Zen And The Art Of Not Packing Shit You Don’t Need
byI once packed a can of chili ten miles into the backcountry. It weighed 15 ounces and it only contained 560 calories—about as much…
How-to
52 Pieces Of Adventure Advice
byEverybody has a few one-liners that always crop up in their head when they’re out hiking, skiing, climbing, and/or having a good time or…
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,…
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…
9 Tips For Handling Cold Weather
byWell, it’s winter again, which means if you’re lucky, you’re out skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing or doing some other fun activity, and if not,…
9 Travel Tips To Lower Your Anxiety
byI usually don’t write non-humorous lists on this blog, but I’ve traveled a lot this year so it’s on my mind. So far, I’ve been…
New Book: Make It Till You Make It: 40 Myths and Truths About Creating
byA couple times a week, someone who’s interested in writing or filmmaking or some other creative pursuit asks me something along the lines of…
The Subtle Art Of Picking Up The Check
byI sat at the counter of a Mexican restaurant in Pinedale, Wyoming, a couple Saturdays ago, and watched two guys in their 40s approach…
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,…
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…
The Art And Joy Of Busting Someone’s Balls
byThere is no class in high school or college on how to insult a friend in an endearing manner. If there were, it would…
Go Camping For A Month This Summer (Without Quitting Your Job)
byEvery year since 2008, I’ve set a goal of sleeping outside for a month of each year. I don’t do well with training goals,…
11 Truths About Riding Bicycles
byDid you know you don’t have to wear lycra to ride a bicycle? That’s right. You can if you want to, and lots of…
Should You Take The Day Off Work To Go Skiing?
byHere is a flow chart to help you decide: But wait, you say, it’s not that simple. Right, it’s not. You have too much…
Help Your Relationship Survive Your Girlfriend/Boyfriend’s First Ski Season
byHere’s what you’ve imagined: You and your attractive girlfriend or boyfriend sitting next to each other on the chairlift, ripping pow, maybe having a…
11 Ways To Make That Chairlift Ride Awkward
bySki season is here, and you’ll be spending anywhere from three to 15 minutes sharing chairlifts with people you may or may not know….
8 Tips For Getting The Wrong Holiday Gifts For Everyone
byShopping for the holidays can be challenging: Trying to come up with the perfect seven to 10 items for everyone on your list, making…
How To Be A Writer: One Story
byEvery few weeks, I get an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who has a few questions about writing: how to get their…
Introducing The ‘Heavy Backpack Workout’
byYou’ve tried everything to get in shape: the Shake Weight, BowFlex, FlexBelt, 8 Minute Abs, NordicTrack, P90X (or maybe P12X), Total Gym—and still, you…
How To Exit A Bathroom (Mostly) Germ-Free
byYou will probably not get ebola from touching a public restroom door handle. But if you touch a restroom door handle with your bare…
5 Ways To Procrastinate Fall By Extending Summer
byThe temperatures are slowly dropping, the leaves on the trees are starting to turn golden, and fall is beginning its pumpkin-spice-scented squeeze on the…
Fitness Quotes Brought To You By Bears
by[Original photo: “Bear Alaska (3)” by Carl Chapman from Phoenix, usa – Driving To Alaska. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]…
How To Go To The Gym
byHans Florine has climbed The Nose on El Cap damn near 100 times, and in 2012 set the speed record for climbing The Nose…
How To Avoid Being A Flake
by-Brendan
7 Tips On How To Be A Good Tentmate
byHey, do you like camping and backpacking with your friends? Of course you do. So obviously you’d like to be invited on lots of…
The Three Types Of Directions
byDo you ever ask people for directions anymore? Or do you prefer to ask them, “What’s the address?” and just plug it into your…
A Letter From Your Bike RE: Your Roof-Top Bike Rack
byHey, So you got a fancy new car-top bicycle carrier. Cool, it’s gonna be great to not have to take off my front wheel…