Inhoudsopgave van May 2017 - Outside

AMONG THE WORLD’S most celebrated long-distance footraces, the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc is known for being particularly brutal. The 106-mile course through the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps climbs more than 33,000 feet as it loops around its namesake peak. The weather can be savage—heavy rain, frigid nights, hot and humid days. In August 2013, Rory Bosio took off from the start line without grand expectations, having never won a major event. She trailed well behind the leaders for the first six hours. But as the race stretched into the evening and most competitors slowed, Bosio held her pace. When the lanky, brown-haired American runner in pink shoes and a blue running skirt crossed the finish line in 22 hours 37 minutes, she’d destroyed the women’s record by two…

a. Janji Women’s Ombre Longsleeve base layer $54 With a pattern inspired by the Masai, this base layer conjures the spirit of the world’s most celebrated marathoners. The soft polyester-rayon weave is comfortable next to skin. b. Stance Painted Low socks $15 When the last thing you want to do is train, crazy-bright socks can make all the difference— especially when they’re anatomically designed and made of a wicking polyester- nylon blend. c. Sunday Afternoons Northwest trucker hat $28 With a just-right brim— wide enough for adequate sun coverage, thin but never floppy— and vented mesh back, this lid fits the bill as a runner’s best friend. d. Rabbit Hopper shorts $52 I love the attention to detail in Rabbit’s well-curated apparel line. The slim-fitting Hoppers are perfect for hot…

a. Raen Norie Polarized sunglasses $170 The high style of these slightly oversize, feminine shades belies how well they perform. The durable acetate frames are lightweight, and the polarized lenses do a superb job of cutting glare. b. Sexwax Wax, Container, and Comb $7.50 Superior grip and smells great. Plus, the no-frills box keeps wax from getting sandy and melting all over your gear, while the comb keeps your board extra tacky under your feet. c. Billabong Salty Dayz Long Sleeve spring wetsuit $105 The era of all-black is over. In addition to a pop of color, this one-millimeter neoprene long-sleeve design delivers a little extra warmth when the wind picks up. d. Dakine Kainui Team surf leash $27 Made of high- quality urethane and equipped with double swivels and…

BEFORE I WAS KIDNAPPED, before I discovered the chaos that is true love, I believed in routine. Even in high school, mine was ornate. Monday, climb at gym. Tuesday, rest. Wednesday, train lightly, eat Bisquick biscuits and eggs for dinner. On Thursdays I packed. I stored my gear for climbing competitions in individual Ziploc bags—my purple Mythos climbing shoes in one, my blue Verve chalk bag in another, my black harness in a third. Then I placed the bags in separate pockets of my purple backpack. Friday morning I prepared my road food: Just Right cereal, with the raisins picked out, in a Tupperware container, plus four apples, cut into slices, some of which I’d eat on the plane. That afternoon my father and I flew. Once on the ground,…

WHAT HAS one of history’s greatest soccer players done since retiring in December 2015? Overhauled her life. Abby Wambach’s old one wasn’t half bad: two Olympic gold medals, one long-awaited World Cup title, and 184 goals—the most scored by any player, male or female, in international competition. Not to mention a series of vocal efforts for gender and pay equality in her sport and beyond. But shortly after hanging up her cleats, Wambach found herself in a dark place. She felt stuck in a corroding marriage. She was living “in terror and fear of shedding my identity as a soccer player.” She leaned on alcohol and prescription drugs, something she’d done in the past. “I didn’t know how to deal with life, so I checked out,” she says. An arrest…

TALKING TO DIANA NYAD, you immediately understand how she swam almost 53 hours nonstop across the Florida Straits. Positivity bursts from her at rapid speed. “I’d rather dream large and fail than shoot for mediocre and never discover my limits,” Nyad says. Her definition of large is, of course, exponentially greater than most humans’. In 2013, at the age of 64, Nyad became the first person to swim, without the aid of a shark cage, from Havana to Key West, Florida. It was her fifth attempt in 35 years. Nyad’s 111-mile feat places her firmly in the pantheon of ultra-endurance athletes. Between her first attempt, at age 28, and the last four—all after the age of 60—Nyad suffered near fatal box jellyfish stings, the crushing force of a Gulf Stream…

ONE’S VAGINA should be steamed in the upright position. In a room that’s lined wall-to-wall with real, actual jade, a woman (OK, me) dressed in a satiny, royal purple sheath that attaches just under the armpits—like the world’s least flattering strapless gown—sits atop a throne. The throne is wood and looks like a toilet, with a deep, dark hole in the middle. The gown goes over the body and the throne, creating a little biodome. Once you’re seated, steam from a container of mugwort tea and herbs rises and slithers up to its target. Meanwhile, infrared light is shot up at said same target (the vagina, in case you forgot), and it is those two things, the tea and the light, that combine to allegedly—big fat allegedly here—regulate hormones and…

WE HEAR YOU Diana Nyad arrives at the photo studio for our May cover shoot like a house on fire, engaging everyone in her high-speed positive energy. Mira Rai walks in with the names of each cover subject written on her hand, to be sure that she meets them all. And Melissa Arnot Reid, a mountain guide, is—fittingly— delayed by a snowstorm. Ten women, from athletes to activists, based all over the world, gathered in Los Angeles for our May shoot. There were 40 others on set to capture the stunning image, including Outside creative team Hannah McCaughey and Amy Silverman, photographer Annabel Mehran, and producers and stylists. The schedule was so complicated that it looked like computer code. But spending time with our cover subjects was awe-inspiring. There’s never…

a. Pearl Izumi Elite Gel Full Finger gloves $40 I like full-finger gloves for the extra warmth and protection they offer. The Elites mix generous padding in the palms to take the bite out of the road and dimpled, stretchy fabric that won’t cut off circulation. b. Smith Founder sunglasses $169 The Founder appears decidedly casual, with its chunky frames and flared temples. But over a season of wearing them, they never once slipped off or fogged up. c. Velocio Ultralight vest $125 Do yourself a favor and stuff a lightweight vest in your jersey pocket. The best models, like the sub-two-ounce Ultralight from Velocio, take up very little room and offer a surprising amount of warmth. d. Fondo Honey kit $299 With bright tessellations of color, Fondo’s Honey is…

a. Manduka Recycled Foam blocks $16 Fun stripes that stand out in a crowd ensure you’ll always know which blocks are yours. These feel-good props are made from 50 percent recycled EVA. b. REI Tech capris $50 Truth: basic calflength capris and the freedom of movement they afford are great for the studio or outdoor practice. But these ones from REI are even better, with UPF 50+ protection and a fourway- stretch polyester- spandex blend that wicks sweat. c. Jade Yoga mat towel $40 For sweaty yoga sessions, this polyester- microfiber model is extra absorbent, soft, and quick drying. d. Yoga Sak pack $50 With straps to secure a mat and pockets for a water bottle, blocks, and straps, the Yoga Sak is an ideal companion for a walk to…

SPIDER ARRIVED at the breakfast table with glitter on her cheek. Six wide-eyed middle school girls were devouring ham sammies while she described her midnight abduction. “This dude came to the window and gave me a bead. And then I got the power of Narnia and an orange compass.” She reached out for a tater tot. “I felt like I was there for a week! He crowned me queen of the stars and the moon above. It was the best dream ever.” A 12-year-old redhead named Nicole nodded. “That’s why she has glitter and white paint on her face! From the journey!” Nicole, who was eating Count Chocula, looked happier than she had the evening before, when she was a little hysterical because she couldn’t find her sleeping bag. “It…

xx factor:the greats WITH A WARM SMILE, Emily Erickson will invite you to go surfing with her. And you will nervously ask: Uh, where? Erickson’s introduction to surfing began at Sunset Beach on Oahu’s North Shore, which some would argue is like starting your climbing career on Mount Everest. “Because my dad surfed there, I never thought it was impossible,” she says. “There were no limits.” As a child in Hawaii, Erickson watched her father, Roger, a big-wave legend and former North Shore lifeguard, ride giant swells while she played in the sand. At 17, she began learning about the ocean and its moods on a boogie board. A year later, her father gave her his 10'6" big-wave gun. Erickson was hooked. “Nothing hit me as hard as surfing did,”…

TARA HOUSKA has been involved in a dizzying number of efforts. The tribalrights attorney is the national campaigns director for the indigenous-led environmental- justice organization Honor the Earth, has served as adviser on Native American issues for Bernie Sanders’s campaign, cofounded Not Your Mascots to fight the appropriation of indigenous culture, and protested the Dakota Access pipeline at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Her work embodies the notion that we can’t treat environmental and social injustice separately. “These issues indicate race, economic disparity, and income inequality,” she says. “You don’t see a pipeline going through Beverly Hills. Keeping that issue of justice at the forefront is really important to me in everything I do.” Houska, a citizen of the Couchiching First Nation, grew up in International Falls, Minnesota, across the…

Watch an in-depth profile of Arnot Reid shot in Nepal on Outlook, which debuts May 21 on Outside Television. IN 2005, AT THE END of Melissa Arnot Reid’s first month working as a guide for Rainier Mountaineering, the 21-year-old walked into her boss’s office to quit. That month offered both an introduction to guiding—she was leading clients to Mount Rainier’s 14,410-foot summit—and to the misogyny that’s present for many women working in male-dominated fields. There was the client who wouldn’t call her by name, instead referring to her as “Hotcakes,” and the climbers who refused to be on her rope team because she was a woman. “I felt phenomenally disrespected,” she says. “I went to my boss”—RMI operations manager Jeff Martin— “and told him, ‘I don’t know if this is…

ON OCTOBER 15, 1978, Vera Komarkova, Irene Miller, Chewang Rinjing Sherpa, and Mingma Tshering Sherpa stood in a dazzle of afternoon light on the summit of 8,091-meter Annapurna. Around them, only the tallest snowy peaks of the Nepalese Himalayas crested the blue haze. There was a chill in the air, a foreboding of winter storms. Wind rattled the bright colors of the flags they placed: one for Nepal, one for the United States, and one with the slogan of their expedition: “A Woman’s Place Is On Top.” It had been 28 years since French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal became the first to reach the summit. Now, Komarkova and Miller had become the first Americans and the first women. Theirs was only the second ascent of the Dutch Rib,…

WEARABLE HISTORY The first American ascent of Annapurna (retold by the team and its supporters in “Our Place Is On Top,” page 106) likely wouldn’t have happened if not for a fundraising T-shirt sporting the slogan A WOMAN’S PLACE IS ON TOP, which became the group’s main source of money. “Our expedition is one of those classic stories that has encouraged people to climb mountains and take on difficult tasks,” says team leader Arlene Blum. “And the T-shirt is a big part of it.” In April the North Face released 300 special-edition T-shirts and hoodies to celebrate that legacy, and 100 percent of the profits will go to SheJumps, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the participation of women and girls in the outdoors. Get yours at thenorthface.com. FACEBOOK COMMENT OF…

a. Petzl E+Lite headlamp $30 The E+Lite’s locking switch ensures it won’t turn on in your bag. And at less than an ounce with batteries, this headlamp is ideal for summer hiking, when days are long and a beefier torch is excessive. b. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer jacket $320 At seven ounces, this is the lightest puffy you’ll every have the pleasure of destroying. The warm QShield 800-fill down shrugs off moisture and light precipitation. c. Ula Equipment Ohm 2.0 pack $210 With enough capacity for your three-season kit, this super-comfortable, 32.5-ounce bag is a perennial favorite among throughhikers. Plus, it comes in a bevy of colors. d. Fjällräven Abisko Trekking tights $175 Hikers love these leggings for the reinforced fabric at the knees and in the seat, combined with…

a. Orvis Women’s Silver Sonic Convertible-Top waders $279 The crowning achievement of these waterproof- breathable waders is fit. Orvis figured out how to flatter a range of women’s body types. Which is important when you’re posing for all those trophy photos. b. Maven Fly Mock C pullover $139 Fly-fisher Lise Lozelle launched Maven Fly in 2012 to make the functional but feminine apparel she had searched for in vain. The loose turtleneck on her cotton- Lycra pullover turns sun and wind protection into a style statement. c. Abel Larko Brown Trout Hand-Painted reel $1,255 Even unadorned, Abel’s impeccably machined reels are masterpieces that feel as good as they look. This one adds some extra flair with a kaleidoscopic brown trout hand-painted by Andrea Larko, a Pennsylvania artist and angler. d.…

“THERE’S A QUESTION that we have to ask each other as women, and black women in particular,” Morgan Dixon says. “Are you worth 30 minutes a day?” When Dixon cofounded the Washington, D.C., nonprofit GirlTrek in 2012 with Vanessa Garrison, the two had only one goal: to get women to walk for 30 minutes each day. Now nearly 100,000 walkers strong, GirlTrek is a forceful national health campaign Dixon and Garrison met while working at an investment bank during college. After graduating, they were balancing family life with hectic jobs in education and digital media, respectively, when they challenged each other to take half an hour each day for self-care. Though all are welcome, GirlTrek focuses on African American women, who are the highest-educated demographic in the U.S., according to…

MIRA RAI SPEAKS WITH HER ARMS. The Nepali ultrarunner gestures wildly in conversation, her shoulders and fists chugging back and forth, a mime running in place. Even in repose, weary after a long flight to the U.S., her first visit (“It’s so big!”), she’s always in motion. And she’s always smiling, revealing an ebullience for life that’s immediately contagious. Rai’s story is almost impossibly scripted. Raised in a rural village in eastern Nepal, she spent her childhood hiking barefoot along mountain trails with her mother, sometimes 14 hours a day, to buy rice at market and bring it home to sell. “We’d go out before sunrise and come home after dark,” Rai says. When she was 14, Rai left home to join the Maoist rebel army, where she trained in…

IT’S THE SPRING of 2016, and I’m ten miles south of Damascus, Virginia, where an annual celebration called Trail Days has just wrapped up. Last night, temperatures plummeted into the thirties. Today, long-distance Appalachian Trail hikers who’d slept in hammocks and mailed their underquilts home too soon were groaning into their morning coffee. A few small fires shot woodsmoke at the sun as thousands of tent stakes were dislodged. Over the next 24 hours, most of the hikers in attendance would pack up and hit the 554-mile stretch of the AT that runs north through Virginia. I’ve used the Trail Days layover as an opportunity to stash most of my belongings with friends and complete a short section of the AT I’d missed, near the Tennessee-Virginia border. As I’m moving…