The thought of a mosh pit scares me to death, and even being packed in a crowd like sardines makes me anxious, but I’m growing rather fond of outdoor concert venues. Beyond seeing great musicians, there are a couple reasons why I like these things. First, you can spread out a big blanket with all of your concert gear and lay claim to a healthy-sized personal space. Second, (and this is huge because I hate shelling out 17 bones at a concessions tent for a single beer and a stale pretzel) you can bring in your own food and booze. [...]
Today’s digital reliance on GPS navigation has all but relegated compass and map use to hardcore outdoor enthusiasts, orienteering clubs, and geography buffs. Using your cell phone’s GPS is fast and effective if you’re within cell range or you cache (download) maps for offline use. Better yet, bringing a GPS receiver that’s compatible with the Russian GLONASS system offers even faster location pinpointing and better overall accuracy, thanks to its additional 24 satellites. That being said, both cell phones and GPS receivers rely on technology that’s subject to failure, whether you forget to charge a battery or inevitably drop your [...]
The day my Thule Chariot CX1 jogging stroller was delivered to the door, the first thought that came to my head was “freedom.” No, not the kind of freedom you feel when you are wearing nothing but a bathrobe. I’m speaking about the kind of freedom John Steinbeck writes about in his travelogue Travels with Charley: In Search of America, his account of a 1960 road trip around the United States with his French standard poodle. In it, he describes the freedom to explore and learn about your surroundings, the freedom to travel the open road and choose your own [...]
Pedaling away from home after work ride, I bust through a quick mental checklist. Helmet, shoes, gloves: on. Water, tools, snacks: yes. GoPro: check. Bear spray: affirmative. Wait, what? GoPro? Why bother carrying that around on a quick evening ride? Why, simply to share and relive the awesome moments! From my own fun and frequent outings last summer, I present a montage from some of the trails around Jackson Hole. Let it prompt you to enjoy your own adventures, and make the trip to Jackson and ride these trails yourself! To help facilitate your explorations, I’d like to present a [...]
Few sport-climbing areas are surrounded by as much myth, mystique and ill-repute as Rifle Mountain Park in Rifle, Colorado. Rifle is often called the prototypical sport-climbing “scene,” replete with perma-draws, bro-brahs, radsters, spray lords, sandbags, grade-boasting, grade-debating, down-grading and more beta-beta-beta than a Greek fraternity. The truth is, many of those impressions and stereotypes are actually true. But once you can get past the scenesters, you will find not only a warm, genuine, friendly community of devoted sport climbers, but arguably the highest-quality concentration of varied 5.13 rock climbing in the world. Yes, there are plenty of other good routes [...]
TJ and I have been on the road for three weeks with our dog, Maja. We’ve got two weekends left in our big five-race road trip and Maja is about to become an international traveler as we’re bringing her along to Canada for the World Cup in Mt. Sainte-Anne. It was a very long three stretch with some hiccups along the way, but two National Championship medals, multiple podiums and a couple of wins is a great few weeks of racing for the team. WORS Cup Pro XCT Our five-week stint of racing started in Portage, Wisconsin at the WORS [...]
My first experience with a center pole tent left me running through the sagebrush in the black of night with my three other tent-mates, all of us in our bare feet and underwear. It was not a good first impression, and it took me a decade to forgive and forget before I finally saw the light. Center pole tents, also known as single-pole tents, and more commonly called megamids, mids or pyramids, have been around since the cave man and are one of the oldest designs out there. In theory, they are only two parts – a pole and the [...]
I am a trail runner, a yoga teacher, and a single mother. I am not sure which of these causes me the most joy or the most suffering. They each have their moments, I suppose. Today I am choosing the joy and suffering of running nine miles in the mountains. I feel tired, tight, and satisfied. As a yogi, I understand the intense effect running has on the body and I value the importance of stretching to keep my joints and muscles in balance. At the end of a long run my soul is soothed, and I take a moment to [...]
If you’re searching the Internet for training advice, you’ll find more than just a few words of wisdom about how to get faster. The consensus: to get faster you have to go harder. Because even though LSD (long slow distance) definitely has its place—especially when it comes to ultra events—it won’t make you faster, you’ll just suffer less. But how do you know how hard to go? That is where heart rate training comes in. What is a Heart Rate Zone? Your heart rate is an objective indicator of how hard your workout is. Whether you are training for that [...]
The La Sportiva Miura is an high-performance, do-it-all, “quiver-of-one” climbing shoe that edges really well, but isn’t the most soft or sensitive shoe, especially during its long break-in period. The Miura, aka the “Bananas” as they are affectionally called by aficionados, is built for all angles and rock types. It’s comfort, support and unique, speedy lacing system make this classic shoe appropriate for all types of climbing. Tech Specs Profile Shape: Minimal Downturn Asymmetrical Curvature: High Closure Style: Speed Lacing System UpperFabric: Leather Lined: Yes Sole: 4mm Vibram XS Edge Construction: High tensioned slingshot rand Weight of Size 38: 8.43oz [...]
Backcountry.com’s online community encompasses a passionate group of wanderers, adventurers, Gearheads, and athletes. Get the rundown on the raddest happenings within the community in You Are Backcountry, your connection to the best product reviews, photos, and videos submitted and uploaded by our athletes, our employees … and you! In this installment of You Are Backcountry we’ve compiled the best community-submitted images of climbing. Climb on! Few things are as exhiliarating as bagging a noteworthy summit. Krista H. and some equally bold women manage to up the ante on the Grand Central Couloir of the Nokhu Crags, in Colorado. “What I love most about [...]
Europe, the birthplace of climbing, has amazing limestone sport climbing and incredible mountains for mountaineering and alpinism. But what the Lower 48 lack in steep limestone cliff bands and soaring mountain ranges like the Alps, we more than make up for with the best trad cragging in the world. We have Yosemite. We have Eldo. We have Indian Creek and the Utah desert. And we have the Gunks. We would have Squamish, too, if it weren’t for the pesky detail that Squamish is actually located just north of our border in Canada (fortunately, border crossings are pretty mellow, eh?). To [...]
Given my experience in Haines, Alaska in April of 2013, it may have seemed crazy to start planning a return almost as soon as I got back. But as time goes by, you forget the struggles (four days of dumping snow that required eight hours of shoveling a day) and think about the amazing terrain you experienced (or merely saw from a distance); returning has a way of consuming your thoughts. Of course, there’s a lot of planning involved–but that’s part of the fun, at least for me. I got a couple partners interested in the idea and started scheming. [...]
Part I Our plane crossed the Arctic Ocean and dipped down towards the Davis Strait. Banking a sweeping right turn towards the short runway, cut between big cliffs and ocean, we got our first glimpse of the minimalist oceanside town of Sisimuit, Greenland. Sisimuit, and most of Greenland, is north of the 60-degree line that traditionally defines the northern polar region. The ruby-red Air Greenland turboprop plane halted at the house-sized airport and, from our seats, we had a window view of five couloirs straight down to the water. The ski terrain and conditions looked promising. Greenland is an autonomous [...]
Heading up to Missoula from Utah for the next race on the Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour , we were equal parts nervous and excited to see first-hand what the buzz was all about at the Marshall Mountain course. There was the famous “A-Line” jump, the rowdy crowds, and the summer solstice buzz and requisite parties that Missoula is known for. After an almost seven-week break since our last major domestic cross-country event, we all wondered who would be on top of their game. The last time the top North American women had lined up together was for the Whiskey [...]
Plenty of serious things can ruin a backpacking trip—starvation, hypothermia, brain aneurysms, bears—but nothing seemingly small can blow up a backcountry mission quite like blisters. Unfortunately, there’s no surefire way to stop them, but if you start thinking about taking care of your feet the same way you do meal planning and packing, you’ll be way more likely to make it through your next backpacking trip with paws intact and spirits high. Prevention Blisters are caused by warmth, moisture, and friction. When you walk, your feet rub in your boots, and the outermost skin slides over the inner layers. Introduce [...]
The West Buttress route on Denali is a strenuous and time-intensive climb. Climbers need to be in top physical shape, and have both the mental fortitude and organizational skills that enable them to stay on top of things in the challenging high-altitude mountain environment. They also need to have all the right gear. This summer, I will be guiding two climbs on Denali and have put together a summary of the equipment I will be taking with me (excluding group items and personal food). Climbing Equipment Lightweight Harness You’ll want a mountaineering harness with adjustable leg loops to accommodate your different [...]
What serious skier or snowboarder hasn’t daydreamed of riding pristine powder in August? Massive mountains, friendly people, and lift-serviced terrain–it seems too good to be true. In reality, however, South America serves up just that, and is only an overnight flight away. For the intrepid rider, there may be no better adventure than leaving North America’s sweltering heat behind and heading for the Andes. While all this is seemingly at one’s fingertips, there is some legwork that needs to be done before hopping on Delta 147 to Santiago, Chile. Good snow does await powder-starved riders from the northern hemisphere, but [...]
The idea to live on the road came to me in January of 2013. It was a romantic idea with a backbone of logic – for someone who wants to make a living with words and photographs, the road is an endless source of inspiration. But like most of my best ideas, it was one that I shoved into the crazy box–the home of ideas that were too radical for this 30-year-old Midwestern boy with an expensive education and an office chair softening his ass. A month later, during a boredom-driven Craigslist search, I got a glimpse of the future – [...]
Think what you drink after a long day on the trail is merely a reflection of your personal palate? Think again. Your beverage of choice publicly broadcasts much more about you than you ever imagined, and can even predict how your night is likely to turn out with near-scientific accuracy. At least according to this incomplete, subjective, and incredibly biased list that you should definitely take super-seriously. PALE ALE You’re well-rounded and versatile, with refined taste in both beverages and gear. You don’t mind springing for something high-end if it’s worth the hype, but you also don’t buy the most [...]
On multi-pitch climbs, you carry a lot of gear with you–cams, nuts, draws, slings, carabiners–and of course, your trusted belay/rappel device. Over the years, I’ve seen people drop gear on climbs more often than you might imagine. What will you do when it happens to you? Dropping your #2 Camalot is a big deal, especially if your route offers up plenty of hand crack, but in most cases you can make do with other gear and plan your protection strategy for each pitch accordingly (if you’re climbing a trad route, that is). Dealing with a dropped cam, nut, or quickdraw [...]
Sure, you can just run. But strength training can help you run faster and better, and stay free from injury. If you’re going to start anywhere with strength training, start not with your legs, but with your core. The system of muscles – not just your abs – at your core are essential to supporting your posture, which will help you run more efficiently and cut down on fatigue. A stable core also enables you to respond to changes in terrain underfoot with a minimum of energy expenditure. We consulted with Whitney Liehr and Adam Daniels, both trainers at the [...]
For the competitive cyclist, the transition from early season to summer requires some thought. Throughout the winter and spring, you’ve focused on developing the aerobic system and sustainable power you need for the summer race schedule. A lot of miles went into this pursuit of base fitness and if you did it right, it felt like work at some point along the way. But while long hours on the bike can improve overall fitness, come summer you’ll want to make some changes by adding some more intensity, balanced by more fun, into the mix. Go Harder After months of logging [...]
Real talk, it’s not a matter of if you’ll get a flat but when. In fact, the difference between a 10-minute fix and walking your bike home hinges on whether you’re prepared for the inevitable. That’s why I made a step-by-step tutorial for fixing a flat that’ll save your ride someday. Step 1: Removing the Wheel Before you start looking for the culprit, you’ll need to remove the wheel from either the frame or fork. Depending on your bike, you’ll either have to loosen the quick-release and drop the wheel or remove the thru-axle and drop the wheel. We suggest [...]
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