Table of contents for February 2015 in Outside

ERIC PARKER In September 2014, Parker traveled by floatplane to Clendin ning Lake, British Columbia, where he captured pro kayaker Nouria Newman running this Class V rapid on Clendinning Creek. “Right on the lake, there’s insanely steep whitewater,” says the photographer, who lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “But the higher we hiked, the more we could see these perfectly sculpted granite waterfalls slowly being exposed. Nouria is one of the most talented kayakers on the planet, and a dramatic slide like this really shows what she can do.” THE TOOLS: Canon 5D Mark III, 50mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 400, f/10, 1/2,500 second CHRISTIAN PONDELLA Last February, to capture pro climber Will Gadd as he established a new route on 462-foot Helmcken Falls, in British Columbia’s Wells Gray Provincial Park, Pondella…

Pump tracks—one of the most common features of indoor parks—are all about creating free speed. In other words, using the terrain to generate momentum, so you don’t have to pedal. It’s not only a ton of fun, it also makes you a better trail rider. “You gradually start to see rocks and water bars as rollers that you can pump for free speed,” says Lee McCormack, author of Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. Here’s his advice on how to do it. TABLETOP JUMP 1. Pull the handlebars back on liftoff. 2. At the highest point of the jump, push the bike forward to level out. 3. Try to land on both wheels, absorbing the impact with your legs. BERM 1. Enter the turn as low as you can, with arms and…

Award-winning novelist Jim Harrison’s The Big Seven: A Faux Mystery ($26, Grove Press), the followup to The Great Leader, once again finds ne’er-do-wells cutting into retired Michigan detective Simon Sunderson’s trouting time. The alcoholic divorcé buys his dream fishing cabin, but it borders the Ames clan, a violent, incestuous, heavily armed family of cattle farmers who have intimidated locals for years. The conflict begins when Lily Ames, Sunderson’s cleaning lady, is murdered by her sexually abusive cousin Tom Ames, and Sunderson finds himself working the case. The subtitle is winking. The Big Seven is really an excuse for Harrison, through Sunderson, to expound on sport, food, and sex. In one breath, Sunderson waxes poetic about brook trout fishing, chicken thighs, and a young woman’s “fanny”; in the next, he drinks…

THERE’S A NEW rule in beer making: it doesn’t have to knock you on your ass to be good. After 30 years of ever stronger offerings, craft breweries are producing easydrinking, lower-alcohol suds that still have the flavor of the 6-to-10-percent stuff. “It’s pretty hard to drink eight IPAs, then get up the next morning and surf for two hours,” says Josh Landan, one of the founders of Saint Archer, a San Diego brewery created by a handful of surfers, skaters, and snowboarders who wanted to make session beers—brews that register under 5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and can be consumed in long “sessions” of drinking. Their goal: to turn out great-tasting beers they could drink after hitting the waves or the night before a big day on the…

In February, it’s likely too cold out side to ride off your midwinter blues. But there’s something you can do about it: a DIY training camp. Your riding buddies are probably suffering from seasonal moodiness just as much as you are. So enlist a group of friends or fellow racers and pick somewhere that offers comfortable daytime temps and a wide range of riding terrain—we like San Diego and Tucson, Arizona, for consistently mild winters and long, steady climbs. The week should include a mix of endurance rides and structured workouts. Add in some high-intensity days with long group rides, tempo work, and recovery, and don’t neglect time off the bike: good food and plenty of rest will maximize your gains. Plan your camp to coincide with a block of…

While the system is now rigged against value-conscious travelers, there are ways to maximize mileage earnings. Some carriers, like American and Alaska Airlines, still run miles-for-miles programs. As for the others, “There’s still value in them, especially for folks who are earning miles through activities other than flying, which is how about two-thirds of miles are accrued,” says Gary Leff, cofounder of Milepoint, a mileage-advice site. One strategy: credit cards like the United MileagePlus Explorer Card or Delta’s American Express offer big sign-up bonuses, miles for every dollar spent, and perks like free checked bags. Other cards, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred, let you redeem points with multiple airlines. You can also earn miles by making pur chases through airlines’ online malls or taking part in promotions—for example, Fidelity awards…

BIOMECHANICS Impact G’s and braking G’s: The change in vertical and horizontal velocity, respectively, that occurs at the moment a runner’s foot hits the ground. Higher G-forces can mean increased injury risk. Swing excursion: The total angular change in foot position during a stride. It gener -ally increases with speed, and anomalies can indicate fatigue. Stance excursion: The angular change between foot strike and toe-off. This indicates a runner’s strike type. Strike type: Knee and hip injuries tend to happen more in heel strikers, whereas Achilles, calf, and metatarsal issues tend to befall forefoot strikers. Stride rate and length: Runners with a higher rate and shorter length of stride tend to exert lower impact G’s, which could help prevent injury. GENETICS Researchers have linked the COL5A1 gene to Achilles and…

THE OUTSIDE FITNESS COACH A: In effect, yes. As you exercise, your aerobic fitness improves, allowing your body to meet the demands of increasingly difficult workouts. These same aerobic adaptations also teach your muscles to repair themselves faster—the fitter you are, the sooner you recover. Unfortunately, if you ramp up training intensity quicker than your body can adapt, you’ll override the recovery benefits, requiring a huge dose of rest. The best way to speed recovery time is to increase your training volume over a certain period, commonly three weeks, then slot in a rest week immediately after, giving your body the chance to catch up. Carbohydrate intake also seems to play an important role. In a recent study reported by the American College of Sports Medicine, subjects were asked to…

More than 20 million Americans practice yoga, yet less than a fifth of them are men. Why don’t guys want to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and increase overall strength and flexibility? We blame the chanting and incense. But a new wave of companies and yoga practices targeted specifically at men aim to change that. Brogamats—slogan: “Yoga for dudes. And women too”—makes bags that look like burritos, scabbards, a quiver of arrows, and this log. Namaste. $35; brogamats.com…

ESSENTIAL SKILL Author and wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer has spent months at a stretch trekking across North America’s wild places, including a 2,100-mile odyssey from Yellowstone to the Yukon. His go-to backcountry recovery tool? A makeshift sauna. Heuer prefers to build his “by a river for refreshing plunges,” but we’ve found it works just fine in the yard. Here’s how he does it. 1. Stick both ends of a long, supple branch (willows work best) in the ground to form an arch. Repeat with more branches until you have a dome. 2. Dig a pit in the center, then drape a tent fly or a plastic sheet over the branches. Pile sand or rocks around the edges to seal off the space. 3. Gather several large stones and heat them…

In 2010, Canadian backcountry skier Greg Hill climbed and carved two million vertical feet over 270 days. On most of them, he powered up in the morning with two servings of this simple concoction, which he calls Bird in the Nest. “You get a little bit of everything—carbs, fats, and proteins—so it’s a good start to the day,” says Hill. “Plus, it has fried cheese!” Really hungry? Add Hill’s power smoothie. Bird in the Nest Ingredients: 1 pat butter 1 slice whole-wheat or sourdough bread* 1 egg Shredded cheddar cheese to taste Directions: 1. Heat a frying pan and add the butter to melt. 2. Cut a hole in the center of the bread and place in the pan. 3. Crack the egg and pour into the hole. 4. Sprinkle…

WASATCH POWDER KEG MARCH 6–8, BRIGHTON SKI RESORT, UTAH This comprehensive skimountaineering festival includes sprint, solo, and team races, plus clinics in avalanche safety, backcountry split boarding, and ski photography. wasatch powderkeg.com POLAR BEAR EIGHT-HOUR OBSTACLE CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 7, BENSON, VERMONT Held on a hilly 10K course that features 65 obstacles set in snow and ice, this off-season OCR is a true test of mental fortitude. Run the most loops in eight hours and you win. raceroster.com YELLOWSTONE RENDEZVOUS MARCH 7, WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA Races range from two to 50 kilometers. Also on hand: an ice rink, a s’mores station, and a sledding hill. rendezvous race.com POLE PEDAL PADDLE MARCH 28, JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING This four-leg adventure multisport has a little bit of everything: biking, paddling, and two types of…

ODE The sport is famous for being difficult, but when played properly—on a frozen pond during the coldest days of the year—hockey rewards anyone who shows up. Even a first-timer feels the thrill of speed. And with the sun just over the horizon all day, the light is always perfect. Little is required other than skates, sticks, and a puck. (And you can make do without any of that : broom ball, the equipment for which is self explanatory, is a worthy Plan B.) Boots placed a few feet apart work for goals, but if you want to get fancy, put a board over a couple of paint cans. That keeps the puck down and your teeth where they belong: chattering in your mouth. As for the ice, the Minnesota…

ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN DURING ONAM. Each autumn the residents of Kerala, a lush southern Indian state bordering the Arabian Sea, go all out to celebrate their secular tenday harvest festival. It commemorates the return of the legendary king Mahabali, who is said to have given every Keralan—whether Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jew, Jain, or other—equal rights and total prosperity. Over the centuries, Mahabali has morphed into an Indian version of Santa Claus, and you’ll find him everywhere—on billboards hawking new cars and in the flesh twirling parasols in parades. I bumped into Mahabali while attempting to cross the street in the city of Vaikom. I was so preoccupied with buying a sari for the festival that I didn’t notice a parade of hundreds following a bejeweled man with a…

VOLVO V60 THE TEST: Our first impression of Volvo’s new compact wagon? These are the most comfortable and supportive front seats we’ve ever sat on. From there, the V60 only got better. Attacking a series of S turns in the Rocky Mountains above Denver, the chassis pulled off the schizoid feat of staying glued to the road while rolling softly over rutted and potholed tarmac. The 2.5- liter, five-cylinder turbo engine catapulted the V60 out of corners and up steep inclines, even in the thin air above 8,000 feet. Powering through gravel hairpins, the Instant Traction AWD system shepherded power to whichever tire had the best grip to hold the vehicle’s line. All the while, the whisper-quiet cabin and plush materials made us feel like we were piloting an inter…

“WE TOOK A PERFECTLY GOOD TESLA, STRIPPED IT OUT, PUT IN A 1 5,000-LUMEN PROJECTOR, AND INSTALLED A FORWARD-LOOKING INFRARED CAMERA THAT POPS OUT OF THE HOOD AND C AN SEE CARBON EMISSIONS IN REAL TIME.” —DIRECTOR LOUIE PSIHOYOS, PAGE 24 It’s Complicated I grew up in Portland, Oregon, where I attended a small private high school staffed by incredible teachers who mostly came of age in the sixties. It was a place where liberal ideas were rarely challenged. My favorite teacher named his son Douglas, after the Douglas fir tree, and he’d talk with contagious passion about the thrill of sitting amid the region’s once abundant oldgrowth forests. This was the late eighties, when clear-cuts were everywhere and the spotted owl wars were raging. It seemed so obvious which…

Burlington Bike Park BURLINGTON, WASHINGTON Racetrack-quality dirt, 40,000 square feet. burlingtonbikepark.com CranX SYRACUSE, NEW YORK Supersize jumps, vert walls, outdoor jump line. cranx.com Joyride 150 TORONTO Kids’ programs, concessions, progressively harder rooms. joyride150.com The Lumberyard PORTLAND, OREGON Jump line, on-site pub, 40,000 square feet. lumberyardmtb.com Mega Cavern LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY More than 40 trails, 320,000 square feet, dirt jump room. megacavern.com Ray’s MTB CLEVELAND The original, and still one of the best, with 130,000 square feet of space to play in. raysmtb.com Ray’s MTB MILWAUKEE Supertight wooden pump track, foam pit for inverts. raysmtb.com The Wheel Mill PITTSBURGH Two stories, 80,000 square feet, built with reclaimed lumber. thewheelmill.com…

IF YOU KNOW anything about motorcycles, you’re probably aware of Ducati’s original, iconic Scrambler. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was the ultimate bike: lightweight, beginner friendly, great looking, and both smooth enough for a commute on paved roads and tough enough to take down trails or onto the beach. But the industry shifted, and minivan-size half-ton touring behemoths and window-rattling choppers squeezed the stripped-down, go-anywhere bike out of the market. That changes this spring, when Ducati brings back the Scrambler. There are four iterations of the reissue: Classic, Full Throttle, Urban Enduro, and Icon. All nod to the original’s classic motocross styling—big round headlights, long seats, bright paint jobs—but the Icon most closely resembles the beloved original. It has wide, offroad-ready handlebars, a trailfriendly sus pension system, and dual-sport…

AS WARM AND HAPPY as your favorite down puffy makes you feel, it probably comes with a brutal backstory. The feathers, sourced mainly from the soft undercoats of geese, were likely “live plucked”—a bloody process that critics say leaves the birds traumatized after they’re released to lay more eggs. To make matters worse, those same geese are often being raised for foie gras, which means they’re force-fed several times a day through a pipe that’s rammed down their throats. In short: down is dirty. Cleaning it up isn’t easy. The global down industry includes everything from Chinese factory operations to subsistence farms in Hungary, all of which raise the animals for meat and live-pluck them to boost profits. Those farmers then sell the feathers (mostly from geese, but some from…

ACCESS Fly into Missoula International Airport; a driver will meet you. From $850, allinclusive; theranch atrockcreek.com or outsidego.com/rockcreek FEBRUARY 38° HIGH 17° LOW DETOUR Take a break from the slopes to kick and glide on groomed nordic trails circling the lake. It’s the most peaceful way to experience the old-growth snowscape around the lodge. INDULGE After a chilly day out, nothing warms the bones like a Saddle Sore soak and fullbody massage at Rock Creek’s Granite Spa ($300). Just have them wake you for dinner. A RIVER LITERALLY runs through this 6,600-acre guest ranch deep in Montana’s cowboy country. Winters here have a way of separating the rhinestone cowboys from the genuine, and the Ranch at Rock Creek is plenty genuine—the owners raise cattle in addition to hosting guests, and…

Under Delta’s and United’s new rules, leisure travelers, who often buy tickets well in advance at lower fares, will earn fewer miles. Below, a few examples. Los Angeles to Denver Old system: Travel 1,724 miles round-trip = 1,724 points New system: Buy a $208 ticket = 1,040 points Seattle to Anchorage Old system: Travel 2,898 miles round-trip = 2,898 points New system: Buy a $408 ticket = 2,040 points Houston to Santiago, Chile Old system: Travel 9,312 miles round-trip = 9,312 points New system: Buy a $1,164 ticket = 5,820 points New York City to Salt Lake City Old system: Travel 3,978 miles roundtrip = 3,978 points New system: Buy a $411 ticket = 2,055 points…

Because Doc’s Natural Chafe Stick ($13; docsskincare.com) contains nothing but natural ingredients like olive, coconut, rose hip, and jojoba oils instead of a bunch of chemicals, we’re OK using it on our sensitive bits. Don’t trust the hotel laundry with your expensive race kit. After you’re all cleaned up from an event, fill the tub and add a splash of Assos Active Wear cleanser ($23; assos.com) to wash and deodorize gear. Shaving with soap and water is akin to lubricating your bike chain with Drano. Instead, slather on Sportique shaving cream ($18; sportiquebodycare.com), which has shea butter and coconut oil for a smoother shear. With its bracing blend of rosemary and lemon oils and soothing aloe, Rapha Post Shave lotion ($30; rapha. cc) leaves legs feeling almost as good as…

New research out of McMaster University in Ontario found that athletes who listen to music during high-intensity training push harder and enjoy their work outs more than when they train without tunes. But creating mixes can be time-consuming. Enter RockMyRun, a free app with play lists that match the music to your target speed based on each track’s tempo. Upgrade to a premium membership (from $5 per month) and use the MyBeat setting to manually tweak the pace of your tunes. For Android and iOS; rockmyrun.com…

What to do when it’s dark and frigid outside? We have some ideas. For starters, try building a backyard sauna, mixing up a powerful cocktail, joining a mountain race, creating the perfect cabin fire, learning to dogsled, swinging a war hammer, kicking back with a classic adventure book, or escaping to a tropical island. Just hurry up— spring will be here before you know it. Lead the Pack From December through March, Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge, in Ely, Minnesota, runs five-night dogsled camping trips for beginners in the frozen-over Boundary Waters Canoe Area, doling out the fundamentals of mushing and winter camping. Groups are limited to six students, with two per sled, and a pair of guides skiing alongside the teams of Inuit freight dogs. You’ll start with basic driving skills…

ESSENTIAL SKILL Whether you’re looking for a snowy Saturday-afternoon diversion with the kids or aiming to step up your winter-camping skills, the answer is the same: igloo! It’s roomier and more civilized than a snow cave, requires less of the white stuff to build, and is much warmer than a four-season tent. The only downside? Creating one requires a bit of know-how. That’s why we love the Icebox ($180; grandshelters.com), a simple but ingenious invention by Colorado-based Ed Huesers, a.k.a. Igloo Ed. Essentially a plastic mold attached to a telescoping pole, the sub-five-pound Icebox makes it easier to form perfect blocks and erect a dome that sleeps five and is tall enough to stand up in. Huesers’s instructions read like a flight manual, but here’s the basic idea.…

SINGLE-LEG TWIST WITH WAR HAMMER EQUIPMENT: Rogue Fitness Sisu War Ham -mer ($125; rogue fitness.com) WHY: Improves core stability and leg strength, essential for avoiding knee injuries. THE MOVE: Lower into a single-leg squat, holding the hammer in two hands with elbows bent and the hammerhead parallel to the ground. Twist your entire torso as far as possible while keeping your foot firmly planted. When you change direction at the end of each twist, control the movement with your core, glutes, and legs. Hold for 30 seconds on each leg. THE CLANK EQUIPMENT: SandRope Battle Rope ($140; hyper wear.com) WHY: Builds control and strength in the glutes, core, and obliques. THE MOVE: Get in a modified sideplank position, with your bottom leg bent at a 90-degree angle, knee and foot…

WHILE BOMBING A VOLCANO MAUI, HAWAII Among the Hawaiian Islands, Maui has the trifecta of accessibil ity (direct flights from West Coast cities), climate (the North Shore gets just 18 inches of rain per year), and adventure (Haleakala National Park is a geological moonscape with a 10,000-foot volcano). The best way to enjoy it: on knobby tires. Base yourself in the small upland town of Makawao and crash at the Banyan Bed and Breakfast (cottages from $155; bed-breakfast-maui.com). That puts you adjacent to Bike Park Maui, a new 80-acre terrain park created by Paul Turner the founder of RockShox. Just down the road is Krank Cycles, where owner Moose will set you up with a bike, maps, and trail reports (rentals from $35; krankmaui.com). A ten-minute drive (or 45-minute uphill…

ESSENTIAL SKILL That guy with the balled-up newspaper, soot-covered snout, and annoyed wife? Don’t be him. Whether you’re at home or a rented mountain cabin, there’s a science to starting a fire that gets going fast and doesn’t need to be coaxed into maturity. Carl Miller, a houseman at Timberline Lodge on Oregon’s Mount Hood, builds fires in the monolithic central fireplace—which features six hearths on two stories and a 98-foot-tall chimney—“anytime there’s snow on the ground outside.” Here’s his fail-safe formula. 1. Beneath the fire grate, nestle a twoinch chunk of fire starter*—a flammable blend of paraffin and other materials— like Grate Chef’s FireStarter ($9; grate chef.com) in a bed of crumpled newspaper, then pile on a handful of wood splinters from your kindling stash. 2. Atop the grate,…

ACCESS AND RESOURCES Delhi-based Ibex Expeditions specializes in custom adven tures and is well con nected countrywide, so you can, say, track tigers in Karna taka, pilgrimage to the Ganges, and immerse yourself in Keralan Ayurveda all in one trip (ibex expeditions.com). The Indian government recently instituted a quicker visa-on-demand program for recreational travelers ($60; indianvisa online.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html). Malaria is said to have been eradicated in Kerala, but according to the CDC, any where lower than 6,561 feet in India can be risky, so check with a local travel clinic about medication. For a comprehensive overview, go to kerala tourism.org. How to Get there: Air India has direct flights to Delhi from Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. (airindia.in). From Delhi, it’s a two-tothree-hour flight to Calicut, Cochin, or Trivandrum, Kerala’s…

SEVENTY-FIVE feet under the Louisville Zoo, in a labyrinth of Ken-tucky limestone mined into Swiss cheese, a few million pounds of soil have been sculpted into the trails, berms, and jumps at Mega Cavern, the world’s first underground bike park. When it opens to the public in January, the park will have more than five miles of inter-connected trails that range from f owing singletrack to dirt jumps to technical lines with three-foot drops. And that’s just the first of three phases to roll out this winter. Mega Cavern may be the premier subterranean playground for mountain bikers, but it’s part of a much larger trend of urban bike parks. “There are so many in development right now, it’s hard to keep track of them,” says Mark Eller, communications director…

IN 2009, director Louie Psi hoyos created a new kind of documentary: the covert-ops ecothriller. The Cove, a dolphin-slaughter exposé, won every award around, including the Oscar for best documentary. Now the 57-yearold former National Geographic photographer is back with Racing Extinction, a look at the human fueled biodiversity crisis, which premiers at Sundance in late January. OUTSIDE: Huge topic. So why talk about stuff like plankton? PSIHOYOS: It turns out that what’s really important in the biosphere is not the big things. What you really need are things like plankton, which generate more than half the air we breathe. Some scientists say we’ve lost about 30 percent since the industrial era. Is the covert-ops team back? Yes. We do a lot of undercover work. What kind? Busting rings selling…

1. WE HAVE HOME-SNOW ADVANTAGE Since World Cuppers started racing in Beaver Creek in 1988, the U.S. has had an impressive amount of success there. A Yank has stood atop the downhill podium more than any other country but one. AUSTRIAN WINS U.S. WINS SWISS WINS NORWEGIAN AND ITALIAN WINS 2. LINDSEY VONN AND MIKAELA SHIFFRIN WILL DUKE IT OUT FOR HOMECOMING QUEEN The two most intriguing skiers on the World Cup tour both call nearby Vail home. But there can only be one queen of the mountain. Here’s how they stack up. Our pick: Vonn. Shiffrin is winning races at an astonishing rate, but Vonn is just three wins short of the all-time women’s World Cup record. She’s determined to pull off a victory here. 3. THE MEN WILL…

GET IN THE SADDLE Cycling House, Solvang, California With its empty, rolling roads and temperate weather, the wine region northwest of Santa Barbara has been the site of winter training camps for pro cycling teams for decades. Those looking to move up a category or lay a foundation for an upcoming Ironman can get in on the action, too: touring outfitter Cycling House hosts an annual six-day riding camp here each March for cyclists that need to shake off winter cobwebs. Guests put in 50 to 80 miles a day with a staff of elite riders, notching anywhere from 1,500 to 7,000 feet of elevation before returning to the small town of Solvang to lounge, stretch, and replenish calories at the Ballard Inn. The camp’s chef provides healthy, highenergy meals…

FREQUENT-FLIER programs used to be simple: if you flew a lot, you earned a lot of miles. Not anymore. Following Southwest’s lead, two of the country’s largest carriers, Delta and United, recently altered their programs in ways that hurt the typical vacation traveler. Awards are no longer directly related to the distance of the flight. Rather, they’re based on how much you pay for the ticket. If you spend more money, you get more miles and more quickly earn coveted elite status, which gets you perks like free checked bags and priority boarding. The change has irritated travelers, but for the airlines the revenue-based system makes fiscal sense. It rewards the highest-paying travelers— those who not only fly frequently but also purchase business-class and last-minute tickets at higher prices. “The…

A FEW YEARS ago, when running coach Stephen Magness wanted to assess the biomechanics of one of his athletes, he needed a roll of scotch tape. That’s what he used to affix a very basic accelerometer to the heel of a runner’s shoe, to get a sense of metrics like impact G-force and the directional movement of the foot. It was makeshift, to be sure, but it was the best way he had to get some sense of his athletes’ biomechanics. These days Magness, who coaches the middle-distance runner Sara Hall and the University of Houston cross- country team, has a more sophisticated method, even if it still involves the runner’s heel. Using a quarter-size wearable sensor called RunScribe, Magness can establish a stress score for each of his athletes…

I’M RUNNING like I’m being chased by a bear. Sweat is pouring off me, my heart is pounding, and my mouth tastes like pennies. Also, I’m stoned. Exercising on drugs is a new experience for me. And except for some fun in my early twenties, I’ve never been a pot smoker. But about 15 minutes ago, I took a hit of marijuana and jumped on a treadmill to see how it affects my athletic performance. I know what you’re thinking: What’s the point? The societal view of a stoner is of somebody couch-bound and snacking on chips. Even the vast majority of regular cannabis users will probably tell you that the effect of the drug hinders their ability to do anything athletic at a high level. That’s what I always…

In Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection ($28, Penguin Press), Outside contributor Catherine Price traces the long history of America’s love affair with vitamins. “We allow our capacity for rational thought to be hijacked by a word,” Price writes, assuming that anything labeled as a vitamin makes us healthier. The reality: they only work if you’re deficient to begin with, which is rare in the U.S. While Price’s prescription—get your nutrients from natural foods—isn’t revolutionary, her chilling research about the barely regulated supplements marketplace will likely have you rethinking your morning multivitamin.…

ODE Fat skis notwithstanding, a slow cooker is perhaps the most gamechanging winter adventure tool of them all. Hear me out on this. Before heading out the door to punish yourself in the cold for eight hours, doing whatever it is you like to do when most of the country is watching football and drinking beer, you throw a couple of cheap steaks, half a bottle of red wine, and some root vegetables into a Crock-Pot on the counter. You turn the dial to low. You go do your thing—and you go all-out, because you know that when it’s over, you will not come limping home, frostbitten and aching, to paw around the refrigerator for something to throw in the microwave, or to order a pizza that will arrive 30…

ODE For a number of years, I found myself getting a little less excited about the arrival of winter. I love to ski and run in the delightfully eerie silence of fresh snow, but here’s the deal: I get cold. My fingers and toes seem to suffer more than friends’, even when encased in inch-thick socks and Siberiaready gloves. Recently, though, I discovered a secret weapon. On a backcountry ski outing with a group of friends, it was four degrees when we started out from the trailhead. By the time we finished our first climb, my hands and toes were gone and all my energy had been used to heat my body. We stopped in a grove of trees to strip off our climbing skins, and I wondered if I…

BACON BLOODY MARY 6TH ALLEY BAR AND GRILL, ARAPAHOE BASIN, COLORADO Step out to the 6th Alley deck after a powder day and you’ll encounter dozens of folks ak’s lead and cook your bacon strips on wooden skewers in the oven so they stand tall in the glass. 1. Coat the rim of a 20-ounce glass with kosher salt and chili powder, then fill with ice. 2. Add three ounces of Bakon vodka, five ounces of Red Parrot bloody mary mix, a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a couple dashes of Tabasco, and a dash of seasoning (celery salt, pepper, and the like), and stir aggressively. 3. Garnish with a stuffed olive, a pepperoncini, and a strip of bacon. PERKY PEAR PUNCH KASK, PORTLAND, OREGON On soggy days, Kask bar…

ODE I’ve never been an earmuffs guy. There are certain people who can pull them off—funny-looking old dudes who don’t care, fun-loving young women who do. The rest of us? Let’s just say it’s hard to be taken seriously in them. (The bouncer isn’t going to let you into the club, if you know what I’m saying.) But, as with any general rule, there are exceptions. If you’re like me and you prefer to run outside even when your eyelashes freeze—and you sometimes listen to music while doing so—then speakerized earmuffs like 180s’ Gen 2 Bluetooth ($80; 180s.com) are totally OK. Not because they look cooler than other earmuffs (they don’t) but because it just won’t matter. You’ll be stomping along at a good clip, your ears warm and enveloped…

NOTHING LIVENS UP A SLOW DAY OF FISHING LIKE A TSUNAMI WARNING. On April 1, 2014, the Ocearch, a 126-foot vessel rigged to capture large sharks alive, was anchored near Alejandro Selkirk Island, a small piece of land about 500 miles off the Chilean coast. Twenty-five people were on board, among them biologists, filmmakers, social-media experts, a former war photographer who was once held hostage in Iraq, a retired federal agent, and a long-haired Chilean fisherman with a Viking tattooed on his shoulder. Everyone was looking for dorsal fins, but no one had seen so much as a long shadow for days. The yellowtail heads strung off the back of the boat broke down slowly, dissolving into the South Pacific Ocean and attracting nothing. The ship’s owner, a 46-year-old former…

The switchbacks on the old logging road still held two-foot-deep patches of snow in late March, when we set off on four-wheelers to scout for wolf tracks in the Boise National Forest, north of Garden Valley, Idaho. The riding was easy lower down, where the hardpack traced the course of a snowmelt-swollen stream through a tight canyon. Spiny rock towers rose from the banks, disintegrating into forbidding walls of scree and timber. If you were an elk or a deer, it would be a tempting place to come for a drink, but you’d be taking your life in your hands. Wolves love a terrain trap. As we climbed, our engines strained against the grade, mud, and snow. We were headed to a vantage point above a place called Granite Basin,…