Survival
Archive
Don’t let a little precipitation keep you inside
Expedition kayaker Scott Lindgren knocked off first descents of the most remote and dangerous rivers on earth, from the Himalayas to the Sierra. He paddled with an aggro attitude and saw weakness as an unforgivable trait in himself and others. But when a brain tumor started to derail his athletic performance and threaten his life, everything changed.
When it comes to navigation, nothing beats the reliability of an old-school paper map and a compass
The year's most dramatic story of a bear attack offers potentially lifesaving lessons for anyone venturing into the wild
In May, Kirby Morrill was nearly murdered during a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Four months later, she climbed Maine's highest peak, the route's terminus.
Over the past ten years, more than 160 Tibetans have committed self-immolation—the act of setting yourself on fire—to protest Chinese occupation of their country. Has this had any lasting effect? In an extraordinary journey to Dharamsala, India, the center of Tibetan culture in exile, a journalist and a scholar talk to family members about the meaning and costs of the ultimate political sacrifice.
After a climbing partner became ill, high winds stranded Yev Krasnitskiy and his team on the upper reaches of Mount Rainier for five days with no way to go but up
Contributing editor Kyle Dickman recaps his harrowing snakebite tale in this animated short
Wes Siler on proven dog-recall training techniques
In April, alpinists David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer went silent during a harrowing expedition in Canada. The climbing community mobilized, first for a search and then for a memorial. In the wake of the tragedy, writer Nick Heil examines the motives of cutting-edge climbers and wonders: How close should we stand to our own mortality to feel alive?
Want to go into the woods without disturbing wildlife? The first step is to learn how to move silently.
This is what nightmares are made of
With deaths spiking on pavement, riders are choosing to go where cars can’t
The explorer’s crossing of Antarctica put him in the spotlight. His skill in presenting himself to audiences hungry for vulnerable heroes will keep him there.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are searching for Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18, suspects in the murders of three people on remote highways in British Columbia. The teenagers are alleged to have spanned one territory and at least five massive provinces, leaving burning vehicles in their 2,000-mile-long wake before plunging into the Canadian backcountry.
A 24-year-old woman drowned while attempting to reach the abandoned bus made famous by Christopher McCandless
In the fall of 2018, the 26-year-old American missionary traveled to a remote speck of sand and jungle in the Indian Ocean, attempting to convert one of the planet's last uncontacted tribes to Christianity. The islanders killed him, and Chau was pilloried around the world as a deluded Christian supremacist who deserved to die. Alex Perry pieces together the life and death of a young adventurer driven to extremes by unshakable faith.
When you spend months each year in the backcountry, things are bound to go wrong eventually
After running for her life from a knife wielding attacker, Sheryl Powell disappeared on Friday, July 12. Monday, she was found alive.
This discontinued model is still reliable decades later
From earthquakes to fires and floods, here are savings on the supplies you need to survive
Who says dystopian climate sci-fi and mountain-survival stories aren't beach reads?
The harrowing story of a too-close encounter with a Canadian black bear
Canaima National Park, sacred to the indigenous Pemón, is a marquee destination for international explorers. But the region's economic future is in doubt after forces loyal to Nicolás Maduro shot and killed longtime guide Rolando Garcia in February.
Exertional heatstroke can cause devastating damage, but it can also be treated quickly
Unless you're hunting, it's a terrible idea to pack heat in the backcountry
A helicopter search spotted five bodies in avalanche debris
There's been limited research on the risks kids face in thin air, which means parents and guides have to make some tough decisions
What to do if one of these bloodsuckers finds its way onto you or your dog
Despite an attack that left one hiker dead and another injured, the experience and fellowship of the trail perseveres
Five days after an ad hoc army of volunteer searchers rescued hiker Amanda Eller, the yoga teacher missing for 17 days on Maui, the same crew located missing person Noah "Kekai" Mina just 20 miles away. This time, the ending was not so happy.
When Wui Kin Chin collapsed high on the deadliest mountain in the world, he urgently needed a rescue. Instead, he sat alone at 24,000 feet for more than 40 hours.
It's the third death of the Everest climbing season
Since 2000, Tim Friede, a truck mechanic from Wisconsin, has endured some 200 snakebites and 700 injections of lethal snake venom—all part of a masochistic quest to immunize his body and offer his blood to scientists seeking a universal antivenom. For nearly two decades, few took him seriously. Then a gifted young immunologist stumbled upon Friede on YouTube—and became convinced that he was the key to conquering snakebites forever.
Five years after he famously Facebooked his way to rescue from a Himalayan crevasse, scientist and climber John All is back on Mount Everest, looking for answers about how global warming is affecting the highest peaks on earth
Beyond Clothing is turning protective combat uniforms into stylish outdoor gear
For one thing, if you're feeling thirsty, drink up
Cell phone photos show that Jess Roskelley, Hansjörg Auer, and David Lama reached the summit but died on the descent
From 'The Suble Art of Not Giving a F*ck' to 'Sapiens,' this professional mountain biker doesn't mess around when it comes to reading good books
David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer had been attempting a difficult route up Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies when they got hit by a massive slide earlier this week
No one has done more to sound the alarm about climate change than Bill McKibben. We asked him: is there any hope at all?
A recent report found that 259 people died between 2011 and 2017 while stepping in front of the camera in often dangerous destinations. Our writer went deep on the psychology of selfies to figure out what's behind our obsession with capturing extreme risk-taking.
Katie Arnold, author of the new memoir Running Home, talks about the unique healing power of endurance sports
An excerpt from Ben and Penny Hewitt’s new book, 'The Young Adventurer’s Guide to (Almost) Everything,' reveals how your family can add a little buzz to your snacks
Think long and hard before you jump or try to climb the cables. And don't forget about the wolves!
Sometimes the best offense is none at all
The bodies of Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard have been located after 14 days of searching
From a new baby sleeping bag to an inflatable camera bag, here are the campaigns we're most excited about
Sometimes dying in the mountains is just the luck of the draw
The definitive guide, built upon real-world experience
Eric Larsen has more experience in the Arctic than just about anyone. He watched the new Mads Mikkelsen survival film and shared what he thought it got right and what missed the mark.
Because there’s no apology like a backhanded apology
A slide off Kachina Peak—steep, rowdy terrain at the New Mexico ski resort—buried two men on Thursday
Film to be based on the book about Doug Coombs written by Massachusetts author Rob Cocuzzo
Say what you will about the movie itself, but Sandra Bullock's character has apocalypse-wear nailed down
Be prepared and upgrade your car-camping setup at the same time
Soul-sucking whiteouts and not enough food stymied the polar explorer’s best efforts
Inside the most destructive fire in American history—and why the West's cities and towns will keep on burning
Justin Alexander went searching for higher meaning. No one expected the quest to end in a search for his body.
Ecologist Lauren Oakes’s new book, ‘In Search of the Canary Tree,’ puts a human face on a crisis we created
To become an Air Force pararescue specialist, you have to get through a brutal training course and stay underwater for a long, long time
The star of 'Man vs. Wild' only needs a knife in the bush, but how does he survive everyday travel?
The 34-year-old teacher reportedly died at the hands of a drug cartel
Being outdoorsy is not without its risks. If I could travel through time, here's some of the advice I'd give my (seemingly) immortal and (definitely) ignorant 20-year-old self.
Saving a life is as easy as checking for cyclists. So naturally nobody does it.
About an hour before midnight on Mother’s Day in 1986, a group of teenagers assembled at an Episcopal high school in Portland, Oregon, to embark on an expedition. Their goal was to summit Mount Hood, completing an adventure program that was required for all sophomores. What followed was a story of tragedy and loss that is commemorated annually at the institution it changed forever.
It depends—but you can hold your breath longer in cold water
Don’t get caught in a sticky situation without this bombproof bug-out bag
When it comes to killing with cars, anything goes as long as you’re sober
Losing your home to a wildfire is often just the start of your troubles
Thousands of people flock to the Alps each year to ski tour high-elevation routes, spending comfortable nights in a string of huts that serve wine and hot meals. In the spring of 2018, a group of experienced skiers and their guide were trapped in a storm overnight on an exposed saddle. By morning, nearly all were dead or dying.
Classroom time isn't so bad when you're building fly-fishing rods in Virginia or barbecuing in the Lone Star State
The Women's Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition team made it to the North Pole on April 21, 2018, enduring minus 40 degree temperatures, the prospect of aggressive polar bears, vast open leads of water, and even the vagaries of the Russian government.
The true story of a daring rescue on one of the Himalayas' most notorious peaks
Excerpted from a 1981 article included in Climbing magazine's new anthology, 'Vantage Point,' the late Jim Bridwell recounts the first ascent of the East Face of the Moose's Tooth in Alaska
Big-studio directors are venturing onto more extreme landscapes than ever to shoot successful films like 'Star Wars' and this month's 'Alpha.' It's location manager Robin Mounsey's job to keep them alive.
A rare convergence of events turned a wildfire in the Boundary Waters into a massive burn. Two campers were right in its path.