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Last year, Wave Sport’s designers must have taken the same trip through the wind tunnel that Lamborghini techs made recently. Gone are the rococo flourishes and hard angles, replaced by spare, fluid lines. But where the Project’s predecessor, the ZG, allowed comfort and speed to compromise performance, this year’s…
The G4’s cool, buffed shell, recessed ports, and ergonomic edges house Apple’s most powerful mobile command center to date. We love iLife—an included suite of powerful programs that edit and organize photos, movies, music, and more. With 64 megs of dedicated graphics memory, a hard drive that buckles its own…
The Golden has the solid flex and feel of wood—it’s available in either ash or padauk—and because its blades are coated with a polymer similar to what’s used for spray-in truck-bed liners, it’s practically indestructible. wavedogpaddles.com…
One-Second Photo Polaroid is dead. Long live Polaroid! When the company announced in February 2008 that it was discontinuing production of its iconic instant film, reports about the end of an era ignored the fact that Fuji has supplied “Polaroid” film to the commercial industry for years. To fill the…
You can winterize any inflatable sleeping pad with an inexpensive (if bulky) closed-cell foam mat like THERM-A-REST’S Z LITE PAD.
Headquartered five minutes from Canada’s St. Lawrence River and the mighty surf waves at Lachine Rapids, Riot helped launch big-wave riding as its own kayaking subgenre. The Astro carries on that tradition with a fast-planing hull and delayed rocker to aid aerial moves but maintains a bow profile narrow…
1. Jackson Kayak rolled out 11 models this year—more than all the other domestic boatmakers combined. But our favorite was the completely redesigned 54-gallon Fun, which somehow manages to be a comfy, low-maintenance playboat that’s no slouch on performance: It won last year’s World Cup. 2.
The gold standard of expedition paddling gets a makeover with a more versatile neck closure to fit everyone from a linebacker to an Olsen twin and—thankfully, with all that water rushing by—a “relief” zipper. kokatat.com…
Top Touring Boat Paddle the nearly 18-foot-long Infinity as a day boat and it's fun if a bit cumbersome. Load it and head out for a week or more and it really shines. Serious paddlers looking for a comfy boat will love the Infinity's large cockpit and raised foredeck, which…
PATAGONIA‘s DOWN SWEATER SPECIAL EDITION will supercharge your winter jacket or sleeping bag.
Though it’s more than a year old, the Jefe, like its Tsangpo-stomping predecessor the Gus, has no equal as a creek and expedition boat. The long waterline, medium chines, displacement hull, and heavily rockered bow allow the boat to accelerate, track through turns, climb out of holes, and get…
ROOMY PLAYBOAT With a roomy cockpit and extra-large foot bumps—which can accommodate up to size 13 feet—the Agent is the best big-dude boat with agile performance. It’s not as speedy as Dagger’s previous freestyle boats, but thanks to an ultra-loose, yet edgy, double-release chine and a heavily flared stern…
Two reasons we rarely took these off: One, the bamboo-lined uppers are extremely fast-drying and comfy. Two, thanks to the collapsible heel and quick-lace system, you can wear them as slides or true stay-on-your-feet water shoes. salomonsports.com…
Fitness King Paddling to get a workout? This lightweight performance touring kayak absolutely flies when you put your head down and hammer. “It sprang from stop to go like a racehorse,” reported one tester after zipping across Lake Champlain and back. The Cat 5's deck is arced high to accommodate…
Not that you’d need it, with SIERRA DESIGNS’ BTU -5 SLEEPING BAG—an 800-fill down heat factory with one of the best heat-sealing hoods we’ve ever tested and a waterproof-breathable fabric.
Designing a one-boat quiver is always a compromise, but the Rx (a.k.a the Prescription) is no horse by committee. It can both play and run downriver, because it combines a flat freestyle hull—for spinning on a wave—with a progressive rocker and relaxed chines behind the hips, where eddy lines…
PERFECT FOR PLAYING, SUITABLE FOR DOWNRIVER If your town has a play park, put this boat in it. Here’s why: On a steep breaking wave, a slow, bouncy boat will get you airborne. But on down-tempo man-made waves, the boat has to make up the difference. The Ronin does: It’s…
OK, so they cost five times more than gas-station flip-flops. They’re worth it. The Chaco Flip uses a low-profile, ergonomic footbed that gives you just as much arch support as a good pair of running shoes. Plus, the sole is made out of 25 percent recycled rubber.
Best for Beginners One of the hardest things to learn in a kayak is how to go in a straight line. That's why kayaking newbies especially loved this ten-and-a-half-foot plastic boat. It stays on course and maintains speed almost in spite of what its paddler is doing. In rough seas…
KINCO‘s insulated PIGSKIN LEATHER SKI GLOVES are as tough as they are well priced, but you’ll have to waterpoof them yourself with a coating like Nikwax’s Glove Proof ($7; nikwax.com).
This classic touring boat got an overhaul for 2006, with improved seat, hatches, and primary stability. Cross-Lock quick-release closures on the hatches are user-friendly, and increased cargo space easily stows gear for multiday trips. While it takes paddle power to get the weighty Looksha going, it tracks true once…
TWICE AS FUN, TWICE AS HARD How much do you really trust your paddling partner? How solid is your marriage? The Topo Duo may have the answers. It’s the only two-person whitewater boat in production. A strong paddler can right both the boat and an accompanying novice, but beware: There…
These four-mil neoprene booties are as burly as the steep granite gorge in the Sierra after which they’re named. Supersoft sticky rubber makes them grip the rocks on tough portages; a low-profile fit makes them comfy in your kayak. teva.com…
Packable Sailboat “I can hardly believe it,” remarked one tester, “but it really does sail like a legit boat.” That pretty much sums up our take on the inflatable Smartkat. It took testers about an hour to assemble, but once on the water this 15'7″ masted catamaran, which is capable…
Now, shelter. The steep walls of BLACK DIAMOND‘s ultralight (2.8-pound), single-wall HILIGHT TENT shed snow, and it packs down small enough to save space for booties. Or build an igloo.
Face it: You’re too old for the PlayStation. Still, an all-business laptop would be pure drudgery. Lucky for you, Alienware—the Miami-based notebook-gaming powerhouse that custom-manufactures some of its systems with twice the computing oomph of an Xbox—has released a hybrid that can crank through the “Legendary” level of Halo 2…
With exceptional primary and secondary stability and surprisingly speedy acceleration, the Tsunami blends beginner-friendly handling with performance that won’t leave you wanting once you’ve mastered the basics. Everyone who paddled it—from testers to their mothers—had fun. A high-backed seat provides superb support, and with seven sizes available, it fits…
CREEK SPECIALIST The Habitat incorporates the trademark roominess of Wave Sport’s previous creekboats, but its new hull design is carvier, more forgiving, and not as flat-bottomed (read: you won’t crush your spine boofing). At just over eight feet, it was fast enough to cut across eddy lines on the Colorado,…
It’s a sandal or a shoe. Four large teardrop-shaped openings and 12 drain holes keep them free of water, and a slimmed-down quick-lace system holds them firm. Step on the heels to turn them into sporty clogs. newbalance.com…
Expert Fisherman Using the underwater pedal-powered flippers and knob-controlled rudder, you can propel the Mirage across the lake hands-free so you can fish, shoot pics, sip a drink. Prefer to paddle? The flippers remove in a snap (OK, the press of a button) and you're free to paddle it like…
GRAND SHELTERS’ lightweight (five-pound), sturdy, and easy-to-use ICEBOX forms perfect blocks.
H2O claims its thermoplastic resin blade is as light as a composite but still durable like plastic. The bent carbon-and-glass shaft eases wrist strain, and indexed grips help you keep your bearings, even while getting thrashed in a hole. www.h2opaddles.com…
There’s no debate: This is one of the best touring boats on the water. We took the Brittany out in the stormy Atlantic and on glassy Lake Champlain, loaded down and completely empty, and in all conditions she turned like she knew what we were thinking. With the skeg…
The micro-brimmed, crash-helmet styling of the Holt—often worn with goggle straps on the inside—is the choice for the park-and-pipe set. Come summer, the winter pads are removable for a warm-weather skate setup. smithoptics.com…
Crocs’ take on the boat shoe, the Cove has a quick-drying suede upper paired with the classic Croslite foam-like midsole. White and blue too Nantucket for you? It’s also available in brown. No socks allowed. crocs.com…
Take It Anywhere The greatest thing about canoes like the Explorer LT is their versatility. There's enough room (1,100 pounds of capacity) to tool around with dogs, lunch, and kids鈥攐r pack up camping supplies and head out for a week. And because it has a moderate amount of rocker and…
Illuminate your tent or igloo with PRIMUS‘s SOLAR CAMPING LANTERN for a homey touch.
This high-performance, narrow-hulled speedster tracks like an osprey to a trout: fast and straight. The high-backed seat has a ratcheting backband adjustment that, cranked tight, puts you in an aggressive forward position that will let you race with rowing shells—and win. Extras are few in the stripped-down shell, but…
When portability is paramount, Sony’s Vaio T is the ultimate machine. I’ve road-tripped mine across the United States and Canada. It’s survived a kayaking expedition to Madagascar, where it happily chugged a steady diet of digital photos. On my “recovery” days, it’s a coffee-shop conversation starter: “Is that a real…
Building off its success in mountain-bike helmets, Giro incorporates ample, switch-closable vents and a style-conscious but functional visor on this freeskiing lid. For $30 more get speakers built into the ear pads. giro.com…
The Cimarron might look a little aggro, but it’s virtually indestructible, thanks to its beefy molded-EVA exoskeleton and Keen’s patented toe-stubbing protection. Bonus: A full-length mesh-upper lining keeps feet secure and small pebbles out. keenfootwear.com…
The Big Easy More than 30 inches wide, with a pontoon-style hull, the open-decked Commander is the perfect stable platform for gear-intensive outings鈥攅ven if that gear is a good book and a well-stocked cooler in the gaping stern tank well. As a canoe/kayak hybrid, it's not quite stable enough to…
JETBOIL‘s ultra-efficient GROUP COOKING SYSTEM has a 1.5-liter pot for melting snow.
Graham Bowley rehashes August 2008's tragic events on Pakistan's K2.
Because the heat of summer is upon us, we scoured the globe for the greatest sailing, fishing, paddling, diving, floating, surfing—you get the idea—trips out there. And since you can't always pop over to Indonesia, we picked a few close-to-home adventures, too.
These cutting-edge hybrid, tandem, and ultra-portable boats make it easy to hit the water.
A group of hyper-energized twenty-somethings want to form a community of the country's brightest young CEOs by skiing, kayaking, and getting tattoos together. Crazy, right? The CEOs don't think so.
Lottery fever has taken over the adventure world, which suddenly makes us miss waiting in line.
WHERE TO USE IT: Cold water and stiff currents make Washington’s San Juan Islands a serious destination for kayakers. But with good forecasts and maps from Anacortes’s Sea Kayak Shop (seakayakshop.com), they can also be the most rewarding, with frequent orca and humpback sightings. Take a lap…
“Not just different. Better.” That tester’s observation sums up this 15-degree bag from Montbell, whose major tech innovation—spiraled baffles—made it the most comfortable and best-functioning bag we tested this year. Far from a gimmick, the spiral baffles drape more evenly over the body, creating…
It's not enough to be at the forefront. In an era when everything has supposedly been done, these adventure icons ignore convention, court risk, and let their passion lead the way.
This ode to cutting loose could make you quit your job.
Kick Kennedy The dynastic brothers are gone, but up comes the next generation. Kick, 21, a senior at Stanford, has quietly built a r茅sum茅 fighting for water conservation. In 2006, she joined an Imax crew filming Grand Canyon 国产吃瓜黑料: River at Risk and became…
Julia Mancuso The first time we heard about Julia Mancuso, she was winning gold in the 2006 giant slalom, in Turin, after top U.S. contender Lindsey Vonn was injured in practice. The Lake Tahoe native went on to have a career-best season, but in the years that…
It’s hard to call an Olympic silver medal a defeat, but that’s what Gretchen Bleiler’s 2006 halfpipe loss to Vermont native Hannah Teter seemed like. Bleiler, the 28-year-old from Aspen, Colorado, has been the dominant woman in snowboarding for the past half-decade, but she’s entering this Olympic year as an…
BEST: SEPTEMBER聳OCTOBER, WHEN THE SAND IS COOL FIRST ENCOUNTER: Sun Spots I can’t tell you if we saw the sun set on the North Rim and rise on the South Rim or if the order was reversed. It doesn’t matter. What I remember is that I was seven…
Whether you’re looking for a compact point-and-shoot or a high-end SLR, we’ve selected a sharp shooter for every photographer and budget. : Sony DSC-HX1 $500 (Photograph by Shana Novak) The cake: Ten frames per second, with a 28聳560mm optical zoom and HD video. The icing? A sweep mode聴for automatically spliced,…
Putting off med school to train for the English Channel swimming record? Now that's a gap year. San Francisco-based Laurin Weisenthal, 25, who helped her Harvard swim team win an Ivy League championship and break into the NCAA's top 25, plans to make her attempt at the 25-mile, 58-degree crossing…
Whitewater's brightest stars are launching bigger drops than ever. But it'll take more than sweet photos to right this fading sport.
There's no better place to escape your own success than on a river in Texas Hill Country. Just ask Taylor Kitsch.
What kind of masochist does it take to swim alongside the man who conquered the Arctic in a Speedo? Our kind.
Times are tough, but growing and killing your own food isn't the answer.
No, you haven't met her somewhere before, and neither had we. Fletcher, a 33-year-old triathlete from Red Deer, Alberta, has spent the last five years coming up through the amateur-triathlon ranks, consistently winning her age group, and is poised to go pro in 2009. How does she practice jockeying against other hard-bodied type-A women who occasionally kick
The West’s desperate water shortage may get a year’s reprieve. Last winter’s epic snowpack鈥攊n some places the biggest since the 1960s鈥 is fueling the best whitewater season since the invention of self-bailing rafts. The timing couldn’t be better: 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
Life in Chile’s Atacama Desert is hot, dry, and tough. That is, unless you’re lying poolside at Tierra Atacama, the latest luxury hotel to open in the unlikely tourist boomtown of San Pedro. Just blocks down the street from Explora’s iconic Hotel de Larache, 32-room Tierra Atacama is run by…
How did Billy Poole, an aspiring big-mountain skier, die during his first Warren Miller shoot?
Chile鈥檚 Peel Inlet has a long history of turning back experienced explorers. Maybe what they needed was a golf umbrella, four wheels of Dutch cheese, and a better way to brew coffee.
Classic or skate? Either way you'll go fast with the latest—and best—Nordic gear.
“We wanted to take one of the gnarliest mountains in the world and make it look like your local backcountry ski area,” says Aspen-based freeskier Chris Davenport of his 22-day June expedition to 20,320-foot Mount McKinley. And they did. Along with Clark Fyans, Nick DeVore, Kirsten Kremer, and Adam Clark,…
If you’ve got a pickup, you’ve got the ultimate portable camp. Compared with a tent, it provides a less conspicuous (and more secure) shelter at the put-in, by the trailhead, and near the break聴or at the rest area. Some new trucks, like the 2007 Toyota Tacoma, have notches in their…
WORKBENCH Fix a Flat A man doesn’t like to admit he’s never changed a bike tire. But there’s shame, and then there’s hiking ten miles when you could be riding. Let us help you avoid both indignities. Always carry…