ϳԹ Magazine, Oct 2009
Stories
POSTs
When feet started floating into the dark, coastal bays of British Columbia, it wasn’t hard to imagine the worst, especially when the Mounties went silent. Even paradise has an underbelly.
It takes more than a good camera to get a good shot. Nowhere is that more true than in adventure photography—a field of photographers snapping with split-second shutter speeds in the least hospitable environments on earth.
Design and Technology Special
DESIGN WITHIN REACH
We snooped and sussed to bring you the year’s coolest gear, from smarter, sexier electronics to awesome adventure equipment. Drool cup not included.
Tools and Gadgets
Apparel
Hiking and Backpacking
Sports
AMAZING, USEFUL, GRAVITY-DEFYING GADGETS THAT WILL REVOLUTIONIZE YOUR LIFE!!!
In which STEVEN RINELLA enters the magic-fingered world of SkyMall.
BRIGHT IDEAS
In which we scour the planet for astonishing concepts and products soon to leave the drawing board. PLUS: Atlas of Innovation
SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
After losing his leg to cancer as a boy, Jarem Frye was told he’d never ski or ride again. So he spent ten years playing with prosthetic parts and bike shocks and built a knee like nothing the world has seen before. BY JILL DAVIS
FOOT. LOOSE.
On the beaches around Vancouver, there’s a sinister kind of flotsam washing up: feet. Human ones, still in their sneakers. CHRISTOPHER SOLOMON investigates.
The Guide
THE ORIGINAL SUV
A bible for bike commuters and a fire under your ass if you’re on the fence about making the switch to pedal power.
PLUS: The Best Commuter Bikes & Rugged New Bike Bags.
Departments
DISPATCHES
» FIRST LOOK: American triathlete Chris Lieto crushes on the bike but crashes in the run, which will make October’s Kona Ironman that much more fun to watch
» NEWS FROM THE FIELD: How 350.org’s global-warming activism could (maybe, sort of) save the planet; musician David Byrne’s Bicycle Diaries; Quiksilver’s boardshort dispensers; Shane McConkey tribute skis from K2
» THE DRAWING BOARD: An omniscient iPhone app just made reality a lot more fun
» SPECIAL REPORT: The new fad among teenagers? Sailing solo around the world.
» BOOKS: (LINK CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE) Jon Krakauer’s latest tale of courage and sacrifice: the saga of NFL star turned soldier Pat Tillman
» MEDIA: How one ϳԹ editor survived Ken Burns’s 12-hour National Parks series in one sitting, thanks to Folgers Crystals, gorp, and an indomitable will
DESTINATIONS
» FALL TRIPS: From dunes to rivers to peaks to canyons, we pick the greatest adventures in the dusty, majestic Southwest.
STYLE
Seven designers who are making and remaking the places and things you love most, from urban parks to cooler shades
BODYWORK
» SPECIAL REPORT: Alarming new studies show that climbing at altitude can do permanent damage to your brain. Here’s how to climb high and stay out of trouble.
Columns
THE BIG IDEA
Want to hold on to your girl? Don’t let her travel without you. Especially abroad. And definitely not to Africa. Let us explain. BY ERIC HANSEN
THE LAB RAT
Not all muscle memories are good. Nick Heil gets “neurologically reprogrammed” for better balance and strength—with mysteriously effective results. BY NICK HEIL
DROPPING IN
How one nonsurfing, middle-aged, tool-challenged East Coaster finally manned up and made his own wicked woodensurfboard BY TODD BALF
OUT OF BOUNDS
High-performance motorbikes are set to go electric, but if the Isle of Man s TTXGP race is any indication, we aren’t up to speed just yet. BY ERIC HANSEN