By any measure, Uranus is a gaseous and inhospitable place, but Pearl Izumi’s new cycling chamois aims to make it much more pleasant. This new infomercial–oh, hell, let’s give it some love and call it a documentary–takes you deeper into the exploration of Uranus than, frankly, any of us had ever imagined. But that’s how [...]
From the monthly archives:
March 2010
The mountain bike community has been aflame the last few days over rumors that some of Moab’s best-known trails, including Poison Spider, have been shut down to cyclists in favor of Jeeps and four-wheel-drives. The rumors are, in fact, true–but the reality isn’t as bleak as it sounds. This week, Moab is rumbling with thousands [...]
“What [was] found was nothing less than one of the most extraordinary archaeological and anthropological discoveries of our lifetime.” — National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis of the mysterious abandoned culture of southwestern Colorado known only as “Mountain Village”.
“Clearly these people perceived of themselves as deities,” Davis says in The Lost People of Mountain Village. [...]
So…a few weeks back I told you about a photographer named Rachel Sussman who’s on a mission to document the oldest living things in the world. It’s a cool project, but an esoteric one. 5,000-year-old lichen doesn’t exactly cuddle and purr–you have to think about it for awhile. Give it a little consideration and you [...]
It was a classic conundrum of modern travel: I had a phone, two cameras, and a laptop to charge, but just one adapter for the European outlet in front of me. A few years ago, I would have stayed close to the room so I could swap chargers as soon as each battery topped off, [...]
No matter where you do it, skiing itself is much the same. It gives you three options (turn left, right, or straight), and snow, despite its near-infinite variations, speaks the same language the world over. So, the flavors of skiing come not from the action of it, but from the people, the location, and the [...]
For the last three nights, I’ve been traveling across the Arctic by sailboat, kayak, and skis, only to be awakened by the nauseating, repetitive sound of the Verizon jingle based on Big Red chewing gum’s “Kiss A Little Longer” song. Yes, you can get tunes stuck in your head even when you’re dreaming. It’s bad [...]
When it comes right down to it, don’t we all deserve a merit badge or two? I mean, just getting out of bed some mornings, that has to be worth something. The Boy Scouts were on the right track with Backpacking, Orienteering, and Wilderness Survival, but making it to the trailhead without a speeding ticket, [...]
The Boy Scouts of America embodies many qualities, but perhaps more than any other organization it excels at being simultaneously cool and creepy. In fact, maybe we need a new word for it, like, I don’t know, “skeepy”. The Boy Scouts, after all, were where I got my first introduction to the great outdoors, to [...]
Spring dumps arrive like an old friend bearing gifts: unexpected, joyous, and in all likelihood undeserved. Just when you think winter’s sneaking out the back door, whammo–there it is, back again. And if ever there were conditions that challenge those “no-fog” goggles, it’s these: the March or April surprise that comes in on the edge [...]
Few outdoor sensations as a satisfying as a solid tool placement when you’re climbing ice, that “thunk” signifying a security that lies somewhere between the perfect handhold on rock and the relief of a rope clipping into a biner after a desperate stretch of blankness. If you haven’t yet climbed winter waterfalls, you should. Although [...]
Which is the best season? Personally, I’m a fan of autumn. The stifling heat of August yields to cool afternoons and cold nights, dried leaves and short days create a romantic melancholy, and, best of all, the coming snow builds delicious anticipation for the first powder turns.
But the reasons for the season of fall are [...]
In what has to be the leading contender for dumbest post of the year, Australian pro surfer Clint Kimmins falsely claimed to have witnessed a brutal shark attack at a popular Aussie break to scare other surfers out of the water. Posting on his Facebook page, Kimmins wrote that he “just saw a guy’s leg [...]
If the updates in this space have been a little spotty the last few days, it’s because I’m currently a couple hundred miles above the Arctic Circle in Norway’s Lyngen Alps, working on a backcountry skiing piece for my mates at Powder. Norway is the land of birch trees, and they gird the lower slopes [...]
It’s tough to say which is more entertaining, seeing a man get struck repeatedly by lightning or the great art direction in this ad for Tetra Pak. My money’s on the art direction. The plaid Thermos, the Jeep tucked into almost every shot, the Schwinn Sting-Ray lurking in the background…nice work.
Blue Planet Takes on the Big Red River
The Adventure Life Launches Free Weekly Newsletter
Exploring New Ground in ‘Border Country’
1970s Australian Surfing Sure Looks Good From Here
How To Enjoy Your Outdoor Vacation: Step 1, Take One
Das Goat: The Man Behind the Backcountry Blog
Choppers Pluck 16 From Grand Teton In Dramatic Rescue
World’s Best Bike Handlers Throw Down in Scotland
Tarp Surfing is Blowing Up
MC SpandX Cleans Up With “Get Dirty”
Body Surfing Is Coming Home
Photo of the Day* for July 18, 2010
Madison Avenue Started Co-Opting Surfing A LONG Time Ago
