Have a Truck? Ditch the Camper Shell for a Softopper

Last spring, I bought a Softopper. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a soft-sided topper for a pickup. But it comes with one incredibly cool trick—it’s collapsible. When the Softopper is in topper mode, you unfasten the cover (it attaches to the bedrails with snaps) and fold the whole thing down, either toward the front … Read more

What One Researcher Learned Studying Grizzlies for 40 Years

Bruce McLellan recalls seeing his first grizzly bear when he was only 4 years old. It must have made an impression. He became a wildlife ecologist and devoted his career to studying the hulking bruins — much of it in the same remote place. He moved to the wilds of the Flathead Valley in Canada … Read more

Adventure Photographer Mattias Fredriksson on Breaking Into the Biz and the Charm of Small Ski Towns

Mattias Fredriksson has provided the stoke for countless ski mag readers and poster gawker-atters for decades now. A longtime ski photographer, he’s now the  editor of Interstellar, one of our fave media sites today. Fredriksson grew up and learned to ski in Sweden, then eventually made the move to small-town British Columbia, drawn in by … Read more

Caroline Gleich Aims to Go From Mount Everest to the US Senate

Six weeks before she was due to leave for Tibet and attempt to climb the north face of Mount Everest, athlete/activist Caroline Gleich tore her anterior cruciate ligament. She’d spent many months raising money for the expedition, but couldn’t afford trip insurance, which cost $10,000. So, she went to Everest anyway, girded herself for the … Read more

The Burgeoning Science of Search and Rescue

On May 5, 2023, a 19-year-old hiker named Matthew Read headed out on a roughly 12-mile trek in an underpopulated part of Glacier National Park in Montana. Read, a chemical engineering student, had stopped in Glacier while driving home to Michigan, and the pine-surrounded path he embarked on was known for its big views of … Read more

THE AJ PODCAST— What are the Best Big Cities for Adventure?

On today’s episode, we’re going to start off with some news about Aspen Skiing Co. looking for unsanctioned ski instructors in their resort, and then chat about some gear. Our main topic is about the best big cities for access to adventure. And we finish it off with some disagreements in another round of overrated/underrated. … Read more

THE AJ PODCAST— Inspiring Books, Listener Feedback, and More

Bill Murray as spiritual advisor, books that have inspired us recently, our fave adventure authors, and questions from readers on this week’s episode.    Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Mentioned Episodes: SURF NEW WAVES, SING KARAOKE, AND OTHER RESOLUTIONSREI VS. INDIE OUTDOOR RETAILERSLOCAL ADVENTURES WITH ALASTAIR HUMPHREYSMY SUMMER WITH THE UBCO EMOTORCYCLE Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:42 Books … Read more

If You Find Yourself Without a Tent, Overnight, in Winter, Here’s What You Do

Ed. note: Nobody is suggesting you cut down trees and build bonfires for fun. Sometimes, however, shit happens in the winter. Imagine that you’re on the Greenland ice sheet, a hundred miles of barren snow screaming away to every compass point, only your snug yellow tent protecting you from the dangerous, otherworldly exposure. Or heck, … Read more

THE AJ PODCAST— Surf New Waves, Sing Karaoke, and Other Resolutions

  Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.   We discuss our New Year’s Resolutions, diving into a conversation about exploring nature, keeping goals, learning about the body, and more. Recommended Reading:“Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art” – James Nestor“Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity” – Bill Gifford and Peter Attia“Ultra-Processed People” – Chris van Tulleken“The … Read more