I feel a little bad once in awhile when I make fun of small mom-and-pop companies on The Goat, but now I’m just glad I don’t work for Hustler. Georgia authorities said on Monday that they would deny the porn magazine’s request for public records of crime scene photos of the 24-year-old female backpacker [...]
Go to Porn Mag Denied Crime Scene Photos of Decapitated HikerAuthor Archive
March 9th, 2010
Yvon Chouinard and American Express?
This is a credit card commercial. And as much as I hate credit cards companies for preying on college kids and generally fueling the debt-run society we currently live in, I have to admire this Yvon Chouinard credit card commercial. It ran during the Academy Awards of which I didn’t watch one minute, but [...]
Go to Yvon Chouinard and American Express?March 9th, 2010
West Point Cadets Earning Ski Patrol Certificates
I know nothing about the military, but officer training must not be all bad if you can get your ski patrol certificate. West Point Military Academy has been sending young officers to a small Vermonter resort called Okemo for 30 years. The place shuts down runs for them and lets the crew practice medical [...]
Go to West Point Cadets Earning Ski Patrol CertificatesMarch 9th, 2010
Hardest Boulder Problems in the Midwest
Nic Oklobzija pulled down an FA of The Raven (V12) in Minnesota over the weekend. It’s among the hardest problems across the flatland states. The Raven is on a 30-degree roof in Sandstone, MN, a place I’ve never heard of in spite of living in the state for several years. Ahh, Minnesota. It’s nice [...]
Go to Hardest Boulder Problems in the MidwestMarch 8th, 2010
Heavyweight Ski Championship
The Mountain World pointed me toward this photo of John Truden, who they said was the multi-time Heavyweight Ski Champion from the early 1970s. I’ve seen the shot here and there on the internet, usually alongside that one of the fat guy in the Lampre kit at the Tour de France. I always thought [...]
Go to Heavyweight Ski ChampionshipMarch 8th, 2010
Drug Gangs Taking Over National Park Pot Growing Operations
You’d think that a remote national parks getaway would be a good way to escape gang violence. Turns out that Mexican drug gangs have taken over the fledging domestic illegal pot cultivation that used to be run by Americans on national park and forest lands. What used to be 100-200 stands of marijuana are [...]
Go to Drug Gangs Taking Over National Park Pot Growing OperationsMarch 8th, 2010
New Zealand National Park Workers Showered with Herbicide
Being a sub-contractor for the New Zealand National Park system sounds rough. A crew of 12 was working on the grounds when a helicopter flew overheard and dumped chemicals all over them. Apparently the NZ government told them a couple days ago that it might happen.
Spokesman Phil Fleury said they had been told two [...]
March 8th, 2010
Washington Skiers Hike 26 Miles in Wrong Direction
A pair of East Coast skiers became in the backcountry around Crystal Mountain in Washington, but they managed to reach a road and hail a passing motorist. The guy told them it was about five miles back to Crystal, so the two decided hiking was their only option, despite being in ski boots and [...]
Go to Washington Skiers Hike 26 Miles in Wrong DirectionMarch 6th, 2010
Sugarloaf Will Charge Lost Snowboarders for Rescue
Last weekend two groups of snowboarders got lost once they headed out of bounds at Sugarloaf Resort. The good news is the both groups were found by Sugarloaf Ski Patrol and the local fire department after lengthy searches; the bad news is that Sugarloaf will be sending them a bill for the rescue.
The cost [...]
March 5th, 2010
Mountain Lion vs Pack of Tiny Dogs
A mountain lion chased a Colorado family’s tiny dog into their home yesterday while looking for an easy meal. Once it got inside, a pack of guard dogs-a Jack Russell Terrier and four Shih-Tzus-fought back. The mountain lion won, killing one of the dogs and trapping the three human members of the family in [...]
Go to Mountain Lion vs Pack of Tiny DogsMarch 5th, 2010
Survivorman Enthusiast Dies in Wilderness
A 41-year-old Ontario man died in the Canadian wilderness with his multi-tool, axe, matches, lighter, emergency blanket, fishing gear, compass, survival book, maps, and money. He lacked a tent or sleeping bag, and Canadian authorities suspect he died of hypothermia. The man left GPS coordinates with his landlord who contacted police when he didn’t [...]
Go to Survivorman Enthusiast Dies in WildernessMarch 5th, 2010
Blood Waterfall in Antarctica
At what point will the seas boil and the dead rise from the grave? The only reason I know that Bible reference is because I have the movie Ghostbusters memorized. The good news is that we can attribute this particular blood waterfall to science and not the End of Days. The bloody color of [...]
Go to Blood Waterfall in AntarcticaMarch 4th, 2010
Fish Falling From the Sky
Things are getting biblical in an Australian town hoping to get its name on the map. Last week Thursday and Friday afternoon, locals reported that fish were falling from the sky. Similar events have been reported around the world for years, and everyone has theories from evaporated fish eggs to tornados. I wonder what [...]
Go to Fish Falling From the SkyMarch 4th, 2010
New York to Close Donald Trump State Park
The New York Times ran an article about the impending closure of 48 parks across the state, including one created on land donated by Don Trump back in 2006. It’s called Donald J. Trump State Park; man that guy might have a lot of cash, but one thing he doesn’t have is taste. He [...]
Go to New York to Close Donald Trump State ParkMarch 4th, 2010
Captivating Images for new Stoic Underwear on Backcountry.com
I recommend not using the ‘zoom in’ option if you’re shopping for the new Stoic Merino Boxer Brief on Backcountry.com. Reviewers have already chimed in: “Hi. I’m an 11 year old girl and have never seen boys in underwear before, but I don’t think I need to register for the puberty class this year. [...]
Go to Captivating Images for new Stoic Underwear on Backcountry.comMarch 4th, 2010
Man Mistakes PLB for Avalanche Beacon
It was a frustrating two months for the Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue Group. Over the course of two months, someone had set off a Personal Locator Beacon 11 times, meaning they had to scramble to find the lost and near-dead person, only to have the beacon shut off shortly later.
“He felt terrible. He [...]
March 3rd, 2010
Inventing the Avalanche Airbag
I actually had wondered how they came up with the idea for an avalanche airbag. I thought maybe it was from the Bond film where he skis with that inflatable jacket that he blows up to keep him and a lovely Bond girl alive in an avalanche. Turns out I wasn’t far off.
Snow-safety experts [...]
March 3rd, 2010
CORE Trailer: First Climbing Movie Released on Blu-Ray
Chuck Fryberger’s upcoming climbing movie Core will have the distinction of being the first rock climbing film released to Blu-Ray. Not many dirtbag climbers have their camper cars outfitted with BluRay players, but I suppose there’s someone out there willing to drop $40 on the movie. Either way, the trailer looks rad.
via Climbing Narc
March 3rd, 2010
Kelty Tents in Haiti
While the rest of us generously donated $10 on our phone bills to the victims of Haiti, Kelty rounded up about 300 tents and sent them to the island nation. If you’re anything like me and assumed the photo was of some kind of Haitian Boy Scouts group, you’re absolutely correct. The Scouts helped [...]
Go to Kelty Tents in HaitiMarch 3rd, 2010
This is So Weird: Local Lange Girl Winners Announced
When I look at the winners of the 2010 Local Lange Girl contest, I feel like I’m up late at night and unable to sleep, scrolling through some stranger’s wedding photos on Facebook. It’s a menagerie of unusual women willing to lie down in the snow while wearing bathing suits. Then there’s the one [...]
Go to This is So Weird: Local Lange Girl Winners AnnouncedMarch 2nd, 2010
70s-Era Shredding Set to Vaudeville Music and Wacky-Morning-DJ Sound Effects
They describe Stein’s skiing style as “Fluid motion,” but I think “Skiing Elvis” is more appropriate. Hand it to The Adventure Life for digging up this 70s-era freestyle segment by Dick Barrymore. I love how some of the guys jettison their poles midair, but the bellbottom one-piece suits are up there, too. It’s like [...]
Go to 70s-Era Shredding Set to Vaudeville Music and Wacky-Morning-DJ Sound EffectsMarch 2nd, 2010
Edward Abbey Self Portrait
A former New York bookstore owner would ask people who stopped into his shop to draw self-portraits. Among people who obliged are Miles Davis, Norman Mailer, Tennessee Williams, and ol’ Ed Abbey. That’s Abbey’s portrait above, which fetched $1900 at auction. Looks like you have plenty of time while on lookout for fires to [...]
Go to Edward Abbey Self PortraitMarch 2nd, 2010
Four Lost Snowboarders Spend Night Outside After Riding Out of Bounds
Four teenage snowboarders rode beyond Sugarloaf’s resort boundaries and then got on their cell phones for help when they realized they were lost. Maine search-and-rescue reached within shouting distance that night, but strong winds and heavy snow impeded the search, and they called it off at midnight. They told the kids to “hunker down, [...]
Go to Four Lost Snowboarders Spend Night Outside After Riding Out of BoundsMarch 2nd, 2010
Solo Backcountry Skier Buried Up To Head in Avalanche
A man skiing by himself a couple miles out of bounds near Crystal Mountain in Washington was caught in a slide and buried up to his neck. It would have been a cruel irony if he hadn’t been able to reach his cell phone. As luck would have it, his cell wasn’t broken in [...]
Go to Solo Backcountry Skier Buried Up To Head in AvalancheMarch 1st, 2010
More Fun than Watching a Sleeping Bear
A Canadian couple has installed a webcam in the den of a hibernating Kermode bear, a rare subspecies of the American Black Bear that lives in British Columbia. They apparently found the den when one of them fell into it during a hike. I guess if a person falling on him didn’t wake him [...]
Go to More Fun than Watching a Sleeping BearMarch 1st, 2010
Milky Way Over Hawaii in Time Lapse
“Did you get that project done on time?”
“Instead of answering you, I’m going to show you a video that reminds you how insignificant that project is, in the grand scheme of things.”
Steve Casimiro points out that these time lapse videos are popping up like mad as high-quality digital gear gets cheaper.
March 1st, 2010
Easiest Winter Camping Ever
This might be the laziest way to get your National Park travel in this winter. Voyageurs National Park is a place you can only truly access in a canoe or kayak. Most travelers prefer canoes since they’re easier to drag around on the numerous and lengthy portages. But since Voyagers is in Northern Minnesota, [...]
Go to Easiest Winter Camping EverMarch 1st, 2010
Blind Hiker to Attempt Hiking Entire Appalachian Trail
Mike Hanson of Minnesota is prepped for his 7-month walk from Georgia to Maine. The guy’s hauling a truckload of batteries on his back, not for a portable blender to make trail margaritas, but for his proprietary GPS system. He developed a program that gives voice commands through his phone so that he can [...]
Go to Blind Hiker to Attempt Hiking Entire Appalachian TrailFebruary 28th, 2010
Sledding Race Gone Awry
Don’t you love the internet? Before YouTube, this live shot would have been seen once and then disappeared. I just wonder who won the race.
via The Trout Underground
February 26th, 2010
Norwegian Alpine Team Does ‘Beat It’
I wonder if the one guy had the jacket on because he was trying to look like the gang leader in the original video. Either way, nice work, and a good way to kick off the weekend.
via GetOutdoors