all over the board right now: Bora Bora, New Zealand, African safari, Mont Blanc circuit… --Andrew Evergreen, CO

By Stephen Regenold In the past few years, a trend of super-sizing sports equipment like tennis racquets, golf clubs, and downhill skis has caught on with consumers. Whether it's more power,…

Angel Collinson joins the team from Backcountry.com on Vimeo. Freeskier Angel Collinson announced yesterday that she has signed with Team Backcountry.com, whose roster includes such…

Niccolò Ceria flashes Jack's Broken Heart, one of the problems Alex Puccio climbed in Magic Wood. Alex Puccio sent two of the hardest boulders of her career this weekend, climbing Jack's Broken Heart (V12) and The Right Hand of Darkness (V11) in Magic Wood, Switzerland. Jack's Broken Heart is a…

You would think kayakers all over would be chomping at the bit after watching record precipitation build up in California—58 feet of snow at Squaw Valley! The reality is, the summer of 2011 may be the worst for high Sierra paddling California has…

Greg and Alan enjoing some rare sunshine outside the IMG communcations tent What a difference a day (or week) makes! I came down from C3 last Wednesday basically shattered. My upper repository lung infection was taking control and I was in a battle for the…

What is the best casual, but functional, mountain biking pant? I'm looking for something breathable, high-backed, durable, and not fully waterproof. In other words, something I can ride in Moab, then pull on a clean T-shirt and sit down for a served dinner. Eric San Diego, CA

The plan was to check out Yemen, a little-visited Arab nation that offers glowing deserts, forbidding mountains, and lonely Socotra Island—a naturalist's paradise as imagined by Dr. Suess. But instead all hell broke loose, and a tourist romp became a front-row seat to the bloody upheavals sweeping the Middle East.

We've got your all-access pass to summer: 21 DIY and outfitted adventures guaranteed to recharge for less than $500*. Just pick one—or five—and leave your lawnmower behind. *Transportation not included

Jake the Snake (2009) I put thousands of miles on my Jake the Snake before calling Kona to ask if my bike was really named after a reptile. Turns out Jake…

Over the past six months, I’ve been in charge of testing 56 bicycles, with the goal of picking the best bikes on the market for 2011. I’ve plowed road bikes to 10,000 feet in swirling New…

 The World Ski and Snowboard Festival wrapped up recently in Whistler, BC, in the usual nine-day riot of partying, skiing, and celebrating the newest, most talented, and most dedicated innovators, athletes, and individuals in the ski industry. The Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown is among the…

The Former Governor of New Mexico May Be The Most Unique Presidential Candidate in The Field. We Hereby Endorse His Campaign Trail. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GyBaWhBWqwU%C2%A0 Last week, I joined Gary Johnson, the 58-year-old former governor of New Mexico and aspiring Republican presidential nominee, for a…

Between presenting slideshows and speaking to audiences during a recent tour of Europe, Dean Potter found the time to take a leap from the previously unjumped Forcellino lookout near Lecco, Italy. Potter wrote on prAna's blog that Fabio Palma brought him to the…

The eleventh annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, often lauded as the Oscars of big-wave surfing, took place Saturday in Anaheim, California. A panel of 400 surfers, photographers, and surf media editors reviewed more than…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bxejDyDU7Kw%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 The American Alpine Club announced the winners of the 2011 Copp-Dash Inspire Award on Friday, giving grants to expeditions headed for Alaska and central Asia. The Copp-Dash Inspire Award is named for Colorado alpinists Jonny Copp and Micah Dash who died in an…

This is the American West--when you're hanging out of a tiny plane with the doors pulled off, holding a 20-pound camera and looking for the truth.

If I don't have a compass, how can I tell direction? The Editors Santa Fe, NM

I am going on a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim day hike in several weeks. I have done a lot of hiking mainly in light boots but I am wondering about using trail runners for this one. Any suggestions? Mark Henderson, NV

High winds this week on Cho Oyu, west of Everest So far at Base Camp during the 2011 climbing season, Everest ER has seen 276 patients, a number they say is on target “to break all previous…

To raise awareness about first responders diagnosed with PTSD, guest blogger Michael Ferrara plans to ski 900 miles across Alaska, south to north, from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean, with his dog, Lhotse, trotting beside him. To learn more about Ferrara's quest, read…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5wRUNTg53ZU%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 Well-known Swiss alpinist Erhard Loretan died on Thursday after a fall in the Bernese Alps, the Chicago Tribune has reported. Loretan, who turned 52 on Thursday, was guiding a client up the Gruenhorn when the accident occurred. The pair had approached…

Ski guide and mountaineer Kip Garre and Allison Kreutzen were killed in an avalanche in the Sierra Nevada backcountry south of Bishop, California, earlier this week, according to reports from Powder.com and…

Toketee Falls, North Umpqua River, Oregon, April 17, 2011 I grew up two hours from the 65-foot Tokatee Falls on Oregon's North Umpqua River. It's one of those waterfalls that I've always wanted to kayak, but the flow has never been right—always too high or…

Meb Keflezighi shares his Top 10 thoughts after winning the 2009 NYC Marathon Elite marathon runner Meb Keflezighi plans to run both the ING New York City Marathon and compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials, Runner's World…

—Stephanie Pearson writes the Gear Girl column for Outsideonline.com As a general rule, moms rule. A great way to show your love and appreciation for the woman who likely nurtured you through pimples, proms, and pre-marriage jitters is…

This weekend is the annual 5 Point Film Festival, and there should be plenty to see. With 35 films on schedule, including 10 premieres, attendees have plenty of footage to look forward to. We went through and picked some of the films we're…

By Stephen Regenold I previewed the fancy Salomon EXO Sensifit line in my column earlier this week, “Gear Junkie Runs ‘America’s Toughest Road Marathon.'” Today, I want…

This is a big month for wild salmon advocates. On Sunday, May 1 at 8 PM Eastern, PBS will air a Nature special, Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, that offers a terrific broad-strokes history of the collapse of the fish in the once-prolific Columbia…

What type of sleeping pad is best for backpacking, the self-inflating or the tubular kind? Also what's the best, thickest pad out on the market? Rich Sycamore, IL

What's the best tent for backpacking with my 75-pound dog who likes his space? Kelly Boulder, Colorado

Photo by jeremyeanlittle on Flickr The Southern Hemisphere’s largest winter sports event, Winter Games New Zealand, have opened entries for this year's competition…

This spring I set off for an adventure vacation in the Cayman Islands. Here's some of the best gear I tested. Carve Designs Maui Bikini Top and Rincon Rouched Bottom: The top offers an adjustable halter around the neck and chest. The bottom has bow ties on the…

Ocean rower and environmental campaigner Roz Savage halted her attempt to row across the Indian Ocean this week after experiencing problems with her desalination unit flooded. She was only 100 miles into her 4,000-mile journey from Freemantle, Australia, to Mumbai, India.

Sender Films and Mountain Hardwear just posted a short video on Ueli Steck's 10.5-hour solo of Shishapangma. Steck, who's famous for his speed climbs in the Alps, hadn't originally planned to go to the summit. After leaving advanced base camp,…

Last week, attempting to address accusations that he’d fabricated large portions of his bestselling book Three Cups of Tea, author and Central Asia Institute founder Greg Mortenson revised his story about stumbling lost into the Pakistani town of Korphe on his way…

A new memoir from a fire lookout makes a convincing case for quitting your job.

Don't worry: they had parachutes. Last November, BASE jumpers Marshall Miller and Hartman Rector led police on a miniature manhunt after they sneaked their rigs into the 28-story LDS Church Office Building in downtown Salt Lake and leapt from its observation deck. Miller and Rector–the grandson…

The Cayman Islands are one of the world’s best diving destinations–the reefs are lively and the visibility is excellent. I spent ten days on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac; here are my picks for the best dive sites in those islands. Grand Cayman Lighthouse Point: One of…

Willow Koerber, a mountain biker on the Trek World Racing Team, has dropped out of the 2011 World Cup Series. Koerber, a two time bronze medalist at the Mountain Bike World Championships, found out she was pregnant a day before…

By Stephen RegenoldMy calves are stiff. My body feels weak. It's a few days after the National College Blue Ridge Marathon, but my muscles and bones…

Photo by carolyn.will on Flickr ESPN Action Sports announced yesterday two new events for X Games 17, which will take place this July 28-31 in Los Angeles. In the…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=z4puedruucM%3Frel%3D0%C2%A0 Brazilian sport climbers have been banned from international competitions this year after the International Federation of Sport Climbing suspended the country's membership over unpaid debts. The Confederação Brasileira de Montanhismo e Escalada, which governs sport climbing in Brazil, owes a total of 4,395 euros (about $6,427) to the IFSC.

In case you missed it, Fitz Cahall and Bryan Smith put out another great video short about two weeks ago. The film is called The Love Letter, and its message is simple. Every once in a while it's good to…

To raise awareness about first responders diagnosed with PTSD, guest blogger Michael Ferrara plans to ski 900 miles across Alaska, south to north, from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean, with his dog, Lhotse, trotting beside him. To learn more about Ferrara's quest, read…

What food is best for long canoe trip, where weight is not an issue? Alex Savannah, GA

For three top alpinists, pulling off one of the most difficult ascents in mountaineering history required speed and daring. Getting down alive took a miracle.

Lynda Wallenfels at the start of the AZT300. Photo by Caroline Soong. On Monday, April 11, after three days, four hours, and five minutes of riding, Lynda Wallenfels won the…

Last week, Sam Freihofer and Todd Wells posted video of dropping 82 feet over Metloka Falls in a tandem kayak. We picked up the news from The Goat, but there's more details…

The freeskiers at this year's Jon Olsson Invitational in Åre, Sweden, this weekend got such big air and wild twists that, in one instance, a joke about the need for pocket calculators to tally rotations wasn't out of the question, according to…

Adam Ondra sent his fourth 5.15b of the year this weekend, making the first ascent of La Planta de Shiva near Málaga, Spain. La Planta de Shiva adds an extension to an established 5.14b for 148 feet of pumpy, often dynamic climbing. According to 8a.nu news, Ondra…

Alli Rainey has a great post on prAna's blog about dealing with fear. Rainey, a 5.14 climber and Harvard grad, writes that she's struggled with a serious, often-crippling fear of heights since she started climbing in 1992. A troublesome…

What survival priorities should you have in the city versus the wilderness during a major crisis? The Editors Santa Fe, NM

I'm looking for a kid's bike helmet and would like to know if there is difference in a $10 helmet compared to a $50 model. In addition, are there any exchange programs when the child out grows the helmet? JonathanClegg, ME

By Stephen Regenold They are touted to combine the “versatility of a utility trailer” with attributes found in a haul-behind unit made for gear. SPACE Trailers, a new company based in Burnsville, Minn., has a neat product in its hitch-ready equipment haulers, which come in three…

Check out this cool cyclist-eye-view clip of Mavic Neutral Support at the Paris-Roubaix. https://www.youtube.com/embed/sf0GtDP2XmI  –Christopher Van Tilburg…

In September 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson developed the idea of Earth Day, a nationwide, grassroots demonstration that would take place in the spring of the following year. Everyone was invited to participate. “The response was electric,” he told Envirolink.com. “It…

I leave for my first rotation to the high camps in about 12 hours. We will get up abut 3:00 AM for a breakfast of toast and a single fried egg, maybe a cup of coffee. Then along with our personal Sherpa we will pass the puja alter and through…

Climbers and mountaineers from around the world have begun arriving at Everest base camp the past few weeks, a clear sign that climbing season on the world’s highest peak is once again underway. While most hope simply to make it to the summit, a handful of expeditions have other goals…

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hk-LBmIUDF8%C2%A0 Swiss climber Dani Arnold has broken the speed record for the Eiger, blazing up the mountain's north face in 2 hours and 28 minutes. Arnold, 27, beat the previous record by nearly 20 minutes. According to Mammut's blog, he soloed the classic Heckmair route, passing…

Oakley Inc. is known for its iconic (and often iconoclastic!) sports-oriented sunglasses, including innovative as well as simply strange frame and optics designs. Recently, I got a pair of relatively “normal” glasses from the company. Oakley's Deringer frame now serves as my “wear-everyday” prescription glasses for work and home life.

  Who can say no to free gear? Not too many here at Outside, that's for sure. If the same is the case with you, then you'll want to check out Transworld Surf's 30 Days of Giveaways before the month-long…

To raise awareness about first responders diagnosed with PTSD, guest blogger Michael Ferrara plans to ski 900 miles across Alaska, south to north, from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean, with his dog, Lhotse, trotting beside him. To learn more about Ferrara's quest, read…

What are the best travel apps? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico

I'm looking for a backpack for traditional, one-day, multi-pitch climbing. Which is the best one? I'm inclined to the Marmot Ascent 40. AndreaSao Jose

https://youtube.com/watch?v=JCqe96jtExU%C2%A0 After two years of work, Chris Sharma has made the first ascent of his well-known First Round First Minute project in Margalef, Spain. Sharma first began trying the bouldery, 25-move route in 2009. He came frustratingly close to success, and fell off the last move of the climb some…

The eighth episode of Xavier de le Rue's snowboard series Timeline was posted yesterday on Backcountry.com. In the five-minute short, de le Rue joins fellow big-mountain riders and filmmakers Jeremy Jones, Jimmy…

Looking for a domestic weekend escape with international flair? Pack a bag and head for Miami. The city, known for beaches, beautiful people, and wild nightlife, has plenty of adventure options. Paddle: The obvious choice would be to paddle around South Beach (…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/4hbxNFNQ2ZY The New York Times reports war photographer Tim Hetherington was killed today in the city of Misrata, Libya by a rocket propelled grenade. The news first came from photographer Andre Liohn's Facebook page. According to indiewire.com, Liohn wrote,…

O'Neill CWC Scotland – Finals from O'Neill on Vimeo. The worlds northernmost and coldest surf competition wrapped up this weekend. According to Surfer Magazine, Gold Coast surfer Brent Dorrington took…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VI5F9K7Ytl8 Comedian Stephen Colbert announced today at the New York Auto Show that he will once again be competing in the biennial Charleston Bermuda Race, this time with the newly formed Team Audi, according to…

On the plains of New Mexico, a band of elite marathoners tests a controversial theory of evolution: that humans can outrun the fastest animals on earth.

I need to organize a spring bachelor party weekend in the outdoors. Help! While the groom is a huge adventurer, some in our diverse group of friends aren’t so active. You have any trips in the West that meet our needs? OliverSeattle, WA

You'd be amazed at how far scientists have progressed in their ability to turn humans into unstoppable athletic machines. Here's a peek at a future that's coming fast.

Best-selling author Greg Mortenson came under fire this weekend when a piece on 60 Minutes called into question the veracity of Mortenson's books Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools, and the financial management of his Bozeman, Montana-based nonprofit, the Central Asia Institute (…

Climber Scott Bennett has an interesting post up on his blog The Big Wide West about his recent trip to southern Utah to do the Castle Valley Enchainment. The enchainment links up five desert sandstone towers near Moab: Castleton, Sister Superior, The Priest, The Rectory,…

Sitting down might be shortening your life and adding inches to your waistline, according to an article in the New York Times. The study, performed by Mao Clinic researcher James Levine, attempted to answer…

Louise Kobern earned the nickname La Ruta Lou by becoming the 4-time winner of arguably the hardest mountain bike stage race in Costa Rica. Recently, she set a new course record…

Ueli Steck – The Swiss Machine from Mountain Hardwear on Vimeo. Swiss alpinist Ueli Steck speed-soloed Shishapangma, the world's 14th-highest peak, racing up the mountain's 2,000-meter south face in 10 and a half hours. Shishapangma is the smallest of the eight-thousanders, at 8,027 m, and is…