Outdoor Activities | Product description

May 14, 2025

The Grand Canyon Is One of Our Most Beloved National Parks. These Reviewers Beg to Differ.

　　The Grand Canyon is stunning. At Outside, we’re in love with that giant ditch, and chances are, you are, too. This river canyon, measuring 278 miles long, roughly 10 miles wide, and in places more than a mile deep, is unlike anything else in the country. Artists paint pictures of it. Musicians write songs about it. Scientists read the history...

May 14, 2025

Pittsburgh Newest Bouldering Gym Is in a Public Park—and It’s Free

　　Last month, Allegheny County opened Boyce Bouldering Park—a 6,000-square-foot expanse of artificial boulders. Carved into the edge of Pittsburgh’s urban sprawl—just fifteen minutes from downtown—this free outdoor bouldering gym was designed with an ambitious vision: to bring outdoor adventure to all. 　　The park boasts more than 100 problems, ranging in difficulty from VB to V10+, which will be reset twice...

May 14, 2025

How Can I Make Off-Season Strength Training More Fun?

　　Every Sunday afternoon I sit down in my home office prepping for next week’s clients directly in front of one of my favorite quotes: 　　“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” 　　While George Bernard Shaw has many famous expressions, the words “grow old” in this particular quote could be replaced by any...

May 14, 2025

Need Reading Glasses But Don’t Want to Look Old? You’re in Luck.

　　As a touring bluegrass musician, Tim Parr was passing through Malibu, California in 2017 when he decided to shop for reading glasses. At age 49, the outdoor industry veteran who’d worked at Patagonia and founded a bike company (Swobo) had never worn glasses before. But, Parr says, his younger band members had been giving him a hard time for having...

May 14, 2025

In “Terrible Beauty,” Auden Schendler Explains Why We’re Losing the Climate Fight—and Why We Have to Keep Trying Anyway

　　Auden Schendler, one of the biggest climate advocates in the outdoor industry, doesn’t start his new book, Terrible Beauty, with any of the myriad lessons he’s learned over decades of environmental work. Schendler, who is Aspen One’s (parent company of Aspen Snowmass), doesn’t drop into scare tactics, or data, or the myriad ways global warming is harming recreation, business, and our...

May 14, 2025

Is America’s Next Great Thru-Hike in Texas?

　　What does an experienced politician, bicycling advocate, and native Texan do to fill up their time when they retire? If you’re Charles Gandy, you try to create a Texas version of the Pacific Crest Trail. Gandy is spearheading efforts to develop the xTx trail, a 1,500-mile thru-hike that crosses Texas from Orange to El Paso. We chatted with Gandy to...

May 14, 2025

Front Basket, E-Assist, Just Add Kiddo: Urban Arrow Family Cargo Line Bike Review

　　While Urban Arrow electric cargo bikes have been around for well over a decade now, this latest one with Boschs Smart System is the most refined yet. The Urban Arrow Family Smart System Cargo Line e-bike was announced on September 19, but I got my hands on it early for a few months of testing over the summer. 　　I mostly...

May 14, 2025

This Ski Resort Just Recorded One of the Largest In-Bounds Avalanches in Its History

　　Mother Nature has provided another reminder that avalanches can occur on either side of a ski resorts boundary. 　　Earlier this week, patrollers at Colorados Steamboat Resort published images and video of a massive avalanche that swept down four closed runs on the morning of Wednesday, November 27. Nobody was injured in the slide, which occurred near the summit of 10,570-foot...

May 14, 2025

Mama, Rock Climber, Olympian: Watch Shauna Coxsey Evolve in New Film

　　Shauna Coxsey is one of, if not the, most successful British competition climbers in history. She started when she was 7 and became a national champion at 15. Her resume is incredibly impressive: 　　30 World Cup podiums include 11 gold, 12 silver, and 7 bronze medals Multiple British Bouldering Championships 2016 and 2017 IFSC Bouldering World Cup Champion First British...

May 14, 2025

Mountain Bike Bends Around Turns, Literally: Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 70 AXS Review

　　Mountain bike design, especially suspension, involves managing tradeoffs. Weight, price, suspension travel characteristics, handling, and even pedal height (to avoid pedal strikes) must all be considered. The final set of compromises hopefully aligns with the designers original mission statement for the bike. 　　Rocky Mountain may have never received that memo, as its Instinct Carbon 70 AXS made it difficult to...

May 14, 2025

Pro Skier Turns Nurse: TNF Athlete Muses on Career Changes, Self-Expression in ‘The War on Style’

　　After podiuming at the Freeride World Tour, Hank Bilous wanted a change of pace. So, he decided to pursue a different passion for a while — medicine — and became a nurse. Both careers require extremely technical skill sets, and both frequently deal with life-and-death risks. 　　How did he translate his own self-expression from one to the other? And what does...

May 14, 2025

Free Gear Fridays: Kahtoola MICROspikes, Crampons, and Gaiters

　　Three winners will receive a premium Kahtoola package for winter adventures, including MICROspikes, high and mid-height gaiters, and hiking crampons (a $385 combined value). These traction devices and protective gaiters will help you put your best foot forward this winter. 　　Celebrate 25 years of adventure with Kahtoola with some of its most popular products. Learn more about the prizes below...

May 14, 2025

ATV Versatility Meets UTV Utility: 2025 Polaris Sportsman 6×6 570 Review

　　Why have four wheels when you can have six? Bigger is almost always better, right? The Polaris Sportsman 66 570 certainly isnt a little machine. 　　I wasnt initially sure how Id feel about an ATV with so much additional length. In the area I tend to rip around in, being nimble is a requirement for an ATV. Honestly, my first...

May 14, 2025

Just Because They’re Good for You, Doesn’t Mean They Can’t Look Good, Too: Chaco Classic Flip Review

　　As you’re walking the shoreline collecting seashells, with the cool waves hitting your feet, you want a shoe that can stand up to the sand, salt, and water. Sometimes, that quick walk turns into a few miles of walking as you keep filling your pockets and taking in the sunshine vibes. 　　Your feet shouldn’t pay the price for this extended...

May 14, 2025

Reimagining the History of Skiing, One Photo at a Time

　　While visiting the lodge at Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort a few years ago, Colombian-American photographer Sofía Jaramillo noticed something disconcerting about the pictures lining the walls. In the images, which date back to the ski hill’s opening in 1936, nearly everyone was white. “That’s when I got the idea—how cool would it be to re-create these, except centering people of...

May 14, 2025

It’s Sweater Weather. Here Are Our 5 Favorites for the Winter

　　Sweaters are back. Sure, fleece has been the king of mid-layers for decades, dominating the key mid-layer space of adventurous wardrobes, but in recent years old school knitwear, made mostly from natural fibers, is raging back into fashion. Personally, I’ve become absolutely sweater-obsessed in the last couple of years and can’t remember the last time I chose a fleece over...

May 14, 2025

Check Out the Dust Moto ‘Hightail’: US-Made, Lightweight Electric Motorcycle

　　There are very few electric motocross or trail bikes currently in production. The king of the electric hill is the Stark Varg, which closely mimics gas dirt bikes in size and performance (in some aspects, it outperforms 450cc dirt bikes). But for many, this is too much power, size, and weight, adding to the already tall barriers to entry. Dust...

May 14, 2025

Full-Face Snow Helmet, Ultralight Microphone, Graphene Trail Runners, and More Emerging Gear

　　We missed Emerging Gear last week, so in classic Thanksgiving style — were serving up leftovers. That means weve got a few extra platters of outdoor gear for you to peruse. 　　Snow lovers will want to window-shop the gorgeous new Eileen Gu skis from Faction, as well as the Stormtrooper-like snow helmets from Ruroc. Cyclists wont want to miss this...

May 14, 2025

Packable, Portable, Rugged: Orvis Tough Trail Folding Crate Review

　　Living in Colorado, our dogs go everywhere with us. From beer gardens to backcountry forays, our pups are glued to our hip for all of our outdoor adventures. A legacy brand in the wingshooting and fly-fishing space, Orvis also designs rugged dog crates like the Orvis Tough Trail Folding Crate ($179) to keep our best friends safe and comfortable while...

May 14, 2025

Subaru Tops Charts, While Rivian and Jeep Hit Bottom: 2024 Consumer Reports Auto Report Card

　　Wondering which car, truck or crossover is the best for you to buy? There are plenty of factors to consider, including price, performance, handling, features, and safety — though reliability typically lands in the top spot for most American shoppers. Consumer Reports has handed out its 2025 Automotive Report Card and this year put a premium on dependability. The results...