Outside March 2013

RYAN CREARY Creary and split-boarder Mikel Witlox came across this snow-covered boulder field in British Columbia’s Lizard Range on an early April morning. "It was like skiing through a Dr. Seuss book," says Creary, of Revel-stoke, B.C. He snapped Witlox skinning beneath a 20-foot boulder moments after the sun crested the ridge to the east, casting 50-foot shadows. "It was very abstract," says Creary. And fleeting. Ten minutes later the sun was up, and the light went flat. "That’s the joy of the mountains. Some times the perfect shot exists for only a single moment." THE TOOLS: Canon 7D, 70-200mm f/4 lens, ISO 200, f/9, 1/1,250 second STEVE OGLE Ice caves formed by meltwater often run beneath glaciers. Last November, Ogle found this one in the Yahoo glacier near his…

FROM THE EDITOR: Beyond the Feedbag I was a little dubious about dedicating an entire issue of Outside to the topic of food. We’ve published plenty of culinary stories in the past—on the quest for the best wild chocolate in the Amazon, say, or the latest theories on sports nutrition—but a whole issue? How would we do it without sacrificing some of our most beloved topics, like travel, gear, and adventure? I didn’t want readers to think they’d picked up a copy of Bon Appetit. One of the things that changed my mind was a meeting we had about meals worth traveling for. As everyone began ticking off favorite dishes from exotic spots, I realized how many entrees I could distinctly remember and wanted to discuss. The ceviche at a…

EXPERT RECIPE COCA-COLA ELK RIBS BY GRAYSON SGHAFFER, HUNTING ENTHUSIAST AND AUTHOR OF "DRESSED TO KILL" (PAGE 20), ABOUT HUNTING’S RISE AMONG THEATHLETIC SET “A lot of people leave THE ribs in the field because they can be tough to eat, not to mention they’re unwieldy to strap to a pack for the walk out. I cut them into manageable slabs, trim the fat and interstitial tissue from between the bones, and pressure-cook them in a mix of 75 percent flat Coca-Cola and 25 percent chicken broth for 45 minutes. The combination of acidity, sweetness, and pressure softens the meat. Then i glaze them with barbecue sauce and finish them on the grill.” MARK BITTMAN “I hate to use the cliché, but it took the perfect storm to change the…

STARTING HERE AND CONTINUING THROUGHOUT THE ISSUE, WE PULL THE CURTAIN BACK ON SOME POPULAR FOOD-INDUSTRY PHRASES —ARI LEVAUX organic adj (circa 1940) Refers to an agricultural product lacking chemicals. The movement arose in r response to problems created by industrial agriculture after World War II, when farms switched to a diet of c chemicals like nitrates originally designed for combat. The movement went mainstream around 1994, when t the USDA institutionalized the term. B.S. METER: Low. Buying organic means you’re buying chemical-free f food. But this often means monoculture crops grown far away. The certification process requires a detailed p paper trail documenting materials and practices for each crop, which is easy for large operations to achieve b but often prohibitive for small, diverse family farms. see also LOCAL…

January’s “Powder dreams,” detailing the proposed linkup of utah’s canyons resort and solitude mountain with a gondola, as well as a new chairlift running from Park city to canyons, was intended as an introduction to the controversial issue. Wasatch locals, however, took exception. This article makes SkiLink sound like the end of the rainbow for skiing in Utah, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Locals know that this is the first step toward development in Big Cottonwood Canyon—land that tourists and locals use every day for recreation. The scariest part is the precedent it sets. If you’re a developer who wants public land, just go to a congressman, give him a campaign contribution, and ask him to sponsor a bill forcing the government to sell it to you. Brilliant.…

MAPLE-BACON CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE-CHIP COOKIES BY BARBECUE EXPERT AND BIG GREEN EGG GRILLING INSTRUCTOR KIM YOUNGBLOOD (“UP IN YOUR GRILL”, PAGE 86) Ingredients: 12 strips maple bacon ¾ cup softened butter ¾ cup white sugar ¾ cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2½ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Directions: Cook the bacon on the stove until browned; break into bite-size pieces (not crumbles). Reserve 1§ tablespoons of bacon grease and mix in the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, vanilla, and remaining ingredients. form cookies. bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees in oven or big Green egg.…