In the world of climbing, first is often worst. The first person to go up has very little info about what lies ahead/above, and a lot of stress can rest on their strong shoulders. In the premiere episode of reality competition show The Climb on HBO, the first of six challenges facing amateur climbers wasn’t [...]

Learning how to layer in the winter seems simple, but can be a challenging skill to master. You want—and need—to be warm, but we’re often moving through a mix of activities and intensity levels which adds complexity, like actively hiking to a lookout then sitting still in the cold. The best way to stay warm [...]

On January 19, 2023, two skiers got caught in an avalanche just outside Heavenly Mountain Resort’s ski area boundaries. Both survived.  According to the Sierra Avalanche Center (SAC), the avalanche forecast that day was “considerable,” a designation that indicates significant avalanche danger in backcountry terrain. That’s mostly owing to the recent storm cycle, which deposited [...]

On December 30, 2022, Vincent Dashukewich was playing with his dog in his backyard when his 3-year-old pitbull suddenly became fixated on something beneath the back deck. Dashukewich peered under the porch—and discovered an enormous male black bear curled beneath, hibernating.  In a video that’s since gone viral, the bear (now named Marty) turns and [...]