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It’s tough to tell how trustworthy a piece of gear is going to be when you first buy it. In fact, the only way to actually test your equipment’s longevity is to, well, test it. Thoroughly. So instead of having you, dear reader, put your gear through the ringer in…
Two-time World's Toughest Mudder champ Junyong Pak, 36, on mastering the mud
Jenny Kalmbach, 35, winner of the Battle of the Paddle and the Molokai 2 Oahu, on training and racing technique
Forget about rubbing two sticks together. Without matches, your only hope of getting a fire started in the wild is to take advantage of other tools at your disposal. Mykel Hawke—a former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and founder of survival school Spec Ops—recommends two easy,…
When a Sherpa and a native Nepali paraglided off of Mount Everest in 2011, they flew into history. Now a new book chronicles their extraordinary journey.
With a world record on the line, determining the winner of the Billabong XXL "Biggest Wave" award turned into one of the toughest judgment calls in big wave surfing's history.
Would your mother or wife prefer to be climbing, boating, or running rather than brunching this Sunday? If the answer is yes, read on.
Sixty years removed from Roger Bannister’s breakthrough run, the distance is all but dead in the U.S. But a new organization hopes to change all that—and rebuild running from the mile up.
Yes, I write about gear for a living, I have access to the most sophisticated toys and tools in the outdoor world, and I’m constantly geeking out over tech details. But I’m keenly aware of the fact that the gear does not make the athlete. I was a much better…
Four days after becoming the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since 1983, Meb Keflezighi was in high demand. But he took a few minutes to discuss with us exactly what was going through his head during the courageous run.
Reduced-oxygen training room Air Fit opens in Bay Area
Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson—The North Face’s premiere rock climbing couple—met on a rock face in Antalya, Turkey; they named their story Once Upon A Climb.
It's a long road to the 2016 Olympics and Phelps isn't guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team. But he's back in the pool and things are going swimmingly.
Armstrong talks about his revoked Tour wins, how life has changed in the past year, and working on his golf game.
The most hated man in bike racing wants a second chance with the public. Here's why that's not a sign of the apocalypse.
There is nothing we’d like more than to see the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time return to the five-ringed stage. Can he make it happen at age 31?
Runner and national bestselling author Matthew Fitzgerald shares a pizza recipe for runners looking for a tasty boost.
He cracks a smile with the competition on his heels, but will Bekele smile at another world record soon?
Imagine surfing on a wakeboard while a big-ass kite pulls you across the water—and occasionally out of it. This is kiteboarding in horribly reductive terms (but you knew that already). Let’s get to the part where pro kitesurfer Damien LeRoy answers the question in question. Damien…
Plenty of snow in the winter, lots of time on the water in the summer.
The Marathon superstar knows all the right—and wrong—moves required to win a race. Here's his game plan following the starting gun.
Sure it's expensive, but Park City boasts friendly residents, easy access to great skiing, and plenty of culture.
Okay, so he's been roped into a "media performance" or two, but fact is, Alex Honnold continues to bag some of the boldest climbs on earth.
Lessons from Sochi on how to balance competitive sports and family life
Most technical ski gear isn’t made in this country—and it never has been.
Can you sense the weather in your joints? Here's why that happens.
America's top slalom skier is the odds-on favorite for Sochi gold. But to her, it's just another training run.
Meet Kikkan Randall, the most exciting thing in cross-country skiing since... forever
America’s secret to victory in the bobsled? Outsourcing.
Dissecting the scary trick halfpipe skiers will need to nail for a shot at gold
What we think will happen on, and off, the course at Sochi
Step one: Read the essential texts. Rock-star alpinist Conrad Anker, who leads The North Face’s dream team of globetrotting expeditionists, recommends Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. First published 54 years ago by The Mountaineers climbing club in Seattle, the how-to guide…
Called the purest form of climbing, deep-water soloing (DWS) is free rock climbing practiced on sea cliffs, lakeside ledges, or climbing walls above pools. In deep-water soloing, water serves as the safety net. In deep-water soloing, water is your safety net. “It’s an exciting type of climbing; usually you can’t…
With mega-celeb Lindsey Vonn out of Sochi, the Olympic lights will shine bright on her laid-back teammate Julia Mancuso, the perennial underdog who always seems to come home draped with medals.
Pro paddler Rush Sturges dishes tips on making dazzling adventure films
Researchers are showing everyday athletes how to train their brains to perform like the pros
The best person to explain sit skiing is Josh Dueck, who was paralyzed from the waist down in March of 2004 when he severely overshot a ski jump and injured his spinal cord. Dueck, now 32 and a paraplegic, has triumphantly returned to freeskiing—via a sit ski,…
Each winter, snow covers the peak of Mauna Kea, a 14,000-foot dormant volcano located on Hawaii’s Big Island. And, yes, this “pineapple powder,” as locals call it, is ready to rip. DCIM1GOPRO Just don’t expect chairlifts, or any amenities for that matter. The barren, moonlike summit—which…
Hal Koerner has a formula for fitness and life that keeps him winning and smiling. So follow his lead—just don’t try to keep up.
Morgan Beck Miller mostly kept quiet about the bitter custody battle consuming her and her husband Bode. Until she didn't.
Bode Miller (skier) and Morgan Beck (volleyballer) have had a few rough moments as a couple, including a bitter child-custody battle with an ex-girlfriend and the death of his younger brother, Chelone. But as Bode plunges into the most ambitious ski season of his career, he’s already met his match—a woman who, like him, seems to thrive on a little craziness.
What drives Lance Armstrong? Director Alex Gibney, along with producers Frank Marshall and Matt Tolmach, offers an answer, and reexamines their role in promoting his story.
Determined that Russia will put on the most lavish Winter Games in history, Vladimir Putin has spent $51 billion, quashed environmental critics, and turned one of Europe’s most beautiful natural regions into a construction zone.
Climbing's biggest name makes his bid for international stardom by risking death on live TV
A new art piece in an English café lets patrons use recycled Tour de France memorabilia to sound off on America’s most infamous cyclist.
Inside the mind and training habits of the fastest woman in Kona history
When outdoor athletes put down their gear and pick up guitars
Budding explorer Sonya Baumstein becomes the first person to SUP across the Bering Strait
5 stories by our editors about near-death experiences and how they survived.
An embedded film-maker boldly documents Lance Armstrong’s downfall
The Tough Mudder and Spartan Race champ is paving a new path through the sport
A new record has been set in the marathon, edging us 15 seconds closer to the two-hour mark. Will we get any faster?
On September 28, 37-year-old Jeb Corliss will attempt what he says is his most challenging jump yet. He will drop out of a helicopter and pilot his wingsuit through a crack in a roughly 900-foot-long, 870-foot high rock. We called him up to find out more, and discovered he's using a revolutionary new technology to train.
What do you get when you combine six eye surgeons, thirteen runners, six educators, two nonprofits, 871 cataract patients, 63,000 students, two of the fastest men on the planet, and one trail race in the remote highlands of East Africa? Accelerate Ethiopia. Welcome to the brave new world of adventure philanthropy.
Surf icon Dave Kalama is still riding 60-foot waves and winning Stand-UP-paddleboarding races two years shy of his 50th birthday. What’s his secret? Stephanie Pearson enlists at the waterman’s legendary North Shore camp, where he serves up nonnegotiable commandments for lifelong fitness—and lots and lots of crunches.
Protein powders, fortified beverages, and wholesome-sounding snacks may seem like the best way to fuel your body, but the sports nutrition business also has a not-so-healthy side.
PowerIce, a cross between a hydration drink and a popsicle, might just be the perfect summer nutrition product for athletes
On a riding trip in the north woods this summer, Salsa showed off deft new redesigns of its venerable Spearfish and Horsethief models
These healthy eats can help you build strength, sustain energy, and recover faster
In an already fast and remarkable year at the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, Matt Dewitt made history as the first double amputee finisher
With programs like the Biological Passport, the sport has made admirable progress. But more still needs to happen, including some bold new steps.
Like it or not—(not)—suspicion still clouds pro bike racing. Is there a way racers can prove they're clean? One wild plan to quell the critics.
The Olympic 10,000-meter champion Mo Farah has challenged Usain Bolt to a 600-meter race for charity. Who's the favorite?
The Olympic decathlete on how to eat, train, and perform better
Jennifer Kessy and April Ross prepare for domination
A professional freediver is training athletes to get more oxygen with every breath
The world’s most accomplished blind adventurer has jumped out of airplanes, mountain-biked Leadville, and summited Everest. But nothing has proven to be as challenging as his current goal: to solo-kayak the Grand Canyon.
This year’s Tour might well be the most open race in years. We consider the players.
There’s a new generation of U.S. riders emerging at the pointy end of the peloton—hopefully in an honest manner. This is the final installment in a series of interviews with these young Americans.
Emily and Dane Jackson of Rock Island, Tennessee continue a family tradition of kayaking excellence.
Charlie Engle was a crack addict who saved himself through ultrarunning, becoming an adventure-film star known around the world. Then he was convicted of mortgage fraud and sent to prison. [Oops.] He's out now, with an audacious new goal: to rebuild his life and run 5,000 miles, from the Dead Sea to the top of Mount Everest.
We gave a former corporate lawyer $10,000 to fund his back-of-the-napkin plan to sea kayak from Minnesota to Florida. He made it all the way—then he turned around and started paddling home. Here's why.
Already an Everest record-holder, the 29-year-old climbing great shares what it takes to reach the top