Innehållsförteckning för December 2019 från Outside

Full disclosure: there’s an unavoidable sleight of hand required when producing and selling a year-end story franchise in a print magazine. This issue features the second installment of our annual outsiders of the year, which showcases the most inspiring athletes, innovators, activists, and leaders of, well, the first eight and a half months of 2019. The reality is, we started generating our final list of outsider selections in july, made most of the assignments in august, and began shipping the december issue to the printer during the last week of september. Our apologies to anyone in the outside realm who notched a historic first descent in october, broke a freediving world record in november, or invented the first hackproof performance-enhancing-drug test just before the holidays. The time constraints involved with…

Silverton Mountain, Colorado Is it technically backcountry skiing? Maybe not, but it might as well be. Silverton has only one lift, but it gives skiers access to more than 1,800 acres of extreme terrain. For most of the season, only guided trips are allowed, which limits the number of skiers. CMH Heli-Skiing, British Columbia As the father of heli-skiing, Hans Gmoser didn’t just invent the sport, he made it an experience by combining it with expert guiding and European-style chalets. Gmoser’s network of 12 lodges across the Canadian Rockies offer three million acres of terrain. Lodge at Blue Sky, Utah There’s a new way to ski Utah’s Uinta Mountains and and Wasatch Range. Located on a 3,500-acre ranch less than an hour from Salt Lake City, the recently opened Lodge…

WE’RE ABOUT AN HOUR into our session at the Russian and Turkish Baths, an old-school bathhouse in New York’s East Village, when my friend Matt closes his eyes, throws his head back, and says, “I’m getting hit.” The two of us are sitting on a tiled ledge. Half-naked people in robes and bikinis mill about. I’m feeling sweaty and, as usual, anxious. But by the time we emerge onto the sidewalk an hour later, I feel immensely refreshed. My hands are wrinkled and pale, and I’m relaxed in ways I haven’t felt in weeks. I got the hit, too. It feels like an accomplishment—a runner’s high minus the running. The idea that extreme heat can improve mental health isn’t new. The Russian and Turkish Baths opened in 1892. Around that…

Made with yarn recycled from the Italian textile industry, the ribbed, three-tone Fjällräven Re-Wool scarf ($65) is six feet long. It has all the softness of virgin fiber but less environmental impact. James Niehues is the illustrator behind many of the world’s most famous ski-resort maps, including nearly every one used in North America. The Man Behind the Maps ($90) features more than 200 of his hand-painted creations. Leave the tripod and rain cover at home. The light and minimal Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III camera ($1,800 with lens) has five-axis image stabilization that allows you to shoot sharp photos in low light. A sealed metal body protects it from water, dust, and freezing temperatures. SHAPE UP Black Diamond says NuYarn merino technology is lighter, dries faster, and provides more…

ON THE EVENING OF APRIL 5, 2017, an Emirates Boeing 747 freighter landed at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos, and waited on the tarmac for several hours. Its dead-of-night mission involved receiving a sizable consignment, loading it quickly, and ferrying it ten hours back to Dubai, all without attracting undue attention. Emirates had certainly sent the right plane for the job. A 747F is one of the world’s largest commercial freighters, capable of schlepping more than 300,000 pounds of cargo. The cargo in this instance consisted of 16 elephants. Whether those elephants could arrive at an airport and board a plane undetected remained anyone’s guess. The air was hot and humid that night and full of acrid smog, because rice farmers were burning their fields before planting. Laos is…

All Revved Up In September, the Interior Department issued a controversial order instructing federal land agencies to stop classifying e-bikes as off-road motorized vehicles and allow their use wherever bicycles are permitted. As Christopher Solomon explained in his online report, “The Great Public Lands E-Bike Rush of 2019,” the announcement split the outdoor world, with some people cautiously optimistic and others worried about the impact on trails. This will not end well. E-bikes will put people further into the wilderness, where they will not follow the rules and get themselves into trouble. This will eventually limit our options for two-wheeled recreation of all types. Shane O’Donley Facebook I personally think e-bikes are awesome—they expand the number and spectrum of people who can ride. TJ Williams Facebook All this reminds me…

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming Friday 4 P.M. For lodging in Teton Village at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, you can go bro style (get a bunk at the Hostel, from $32), eco-friendly (see rooms at Hotel Terra, from $249), or super luxe (reserve a two-bedroom suite at the year-old Caldera House, from $2,000). Saturday 8:45 A.M. Skip the tram for the Sweetwater Gondola for more access to beginner and intermediate runs. If the kids are going to Mountain Sports School, take a break at the newly built Solitude Station. 10:45 A.M. Make your way to Thunder chair to ski down groomers between rocky outcroppings in Laramie Bowl, then migrate to Sublette chair to sneak through the trees of Pepi’s Run. 12:30 P.M. Southcable Café, next to the tram…

I’VE JUST FINISHED a grueling 30-mile bike ride, and I’m sipping a recovery shake mixed from a sleek black packet. It has 27 grams of protein, because I’m trying to gain muscle, and omega-3 fatty acids to keep me feeling full. Beetroot boosts my endurance, and anti-inflammatory green bell pepper keeps me from getting sore. The mix was designed specifically for me by Kyoku, a California-based startup that launched in 2018. Kyoku is one of many companies offering tailor-made performance fuels. In addition to Kyoku’s, I tested products from four others, including meal-replacement shakes from iFit Nourish and sports drinks by Infinit Nutrition. Each begins its personalization process with a survey: Kyoku and iFit focused on my lifestyle and diet, asking questions like how many servings of fruit and hours…

When it comes to performance fuel, it’s hard to go wrong with oatmeal. And one major perk of the old standby is that it’s a blank canvas. Stephanie Howe Violett, 2014 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run champion, prefers her oats savory, loaded with avocado, eggs, and butter. The combo sits well in her stomach and provides ample slow-burning calories for adventures in the mountains. A 36-year-old coach and nutritionist, Violett logs up to 20 hours a week on the trails near her home in Bend, Oregon, and she rounds out her winter training with long days skiing. After nearly two decades of high-level competition, Violett’s fueling philosophy is simple: “Eat real food. Don’t deprive yourself of any nutrients. I eat everything. Food should be enjoyed.” INGREDIENTS (Serves one) 1 cup…

SINCE 1950, when warren miller began traveling the u.S. With his amped-up ski footage, fall film tours have marked the arrival of winter for snow-sports lovers. Miller birthed a ski-porn industry that spawned over a dozen clones. Warren miller entertainment has a film coming out this fall, as usual—it’s called timeless—but this year things feel different. Overall, the number of ski flicks is shrinking. In september, level 1 released romance, the 20th and final installment of the company’s storied annual franchise. It joined a growing number of production houses that haven’t been able to sustain operations: poor boyz productions stopped making feature-length shred films in 2015 and transitioned into commercial work. Smaller outfits like stept and powderwhore productions have shuttered or moved away from the medium, too. What happened? Since…

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado Extreme terrain? Check. October to June skiing? Check. Close to Denver? Check. Locals call A-Basin “the legend” for good reason. It added 468 new skiable acres last season and left the Epic Pass this summer to join the Ikon Pass and Mountain Collective for limited days. A-Basin left Epic because skiers complained about the crowds, so this should help alleviate that. Red Mountain, British Columbia Powder seekers who journey to this former mining territory will be rewarded with 3,850 acres of skiable terrain, $10 cat skiing, and a new chairlift that accesses six fresh runs. The resort takes its independent bona fides seriously: in 2018, it raised more than $2.5 million for on-hill upgrades via crowdfunding. Sugar Bowl, California The Northern California ski area, which sees an…

Foodspring A mix of supplements (including whey protein, powdered aminos, and creatine) and instant oats, personalized to your fitness goals. Cost: About $60; available in Europe, coming soon to the U.S. iFit Nourish An individualized protein shake made with veggies and 25 vitamins and minerals. Cost: $80 a month for two bags of formula Infinit Nutrition Sports drinks with an optimized mix of protein, carbohydrates, and caffeine, crafted by the company’s nutritional consultants. You can also add extras, like CBD. Cost: $20 for five servings Gainful Meal-replacement drinks, plus unlimited e-mail access to the company’s team of registered dietitians. Cost: Around $50 for 14 servings Kyoku Protein-based recovery shakes tailored to your chosen activity, body composition, and goals. Cost: $5 per serving (standard is 14 servings per month) Registered dietitian…

ONE IN FOUR Americans sit more than eight hours a day. All that hunching in front of a screen wreaks havoc on your middle and upper back. “When we lack mobility in the thoracic spine, it affects a whole host of things, like shoulder and neck movement and even breathing,” says Meghan Wieser, a Maryland-based physical therapist and certified CrossFit trainer. That means your lungs have less space to expand for deep breaths and you’re more prone to injury. Wieser recommends these exercises to address forward, backward, and rotational spinal movement. Do them two to three times a week to loosen up. A. Child’s Pose Twist What It Does: Improves rotational mobility. Start on your hands and knees, shift your hips onto your heels, and rest your torso on your…