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When DON WATERS finally read the unpublished memoir given to him by his late fatheran absentee figure he grew up resenting he was shocked to learn that the old man hung with Greg Noll during surfings golden age in California. Sounds like grounds for a quest.
The Quidditch World Cup sounds dorky, and make no mistake: it is. But these sorcery-loving Harry Potter fans play pretty rough, as Eric Hansen found out when he captained a bad-news team of ex-athletes, ultimate Frisbee studs, slobs, drunks, and some people he knows from Iceland. Brooms up, and may the best Muggles win.
Things have gotten crazy violent in the dark, dense forests of Californias Mendocino County, where pot growers from Mexico run elaborate plantations theyll defend to the death. Damon Tabor saddles up with Sheriff Tom Allman, head of a helicopter-riding, rifle-toting paramilitary strike force determined to take back the woods.
He was a proud Marine who survived three 簫brutal tours in Iraq and had plans to redeploy with the 簫national guard. But when 30-year-old Noah 簫Pippin 簫vanished inside Montanas remote Bob 簫Marshall 簫Wilderness, he left behind a trail of haunting secretsand a mystery that may never be solved.
Nobody climbs faster than Swiss superman Ueli Steck, whose rapid ascents of classic routes are just as demanding as three-minute miles. Now Steck is taking his death-challenging act to the 簫Himalayas, which have a way of slowing even the best men down.
Just months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, British Petroleum declared the recovery a success, and the Gulf of Mexicos fisheries were opened for business. To celebrate, seafood freak ROWAN JACOBSEN packed his bib and went south to cook up a locally sourced gumbo. But when he got there, something didnt taste right.
The iconic brand Gore-Tex is under siege from newcomers who want a piece of the billion-dollar market for waterproof-breathable fabrics. The battle is both wonky and intense, complete with arcane science, trade secrets, industry flame wars, and confidential government-run investigations on two continents. MIKE KESSLER steps into the wet room.
In 2009, 窪蹋勛圖厙 readers met Colton Harris-Moore, a smart, slippery teenager who became notorious for stealing cars, boats, and planes in the Pacific Northwest. The climax came a year later, when Harris-Moore swiped a small plane in Indiana, landed in the Bahamas, and vanished.
Globe-trotters: we've got you covered. Our 2012 Travel Awards honor the best destinations on seven continentseverything from idyllic beach escapes to camping safaris in Kenya to a mountain-bike expedition in Tibet. Plus: 窪蹋勛圖厙-endorsed outfitters, adventure insurance, and more.
Can a new fleet of scary-fast catamarans make the America's Cup wild enough to lure a different breed of fan? So far there have been epic wipeouts and multiple injuries. Which means everything is right on track.
The freediving world championships occur at the outer limits of competitive risk. 簫During the 2011 event, held off the coast of Greece, more than 130 athletes assembled to swim hundreds of feet straight down on a single breathwithout (they hoped) 簫passing out, freaking out, or drowning. Meet the amazingly fit, unquestionably brave, and possibly crazy people who line up for the ultimate plunge.
Professional daredevils Rex and Melissa Pemberton were drawn together by a mutual passion for risk and adrenaline. Now they have a marriage based on love, trust, and the strange, stoic acceptance that their life partner could die at any moment.
Aksel Svindal has three Olympic medals, two World Cup titles, and the affections of fellow ski racer Julia Mancuso. But can he transcend the sport and become the next Hermann Maier? HAMPTON SIDES tracks down the Norwegian beast slopeside to talk about the 2007 crash that nearly ended his career and his chances of dominating the 2012 World Cup.
Australias Northern Territory is our kind of placea vast expanse of desert playgrounds, tropical rainforests, and supersize wildlife. Buckle up with Matthew Power as he bounces through the most extreme landscapes on the planet.
Hurdler Lolo Jones was the feel-good story of the Beijing Olympics, until a tiny mistake cost her a medaland made her tale even more compelling
When thieves stole his beloved 簫commuter bike on a busy street in broad daylight, PATRICK SYMMES snappedand set out on a cross-簫country plunge into the heart of 簫Americas bike-crime underbelly. What he saw will 簫rattle your frame.
If Lance Armstrong went to jail and Livestrong went away, that would be a huge setback in our war against cancer, right? Not exactly, because the 簫famous nonprofit donates almost 簫nothing to scientific research. BILL GIFFORD looks at where the money goes and finds a mix of fine ideas, millions of dollars aimed at awareness, and a few very blurry lines.
Triathlon is booming, with hundreds of events being added to the calendar each year and thousands of goggle-eyed newbies lining up to swim, bike, and run for the first time. But only one race still really matters. Greetings from the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, ground zero of America's multisport madness
A crew of Bosnian snowboarders want to restore their capital's war-ravaged Olympic resorts to international glory, and a burgeoning adventure-travel scene just might make it possible. Dimiter Kenarov boot-packs to the world's gnarliest lift line.
Does stretching prior to a run prevent injuries and improve performance? Does guzzling water prevent cramps? Here's the truth about the top 10 fitness myths.
Starting with a single Alaskan Husky named Derby, Kenth Fjellborg built a dogsled-touring empire that attracts 5,000 would-be mushers a year to a frozen patch of tundra 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. And he's not afraid to yell at you in bad words.
No GPS or weather reportsjust a sailboat, the wild open ocean, and the constellations. Think you could find your way across the South 簫Pacific? James Campbell rides along with a master navigator in the 簫Caroline Islands, where theyve been sailing this way for thousands of years.
How does a visionary marine biologist convince brain researchers to help him revolutionize ocean conservation? With lots of hugs, a million blue marbles, and one very unorthodox conference.
You're ready to act on those good intentions, but how do you know the organizations you're backing deserve your trust? Here are the 30 bestsmartly managed groups with transparent financials, efficient spending, and track records of on-the-ground success.
Before the Tar Sands protests and before Occupy Wall Street, a young activist named Tim DeChristopher disrupted a federal oil- and gas-lease auction. The act made him a martyr for a newly radicalized environmental movementand landed him in prison. This is his story.
More than a decade ago, Mike Fays epic Megatransect walk across Africa spurred the creation of a string of national parks and made him a conservation superstar. So why, after a lifetime of fighting to protect wild places, is he questioning the very foundations of his work? And why is he looking for answers in a cabin in Alaska?
And if the South African track sensation makes it to the start line for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, we may never look at disabilitiesor competitive sportsthe same way again.
Norway's forbidding Hardangervidda Plateau nearly killed Roald Amundsen when he attempted a ski traverse in the winter of 1896. But the failure set him on a path of training, study, and exploration that led to his historic conquest of the South Pole. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of that feat, Mark Jenkins and his brother Steve skied the route, an epic challenge that even now can prove deadly.
After 34 books, endless Hemingway comparisons, and too many battles with gout, legendary author Jim Harrison is unsurpassed at chronicling man's relationship with wilderness. His secret? Ample wine, cigarettes, fly-fishingand an inability to give a damn about what anyone else thinks. Our author takes a literary pilgrimage to Montana.
Few events excite Manhattans top chefs more than the arrival of a care package from Evan Strusinski, a foraging 簫savant who stalks the 簫remote woods and coastlines of the Northeast for natures most exotic 簫ingredients. Forgive him his trespasses.
What does Indias lush Kaziranga National Park have that the rest of the countrys decimated reserves do not? Plenty of tigers, for starters. (The worlds highest 簫density.) Fleets of endangered one-horned rhinos. (More than two-thirds of the remaining population.) And, since last year, a take-no-prisoners antipoaching policy that allows rangers to shoot on sig
Monster earthquakes are going off all around the Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire. Is the West Coast of North America next?* And can you surf a tsunami?** Join us on a footnoted foray into the terrifying world of megaquakes, tidal waves, and the fine art of being your own Jesus. *YES **NO
Bouldering climbs are short, but they demand as much strength, agility, and puzzle solving as anything done on rock. Here are the fine points of a classic challengePaul Robinsons V16 route Lucid Dreamingto show how the game is played.
Superstar chef Jamie Oliver became a hero in England by convincing his countrymen to eat better. Now he's on the case in the U.S. with Food Revolution, an ABC series in which he exposes the evils of processed fare, sends Americans back into the kitchen, and learns firsthand just how much we hate to change our recipes.
Each fall, in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, a little-known miracle transforms one of America's most iconicand tragically dammedwaterways. Revived by diamond-clear spring-fed creeks, the mighty Pecos River is reborn, creating a 60-mile stretch of wild and secret Class III whitewater. And did I mention we had it all to ourselves?
Apply Liberally: At 窪蹋勛圖厙s 50 Best Places to Work, you cant go wrong
On December 24, 2009, a 6,600-pound orca killed trainer Alexis Mart穩nez at a marine park in the Canary Islands. Two months later, trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by an orca at SeaWorld Orlando. With the OSHA trial on trainer safety at SeaWorld Orlando starting September 19, Tim Zimmermann asks: Should Mart穩nezs death have served as a warning about the lethal potential of killer whales being trained for our entertainment?
It takes a particular kind of crazy to ride a 75-foot mountain of waterunless youre Greg Long, a calm, well-adjusted dude who geeks out on his laptop and approaches surfing like hes playing chess. Meet the oddly normal champion of big waves.
With shark attacks up 25 percent, 2010 was a terrifying year to be in the water. Scientists say the spike was an anomaly. But there are questions afloat about the practice of chumming, in which cage-diving skippers use a stew of blood and guts to lure the predators in close. JOSHUA HAMMER plunges in at South Africas False Bay, epicenter of an industry some cri
Living through a disaster is just the start of a survival story. The rarely discussed psychological recovery is often the hardest part.
During the Great Flood of 2011, the Mississippi was an unleashed monster, with deadly currents and a flow rate that could fill the Superdome in less than a minute. Defying government orders, Delta native W. Hodding Carter and two wet-ass pals canoed 300 miles from Memphis to Vicksburgsurfing the crest, watching wildlife cope with the rising tide and assessing 75 years of levee building.
Satellite-linked emergency devices give backpackers, skiers, and boaters fingertip power to cry for help. Alas, people often cry wolf.
Our panel runs down the challenges, including the unwaveringly white face of adventure media
The bestselling author power-hikes, powerlifts, and receives a megadose of vitamin C intravenouslyall while lucidly explaining his plans to hack everything from fitness and humanitarian aid to surfing and medical research
They say that becoming a dad means your days of big trips and serious adventure are over. They are so wrong.
The plan was to check out Yemen, a little-visited Arab nation that offers glowing deserts, forbidding mountains, and lonely Socotra Islanda naturalist's paradise as imagined by Dr. Suess. But instead all hell broke loose, and a tourist romp became a front-row seat to the bloody upheavals sweeping the Middle East.
This is the American West--when you're hanging out of a tiny plane with the doors pulled off, holding a 20-pound camera and looking for the truth.
You'd be amazed at how far scientists have progressed in their ability to turn humans into unstoppable athletic machines. Here's a peek at a future that's coming fast.
A Texas-based company is marketing a brand of bottled H20, called Evolv, that supposedly can ward off disease and boost your aerobic capacity. Its fascinating case study of a notable trend—nutritional products that are being sold with a mix of miracle health claims and complex financial structures that promise easy riches. Our advice? Investor beware.
An exclusive look inside the cutting-edge Army lab that's pinching, prodding, dunking, bruising, and building the soldiers of tomorrowand revolutionizing adventure fitness along the way.
At 25, climber Alex Honnold is already the undisputed master of the most dangerous sport around; scaling iconic rock walls without any ropes. Is he the next great thing in modern climbing? Or a suicide mission in sticky shoes?
For Gods sake, pump out your head! And thats just the first thing I learned on my wild ride into the Bermuda Triangle.
South America contains the Amazon, the Andes, 19,000 miles of coastline, and arguably more adventure than any other continent. So where to start? These ten perfect trips, from exploratory rafting in Peru to skiing in Chile to beach-hopping Brazil.
A brash new company is revolutionizing crisis response by sending ex-military to rescue adventurers. So why all the enemies?
The U.S. military has always excelled at training soldiers, but they've had a tougher time helping them adjust to peace. The author joins 11 combat veterans in Nepal as they test the most promising new postwar therapy: adventure.
With so many novice adventurers filing suit when something goes wrong, outfitters are shielding themselves behind increasingly dense liability forms. What does the mumbo jumbo really mean? We asked a crack team of lawyers.
The annals of adventure are filled with people who didn't come back alive. Here, those closest to six departed luminaries share their memories and the keepsakes that have helped them move forward.
They met in Alaska and became the ultimate adventure couple, biking and hiking and skiing their way to lifelong commitment. Then the kids and careers arrived, and the passion started leaking like oil from his bro truck. (Don't get her started on that.) Can a hardcore backpacking trip stand in for couples therapy? The author drags her husband into the Colorado wilderness to find out.
In the age of DIY filmmaking and featherweight satellite modems, capturing the action—and uploading it ASAP—is just as important as nailing the summit. Nobody does it better than Jimmy Chin and the climber-producers of Camp 4 Collective. Last November, the author recruited them for an assault on the sandstone spires of Chad's Ennedi desert.
What is it about cyclists that can turn sane, law-abiding drivers into shrieking maniacs? The author ponders the eternal conflict with help from bike supercommuter Joe Simonetti, who each week survives the hostile, traffic-clogged rat race between the New York exurbs and Midtown Manhattan.
Decades after the Soviet-era meltdown drove 60,000 people from their homes in the Ukraine, a rebirth is taking place inside the exclusion zone. With Geiger counter in hand, the author explores Europe's strangest wildlife refuge, an enchanted post-apocalyptic forest from which entirely new species may soon emerge.
Greg Mortenson did it. So Shannon Galpin, a single mom and former Pilates instructor with no humanitarian experience, figured she could, too. She sold her house, started a nonprofit, and flew to Kabul to set up womens educational and health programs, from scratch, in the worlds most troubled country. The author joined her on her most audacious fundraiser yet.
The most creative and affordable array of trips weve seen in years. Time to pack your bag.
Whitewater kayaker Hendrik Coetzee had decided to call it a career after a decade of first descents on the wildest rivers in Africa. The rivers most feared predator had a different ending in store.
Every winter, the Pacific stirs up massive ocean swells that descend on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. For 50 years, the surf world has followed suit, coming together to crown their champions, celebrate a sport many consider a religion, and ride some of the biggest waves on the planet. Welcome to the North Shore.
Your Challenge: Choosing the right adventure in New Zealand, a place that offers the best of everything. Your Solution: Our heavily researched, carefully formulated, and totally brilliant ten-step plan.