The 2026 Olympic qualification period has started, and this weekend, pro skiers and snowboarders will start competing for their place in the Olympic Games. To make the Olympic team, athletes must compete in a series of sanctioned events and earn points toward a qualifying quota. The 2024/25 FIS Park Pipe Big Air competition is their first opportunity to throw down....

　　Not every skier wants a ski to be easy on them. While other ski brands swap metal for carbon and soften things up to appeal to a wider audience, Blizzard has kept expert carving skiers happy with stiff, damp all-mountain skis. 　　The Blizzard Anomaly lineup promises a slightly more forgiving ski. But fans of their previous models will be relieved...

　　To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Specialized wants to get 1 million bikes back on the road. The Reduce, Reuse, ReSpecialized campaign offers an affordable way for people to pedal again and reap all the rewards of riding a bicycle. 　　On Oct. 26, participating dealers will offer free tune-ups and simple repairs, discounts for other repairs, and free helmets for kids. The kind of...

　　Now, you can finally stop holding your breath. If you’re looking for an all-new version of the classic people-mover, the 2025 Volkswagen ID.Buzz is just getting ready to roll into U.S. showrooms. 　　The German automaker has done a surprisingly good job at picking up the classic Microbus design cues, starting with the blunt nose adorned with an oversized “VW” logo....

　　Hondas dual-sport lineup of CRF and XR models represents some of the most utilitarian and affordable motorcycles ever sold. All but one of the bikes cost under $7,000. They can all scoot around urban centers, cruise highways, and provide recreational dirt riding. Hondas reliability is also a key selling point. 　　The 2024 CRF300L is in the sweet spot of Hondas...

　　Here’s something you might not know: Powder skis can be your daily drivers. If you mostly ski out West and stick to soft snow, there’s no good reason not to keep it fat all season long. A damp, carvable pow ski such as Nordica’s freestyle Unleashed 114 skis can actually be a better tool in all manner of soft snow...

　　Alex Honnold is an indelible name in Yosemite climbing, but he may need to make room for Wanish (34) and Michael Vaill (32), who completed the Triple Crown in 17 hours and 55 minutes this past weekend. This new mark bests Honnolds prior speed record by just over an hour. 　　View this post on Instagram A post shared by Maxim...

　　Outdoor gear lovers will soon have even more brick-and-mortar REI stores to explore, with a half dozen new locations opening in 2025 and 2026. 　　This week, REI announced it will open in six new communities next spring and summer, including the California cities of Carlsbad, Chico, and Elk Grove. New stores will also pop up in Amherst, N.Y., Durango, Colo.,...

　　Solo Stove is no longer content merely to warm your hands — now the brand wants to cook your meat, too. The brand known for its smokeless fire pits has begun diversifying its portfolio in recent years, often with accessories that enable various forms of cooking. 　　After adding options for pizza ovens, iron woks, or grills placed directly on top of...

　　The most important ingredient in a knife is its steel.DiamondBlade Knives claims its steel is the best and most balanced you can get, thanks to a unique forging process. 　　DiamondBlade Knives Friction Forged D2 steel supposedly has 10 times finer steel grain than traditional D2. The brand says that process makes the edges of its knives harder, thinner, and tougher....

　　Ski construction hasn’t seen a ton of game-changing innovations since shape skis came out. Sure, every year new skis come out that combine carbon, metal, wood, and plastic in unique ways, but nothing earth-shattering. 　　Direct-to-consumer, Renoun uses a non-Newtonian polymer (I’ll attempt to explain later) to give their skis variable vibration damping. And they have a case for being the...

　　Soft materials plus a higher cut for extra ankle support make this a very plush boot. If you associate hiking boots with bulky, stiff leather, then the X Ultra 4 Mid GTX ($175) will be sure to change your mind. This boot is noticeably softer than other boots we tested, but will still provide ample support over the miles. 　　The...