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…
LOVE
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…
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…
Is Mountaineering Sexy?
byI think there’s nothing that feels more rad than picking your way up a ridgeline, trailing a rope, pulling your hood over your helmet…
Bears: Awesomest Animals In The Universe
byMaybe you haven’t spent much time lately thinking about how awesome bears are. That’s OK, if that’s the way you want to live your…
The Importance Of Big Dreams
byI have a copy of this children’s book that I take everywhere I go. It’s called An Awesome Book, and everyone I know who’s…
Dude, It’s OK To Hug Your Bro
byGet over here. Come on in and let the big bear get his paws on you. Sometimes men are afraid to hug each other,…
The Rules For Dating A Dirtbag
byIt’s a singular feeling when you’re 33 and talking to your mother and she says, “You know what I think you should try? Match.com.”…
Why Road Trips Are Still Important
byI asked my friend Nick to drive from Denver to Seattle with me a couple weekends ago, since we hadn’t spent several hours alone…
The Toughest Thing
byOne of the things about telling stories is you think you should always know where the story begins and ends, and I hope I…
This Is How You Build A Bike Shop: On Love
byI remember flipping through 5280 Magazine‘s 2011 “Top of the Town” issue to the section where “Best Bike Shop” appeared, and seeing a full-page…
Hey Coffee, I Love You
byWhen you go on a climbing or backpacking trip and someone says, “I’ll bring the coffee,” do you secretly bring your own stash to…
Staying Young Is The New Growing ‘Old’
byChristmas Eve, 2011, I am going to throw up on a spin class bicycle. Sweat is raining off my temples and pooling on…
A Very Special Christmas Climb
by“So I was thinking,” I said to Dustin in front of his house in Phoenix, “you can be either Santa or the elf, but…
What’s Your Goal For 2012? Here’s Some Inspiration
byEvery year, my pal Nick and I inevitably have a chat about our goals for the year, at some coffee shop in Denver. In…
5 Steps to More Fun in Your Outdoor Photos
byRemember that time you took that photo of you and your friend(s) standing on the summit of something and it was the most exciting…
Am I Hiking Too Fast For You?
byMy friend Greg had hit the wall about four miles from the top of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and every time…
Nick + His 1991 Trek 970, 4-Ever: A Love Story
byNot so long ago, my pal Nick made up his mind that he was going to get himself a motherfucking Trek 970 if it…
The Dirtbag Diaries: The Way of the Underdog
byThis is my friend Jayson. When I’m telling people about him, a lot of times I say, “If you know him, and he isn’t…
How much outside time do you need?
byOne night a couple weeks ago, I ate dinner with my back to a 180-degree view of Titcomb Basin, one of the most spectacular…
A Lesson On How To Live, From Climber Craig DeMartino
byI tried to pull around a corner on nothing, the crux moves of the third pitch of a route on Mary’s Bust in the…
Can Bikram Yoga improve your rock climbing?
byIt is 105 degrees in this room, 50 percent humidity. Seven of us are standing in the middle of yoga mats with towels covering…
How to Talk Shit to Your Climbing Partner
by“Hey, can you take photos with your phone?” I yell down from the belay to my pal Lee, as he works his way up…
One more pitch: How do you reset the stoke meter?
bySometimes men grow boobs. This is just a fact of aging, or more accurately, the lack of priority we give to fitness as we…
Make your road trip 40 percent better with FIST PUMP OUT THE WINDOW
byRemember your last road trip, the day you left town? Wherever it was, whenever — July 4th, Memorial Day Weekend, Spring Break — you…
Inside the Smokey Bear Costume For a Day
byI have a drip of sweat on the end of my nose. It itches, hanging there, but I cannot wipe it off. Even if…