The origins of my love for the outdoors started with my mom and dad who took me on my first "camping trip" at the age of 6 months. I didn't always love nature, bugs, or dirt and took a "recess" from the ages of about 14-20 (this era coincides with an increase in my usage of hairspray, the word "like", and fingernail polish). But when a boyfriend reintroduced me to the woods via my first backpack trip at age 21, I fell back in deep love with open spaces, the quiet of being far, far from pavement, air I can breathe in, and mornings that begin when the sun lights up my tent.
Then, about ten years ago, a small fear of heights started infringing on my fun. My solution? Do what I feared. Go to high places. Learn to climb. For Christmas that year, my parents gave me intro lessons at the local gym.
Since those early backpacking and climbing days, my fear has become manageable, a "good" trip is one where I come back dirty, and my ideal Saturday starts at dawn with a backpack. My passion for being outdoors -climbing, hiking, skiing, learning to alpine climb, biking- has brought the most amazing people into my life, taken me so many adventures, and led to the best job as a writer and VertiCulture editor for Outdoor Research.
You can read more of my stories including my summer climbing project with my bestie, Sara Lingafelter on www.SoloInTandem.com or about travels, adventures, and random musings on my blog SnarkyBumbler.blogspot.com.
Loading ...I’m wary of “top-ten” and “best-of” lists. There are many beautiful and intriguing people, places and things in the world, and to settle on just one as “the best” suggests a lack of imagination and curiosity. That said, the Beckey-Chouinard is the best alpine rock route on the planet.
Loading ...On February 14, 1999, a skier and snowboarder were killed in a massive avalanche in the Mount Baker sidecountry, adjacent to the resort’s slopes. Instead of preventing future sidecountry access, the resort chose instead to educate its customers on snow safety and require a basic level of knowledge before allowing them to venture beyond the boundary ropes.
Loading ...Fitz Cahall wistfully recalls highlights from countless adventures spent with his dearly departed Outdoor Research StormTracker Gloves.
Loading ...Looking for the comfort and peace solitude can bring, Kyle Dempster left for open land and big sky spending three months biking and climbing through Asia.
Loading ...[ November 18, 2011; 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm. November 19, 2011; 9:00 am to 6:30 pm. November 20, 2011; 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. ] Midwest Mountaineering presents the 53rd Annual Fall Expo, November 18-20th. Featuring programs on mountaineering including a presentation by Peter Athans on “Everest’s Summit to the Silk Road”, cycling, canoeing, dogsledding, hiking, and more to pique the interest of outdoors people of every skill level. The Fall Expo also coincides with the Banff Mountain Film Festival. [...]
Loading ...Molly on the 6+ hours up
We had seen Fitz Roy posing out there in the distance, like a monument to adventure, as we made our way further south on Argentina’s Route 40 to El Calafate.
Our group had recently covered 1600 kilometers (994.19 miles) from Bariloche to this Southern Patagonia region with our captain, Rodrigo Harding, [...]
Loading ...I’m not sure how many times it will take before I learn that I am not cut out to be a ski guide. A misjudgment I frequently make is that everyone’s idea of fun is the same. I think it was that expectation that got me into trouble this time.
Loading ...[ October 1, 2011; October 8, 2011; November 5, 2011; ] Coming this fall! Three bouldering comps in some of the Southeast’s premiere bouldering locations to benefit the Southeast Climbers Coalition and the Carolina Climbers Coalition. Join in for one or all three and push your passion for the sport! We’ll see you at:
Saturday, October 1 at Hounds Ears, Boone, NC
Saturday, October 8 at Stone Fort, [...]
Loading ...“On a snowy ledge at almost 19,000ft, Janet, Kirsten, and I curl together to wait out a clear, cold night high above the Sakang Lungpa glacier…” The all-women’s team returned from the Karakoram successful but not how they intended.
Loading ...“In the winter of 2010, Mark Allen called me about a photo he had come across of a glacier in Alaska of which we had never heard. We determined that it was possibly accessible with skis from the epicenter of Kahiltna Basecamp and by all accounts unknown. With a bit of work, photos lined up to maps, together showing steep terrain and big relief, our excitement built. We planned for the Alaska range in the spring.” The Pirates of Rad returned to Alaska for adventures into the unknown. Here is their story…
