ϳԹ Magazine, Feb 1995
Stories
POSTs
It outclasses the Alps. It nurtures budding friendships. It even makes your brain grow. A journey along the high route, America's finest backcountry trek.
These are desperate times for the world's largest cats, and for the people who are killing them. Can Siberia save itself, or will it soon be a land of no more tigers? In search of Panthera tigris altaica, icon of a culture that assumes the worst for itself and always finds that assumption confirmed.
Departments
Rumors of war: Are environmentalists crying wolf, or are they being targeted for real violence; geezer climbers vie for Himalayan bragging rights; a who's who to tough-talking GOP rowdies and their new brown agendas; distance runners don fleecewear and snowshoes for this month's inaugural Antarctica Marathon; Bullwinkle makes a contribution to haute couture; boardsailor Robby Naish comes back–or does he; and more.
The Wild File
Do the northern lights make noise? Will a thick, juicy T-bone steak produce Felliniesque dreams? And can crawling inside a dead animal really save you from hypothermia, or was Jack London just, um, full of it?
Special Edition: ϳԹ Travel, 1995. There's no need to drench yourself in pools of logistical sweat–not when you have our two-part guide to getting way, way out there. First, we offer advice on preparing for your journey, everything from choosing the right guide to insurance to equipage to vaccines. Our annual ϳԹ Trip-Finder scouts those far-flung locales, bringing 163 of the year's finest adventures from 96 outfitters to 49 destinations around the globe.
We all know about dry-land training for the games of winter, but how many of us have ever considered the flip side? A new approach to prepping for spring, with skiing and snowshoeing regimens that'll pay off after the thaw. Plus: how to protect those fragile ankles, what you stand to gain–and lose–by bringing your daily six-miler inside onto the treadmill, straight dope on the ever-widening array of over-the-counter pain relievers, the real benefits of the post-workout massage, and more.
The best of today's home-fitness equipment, including weight machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, skiers, steppers, and rowers. If your current setup functions mainly as an oversize coat rack, it's time to try again, because the quality has grown by leaps and bounds. Plus: Ortovox's F1 Focus avalanche transceiver; Snowshoeing Through Sewers, by Michael Aaron Rockland; and more.
Heading Out on the High Route
Everything you need to know before taking on America's most elevated ski tour. By Seth Masia
Features
No More Tigers
In the land of hardship and poverty that is Siberia, people aren't the only ones who've come upon rough times. The Amur tiger, once the icon of a proud culture, has become a commodity, worth tens of thousands of dollars each on the international black market. From the forests of Russia, a report on a great mythic predator that now finds itself the prey. By Philip Gourevitch
The Sierra Seven-Day IQ-Enhancing Ski Tour
California's High Route is the ultimate in backcountry skiing, outclassing Europe's legendary Haute Route and Colorado's Tenth Mountain Trail. You're rarely below 11,000 feet, there's warm sun during the day and pasta with pesto at night, and the only other tracks you're likely to see are those of the squirrels and rabbits. In other words, a trip so good it'll even expand your brain. By John Skow