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Snowboarder

Navigating the politics of river conservation can be tricky. Here's what's going on now.

WHERE TO USE IT: Lake Winni­pesaukee, near New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is 72 square miles of tree-lined coves and some 300 sprawling islands—not to mentionwaterfront cabins with long wooden docks. Rent one on the quieter northor east side of the lake (from $1,000 per week; preferredrentals.com), then…

A lifelong fisherman gets his first taste of the hard stuff.

It's hard to be disappointed about a rookie year in which you defeat the defending ASP world champion at one of surfing's premier events.

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.

Wild weather makes the next couple of months the hardest time of the year to plan an adventure. To help you out, we've worked up game plans for all kinds of conditions. Your job? Just check the doppler—then go.

Enough with the beer jokes—curling's quickly gaining on classic Olympic sports like skiing.

The good, bad, and totally wrecked moments in the life of America's most decorated skier.

Winter weekends are short and dark—which means you need to be fast and smart. Beat the blues with one of these surprisingly affordable escapes.

Professional skier Davenport, 37, was first to ski all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks in a single year

This fall, Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) sued Level 1 Productions for having Warren Miller (the man) narrate a segment of its new ski film, Refresh. Miller, 85, responded by intervening in the suit and entering into arbitration with WME, a company he sold in 1988—thus relinquishing the right to use…

Attention, all cynics: You can change the world. But don't take our word for it. Here are people combining big ideas and bold adventures, including our first-ever Reader of the Year.

It's been 26 years since an American has won a major U.S. marathon— and 37 since we did it in the Olympics. Will this be the year American distance running gets back on track? Ryan Hall thinks so.

The planet is smaller than ever, but that just means there's a host of new dangers out there—and a new set of solutions. These days, a text message or the right travel-insurance policy might just save your bacon. So study up—your life may depend on it.

On October 24, millions around the planet will demonstrate in hopes of persuading world leaders to sign a new climate-change treaty at a UN summit in Copenhagen this December. The org­anization behind the actions is author and environmentalist Bill McKibben’s latest grassroots campaign, 350.org. What’s 350? It’s…

BEST: SEPTEMBER–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…

In Michigan, you’re never more than 90 miles from a Great Lake, which is the reason, I suppose, it’s nicknamed the Great Lakes State. By those standards, it should also be dubbed the Unbelievably Sick Trout-Water State. The Au Sable, the “Big” and Little Manistee, the Muskegon—there are quality rivers…

Healthy. That's the word we kept coming back to. And we don't mean a fit or skinny population; we're talking about a city's cultural vibrancy, economic well-being, and overall quality of life. Presenting our picks for the 10 best cities in America, from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Plus: Our 10 favorite small towns.

In April, after 55 days on a mostly frozen Arctic Ocean, John Huston, 32, and Tyler Fish, 36, became the first Americans to ski unsupported to the North Pole. The duo dragged 300-pound sleds, donned drysuits to swim across open water, and consumed roughly 8,000 calories a day—mostly in the form of pemmican. In the end, they made a 66-hour dash to reach the

Best For Canoodling

It sure sounds like another shameless reality-TV formula: Inspire people to slim down by offering them cash, then film their struggles with health food and sit-ups. But personal trainer Bob Harper, 43, of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, feels no shame at all. The show lets him introduce his holistic fitness…

Survivorman LES STROUD talks about venturing into the world's harshest environments alone, and the importance of a good harmonica.

This month, NASA astronaut and mountaineer John Grunsfeld, 49, will blast into orbit carrying a 9x12 Zeiss Maximar B folding camera that belonged to his friend Bradford Washburn—a pioneer of aerial photography and Alaskan mountaineering who passed away last year at 96. The camera is the same one that Washburn took on his 1937 expedition to Canada's St.

Your town got you down? We’ve got your escape plan. These 20 stars of America’s 21st-century Renaissance are riding a wave of civic reinvention and fresh ideas.

PORTSMOUTH ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA – On a weekend last summer, while the rest of the beachgoing world descended upon overrun sand traps like Nags Head and Virginia Beach, I took a 4×4 and a shortboard and made for Portsmouth Island. There are a few selling points to this skinny, 18-mile-long…

Honest eco-travel no longer requires a passport. These four domestic getaways treat you—and the environment—right.

The Classic Powder Skiing Once you experience Alta's powder, you too will be an Altaholic ALTA SKI AREA, Utah: Not only does Alta get twice as much snow as less blessed resorts—it averages 500 inches—but its flakes are also lighter and drier. Maybe that’s why nearly 80 percent of…

Escape from New York (and nine other big cities) with these 40 fast adventures