Can you feel it coming? Heat, hail, snow, rain. Wind, drought, flood, pain. Are you tired of waiting? Then hurry to Bangladesh, where the skies have already broken.

Will Unsoeld and Barry Bishop on the West Ridge The spring 2012 Everest season is in full swing, with teams arriving at Base Camp in preparation for their summit attempts. There are no shortage of planned ascents, and no shortage of places to follow those ascents. Outside has sent…

I buying my first mountain bike and trying to decide between a couple of bikes and bike shops. Is it true you should pick your bike shop first and then the bike? I trying to decide between the Trek 4500 WSD and the Gary Fisher Marlin. I like the 4500's women-specific fre, but the Marlin has disc brakes (should I have those?). Also I liked the staff at the shop that had the Marlin better. Laura Napa, California

Four perfect kayaks that won't fail you, no matter what your searing obsession

The World’s Great Towns, June 1997 Reykjavík By the Editors The Numbers Population: 160,000 Climate: Actually, quite nice Number of McDonald’s: 2 Gestalt: Blonds have more fun At first sight, it’s an Arctic Lego-land, all colorful, boxy houses, gleaming streets, and an…

Week of June 26-July 2, 1997 Camping on north Vancouver Island Guided tours through Acadia Park Fall trip to Zimbabwe, Botswana Relaxing vacations in the West Mountain biking around Yosemite Relaxing vacations in the West Question: I would like to go on a…

Outside Magazine, February 1995 Marathon: Chariots of Permafrost By Ken McAlpine Whiteout. Headwinds that set your cheeks to slapping the back of your neck. Then a starting pistol fires and a hundred fleecy distance runners peel out across the permafrost, taking baby steps lest they slide off…

I’m planning a nine-day, 24-mile canoeing expedition to the Boundary Waters in early July. As for footwear, would it be better to purchase a pair of hiking boots or a pair of Salomon phibian water shoes? We'll mostly be in the canoe, with about five miles of portaging at most. Which option would be better? Jonathan La Grange, Illinois

I know that you need to filter (or treat) water before drinking it, but what about the water I use to rinse my hands or clean my cookpot? How resilient are those nasty little giardia and cryptosporidia parasites? Do they die and go away when the water that carries them evaporates? Will an alcohol-based sanitizer kill the remains of them on my hands, or do I need to filter the water first? Bruce Cortland, New York

I've been looking for a zero- or minus five-degree sleeping bag for use in early spring, but found that nobody makes any quality down bags for women. What's up with that? All Western Mountaineering bags are huge, while Feathered Friends makes only two women-specific bags, but they're rated only for 10 and 20 degrees. I just wonder, does the outdoor industry think that every outdoorsperson is some huge guy with wide shoulders and skinny hips? That has got to change! Anyways, for the problem at hand: I'm five-foot-six and on the lean side. What's a quality down bag that won't require me to expend extra energy in order to heat up excess room inside the bag? Jennifer San Diego, California