
How a Vigilante Botanist Became a Cult Icon
Joey Santore is a tattooed ex-punk who is self-taught in the sciences. Which might explain why he鈥檚 getting so many people to care about plants.

A Professional Athlete鈥檚 Battle with Mental Illness
Drew Petersen seemed like just another free-spirited mountain dude. But the pain he was hiding nearly destroyed him.

Can Nature Heal Heartbreak?
Science shows that spending time outdoors can help with all kinds of serious ailments. So why not a broken heart?

When Athletes Dare to Dream Like Artists
Professional skier Markus Eder had a fantasy of an impossible descent. Then he got creative.

A Father鈥檚 Death in the Mountains鈥攁nd What Came After
Filmmaker Max Lowe on what it鈥檚 been like to tell his family鈥檚 story in his new documentary, Torn, and what he hopes we can all learn from it

Olympics Special: The Doubts that Power Mikaela Shiffrin
The most dominant ski racer on the planet is constantly questioning her talents鈥攚hich may be the secret of her greatness

What Surviving an Avalanche Can Teach You About Risk
Over two decades of ambitious adventures, elite skier and climber Zahan Billimoria has had some very close calls in the mountains

To Save a Life on the North Shore
What it feels like to rescue a surfer from the massive winter waves that crash into the Hawaiian island

A Man, a Plan, a Steam Room
He needed something鈥攁nything鈥攖o cure his winter COVID blues. Science led him to a mildewy steam room and a very cold shower.

Who Killed the Ski Bum?
You can blame the usual suspects: the crazy cost of mountain-town housing, the corporatization of the ski industry, the Man. Or dare to believe that our hero lives on.

Forces of Good: So a Drag Queen Walks into a Mountain Town鈥
What makes a queer person choose to live in an outdoorsy hot spot instead of an urban gayborhood?

Forces of Good: Pearl Jam鈥檚 Jeff Ament Is on a Mission to Build Havens for Young Skateboarders
America鈥檚 youth are in desperate need of real-life human connection. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bassist says there鈥檚 no better place to provide that than a skate park.

Forces of Good: Hiking 48,000 Miles to Create Community
Lo Phong La Kiatoukaysy, a.k.a. Lil鈥 Buddha, started thru-hiking America鈥檚 trails after 9/11. He hasn鈥檛 stopped yet.

Forces of Good: Running in the Name of Love
After Lawlor Coe lost his brother Hunter to tragedy, he did everything he could to avoid his pain. Then he began to run.

Forces of Good: Teaching the Psychology of Survival
When someone gets hurt in the wild, we know what to do. But what we鈥檝e lacked for way too long are the tools to help people in severe mental distress.

Forces of Good: A Herculean Quest to Make a Difference
Mike McCastle has found a very unusual way to benefit others: by enduring agonizing physical challenges

Forces of Good: The Gearhead Librarian Who Revived a Town
Millinocket, Maine, had been struggling for years following the closure of the local paper mill. Then an enterprising librarian acted on a big idea.

Forces of Good: A Comedian Faces Her Fear of Nature
Ivy Le鈥檚 wildy funny take on adventure entertainment might just shift the conversation on who belongs in the outdoors

Forces of Good: Getting All Bodies Outdoors
Meet the innovators and activists who are making their favorite sports more accessible to plus-size adventurers

It Happened Deep in a Cave in the Amazon
David Kushner went to the rainforest to write about a mysterious place and the people who go there. He never imagined the experience would change him forever.

Why We Love an Internet Dog
From adventurous sled dogs to aging golden retrievers, online canines make millions of people feel good about their day

Forces of Good: W. Kamau Bell Seeks a United America
The host of CNN鈥檚 鈥楿nited Shades of America鈥 on what we learn when we engage with communities very different than our own

Finding Freedom Through Climbing
As a city kid with a back condition, Maricela Rosales was an unlikely outdoor athlete. But scaling walls became her pathway to joy.

Nick Offerman Gets Down to Earth
The actor, woodworker, and dedicated outdoorsman offers up choice lessons for making a deeper connection with the world beyond your door

The Musicians Capturing the Power of Wild Places
For Indie singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop and British rapper Testament, the natural world is an endless source of creative inspiration

A Scientist Finds Her Way in the Rainforest
On an expedition to track lemurs in Madagascar, wildlife ecologist Rae Wynn-Grant found her confidence and her voice

What the Mountains Teach Us About Patience
For philosopher John Kaag, a trek in the Alps during his youth was the beginning of a long and winding journey

A Wild Ride into the Garden of Eden
A daring advice columnist sets off on a road trip with a singular goal: to ask strangers if they make love outside鈥攊n towns named Eden

When Wild Animals Misbehave
Intrepid author Mary Roach shares tales of thieving bears, murderous possums, and mugging monkeys from her new book, 鈥楩uzz鈥

Why Thinking About Death Makes Us Happier
When you confront your mortality on a regular basis, the shift in perspective can be profound

The Dumbest, Greatest Road Trip Ever
In which two bold but questionably sane adventurers actually do for reals what Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels only pretended to do

What It Takes to Be Alex Honnold鈥檚 Climbing Partner
An unnatural lack of fear, a high tolerance for suffering, and a healthy sense of humor. Just ask Cedar Wright.

Desperate Road-Trippers Saved by鈥 Instagram?
When you carry the whole world in your pocket, aid can arrive from the most unexpected places

A Soldier鈥檚 Long Road Back from Afghanistan
After an American Army captain came home traumatized from the war, he lost his ability to love. It took the wilderness to reopen his heart.

A Runner鈥檚 Terrifying Fall鈥攁nd What Came After
For elite mountain athlete Hillary Allen, a near deadly fall was the start of a long, winding journey to find a new source of strength and purpose

How to Date an Athlete
The curious challenge of loving someone who鈥檚 always leaving you in the dust

The Rattlesnake Bite That Changed Everything
Kyle Dickman had spent his life chasing adventure. But after nearly dying from a snake bite, he saw menacing risks everywhere he went.

The Stinky Truths About Your Sweat
Answers to the questions you鈥檝e always had about perspiring but were afraid to ask

Saved by Far-Flung Travel
After her prestigious corporate job nearly destroyed her, Melinda Spooner found her path forward by getting way, way out there

The Many Upsides of Taking On Unreasonable Challenges
What we learn from getting way, way outside our comfort zones

The Most Painful Record in Sports
When an elite cyclist attempts to ride a bike as far as possible in an hour, one thing is guaranteed: they will hurt like never before

A Pro Climber鈥檚 Coming-Out Story
Jordan Cannon found the courage to share his true self in an unlikely place: on the face of Yosemite鈥檚 El Capitan, with his hero

The 国产吃瓜黑料s That Made a Super Dad
He wanted to be the best man he could be. This required some bold and questionable choices.

A Pro Climber and the Disorder That Brought Him Down to Earth
Mason Earle was scaling iconic rock faces when he was diagnosed with a chronic illness. Now he faces his greatest test of endurance.

An Agonizingly Thirsty Crawl Through the Desert
To really understand the outer limits of dehydration, you need to listen to the remarkable story of Pablo Valencia

Casting Out of Darkness
Kayla Lockhart was desperate for relief from the panic that plagued her. She found it at the edge of a stream.

Alone and Injured in the Wild
The remarkable survival story of Claire Nelson, whose solo hike in the desert turned into a desperate fight for her life

Running from the Truth
Outdoor athlete Alex Showerman spent years trying to escape a secret about herself, only to crash headlong into it

The Wild Trips That Transformed a Scientist
Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan saw our relationship to the planet in a new way after a series of remarkable adventures

The Story Behind the Forrest Fenn Treasure Hunt
Digging deep with journalist Daniel Barbarisi, whose new account reveals the very real danger of the chase

A Quest to Expose the World鈥檚 Most Dangerous Frontier
Journalist Ian Urbina is revealing the lawlessness of the open ocean in ways you鈥檇 never imagine

When the Tornado Chased the Storm Chaser
Hunting twisters made Jennifer Brindley Ubl feel deeply inspired鈥攗ntil it scared her to death

A Journey to the Strange World Beyond Our Screens
After more than a year of pandemic living, let us remember why it鈥檚 worth getting out there

An Elite 国产吃瓜黑料r Reckons with Risk
A tragedy forced Savannah Cummins to come to terms with the fact that doing what she loves means putting lives in danger

An Appalachian Trail Horror Story
Sometimes the biggest threat in the wilderness is another human

Biking the Iditarod in Search of Pain
Champion endurance athlete Rebecca Rusch figured her quest for enlightenment on the Iditarod Trail would hurt. She was right.

Life and Death Among the Polar Bears
A close encounter in the far north offers powerful lessons about how Native people have chosen to live alongside a dangerous predator

A Bold Plan to Make Pro Cycling Cool Again
Justin Williams has a fast and furious vision for reviving road racing in America

When an Athlete Refuses to Be Broken
When Joe Stone crashed his paraglider into a mountain, his days as an athlete were supposed to be finished. But Joe had other plans.

Embracing a Fear of Falling
All too often, we tell ourselves that being scared is just part of an adventure. But it doesn鈥檛 have to be that way.

How the Ski Bum Was Made
The untold story of why a generation of dreamers abandoned promising lives to deliver pizza and chase their wildest powder dreams

A Desperate Need for the Mountains
After Sequoia Schmidt鈥檚 family was torn apart by climbing, her own desire to reach higher was born

鈥淚t Was a Way to Keep His Spirit Alive鈥
When an avalanche killed Caroline Gleich鈥檚 brother, it didn鈥檛 end her pro skiing dreams. But it did change her approach to the mountains.

Buried Alive鈥攁nd Running Out of Time
The desperate race to save a skier who disappeared under an avalanche

A Climbing Disaster Interrupted by a Love Story
Sometimes our darkest moments create the best kind of magic

The Pure Joy of Bionic Skiing
A revolutionary robotic device is opening up all kinds of new possibilities in the mountains

A Veteran Surfer鈥檚 Big-Wave Nightmare
When a massive swell surprised author William Finnegan, he was left with only one option: paddle for his life

How a Surfer Survived Being Stranded in the Open Sea
What does it take to get through the worst-case scenario? A very special combination of physical and mental strength.

Why Learning a New Skill Is So Good for You
A journalist's efforts at reinvention reveal a surprising truth: developing new abilities is one of the most life-enhancing things we can do

Inside Emily Harrington's Triumph on El Capitan
The climber talks about the scary falls that actually enabled her to make it to the top of Yosemite's iconic big wall

Life Lessons from Elite Explorers
'MeatEater' host Steven Rinella and adventure photographer Krystle Wright on the experiences that changed them

Tim Cook on Health and Fitness
Apple's CEO says technology can help us lead healthier, more balanced lives鈥攂ut we also need to learn how to ignore our screens

Two Wild Trips with Surprisingly Happy Endings
More often than not, our biggest adventures are nothing like we expect them to be鈥攊n the best of ways

How BASE Jumping Saved Jeb Corliss's Life
He survived multiple crash landings that should have killed him. But as Corliss sees it, risking everything was the only way to live.

Latria Graham鈥檚 Love Letter to Black 国产吃瓜黑料rs
Her essays on the challenges African Americans face in the outdoors spurred an outpouring of questions from readers. This is her response.

How a Fight Over Trees Transformed American Politics
Today鈥檚 battles over climate change and fracking share a common origin: the timber wars of the Pacific Northwest

A Snowboarder's Quest to Get Out the Vote
Jeremy Jones, the king of freeriding, wants to unleash the political might of the 50 million Americans who love our natural playgrounds

The Climbers Speaking Up About Eating Disorders
Elite athletes Kai Lightner and Beth Rodden endured similar challenges. Now they want to help change the culture of the sport.

How the Pandemic Is Teaching Us to Listen to Nature
Chris Watson, the legendary field recordist for David Attenborough鈥檚 films, says this is a unique opportunity to discover the art and pleasure of hearing our world

A First-Time Hunter Gets a Lesson from #WomenWhoHunt
An urban food writer chases deer in the backcountry with two of Instagram鈥檚 female hunting stars鈥攁nd comes home transformed