National Geographic ADVENTURE

Gear Crush: Ladies, Here's Your Splitboard - Solution, Jones Snowboards

2012-01-27T10:42:32-05:00

"From day one, the women have been screaming and yelling, 'Where’s our stuff?' And we’ve taken notice," said Jeremy Jones, who we recently interviewed about his snowsports alliance Protect Our Winters (POW) (follow POW on Facebook for informing and entertaining posts). "It’s really common to see a lot of women in the backcountry freeriding," he noted. "Women don’t have the as much as of a need to be in the park learning a new trick like a lot of men do. Women are much more comfortable with cruising the whole mountain and enjoying that aspect of snowboarding." Thanks for noticing, Jeremy. In fall 2012, Jones Snowboards will release three women's boards, including one splitboard, the Solution. It probably goes without saying that the construction and materials are identical to their men's boards, but the sidecut, flex, length, and waist width have been tuned to benefit a lighter, smaller rider. We...

Ski Touring the Tetons (Photos): Hiking Up, Shredding Down Teewinot, the Grand, Cloudveil Dome

2012-01-26T10:55:06-05:00

Text and photos by Kim Havell, Salomon Freeski International Team It was a slow start to winter for resorts in the U.S. In order to find snow in the early season, for many passionate skiers, it meant getting creative. Based out of the Wasatch this season, due to drier conditions, I decided to drive north for four to Jackson, Wyoming, to poke around the Tetons for a few days. Jackson temporarily offered more promise with snow depths that prevailed over many other locations in the West. After some great days skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, it was time to go exploring for some fresh snow in Grand Teton National Park. With soaring peaks, protected canyons, and endless terrain possibilities, the park holds great promise for adventure. The 40-mile-long Teton Range is the youngest mountain chain in the Rocky Mountains with beautiful, jagged summits and long, aesthetic runs. This is...

What's Your Adventure Personality Type? Artisan, Rational, Guardian, or Idealist?

2012-01-24T11:20:37-05:00

By Steve Graepel; Photographs from top courtesy Steve Graepel, Andrew Skurka, Rebecca Rusch, Michael Tobin The zodiac, your horoscope, tea leaves...people have been trying to make sense of human attributes since the dawn of dirt. Corporations pay big money to navigate these muddied waters and will train employees to better understand personality types to harness them for productivity. I recently revisited one such matrix, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which hypothesizes that it’s possible to distill human characteristics into 16 personality types. David Keirsey later mapped these types into four general temperaments: the Artisan, Rational, Guardian and Idealist. I jokingly wondered if these metrics have ever been applied to an expedition setting; exhaustion, hunger, and cold, wet conditions can quickly strip insulate layers of city life, exposing our reptilian ids. What may seems like "character" over coffee can reveal itself in spades below the crux. I began to contemplate my...

Outdoor Advice + Tips: With Liberty and Adventure for All . . .

2012-01-20T03:54:22-05:00

By Contributing Writer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin, Faculty member and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) As I head to the 2012 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, where NOLS is receiving an Outdoor Inspiration Award for inspiring youth everywhere to pursue an education through a NOLS adventure, I am pondering what “adventure” really means, and what makes someone an “adventurer.” When you think of “adventurer,” what do you picture? Me? I admit, I think of the image of a rugged leathery-faced mountain man in an old-timey wool cable-knit sweater, pocketed vest, and a canvas satchel replete with important adventure tools like a sextant, a treasure map, and a pistol. Clint Eastwood maybe? Or Harrison Ford? Oh, and he’s smoking a pipe. What I don’t picture is the photo above. Yeah, that’s me on an adventure—35 days in the Wind River Range with NOLS. And...

Skiing Video: Trust in the Guardian - Salomon Freeski TV - “Selkirks Touring”

2012-01-18T21:43:16-05:00

By Kim Havell When you are skiing powder in Canada’s Selkirk mountain range, Research and Development is a very good job. Companies often want to see how their prototype product works in the field, so somebody’s got to do it. In the sports realm, team athletes are often called upon to use and critique their gear for feedback, improvement, and development. This was the case for skiers Chris Rubens, Elyse Saugstad and I in the Selkirks this past March 2011. Our mission was to put Salomon Freeski’s new ski binding with touring capability to the test. After two weeks of hammering it in the big mountains, we were thrilled with the performance of “the Guardian." Ski bindings are not necessarily the most interesting topic for everyone. But, a few important details can help influence a purchase decision that will directly translate to the pleasure of your ski experience. For those...

Video: John "Verm" Sherman's Tips From the Updated Better Bouldering Book

2012-01-17T17:59:27-05:00

John "Verm" Sherman invented the V grades in rock climbing, mastered 20,000 bouldering problems over 37 years, and wrote the book on bouldering. Here he talks about the updated Better Bouldering, now in its second editions. And if you are going to Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City this weekend, he will even sign a copy for you at the Falcon Books booth from 4 to 6 p.m. on the 20th. And let you cut in line at the keg. Read our interview with him on climbing the Strike in the Needles of South Dakota.

Videos: Stuff Outdoors People Say, Bro - Which is Your Favorite?

2012-01-17T11:45:24-05:00

We gotta give these guys points for creativity and keep a straight face—all in good fun and great for a laugh. Which is your favorite? It's a tie between the skiing and climbing for us. Skiing Climbing Shit Climbers Say from Louder Than 11 on Vimeo. Kayaking Snowboarding

Your Adventure Civic Duty: Vote for the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year (Last Call)

2012-01-13T14:45:11-05:00

We are down to just a few days left to vote once a day for your favorite Adventurer of the Year. On January 18 at midnight, we will have a new People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. We'd be thrilled if any of the twelve nominees won. So far the race has been tight! It's possible that the standings could change over the weekend, if people really come out and rock the vote every day. As a member of the greater adventure community, it really is your civic duty to thrown down your ballot (once a day) until the voting is done. As a brief refresher, here's a look at each adventurers' video clips. Hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis, who set a new overall record on the Appalachian Trail, and kayakers Jon Turn and Erik Boomer, who completed the first circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island, were so consumed by their challenges that...

Extreme Photo of the Week: Ice Climber Chad Peele on First Ascents in Norway's Fjord Country

2012-01-10T12:01:13-05:00

Photograph by Celin Serbo, see more in our Extreme Photo of the Week Adventure: Where were you climbing in Norway? Chad Peele: This shot was in a valley outside of Eidfjord. A: Norway is pretty sweet for ice climbing (or so we hear from Will Gadd who put this area on our Adventure Bucket List). Would you agree? CP: Yeah, Norway is awesome for ice climbing! The glaciers of past carved such a labyrinth of fjords which hold plenty of water and just the right temperatures to form long flows of ice. A: What were you thinking in this moment? CP: I'm sooo cold! A: Why does the ice look golden like that? CP: I'm not exactly sure why this ice had that golden color, but typically frozen waterfalls will change colors depending on the minerals and sediment in the water. A: Tell us about this route? CP: We climbed...

Ten Days Left to Vote For the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year! VIDEO

2012-01-09T14:51:42-05:00

Here's to living adventurously. And voting for the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. There are just ten days left to cast your vote once a day. Voting ends January 18, 2012, at midnight. Vote Now! http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/adventurers-of-the-year/2012/vote/ You can also read interviews and see photos of each candidate. We'd like to give special thanks to our Adventurers of the Year Advisory Board. They helped us stay on top of the year's brightest adventure accomplishments. We hope you will check out their respective work and organizations. National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Advisory Board Colin Angus and Julie Wafaei Angus, adventurers-authors, Angus Adventures (2007 Adventurers of the Year) Kraig Becker, Editor, The Adventure Blog Fitz Cahall, Editor, The Dirtbag Diaries Natalie Cash, Senior Producer, Wildlife Conservation Society Steve Casimiro, Editor, Adventure Journal Ted Endo, Surf Editor, The Inertia Alex Honnold, Rock Climber (2011 Adventurer of the Year) Trip Jennings, Kayaker/Filmmaker, Epicocity...