Blair Braverman is a columnist and contributing editor for ϳԹ, a long-distance dogsledder, and author, most recently, ofԻ.
She’s completed some of the toughest dogsled races in the world, including the Iditarod, the Kobuk 440, and the Canadian Challenge, and co-runs the dog team BraverMountain Mushing with her husband,Quince Mountain, in northern Wisconsin. They share the team’s many adventures on.
Blair’s a contributor to The New York Times, Vogue, Esquire, This American Life, and elsewhere. She recently hosted the BBC Radio 4 showand is survival correspondent for the podcast. She’s spoken about resilience in the wilderness for companies including Microsoft and Google.
Her favorite pieces she’s written for ϳԹ are about competing on the Discovery show Naked and Afraid, being a womanalone in the woods,learning to write, and mischievoussled dog Blowhole.
Published
Nothing completely prepares a rookie for mushing a thousand miles across Alaska in the dead of winter. But when it comes together—thanks to your dogs, your friends, and your own hard work—it's magic.
Plus, should you take someone else's spot in a race if you know you won't finish?
An archaeologist faces an uncertain future
You feel like you've got it together. So why haven't you found the person for you yet?
Blair Braverman answers your countless questions (How did she choose her parka? What are her favorite insulating materials? How does she pee?) about her Iditarod wardrobe, which is both lifesaving and affordable.
Among other things, my 14 sled dogs will need 12,000 calories a day—bagged and cached along the race’s entire route—and 1,000 very adorable paw booties. This team is ready to roll.
Featuring that time when our Tough Love columnist got dumped because of a dream about cinnamon rolls
We all know what the dogs do—they run—but the person driving the sled has to get ready for a brutal challenge, too. The labor required to manage and train a team is like CrossFit on ice.
When your backcountry partner was your romantic one, a breakup can totally alter your relationship to the outdoors—but don't let it
Avoiding the awkwardness of the poop zone and other early-relationship concerns
Close friendships can and should develop in intense situations—but you don’t need to stick around if they get toxic
Our favorite musher will be at the start line when the Last Great Race kicks off in Anchorage on March 2, 2019. In the first of a pre-race series of dispatches, she talks about the remote Alaskan lodge where she's training for the big event.
The social dynamics of swiping, ex-forgetting, and crush-Instagramming are harder to navigate than the backcountry
Here's how to gently tell your friends that you're good with ramen all week, thanks
Meet Gideon, the ten-year-old boy who has pet 600 dogs and counting—and is making the internet a better place, one pat at a time
It's going to be hard sometimes, but it's not going to be the end of your adventures
Our most skeptical tester on the products that changed her mind
How to break it to your risk-averse family that you're trying the whole "quit your job and travel the world" thing
In a world of sexist social norms, how to be respectful of what you're into while being respectful of other people's choices
How to support a loved one who has witnessed something awful that changed their relationship to the outdoors
When it comes to picking the ideal outdoor buddies, it doesn't matter at all
Now is not the time to mourn the end of all-day playtime, especially if you're not the one giving birth
Sometimes you just have to suck it up
Clothes and tools for toiling at the ranch, on the trail, or in your backyard
Especially if you don't share the same interest and it involves lots of time, money, and travel
How to deal when your loved one loves risky hobbies
What to do when you start dating someone who isn't ready to join you on dawn patrol?
We answer your cohabitation and codependency questions this week
Trying to figure out how to show both of your dogs—with different energy levels—exactly how much you love them? We have answers to this dilemma and more in this week's lightning round.
And also, when to stop being a baby and learn to enjoy yourself
These brandsare more likely to offer inclusive sizes, cuts for multiple body types, and innovative products for lady-specific needs
Couples can get dirty together in many ways
Comfortable, practical—and, yes, they actually keep you warm
A meditation on dating people who have different skills than you do
Mission-critical supplies for when the mercury drops
Plus, why first dates are scary (even for falconers), and how to overcome your nerves
The megapopular breed is possibly the worst city dog. But adopt these practices (and warning: they just might uproot your life) and it can also be the best.
For this Tough Love, by popular request, we're doing something a little different: a semi-noncapitalist gift guide
And don't let anyone make you believe differently
Hate craft beer? Dogs? Urinary tract infections? We have answers to some of the most pressing outdoors issues.
Dallas Seavey's current predicament shows how the sport's most visible event, wary of controversy, has closed in and tightened the rules. It should do the opposite.
Allowing girls is great, but the country's two scouting organizations need more serious change to better serve the next generation of outdoor lovers
It's no more dangerous than being a woman anywhere else in society. In fact, it may be safer.
Apparel that looks its best after you’ve put it through your worst
When Antarctica hits you with the worst storm in decades, sinks your boat, and drowns your crew, there’s only one way to react: get another ship and go back for more
Advice for taking a really, really long hike with your significant other
ϳԹ's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss how to make sure everyone has fun—from stoner to straightlaced, slow to speedy, risk-averse to reckless.
Our savvy, Norwegian-folk-school-trained writer shows you how to craft your own skijoring belts and mid layers
ϳԹ's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss an argument on peeing, canoe custody after a breakup, and getting outside when depressed.
There's not much that will make you panic after ten years of dogsledding in the wilderness. And there are lots of ways to feel equally calm in all kinds of outdoor emergencies.
ϳԹ's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss dating as an outdoorsy high schooler and dealing with sensitive men.
ϳԹ's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, break-ups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss significant others who are scared of insects and intimacy.
ϳԹ's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, break-ups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss dating Instagram influencers and what to do when your significant other plans a great trip—but doesn't want you to come along.
ϳԹ's love guide is here and answering your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss dating as a climber and how to handle breakups when there's a dog in the mix.
ϳԹ's love guide is here and answering your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss the power of vulnerability.
ϳԹ's love guide is here—and answering your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today we discuss the marital pains of canned sardines, camp-friendly alternatives to engagement rings, and dating in a van.
We switched up our dogsledding training plan and rode our way to dead last on a husky-powered bus. I loved every minute.
ϳԹ's love guide is here—and answering your most pressing questions about dating, breakups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss being unable to hang on a running date and when it's okay to snot-rocket in front of your beloved.
ϳԹ's love guide is here—and answering your most pressing questions about dating, break-ups, and everything in between. Today, we look at a gear-obsessed boyfriend, staying safe as a queer person while camping, and cheesy outdoor proposals.
In an always-connected society, the urge to unplug has never been stronger. A new book takes a fresh look at just how difficult that can be.
Turning puppies into full-fledged dogsledding athletes is a tough endeavor, but all the hard work melts away on that first winter run
Turning puppies into full-fledged dogsledding athletes is a tough endeavor—one we'll explore over the next four months. First up: making sure they're not afraid.
The photos in the accomplished skier's new fitness-focused book show that she knows her power. But do her messages about strength and beauty hit quite as powerfully today?
At 18, determined to carve out a life as a "tough girl," Blair Braverman moved to Norway to learn dogsledding at an Arctic folk school, chasing fear and finding home in the great white North.