Having tested outdoor gear as my main gig for over a decade, I am used to finding myself on the same side as the experts when it comes to gear advice. We agree that cotton doesn’t always kill; waterproof running shoes can actually make your feet wetter on runs; and yes, you should always pack a headlamp. One area where...

　　Admit it: You really missed us. And by us, I mean GearJunkies Emerging Gear column, which has been out of commission for the last 2 weeks of the winter holiday. 　　It was a short-lived slump for new outdoor products, however, and weve now got a packed week of cool stuff to share with you. 　　For starters, weve got a few...

　　The Palisades wildfire broke out in the Malibu area of Los Angeles on Tuesday and could become the most devastating fire in Californias history. In the days since, four more fires have sprung up around the city, from Beverly Hills to Arcadia, San Fernando, and within the Angeles National Forest. As these fires devastate neighborhoods and daily life, theyre also...

　　There are music festivals. There are film festivals. There are climbing and biking and yoga festivals. But there’s only one Outside Festival. 　　The Denver event blends everything that makes outdoor festivals so fun, and the result is much, much better than the sum of its parts. That’s why the inaugural Outside Festival drew almost 20,000 people. It’s also why the...

　　Federal officials have decided against handing over management of grizzly bears to the states. Thats the major outcome of a Wednesday proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) to keep grizzlies in the lower 48 states on the endangered species list. Environmental groups immediately applauded wildlife officials for maintaining the threatened designation, which ensures continued federal protection of...

　　About 80% of the U.S. population lives in urban areas. If youre part of that majority, then you know how easy it can be to view cities as separate from the outdoors. But enjoying nature doesnt have to be relegated to weekend getaways. Fjällräven, a Swedish brand with a distinctly non-American take on the relationship between humans and nature, has...

　　Staying safe while exploring the wilderness keeps getting easier, thanks to the growing number of options for emergency cell service. The latest offering comes from HMD, which just launched a new accessory to connect Android or iOS phones directly to satellites from anywhere in the U.S., including Alaska and Hawaii. 　　This handheld device enables 24/7 emergency response even in remote...

　　This elk will live to climb another day. Colorado wildlife officials reported an unusual rescue of an elk tangled in climbing ropes near a popular ice wall in Lake City. The report first came in from some ice climbers on January 3, who saw the large bull struggling with ropes wound through its antlers. 　　A team from Colorado Parks Wildlife...

　　Calling all wildflower wanderers, leaf peepers, and winter hiking warriors: 2025 is here. And you know what that means? Another year of hiking—in every season. Some backpackers and dayhikers find that planning out their next adventure spot is almost as much fun as going on the adventure itself. No matter if you have your sights set on a long backpacking...

　　This past Saturday, January 4, Daniel Swain, a climate scientist for the University of California Los Angeles, published a lengthy post on his blog, WeatherWest.com. In the post, Swain warned of  an extreme offshore wind and fire weather event in Southern California the coming days. 　　Two days later, Swain posted a YouTube video where he again sounded alarm bells for...

　　In extreme alpinism, you should always be ready to improvise. Thats the wisdom handed down by German climber Jost Kobusch, whos currently pushing the sports boundaries with a long-term project trying to reach the summit of Mount Everest. But wait, you say, dont hundreds of people climb Everest every year? 　　Yes, but no one has climbed it like Kobusch. The...

　　One of the funny little details in Eliud Kipchoge’s attempts to run a sub-two-hour-marathon was the electric pace cars. In Nike’s Breaking2 race in 2017, they used a Tesla. In the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, where Kipchoge actually broke the barrier, it was an Audi e-tron equipped with a specially built cruise control that was accurate to within less than a...