Empower
You’ve inevitably seen countless photos of people in the midst of picturesque van life: back doors flung wide to sand and sky, or a rolling mountain vista. Or perhaps it’s the Insta-perfect bed strewn with throw pillows and a nearby bandana-wearing dog. These scenes can be true. But van life can be much more and [...]
Each year, more than a million annual visitors come to the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa, Canada, to trace figure-eights and pirouettes on the rink’s glassy, 4.8-mile surface. But this year, temperatures may be too warm to open the rink at all. The Rideau Canal Skateway, which is a section of canal that connects Ottawa [...]
If you’re spending time in the outdoors, having a fire is useful for many reasons: for heat, for cooking, for boiling drinking water, for drying off, for drying clothing, for light, for keeping wild animals away and even as a signal if you are lost and need to be rescued. “Nothing will improve your morale [...]
Bear Grylls has had some extreme injuries in the outdoors. At age 21, he broke his back in a parachute accident in Zambia, when the chute failed to open during a 14,000-feet jump. He fractured three vertebrae and spent a year in rehabilitation. He has also broken a shoulder in Antarctica, been bitten by a [...]
While California skiers are rejoicing over the state’s record-breaking snowfall this year, many wildland firefighters are starting to get nervous. Winter precipitation means spring plant growth—and to a wildfire, plants are nothing more than fuel. Of course, California’s record-breaking precipitation does have some benefits. It’s helped alleviate the state’s longstanding drought. Plentiful rainfall also encourages [...]
My heart pounds as I pull just one more time against my hangboard, a piece of wood designed with finger-sized slots for warming up the hands for rock climbing. I’m desperate to grasp any bit of possible help before all the cameras point at me and I’m expected to climb a challenging ascent in front [...]
Finding water in the mountains sounds like it should be easy, whether from streams formed by melting snow or fast-running rivers meandering through valleys. But in reality, you might find yourself on a high mountain ridge with no obvious source of food or water. Or, at lower elevations, the terrain might be too dry to [...]
The first priority of survival in general is to seek the protection of a shelter, and that goes doubly if you’re in sub-zero temperatures. Often, especially if you’re above the treeline, that shelter must be made from snow. “Snow can save your life and will insulate you far better than the metal of a broken-down [...]
As a survivalist, Bear Grylls has made it his mission to show people how to persevere everywhere from mountains and jungles to deserts and in sub-zero conditions. Bear often talks about his four life-saving priorities if faced with an emergency situation—and a simple way to remember them: “Please Remember What’s First” for Protection, Rescue, Water [...]
If you’ve ever hiked at high altitudes, you may be familiar with one of the more unfortunate side effects of mountain travel: excess wind. And we don’t mean the meteorological kind. There’s no question that high altitudes are associated with increased flatulence. But there are plenty of questions about why. Some mountaineers blame it on [...]
