Recently I had a conversation with a friend about whether there are any ski bums left.
My sister was just here for a visit. When she left, after four straight days of backcountry skiing, she asked me if it was hard to live in a place where no one ever seemed to take a rest day.
I haven’t taken a ski lesson in decades. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I paid someone to analyze my skiing technique.
In my younger years, I scoffed at the idea of using a guide.
It’s hard to put a date on when my pain became chronic.
This fall the Bureau of Land Management permanently closed southern Idaho’s Massacre Rocks to climbing.
I recently heard about a girl who developed compartment syndrome in her shins. Her doctor thought it was an overuse injury. She was 15 at the time and trained year-round, running and skiing cross-country.
After my last column, a reader sent me a quotation by Helen Keller that read, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adve…
When someone dies in the mountains the outdoor community tends to step back and reflect. What went wrong? Was there something that we can learn from the accident? What can I do to prevent this from happening to me?
What do you typically ask someone when you first meet?
I did a lot of things wrong the other day. First, I began hiking up Mount Taylor, west of Teton Pass, after lunch. Not exactly an alpine start designed to avoid afternoon thunderstorms.
I have a long list of places and activities that were once central to my life but are no longer part of it.
I was on the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram at 3:37 p.m. on July 23. A couple of hundred feet above the base-area loading dock our car came to a halt and hung there.
A magazine I write for just sent out a call for pitches for its winter 2022-23 issue. The theme? Backcountry. One of the suggested topics included: “Hidden gems on Teton Pass beyond hiking Glory or skiing Edelweiss.”
I’ve always thought of the Dark Ages as, well, dark. My image is of plague, oppressed peasants, muddy streets, nasty smells, cholera, countless uninspiring, awkward paintings of the Madonna and child, and ignorance. I’m not alone in this perspective (although historians have long ago abandon…
I’m about to head out for a two-week trip to Europe with family.
My land has been discovered.
The other night Lia Thomas’ name came up during a dinner conversation.
Careening downhill, totally out of control on my skinny, fish-scaled cross-country skis, I decided the best option to save myself was to fall. It was at least the fourth time I’d used my butt as a brake.
I dread long, flat bike rides where you can see the road stretching off into the distance for miles and miles.
When I started backpacking I carried lots of things just in case: Just in case it stormed for a week. Just in case it was colder than predicted. Just in case I lost something.
Like many, I can’t stop thinking about Gabby Petito.
I just got off the Main Salmon River, which was a welcome respite from the stress of everyday life and the constant bombardment of bad news I can’t seem to avoid when I have access to my phone or computer. Floating down a river takes you away from all that, but I realize it does something el…
I am traveling to a place that is known for its world-class kitesurfing later this fall. My husband has already signed up for a series of beginner lessons. I am undecided.
My daughter did her first alpine rock route without me — or an older, more experienced guide — a couple of weeks ago.
After college a friend of mine decided to try out for the U.S. Olympic rowing team.
Last week I had a mountain bike date with some friends of mine. We planned to meet at the trailhead around 8 a.m. in order to beat the heat, but when I got up around 7 a.m. it looked apocalyptic outside.
Luxury outdoor adventure is a thing. Google it. You’ll come up with pages and pages of eye-candy: images of spectacular scenery, up-close wildlife, bucket-list destinations and, of course, world-class accommodations. The photos are gorgeous and tantalizing. They also tell a story that’s very…
I spent most of last week lying around after tweaking my back at the gym. It’s kind of amazing how little you can accomplish when it hurts to walk or sit, not to mention exercise. I watched a lot of television, read some books and got grumpy.
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