Why Your Smartphone Is A Great Adventure Tool
byEvery once in a while at a book signing or during an interview, someone asks me: What’s your favorite piece of outdoor gear? I…
CLIMBING
None Of This Makes Any Sense And That’s Just Fine
byLast Saturday night, I was running one of my favorite trails in the dark. I had gotten a late start, realized I failed to…
How To Talk To Your Family About Ice Climbing During The Holidays
byIt’s coming: The holiday gatherings with your extended family members who don’t exactly share the same views as you when it comes to outdoor…
The Shortcut Is: There Is No Shortcut
byHere’s something that didn’t happen: Tommy Caldwell, in the days following the first ascent of the Dawn Wall, being interviewed by a journalist about…
10 Basic Rules For Adventure
byEarlier this year, my book Surviving the Great Outdoors came out, representing about 12 years’ worth of poking around in the out-of-doors—climbing, backpacking, hiking,…
Fake Merit Badges For Real Outdoor Achievements
byBecause we all deserve a little recognition for doing things well out there. —Brendan More stories like this in my new book, Bears Don’t…
Honest Climbing Gym Partner Wanted Ads You Never See
byI Want To Give You Beta You: A decent climber. Me: An expert on every route in this gym, even the ones the routesetters…
Less Serious Accidents In North American Mountaineering 2017
byEvery year, the American Alpine Club publishes Accidents in North American Mountaineering, a compilation of notable climbing accident reports from the previous year. Flipping…
20 Alex Honnold Facts
byPerhaps you have read about Alex Honnold’s groundbreaking ropeless climb of El Capitan on June 3. Here are a few things you may not…
But Did You Really Climb It?
byNear the top of the Palmer Snowfield on Mt. Hood, the two mountaineers had been skinning uphill for about 2,600 feet when they saw…
Dear New Guy At The Climbing Gym:
byDear New Guy At The Climbing Gym, or lady running around the track at the park for the first time, or person trying out…
Announcing A New Book: The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide
byToday, I get to share something that some wonderful people and I have been working on for almost two years: a big, fat book…
Remembering Kyle Dempster: Alpinist, Barista, Superhero, Regular Guy
byI was sitting at the counter of Higher Ground in Salt Lake City back in 2012, tapping away on my laptop, and I overheard…
19 More Facts About Mt. Everest
byHey, it’s Everest season again. In case you aren’t yet properly psyched for mountain climbing coverage, here are some more facts about the Greatest…
Celebrating 5 Years Of Semi-Rad: 25 Favorite Quotes
byFive years ago this week, I started this blog, hoping a few people might read it and get something out of it: a laugh,…
Video: Frank and the Tower
byI’m overjoyed to share this film, and the guy in it, with everyone this week. Three friends—Forest Woodward, Fitz Cahall, and myself—took big chunks…
The Power Of A Fear-Based Fitness Plan
byHave you ever committed to something you weren’t sure you could do, and then found yourself in the best shape of your life the…
The Shrinking Of An Adventure
byI padded down the talus in the moonlight, my headlamp switched off, in front of my girlfriend. I was just happy to be moving…
13 Pieces of Gear Every All-Around Adventurer Should Have
byNormally I use this space to talk about not buying a bunch of shiny new gear, to sarcastically review entire categories of gear, or…
It’s Time You Tried Extreme Picnicking
byDo you do sports outside, but maybe would like to do new sports outside? Have you tried bikepacking, SUP-ing, SUP yoga-ing, slackline yoga-ing, fat…
Anatomy Of A Sandbag
byWe all have that friend who may need a little encouraging to do something they’re a little apprehensive about. Or something they’re just flat-out…
The Art Of ‘Getting Old’
byFrank led up the first pitch of El Matador as I fed out rope, the west face of Devils Tower glowing gold as the…
How To Be A Terrible Adventure Partner
bySometimes, when you invite a new friend out skiing, biking, climbing, or backpacking, it goes really well. But maybe, during the course of the…
The Dawn Wall And The Idea of ‘Wasting Time’
byA week ago, two guys finished climbing an astronomically difficult 3,000-foot route on El Capitan as the world kept up via seemingly every mainstream news…
Considering Gratitude
byMike and I arrived at Lincoln Falls to see a dozen people spread across the base of the routes, and decided to go a…
Jokes, Brought To You By El Capitan
byEl Capitan is famous for being the largest granite monolith in the world, which men and women have flung themselves at for 70 years…
Utahlorado: An Idea For A Mega-State Of Awesomeness
byDear states of Utah and Colorado: Hey, so you know what would be cool? If Utah and Colorado became one giant state called “Utahlorado.”…