Epic Lines You Can Wait In (That Aren’t On Mt. Everest)
byYou may have seen Nirmal Purja’s photo of the huge line of climbers queued up on their way to the summit of Mt. Everest…
mountaineering
Remember When We Were Young?
byMark and I sat in the front window of a Denver coffee shop, talking about aging. Mark was 44, I was 37. Thirty-seven and…
Yes, A Friend Can Make Miserable Things Less Miserable
byI trudge forward, the muddy road tugging at my running shoes, splattering my ankles and shins, as I finish the uphill part of my…
Other Horns Of Switzerland (Besides The Matterhorn)
byI was in Zermatt last week and was fortunate to gaze upon the incredible Matterhorn, at the south end of town, on posters and…
The People-Pleaser’s Plan For Climbing A Mountain
byHey, I was wondering if you might want to go climbing this weekend? I think it’ll be really fun—if you’re up for it. I…
Summit Day
byA couple hundred feet from the top of Avalanche Gulch on Mount Shasta last Monday morning, my friend Abi and I had a check-in….
Affordable Alternatives To The Seven Summits
byWant to climb the Seven Summits? Sure you do. Want to pony up $157,000 (not including flights)? If the answer to that second question…
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…
10 Basic Rules For Adventure
byEarlier this year, my book The Great Outdoors: A User’s Guide came out, representing about 12 years’ worth of poking around in the out-of-doors—climbing,…
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…
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…
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…
The Value Of Just Going
byLast Saturday afternoon, I was about to nod off in the passenger seat of my friend Mitsu’s car while we drove across Portland. I…
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…
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…
Are You Coming Off The Couch?
byDo you ever say “yes” to a bike ride, day of climbing, run, ski day, or other outdoor activity, and immediately after, notify your…
Big Shout Out To Rocks
byIt is a fact that if you are reading this, there is a 75 percent chance you have touched at least one rock in…
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…
Lose Weight Now With The 10,000-Foot Diet
byHey Are you sick and tired of diets that JUST DON’T WORK? Do you feel like a sucker after losing a few pounds with…
You Wonder Why We Don’t Have Nice Things
byI sat down exhausted last Tuesday night next to my friends Chris and Forest in front of a granite shelter we’d just built on…
Dads And Dreams
byMy dad told me the other day he’d won a three-day Harley rental at a raffle. I said Dad, I think you have to…
Are You Ready For Your Summit Photo?
byAre you going hiking this weekend? Planning a climb of Mount Hood, Shasta, Rainier? There are two things you should be doing: training, and…
Pooping In The Outdoors: A Flow Chart
byEveryone poops. What to do with it in the out-of-doors can sometimes be confusing. Thanks to this hastily-scrawled, handy flow chart, you can now…
Facts About Climbing Mount Everest
byHave you heard of Mount Everest? Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth, so it is also the best mountain on Earth. For…
The Masochist’s Guide To Bushwhacking
by“Bushwhacking is like my third favorite thing to do in the outdoors, behind crotch-deep postholing and getting hit in the head by falling rocks,”…