Expert
Mountain guide and author of
Fit by Nature John D. Colver offers up these hints for staying motivated and fit no matter what your excuse.
More than 1,000 hikers go missing every year in our national parks alone. Most are found within hours, but basic skills can help you get home without making a serious—or even fatal—mistake. Follow this advice for staying on course.
Get more comfort going up and more power and control going down.
Four ski pros share advice for looking good--and staying safe--in the backcountry.
A broken binding or a skin that won’t stick could mean a night spent out in a snow cave, or worse. Have your kit tuned up before you go, but make sure you know how to fix common problems in a pinch.
You don’t need pro-level skills to ski off-piste, but honing your kick-turn technique and avoiding rookie mistakes will ease your transition to backcountry terrain. Here’s how to master the ups and downs when lifts and groomers are miles away. Plus: Prevent blisters, stay energized, and negotiate steeps.
Caused by variable weather, unstable snowpack, and steep terrain, backcountry avalanches claim an average of 25 lives a year in the United States. Your first safety step: Brush up on the basics below. Next, take a course accredited by the American Institute for
Avalanche Research and Education
On any wilderness trip, smart preparation is key. But it’s even more important when you’re backcountry skiing, due to the technical gear, low temperatures, potential for severe weather, avalanche risk, and tricky routefinding. Here’s how to start smart—before you leave home.
Start earning your turns–safely–with this primer on equipment, route planning, reading conditions, and more.
Hard-won-lessons and tips about good decision making from the front lines of survival.
Hard-won-lessons and tips about unsafe snow from the front lines of survival.
Hard-won-lessons and tips about whitewater kayaking from the front lines of survival.
Hard-won-lessons and tips about whitewater kayaking from the front lines of survival.
On the path to good judgment, you’ll find the wreckage from a whole lot of bad decisions. Your plan: Learn from others’ mistakes, and wise up to outdoor hazards without risking your life. Your guide: Veteran adventurer Mark Jenkins. Plus: Guides and rangers share hard-won lessons they wish someone would have told them.
Hard-won-lessons and tips about grizzly bears from the front lines of survival.
Three decades of trial and error from our favorite battle-scarred adventurer.
What's the one item you can't leave home without?
George Dunn, co-owner of International Mountain Guides, recalls personal adventures and gives tips about climbing Mount Rainier.
