What Is It We Love About Someone Quitting Their Job?
byMy friend Chris had a perfectly good, secure, well-paying job as a chemist up until a few weeks ago, when he quit. When he…
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Motivational Posters For Mountain Climbers
byBecause we all need a little motivation sometimes. All posters created with Despair.com’s DIY Build Your Own Motivator tool. -Brendan
Happy Holidays
byHopefully you’re enjoying some time off right now due to one of our many end-of-year holidays, spending time with people you like/love/can tolerate for…
Make Any Scenic Photo A #Selfie With This Swell Trick
bySometimes, when you’re in a beautiful place, it’s easy to forget to take a #selfie. Later, when you look through your photos, you realize…
Happy Thanksgiving From Semi-Rad
by-Brendan
What’s The Best Rain Jacket?
byWhen you’re buying a rain jacket, you probably have lots of questions, none of which really matter besides “Which rain jacket is best for…
The Sometimes Awkward Process Of Finding Your Flow
byThe Sunday night before my first day of fourth grade, I rolled my black-and-gold Huffy Thunder 50 BMX bike up to the retaining wall…
Believe In The Magic Of The Burrito
byDo you have a hard time eating at fancy restaurants where food is presented as a sort of sculpture? I do. It’s usually a…
Are You Making The World Awesomer, Or Angrier?
byIn November, a video posted online showed an American climber visiting Sweden blowtorching holds on some boulders to dry them after a recent rain….
Announcing A New Line Of Invisible Climbing Outerwear
byFact: Shirts are for suckers. They’re heavy, hot, and if you wear one when you’re rock climbing, the ladies (or dudes, as it were)…
Your Best Vacation Is Someone’s Worst Nightmare
byMy friend Aaron is a pretty normal guy, by most standards: High school math teacher, homeowner, happily married, good hygiene, pays his bills, et…
What’s The Cost-Per-Use Of Your Skis/Bike/Rack?
by“I’ve been thinking about things on a cost-per-use basis lately,” my friend Nick said to me a few weeks ago. Nick doesn’t make rash…
Everything Is Epic
byAt a grocery store last week, the cover of Cosmopolitan‘s January issue caught my eye with the headline “EPIC SEX.” Immediately, in my head,…
Make Plans, Not Resolutions
byIn a scene in the spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, the One-Armed Bounty Hunter finds Tuco Ramirez in a vulnerable…
A Handful Of Moments
byMy dad and I walked into Busch Stadium in St. Louis on September 4, the first time he had been in the Cardinals’ new…
The Best Gifts Are Not Things You Ask For
by“Send me a list of gift ideas for you.” Why do we do this around the holidays now? I mean, have you ever really…
The Importance Of Being A Lifelong Beginner
byWhen you dismount a mountain bike going uphill, you end up doing a sort of bow. As you step off and swing a leg…
The Greatest Mountaineering Survival Story Never Told
byA few years ago, I climbed Drift Peak near Leadville, Colorado, on Presidents Day with my friend Aaron and my friend Lee. Lee had…
My Pal Mick, 1958-2012
byMy friend Mick’s heart stopped working last Sunday. He died at the age of 54, not knowing that the night before, I had sat…
Happy Thanksgiving
byI haven’t had a “proper” Thanksgiving dinner since 2002, somehow managing to be anywhere but watching football and eating an oven-cooked turkey. When people…
The New (Not-Quite-So-Masculine) Mountain Man
byI was trying to start a campfire a couple weekends back and grabbed a fat piece of wood with a crack at one end,…
A Climbing Accident
byWhen he hit the ledge, I was sure he was dead. He was a young college guy, and we had exchanged maybe five sentences…
The Customer Is Always Right
byMaybe you’ve heard this one: Ski resort patron approaches lift ticket kiosk on Powder Day of the Century and demands a refund for his/her…
Sick, Brah: The Ineloquence Of Talking About The Outdoors
byYou, outdoor recreator, are quite probably quite educated: Bachelor’s degree, possibly a master’s degree or Ph.D. You wore a cap and gown and were…
My Friend Lee: A Story About Mentors
byFive summers ago, I met this guy named Lee Smith while climbing with a big group of people at Castlewood Canyon. At the end…
The Three Bumper Stickers
by“You know, I was just thinking that three bumper stickers changed my life,” Dan said as we tromped down the trail a couple weeks…
Don’t Sandbag Me, Bro
byI always get sandbagged by guys in gear shops. I will stop in somewhere to pick up a cordelette, or a stuff sack, or…