Exploration & Survival
ArchiveIn the latest extra from Red Bull Media House and MSP Films鈥 epic Fall 2014 release, DAYS OF MY YOUTH, see what happens when snowmobiling meets paragliding. Eric Oddy has created a new extreme sport, aptly named 鈥減arasledding鈥. Watch as snowmobiling is taken to the next level as…
Rail slide to base jump, what could go wrong? Behind the scenes with Stept Productions on their latest project Mutiny. Sketchy is one word that comes to mind for Mike Wilson’s bridge jump. (Warning: Adult language)…
Jack English, 93, lives in a cabin alone in the Ventana Wilderness. An undisputable legend we can all learn from. Take a few moments as we bring in the new year and watch Jack鈥檚 story. Made by Grace Jackson.
No jungle or river is too remote for self-described medicine hunter Chris Kilham, who travels the globe looking for plants to boost our vitality, ease our pain, and turn us on.
No venture is safe from crowdfunding these days, not even searching for an African warlord. Robert Young Pelton wants you to chip in and help track down the notorious leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.
The drowning of Avishek Sengupta at an obstacle challenge last April was ruled an accident, but his family and friends believe that the sport鈥檚 most prominent company did a terrible job of monitoring safety at a water obstacle called Walk the Plank. Elliott D. Woods looks at the life of a remarkable amateur athlete and explains why his tragic end may lead to a multimillion-dollar legal fight.
Women combat veterans suffer the same injuries and difficulties as their male counterparts. And a rugged form of expedition therapy offers a new kind of hope.
One of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Carpenter grew up in the 1930s in Boulder, Colorado, roaming the Front Range on foot, horseback, and skis. As his daughter, Kris Stoever, explains, the freedom fueled an exploratory spirit that eventually took him to space.
BRANDED CONTENT: Peter Metcalf has transformed his company, Black Diamond, into one of the fastest-growing and innovative outdoor-gear and apparel makers in the world. Here he talks about their most radical product yet, a next-generation avalanche airbag-equipped backpack.
Kamchatka, east of Siberia. As the curtain rises on the new frontier of adventure outfitting, attendees include your guide (he's the one with the armored vehicle), the local businessman (he's the one with the machine gun), the UN environmentalist (he's the nervous-looking one), and your fellow tourists (they'll be arriving any moment now). Please enjoy the show
In 1962 in Haiti, Clairvius Narcisse was certified dead and buried. Days later, he was raised from the grave by a sorcerer and became a will-less zombie slave. In 1980, a Haitian psychiatrist found him. In 1983, a Harvard ethnobotanist discovered the secret of his poisoning. And in 1985, a reporter traveled to Haiti to (literally) unearth the true story.
Les Stroud, the most trusted name in survival, has seen it all鈥攁nd lived to tell about it. Next time you鈥檙e up a creek, you should probably do what he says.
Ann Bender will once again be tried for the murder of her husband, an American financier who built a lavish mansion in the wilds of Costa Rica. This is what we know.
On September 28, 37-year-old Jeb Corliss will attempt what he says is his most challenging jump yet. He will drop out of a helicopter and pilot his wingsuit through a crack in a roughly 900-foot-long, 870-foot high rock. We called him up to find out more, and discovered he's using a revolutionary new technology to train.
Danger can be a thrill, but facing death is way overrated
Jordan Hanssen and three friends were more than three-quarters of the way through a 3,700-nautical-mile row across the Atlantic Ocean when two rogue waves flipped their boat and left them fighting for their lives.
There鈥檚 nothing like an attack by flesh-eating bacteria to get your midlife priorities straight
You can learn a lot just by walking out your door
On the morning of June 30, all 20 members of Prescott, Arizona’s Granite Mountain Hotshots headed into the mountains to protect the small town of Yarnell from an advancing blaze. Later that day, every man but one was dead. Lone survivor Brendan “Donut” McDonough. For the full story, read…
Chris Foster, a 48-year-old teacher from Southern California, just completed Part 1 of a solo motorcycle journey around the world. We caught up with him to find out why he wanted to do it again.
Learn how to start a one-match fire with this quick guide
A guide to getting the right people interested in your plan
A few tips from Dr. Luanne Freer, founder of the Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic.
If you ever find yourself submerged in icy waters, follow these tips
It's rare to be thrown from a plane crash and survive. But for those who do, the stories are unforgettable.
By the time 51-year-old Sacramento dentist Craig Stapleton jumped out of a plane on the afternoon of March 10 he had racked up more than 7,000 jumps, competed in 14 national skydiving competitions, and won one world championship. It took just one simple miscommunication to put him face to face with a grisly death.
Give your boots some extra stability for especially icy weather - all it takes is a quick trip to the hardware store.
On July 1, 2012, Davey du Plessis set off on a roughly 4,000-mile source-to-sea expedition down the Amazon. Two months and a third of the way in, he was attacked and left in the jungle to die. This is his story, as told to Joe Spring.
A bill to declare lunar national park would have the United States lay claim to the moon鈥攐r at least, the stuff we left up there.
Four men are attempting to row a small fiberglass boat through a notorious Arctic route that has claimed the lives of countless explorers. Why? Because it's now possible, thanks to climate change.
Why were 19 experienced firefighters killed when an Arizona blaze blew out of control? Equally important: Can we prevent such a disaster from ever happening again?
Joseph Welch planned to take his six-year-old son out for some canoeing in the Florida Everglades. Before they even put a boat in the water, he was fighting an eight-foot-long alligator for control of his child.
When Hurricane Sandy closed in on New York City, the Weather Channel dispatched (who else?) Jim Cantore. Nick Heil tagged along for a wet, wild adventure that quickly became something else鈥攁 survival challenge in the darkest hours of a killer storm.
There are countless ways to meet your end in the great outdoors. These are ten of the most unpleasant, ignominious, and terrifying ways to go.
There are countless ways to meet your end in the great outdoors. These are ten of the most unpleasant, ignominious, and terrifying ways to go.
While scouting a Costa Rican jungle for the perfect location for the show 鈥淣aked and Afraid,鈥 51-year-old executive producer Steve Rankin was bitten by one of the most dangerous vipers on earth, the fer-de-lance. Here鈥檚 how he survived the ordeal.
Just after noon on the day before Thanksgiving 2011, 25-year-old NOLS student Rob Tesar unwittingly walked into quicksand in the Utah backcountry. Half a day later, he was still stuck upright, trying to stay awake.
The history of tornadoes in the U.S. by the numbers鈥攁nd 4 tips on how to survive one
When welder Paul Gaylord went to help his sick cat outside of his Prineville, Oregon, home, he never thought the effort would leave him fighting for his life against the Middle Ages鈥 most notorious disease: the 鈥淏lack Death.鈥
Build a better fire all on your own. Here's how to choose and split firewood without losing any digits.
Five-time STIHL Timbersports World Champion Arden Cogar Jr. explains how to swing an axe like a pro
On the Saturday before Mother鈥檚 Day, 2013, Joe Azougar became prey to a 316-pound black bear bent on making a meal out of him. Here鈥檚 how he survived.
In March, a Utah man died while attempting to replicate a rope swing made famous by YouTube. Will the tragedy curb the latest adventure trend?
A brilliant American financier and his wife build a lavish mansion in the jungles of Costa Rica, set up a wildlife preserve, and appear to slowly, steadily lose their minds. A spiral of handguns, angry locals, armed guards, uncut diamonds, abduction plots, and a bedroom blazing with 550 Tiffany lamps ends with a body and a compelling mystery.
Keep ticks (and Lyme Disease) away this summer with a few simple guidelines
We still don't know exactly what happened between John and Ann Bender on the night of January 7, 2010. But photos of the couple give insight into their isolated lives and their lavish, ultimately deadly dream.
We may never know how 21-year-old rafter Kaitlin Kenney died on the Colorado River, but we will never forget why she went
In the wake of a 22-year-old鈥檚 death on a prominent sandstone arch near Moab, Utah, it's inevitable that authorities will reexamine regulation of high-risk recreation. 国产吃瓜黑料's adventure ethicist looks into how public lands accommodate the "World's Largest Rope Swing."
Huston just left the country for his expedition to Ellesmere Island
A team of explorers aims to conquer one of the last polar firsts: crossing Antarctica in winter
Greg and Julie Welch thought they were taking their regular, annual trip, paddling through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. Then the fire came.
Seven years after Hurricane Katrina, animal advocates faced their greatest challenge yet鈥攂ut a combination of technological advances, coordination, and legislation made all the difference
The Abominable Snowman is just a legend. Or is it? We break down the history of the Himalayas' most famous monster, from ancient legends to Russia's yeti museum.
On Monday, January 21, ThoseCrazyTexans uploaded a 19-second clip of aerial stunt pilot Jason Newburg flying a plane at roughly 200 miles per hour just a few feet above the ground and a few feet to the side…
A team of adventurers plays a risky game of dress-up
A conversation with Tim Jarvis as he prepares to set out with a crew of five men to repeat Ernest Shackleton's 800-mile open-boat crossing of the South Atlantic
Yes. Here are the real-life stories and training advice to prove it.
There's no pipeline鈥攐r anything even resembling a trail or infrastructure鈥攜et. And that's precisely why Ken Ilgunas decided to head out in September on a 1,700-mile hike tracing the planned route for the Keystone XL Pipeline鈥攆rom Hardisty, Alberta, Canada, to Houston, Texas. He wanted to…
Lightning. Photo: Shutterstock On Wednesday January 2, 42-year-old Irish adventurer Ian McKeever was leading a group of more than 20 people through the lunar landscape section of Mount Kilimanjaro when…
FalconGuides just announced the first 12 titles in a new line of interactive outdoor guides the company developed in partnership with Inkling, a platform for interactive learning. For the price of the download, readers get expert content optimized for iPhone, iPad, and Web, with…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zph835YAK7M This is what reducing chance looks like on the Australian coast: thousands of beachgoers scurrying to the water's edge of Bondi Beach in New South Wales after a siren warns of a shark sighting. The alarm was sounded on New Year's…
It's unlikely that Robert Frost could have imagined such a choice when he wrote “The Road Not Taken,” but in 2012 slackliner Andy Lewis was at a crossroads. You may remember Lewis from Madonna's Super Bowl…
There are a lot of firsts nowadays, and Erden Eruc's voyage was the first thing to inspire Jonah Ogles in a while
Shark Net. Photo: Kip Evans Tagging technology now allows anyone with a computer or mobile device to follow the movements of great white sharks. Along the East Coast, people are tracking Mary Lee and Genie, two great whites. A group named…
The surfer was able to escape after the shark bit through his board and the side of his torso, pulling him beneath the water
Kayaking in Palau. Photo: Mark Downey Since 2006, Berkeley-based non-profit Ethical Traveler has compiled an annual list of the 10 best ethical vacation destinations for the coming year, and it just released its 2013 list this week.
Regenold enjoying the paddle on a riverboard. Photo: Chris Radcliffe This year, Team Gear Junkie/WEDALI became the first team in the history of adventure racing to win both U.S. National Championship races. In September, they nabbed the title in the…
What happens when you turn the world鈥檚 deadliest sport into a competition? Welcome to the World Wingsuit League.
On his YouTube channel, BASE jumper Alexander Polli said he has completed the “first-ever successful wingsuit target strike.” In the video above, Polli rockets down a slalom course, shatters a foam marker with his left arm, and continues flying forward on his projected path.
When astronaut Donald Pettit heads into space with his 10 cameras, his goal is to collect data about the earth and the stars. Often, his images end up as art. Anyone with a computer can download the photos he takes from the cupola鈥攖he glass turret…
In late August, adventurer Davey du Plessis was two months into a 4,000-mile source-to-sea expedition down the Amazon when he was shot several times. He was hit in the back, face, neck, and leg. The men who…
The ideal flight path. Photo: clusterballoon.com This past weekend at the Leon International Balloon Festival, Jonathan Trappe lifted a fake house off the ground using a cluster of balloons. The stunt, inspired by…
Jason Diamond looks back at Courtney Letts: style inspiration, socialite, and outdoorswoman extraordinaire
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NbI4vEiPmxo There are two reasons I want to see the new film Crossing The Ice, a 44-minute-long documentary that chronicles the 89-day, 1,400-mile journey of James Castrission and Justin Jones from Antarctica's Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back. Number one, the movie…