Outside May 2014

TRASK BRADBURY Bradbury worked as an industrial rigger for 15 years, but he never had a project as interesting as this one: suspending a slackline between two hot-air balloons so “Sketchy” Andy Lewis, of 2012 Super Bowl halftime-show fame, could walk between them. “The first time we tried it, the weather was too dicey to set up the line,” says the Colorado Springs photographer, who captured this shot last February, 4,000 feet above a dry lake bed outside Las Vegas. “But by the second go-round, the conditions were flawless. We spent the whole day up there while Andy and his team traversed back and forth.” THE TOOLS: Canon EOS 60D, 15mm f/2.8 fish-eye lens, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/640 second KLAUS THYMANN Last August, while documenting glaciers in the Arctic Circle…

“WHAT YOU GOTTA DO IS FILE THE TIP OF THE SIGHT OFF, SO IT WON’T HURT SO MUCH WHEN THE BEAR SHOVES IT UP YOUR ASS.” —AN ALASKAN NAMED JIMMY ON WHY A .44 MAGNUM IS INADEQUATE FOR DEALING WITH THE LOCAL WILDLIFE, PAGE 86 Hook-Up Culture In case you haven’t heard, wearable technology is having a moment. Wrist-based fitness trackers that monitor everything from your sleep patterns to your daily activity rate are everywhere. You can now buy ski goggles with heads-up displays that project your downhill speed and your latest texts as you carve fresh powder. And coming soon: running-shoe insoles and moisture-wicking shirts that chart your vital performance stats while you race. This month, we dispatched Tom Vanderbilt to try out one of wearable tech’s most hyped…

THE $3.5 BILLION PEER-TO-PEER INDUSTRY HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED THE WAY WE TRAVEL. WANT TO MOVE IN A BIG GROUP, SCORE A LAST-MINUTE DEAL ON A LAKE HOUSE, OR RENT A SWEET BIKE DIRECTLY FROM THE OWNER? USE THIS PRIMER. >Fly In the future, Clear, a private company that offers expe dited screening to get you through security checkpoints in minutes, will be the way to fly. But right now, it’s available in only nine airports nationwide. That’s why WhatsBusy, which crunches historical data to determine TSA wait times in 98 air ports, is the smart choice when catching a flight. whatsbusy.com Flight tracking, airport maps, and last-minute car rentals are available via GateGuru. The best tool, however, is a list of terminal restaurants and bars, their rankings, and a map…

WHETHER YOU’RE HEADED TO NEPAL, HITTING THE ROAD WITH THE FAMILY, OR STRIKING OUT ON A SOLO WEEKEND, THESE TIPS WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU PLAY THE GLOBE-TROTTER >Stay Hydrated Stop buying bottled water abroad and filter tap water instead. The Grayl is like a French press for hydration: fill the stainless-steel cup and plunge the inner filter sleeve down to remove 99.99 percent of bacteria (and viruses, with an added purifier, $40). Drink straight from the cup or screw on the lid to keep for later. $70 with filter; thegrayl.com >Roam Smart The usual work-around for roaming fees is to buy a pre-paid SIM card incountry. But in most places, a $10 card will get you only about 30 minutes of talk time and 500MB of data. The better…

THE MODERN MINIMALIST’S GUIDE TO BUILDING A SECOND HOME —F.R. A DECADE AGO, creating your own permanent field dwelling meant calling in a construction crew or spending years felling logs and piecing together a cabin that was “rustic” at best. Then prefab homes expanded into the cabin space and everything changed. Today there are dozens of options at a range of prices. KitHaus is one of a growing number of companies making lodgings that can be moved around. Its prefab K4 requires no foundation and comes flat-packed in pieces small enough to be carried by hand to a secluded spot (from $25,000; kithaus.com). Made of recycled aluminum and sustainably harvested wood, the KitHaus can be assembled in a few days. Decks, canopies, louvers, air-conditioning, and a photovoltaic system for solar…

TIMELESS SKILL Make a Gourmet Meal Over a Fire Just because you’re camping doesn’t mean you have to settle for mac and cheese. You can make an enviable wilderness paella with some planning and a little luck. All you need is a 17-inch cast-iron skillet, a fishing pole to catch three pan-size trout, a handful of mushrooms, a shotgun to rustle up some grouse breast… OK, that’s a lot. But the effort is worth it. 1. Heat enough water in the skillet to steam two packets of Rice-A-Roni, then set the cooked rice aside in a bowl. 2. Fry four pork andouille links, allowing the fat to coat the pan. Once cooked, move them to the side of the pan. 3. Coat three freshly caught trout in cornmeal. Add them…