See all our guide to the world’s best hikes and trails. Utah’s Zion National Park is a place of immensity; huge sandstone walls tower far above the valley floor, the sheer magnitude is unreal. Alas, tourists and tour buses are the most common sight to be seen here, yet there are places void of this…
Within a few weeks of an unsuccessful attempt by French adventure athletes, “Sketchy” Andy Lewis and a small crew of daredevils put up and walked the world’s highest highline. At more than 4,000 feet off the ground this amazing feat was achieved with the dramatic assistance two hot-air balloons. As part of a remarkable display…
Video #1: The Alpinist – Climber David Lama’s First Free Ascent of Patagonia’s Cerro Torre
Austrian climber David Lama‘s incredible natural abilities to ascend things showed at an early age. After mastering sport climbing, David, now 23 years old, shifted his focus and aspirations to free climbing and alpinism, eventually to claim one of the greatest free ascents in history—the first free ascent of the Southeast Ridge on Patagonia’s Cerro…
Video: Inspiring a New Generation of Adventurers
Adventure educators Amy and Dave Freeman have built their lives around using technology to bring outdoor adventure into the classroom through their organization Wilderness Classroom. The Minnesotan couple, two of our Adventurers of the Year, just completed their three-year, nearly 12,000-mile North American Odyssey, which engaged more than 85,000 schoolkids. Here, learn more about their story and how they…
Behind the Shot: Will Gadd on Mixed Climbing Overhead Hazard at Helmcken Falls, BC
Climber Will Gadd and photographer Christian Pondella, a dream team athlete-photographer duo with 15 years of experience working together, worked together to get this shot on the first ascent of Overhead Hazard. Will claims it is the hardest route multi-pitch mixed route in the world so far and the coldest he has ever been—now that’s saying…
“The lure of the arctic is tugging at my heart. To me the trail is calling! The old trail, the trail that is always new.” ~Matthew Henson In honor of Black History Month this story was excerpted from the forthcoming work of narrative nonfiction The Adventure Gap by James Edward Mills to be published this fall…
Coaching the Next Generation of Climbers
“Climbing is about having fun,” says Shane Messer. “That’s what it’s all about. But we’re here tonight to train.” He might have added, To train for the Nationals, but his listeners don’t need to be reminded. What a scene. Around Messer stand some 35 boys and girls, ranging in age from nine to eighteen. From…
I flicked the 10th leech from my left sock before noticing the blood soaking my midsection. Seven fat leeches had feasted there, and they were now dropping off one by one. But who can complain—this comes with the territory when you are in one of the earth’s last great rain forests. Surely it is worth…
Pioneering Stand-Up Paddleboarding Yoga in Costa Rica
There’s something undeniably special about being a pioneer—especially when the backdrop is a pristine, deserted bay in the northwestern Costa Rican jungle. I can’t tell you exactly where because then I’d have to kill you. But suffice to say that it’s the perfect canvas for combining the soothing strokes of stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) with the…
I am a terrible surfer. Let that be stated now. Dropping into my first perfectly forming left-hand roller at Beng Beng’s, a popular surf break in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands, I was about as terrified out of my wits as I have been in any situation. After crashing into the white wash after a mere several…