The moment it became clear was halfway up Teton Pass’s Taylor Mountain at sunrise. I was skinning in that quiet blue hour, expecting the usual ultralight-boot experience: a cramped toe box, midfoot pressure, and the slightly awkward stride I’ve learned to endure on big climbs. Instead, the TLT X moved with me. My stride felt almost too smooth for a...

　　Every ski season has a low-tide phase. Sometimes it’s those first few weeks; sometimes it’s a dry spell or a high-pressure system that just won’t pass. The snow gets hard, the rocks emerge. I’m left feeling lost — mid-width freeride skis or narrow carving skis? The former lackluster on the pistes, the latter downright sketchy in the steeps. 　　I snapped...

　　As my bird dogs and I neared the end of a cat tail slough, I watched two roosters flush wild 80 yards ahead of us, out of range. I grimaced, felt my lower lip crack, and tasted blood as a 40 mph gust ripped across my face. Yet another wasted effort. 　　It had been a brutal week in South Dakota,...

　　Adding a new aesthetic or color scheme to an existing product might not seem like that much of an innovation, but one look at this weeks Emerging Gear picks will change your mind. Peak Performance turned the normally bland, utilitarian down jacket into a pastel art form. Vero revamped a popular watch with help from an iconic retro 44, and...

　　A roomy and tough carry-on bag is the only surefire way to prevent an airline from losing your luggage and sending your trip into a tailspin. As one of those weirdos like me who refuse to travel with checked luggage, I was intrigued by Victorinox’s Mythic Frequent Flyer Carry-On Business ($543). 　　Like the multitools that Victorinox is known for, there’s...

　　By all accounts, Betty Reid Soskin lived quite the life. She was a Civil Rights activist, songwriter, and record shop owner. In her 80s, she became a National Park Service (NPS) interpreter in California and served for 16 years, becoming the oldest park ranger in the country. 　　And on Sunday, Dec. 21, Soskin passed away peacefully at the age of 104...

　　Efforts to protect Americas gray wolf population have sparked debate for years — and soon those plans may face another obstacle. On Dec. 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would remove the gray wolf from the Endangered Species list. 　　If passed by the Senate and signed into law, H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act,...

　　A new attempt to safeguard national parks from losing federal protection and oversight is at risk of failure. Utah Sen. Mike Lee (R) —who proposed the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land this summer — introduced an amendment this week that would strip language from an appropriations bill that specifically outlines federal protections of all national...

　　Monday, December 22: Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) has revised a Congressional amendment that caused a stir among conservationists last week. 　　As the Senate considered various appropriations bills during its final working days of 2025, Sen. Lee had proposed removing language meant to protect national parks from additional austerity measures by the White House and Congress. 　　A bipartisan group of senators...

　　Sometimes you don’t even know what you’ve been missing out on until you try out something new, as is the case in this reviewer’s experience with the FORLOH Womens BTM Pro Pants’ knee pads. We’ll talk about a lot of the fit and function of these brush pants, but no aspect stands above the knee pad. 　　My spouse and I...

　　Wildfires destroy thousands of homes in the U.S. every year. According to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC), in 2022 alone, these outdoor blazes destroyed 1,261 residences nationwide. As this trend continues to increase, more homes are at risk, and firefighting technologies are evolving to keep pace. 　　Sonic Fire Tech is exactly such a system. This futuristic home fire defense...

　　Turn right here and then feel free to get up to 50 mph. That’s what Toyota Senior Engineering Manager Jakin Wilson said to me as I pilot a Tacoma Trailhunter through a lumpy dirt trail, replete with sudden peaks and troughs, terrain changes, and sweeping bends. 　　I gleefully rocketed up to 55 mph, maxed out the suspension travel, and worked...