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The AJ Poll
What’s the Most Epic 48-Hour Adventure You Can Have in America?
It’s a big, big country, so what are the biggest weekend epics?
The AJ Poll: Campfires This Summer, Yea or Nay?
It’s hot, it’s dry, and it’s getting hotter and drier.
Are There Any Real Ski Towns Left in America?
Remember the scruffy, core ski town?
What’s the Best Thing About Fall?
A little bit of summer, just a taste of winter—is fall the best season for adventure?
Hey Gravel People: Drop Bars Or Flat Bars?
No right answer, we’re just curious.
What’s the Best Guide Job to Have?
Some argue that guiding rivers is the best job on the world. Heli-skiing guides might disagree. You decide.
What Do You Do With Your Outdoor Gear When it Reaches its End of Life?
Recycle? Landfill? The great Craigslist graveyard in the sky?
Should the Appalachian Trail Be Closed During the Pandemic?
Most thruhikers have left the trail, leaving businesses that cater to them wondering how they’ll survive.
What’s the Longest You’ve Kept a Pair of Hiking Boots?
Do you consider hiking boots a loving partner? Or a disposable tool?
Have You Ridden an E-Bike on Trails?
Yeah, you might have an opinion on e-mtbs—but we want to know if you’re actually ridden one in the dirt.
Do You Actively Regret the Adventures Not Taken?
Is there that one trip that got away?
What’s the First Adventure-y Thing You’ll Do After the Shutdown Ends?
Surely, you’ve begun fantasizing about life after the shutdown.
What are the Ethics of Outdoor Recreation While We’re Sheltering in Place?
Are you doing anything outdoors these days?
Reader Poll: How Is Coronavirus Affecting Your Adventure Life?
Bleep got real. So, are you making real changes?
What’s The Worst Kind of Car To Be Stuck Behind On a Mountain Road?
Is that bus really pulling out right in front of me? Argh!
Do You Fret Over Declining Performance As You Age?
We all get older. Well, except for Kelly Slater.
What’s the Best Big City for Adventure?
I write about living in San Francisco often. Not the city itself, but the proximity to amazing outdoor thrills. This…
Would You Support Opening Private Land to Responsible Public Access?
Scotland allows public access to any private property, within reason. Would that ever work here?
What Would It Take For You to Push That ‘SOS’ Button in the Backcountry?
Not pleasant to think about, but surely you’ve thought about it.
Which Pricey Gear Justifies a Splurge?
Being a dirtbag is great and all, but so is cutting edge gear that actually works.
What’s Your Big Adventure Goal for 2020?
It’s time to decide what the heck we’re gonna do this year when we go big.
Are You a Campsite Gourmet? Or a ‘Whatever, Gorp Is Fine’ Camper?
Some of us prefer a multi-course meal, others just stuff their faces with trail mix and call it a day.
How Should Uphill Access at Ski Resorts Be Managed? Free? Paid Trails?
Uphill skiing at resorts is growing in popularity, and some resorts are now charging for uphill access—should they?
Are You Willing to Pay More to Support Indie Outdoor Shops and Brands?
Supporting small indie businesses often means spending more money than at megastores. Is it worth it to you?
Do You Camp in the Snow? Like, On Purpose?
Snowcamping is awesome. Or it’s cold and miserable.
Would You Prefer Your Gear to Last Forever? Or Do You Like Buying New Stuff?
Buying new gear can be a motivator to get outside—or an expensive burden.
Would You Support a “Backpack Tax” to Fund Public Lands?
Hunters and anglers pay a tax for public lands on their gear—why not backpackers and skiers?
Yellowstone to Add WiFi in Move That May Spread to More Nat Parks—Yea or Nay?
Broadband company is planning to install WiFi in much of Yellowstone NP, in move that may extend t0 more parks—what…
Have You Considered Relocating Because of Climate Change?
As the climate warms and landscapes and ecosystems change, have you thought about pulling up stakes?
Do You Like to Repair Your Own Gear?
Send it back, take it to the pros, buy a new one, or fix it yourself?
Hiking Boots or Trail Runners? Or, Heck, Sandals?
Light and fast or steady and secure?
What’s Your Favorite Adventure State?
It’s a 50-state smackdown of adventure fun.
Do You Train for Your Adventures?
Do you hit the gym to make your adventures less taxing? Or does that take the fun out of it?
Reader Poll: What’s the Best Camp Coffee?
It’s a golden age for camp coffee—so which is the best?
Reader Poll: What’s the Best Post-Sufferfest Food?
Pizza, burger, burrito? What’s your meal when you’re hungry enough to eat the bark from a tree?
Reader Poll: Which Mountain Range is Your Favorite?
We all have our faves. Maybe some mountains are best for skiing, some for hiking, some for gawking at. So,…
Which Outdoor Sport Would You Most Like to Learn How to Do?
Even the most well-rounded among us have pursuits they’d like to learn—so what’s yours?
Reader Poll: What Gear Have You Had the Longest That You Still Use?
Who out there in the AJ community is still using the oldest piece of gear, we wonder?
Reader Poll: How Far Would You Drive For One Day of Stoke?
Some of us will drive six hours to climb for two hours, then turn around and drive home. What’s your…
Reader Poll: Should We Knock Down Rock Cairns Or Leave Them Up?
Nothing sparks a good, uh, conversation like the issue of stacks of rocks. Have at it, folks.
Poll: Should Dogs Be Allowed in National Parks’ Backcountry?
The rules are kind of all over the place when it comes to dogs in national parks.
Iceland to Kill Thousands More Whales—Can That Hurt Adventure Tourism?
Some officials in Iceland wonder if the country’s whaling practices are harming adventure tourism.
Should National Parks Remain Open During a Government Shutdown?
National Parks are suffering during the shutdown. Is it time to shut them down too until the government restores full…
Poll: What Do You Do to Stay Safe When Hiking Alone?
Since June, two hikers have been confirmed killed, one is missing presumed dead, and one has been missing since November…
How Much Do You Think About a Brand’s Values When You Buy Their Gear?
Voting with your dollars, putting your money where your mouth is—whatever you’d like to call it—making buying decisions based on…
Charming Bear Video? Or a Drone Operator Gone Too Far?
This past weekend a video of a plucky baby bear determined to crest a steep, snow-covered slope to join its…
Would You Pay to Hike? Wyoming Considers Charging Hikers
As Wyoming considers first-of-its-kind fee for hiking, we wonder: Would you mind paying to maintain trails?
Poll: Should Outdoor Retailer Leave Utah?
Sound wonky? You have skin in the game, as the money you spend on gear directly contributes to the fight.
Poll: What’s the Best Way to Deal With a Crappy Snow Year?
We all have to cope with it somehow—what’s your strategy? There’s a pair of Smith sunglasses on the line by…
Poll: Post-Election, Where Do You Want to Move?
Distraught by the election of #notmypresident and looking to bug out or just looking to bug out? Where ya goin’?
Poll: Do You Ever Get Spooked When Camping?
It’s not just a Halloween thing. It’s a what’s-out-there-in-the-dark? thing.
Poll: What’s the Best Adventure Vehicle?
The Sprinter van is having its moment—can it usurp the VW van? Or is something else better?
Poll: What’s the Solution to National Park Overcrowding?
With Zion thinking about limiting visitors, things are getting real.
Poll: What’s the Best Form of Public Land?
Are the national parks a lock to win this puppy? But wait, what about BLM land? Vote and see for…
Poll: Are Convertible Pants Awesome, Dorky, Both, or Neither?
Pants that zip off to shorts are the hottest thing going right now. Are they with you?
Poll: Which Season Do You Look Forward to the Most?
Fall means empty trails, desert crags, the first snow. But is it the season that gets you the most psyched?
Poll: Is Backpacking a Sport?
Or is it a lifestyle? A religion? A pastime? Obsession? Your vote and comment enters you to win Smith shades,…
Poll: Who Do You Least Like to Share the Trail With?
It’s okay–you don’t have to pretend to like all of your fellow unwashed masses out there in the woods.