Table of contents for September 2016 in Outside

1. A PACKABLE CLIMBING CRADLE Built with hardy but featherweight Spectra fabric, the Petzl Altitude harness weighs just 5.3 ounces and takes up a fistful of cargo space in your pack. Leg-loop buckles let you slip it on without removing crampons or skis. $80 2. ULTRALIGHT AVY INSURANCE Airbags are buoyant in an avalanche, but the extra pack weight can be a bummer on the way up. Mammut’s Light Protection Airbag 3.0 is svelte (just under six pounds), and shoulderstrap integration provides better protection when the snow slides. $730 3. COLLAPSING BIKE LID Don’t worry, it holds its shape when it’s in use. From high-end cycling gearmaker Brooks England, the Carrera helmet has an accordion folding mechanism for easy storage. The look recalls the classic leather “hairnets” of seventies racing,…

1. FOG-FREE FUN Abom goggles are moisture creep’s worst nightmare. The key is in the heat- conducting film layered between two pieces of polycarbonate, like a battery-powered version of your car’s defroster. Press the large button on the side and Active mode ensures an unobstructed view for six hours. $250 2. SNOW DOGS Redesigned with oversight from überalpinist Conrad Anker, Smartwool’s PhD Outdoor Mountaineer socks are knitted from merino and nylon Indestructawool fabric, which the company says makes them 33 percent more durable than its earlier PhD series. A low-volume instep guarantees proper boot fit. $35 3. RAIN OR SHINE At the heart of Arc’teryx’s category-defying Firebee AR parka is W. L. Gore’s new Thermium, a breathable membrane designed to keep insulation dry, thus maintaining warmth. Arc’teryx pairs Thermium with…

NOT LONG AGO, the southern United States was an oyster wasteland. Chesapeake Bay populations had been so overharvested that Maryland’s shucking houses were importing Louisiana oysters to stay in business. Then Louisiana’s reefs were killed off by fresh water released from the Mississippi River to push away oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Meanwhile, years of drought in Florida led the federal government to declare Apalachicola Bay, once the source of 10 percent of the nation’s oysters, a fishery disaster in 2013. “It’s been hard for anyone to make a living oystering,” says Bill Walton, a professor at Auburn University who’s known as Doctor Oyster. But as wild reefs disappeared and prices skyrocketed, growers adopted the cutting-edge cultivation methods that turned the Pacific Northwest into an oyster powerhouse. Raised…

Independently owned SoCal brand Electric designs and tests all its gear in California. The FW03 SS is built with marine-grade stainless steel and is water resistant up to 600 feet. Yes, you could buy a car instead. But the investment gets you a watch that can truly save your life. The emergency distress-signal transmitter uses satellite technology to send for help anywhere on earth.…

1. FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, CARVE LIKE A KNIFE Moment’s Deathwish skis are the first with wavy triple camber—small curves placed fore and aft of the bindings, plus a rockered tip and tail. The result: all-mountain sticks that float in powder and hold an edge on crust. $750 2. REJOICE, SKI MOUNTAINEERS The lateral stiffness that makes for a good downhill boot is terrible for scaling steeps in crampons. Arc’teryx’s Procline bridges that gap. The two-piece upper cuff bends 23 degrees side ways for sure footing on rock and ice, then locks in place to rip big-mountain lines. $1,000 3. ICED TEE Polartec’s fourseason Delta fabric has a honeycomb structure that increases yarn surface area to move more heat and moisture. Cycling-apparel brand Kitsbow incorporates Delta side panels into its…

1. VERSATILE CAMP LIGHT BioLite boosts its rep with the 500-lumen Base-Lantern, which does double duty as a power hub that can juice a phone up to four times. The most ingenious feature: when it’s dark, the lantern switches on as you approach with your phone— perfect for those 2 A.M. nature calls. $100 2. SHADES FIT FOR 007 Dashing enough for Daniel Craig in Spectre, Vuarnet’s Glacier Glasses feature glass lenses that block UV and infrared radiation. Vuarnet dials in the shading to block snow and ice glare at the bottom and sun at the top, leaving the center nearly clear for unimpeded vision on sketchy terrain. $540 3. A BOMBPROOF LIKE-GENERATING MACHINE The Olympus Tough TG-Tracker action cam doesn’t need a case to with stand the rigors of…

RED ROCK CANYON NATIONAL CONSERVATION AREA More than 2,000 sandstone bouldering routes less than 30 minutes from the craps tables at Mandalay Bay. Try Pork Chop, a classic V3 boulder problem, or Dream of Wild Turkeys, a ten-pitch moderate trad route. LAKE MEAD The average annual high in Vegas is 80 degrees. Cool off by exploring the islands and beaches of Boulder Basin on a paddleboard. BOOTLEG CANYON Vegas’s other man-made wonder: more than 35 miles of flow trails and technical singletrack for mountain bikers just southeast of the city. Find speed, sweeping turns, some air, and a bit of exposure on the 1.5-mile POW Trail. YOGA AT THE MIRAGE HOTEL The Mirage’s “underwater” studio shares a glass wall with a dolphin tank. Yeah, at $50 it’s expensive—and total Vegas…

OUTSIDE MAGAZINE EXCLUSIVE THE VIDEO—IT HAS NOW BEEN VIEWED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TIMES— I S JUST 16 SECONDS LONG, BUT THE BREVITY doesn’t make it any easier to watch. Catherine Harnden, a Canadian downhill mountain biker, is competing in the 2012 O-Cup, a race series held every summer throughout Ontario. The clip, shot by a spectator, starts with a view of the lodge at Sir Sam’s ski area in Eagle Lake, 80 miles north of the Minnesota border. The onlookers are chatting, then there’s the stutter and bump of tires on dirt. Harnden, dressed in white and green racing skins with spiderweb graphics, hurtles into the frame from the lower left. She hits a tabletop jump, but her weight is in the wrong position, and in a flash she…

YOUR FAVORITE trainer is flawed. Sure, it roughly fits the length and width of your foot, but it probably doesn’t accommodate your unique stride or long middle toe. To address this, manufacturers are embracing technologies that allow them to make personalized design changes with just a few keystrokes. In the past six months, two companies—Sols and Wiivv— began printing insoles based on smartphone photos uploaded by customers (cost: $99 and up). But it’s the technol ogy used by big brands like Adidas, Brooks, and Nike that could revolutionize athletic footwear. “We’re going to see a high level of customization,” says Katherine Petrecca, who heads up New Bal ance’s innovation studio. “It’s in beta now, but we may have a consumer shoe within the next three years.” When bespoke trainers arrive,…

1. FIT TO RIDE Few “slim cut” button-downs live up to the billing. Rapha’s 100 percent Cotton Oxford Pocket shirt does: it’s woven for a bit of stretch across the back and side panels. Think of it as classic work wear that won’t poof out on your bike commute. $140 2. SOUND THAT STICKS Pair Earin’s Bluetooth True Wireless earphones with your audio device of choice and they’ll do so instantly— without fail—from then on, delivering clear vocals and rich mids. Cushy foam stays in place through every jostling trail run and high-octane gym session. $249…

1. ONE PUNCHY MUSIC BOX Libratone’s wireless Zipp Mini speaker pumps out crisp sound, not the muddy thumps and crackly highs of most Blue tooth boxes. Credit the fat sub woofer and dual tweeters. You can link as many as six of them via Lib ratone’s free app (Android and iOS). $249 2. ALL-IN-ONE FITNESS PAL Garmin’s Forerunner 735XT has customizable faces and tracks your heart rate. It also maps your ride, run, or swim even when you leave your phone at home. But what we really dig is not having to constantly charge it— battery life can reach 11 days. $450 3. A SMARTWATCH WITH PANACHE Why does TAG-Heuer’s Connected cost five times as much as other smartwatches? Swiss engineering and a mineral-glass screen with “depth” (the digital hands…

ON A TYPICAL morning, 67-year-old musi -cian and runner Nolan Shaheed wakes up, does 40 minutes of stretches, push-ups, situps, and free weights, drinks a glass of water, and practices the trumpet for two hours. Then he heads to the recording studio for a while before breaking for a 90-minute run. Only then, after an afternoon shower, does he cook and eat his only meal of the day—a piece of fruit, a bit of white meat, and some vegetables and grains, usually rice, broccoli, and carrots. He’s been doing this six days a week for 40 years, and he holds at least a dozen masters world records, from the 800 to the 5,000 meters. Fasting, even for short periods of time, isn’t new, of course—Plato was known to abstain to…

Sprout Living Epic Protein Plant proteins are often knocked for being incomplete. But the mix of brown rice, yellow peas, artichoke root, cranberry seeds, and sacha inchi—a South American peanut— covers all nine amino acids. On top of that, the blend is organic, raw, non-GMO, vegan, and soyand gluten-free. Taste: B Natural Force Primal Peptides The only ingredient here is collagen, a fibrous protein found in connective tissue that helps muscles withstand stretching. Studies show that adding it to your diet can ease soreness in tendons and joints. Taste: A- Growing Naturals Pea Protein Pea protein is the product du jour of the anti-soy contingent. (Most U.S. soybeans are genetically modified.) It’s easily absorbed by the body and helps convert fatty acids into energy. Taste: C Mattole Valley Naturals Goat…

THE PILATES class starts with a prayer. “I just pray, Father… to be strong and to be healthy, and just have the right focus… in Jesus’s name, amen.” “Amen,” whisper 11 women over lowvolume praise music and the hum of 9 A.M. traffic on Houston’s 10-to-610 interchange. Then instructor Debbie Brown, a spunky 56-year-old with a halo of bright red hair, gets to it. Flanked by two wooden crosses, her amplified voice sounding like a holy directive, she leads us through 45 minutes of stretches and strengthening exercises that’ll leave me face-flat on my Houston First Baptist Church–branded yoga mat. This is my first time doing pilates. And my first workout in a church gym. I spend the top half of class worrying that my triathlon shorts are flashing too…

0--1 hours You hit your head. The first step is to determine whether you have any concussion symptoms—such as disorientation, dizziness, or headache— or need emergency help. “When in doubt, sit it out,” says Melinda Roalstad, former medical director for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association and owner of Think Head First, a concussion clinic in Park City, Utah. Even if you can get home on your own, tell somebody that you injured your head. “That’s in case your symptoms deteriorate,” Roalstad says. If you lost consciousness or are vomiting, have someone drive you to the emergency room immediately. 1--12 hours If you have trouble processing information, like where you are or what you have to do that day, or experience nausea, blurred vision, or loss of balance, get checked…