Outside April 2018

Split the Difference As often happens with any story we publish involving politics, our profile of secretary of the interior Ryan Zinke (“This Man Flies His Own Flag,” January/February) had readers from across the spectrum writing in. I read with horror your fawning article on Ryan Zinke. I can’t believe that a magazine that should be promoting increased access to public lands would profile a man who is in the pocket of oil and gas companies. MEAGHAN HALLIGAN San Jose, California In 2013, our government shut down the national parks and used them as a pawn in a budget dispute to inflict pain on the American public. Our government is also responsible for the disastrous pollution of the Animas River. Please do not assume that the federal government is always the best steward of our…

I’m a runner. Most days of the week, I get out for at least a quick loop on the trails near Outside’s Santa Fe headquarters. But while the short runs keep me sane, the long ones are what I crave most. Over the years, I’ve had some of my best outdoor experiences competing in distance events. I’m also a huge fan of professional running, especially marathons. This has caused me a fair amount of frustration and dismay. First, I’m perpetually annoyed that I never get to see all the best marathoners in the world compete against each other in a single event. Instead, some of them enter Boston, others New York, others London, and so on. Great races happen, but there’s no season-ending battle royal featuring the top ten men and…

I’VE BEEN COVERING sexual-abuse scandals in swimming for the past seven years, and you could have knocked me off a diving board when the sentencing of Larry Nassar, the perverted osteopath who worked for USA Gymnastics, finally led to some organizational accountability. Nassar will be in prison basically forever for his exam-table molestation of more than 150 girls and young women. And public opinion quickly sent USA Gymnastics’ entire board of directors, as well as the president and athletic director of Michigan State University, where Nassar worked, into disgraced retirement. In Nassar’s wake, the House of Representatives passed legislation, previously approved by the Senate, that compels national governing bodies (NGBs) like USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming to report all allegations of sexual misconduct to police. (Previously, these groups had broad discretion…

“Listen, we never know whether these things will work,” says Grylls. “And I never go in thinking that we’re only going to do it if it’s a huge success. I’ve had way more failures.” THERE HE IS! A helicopter approaches, descending from one of the ancient volcanic craters that rises out of the sagebrush near California’s Mono Lake on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. Dangling below it on a rope is Bear Grylls, the intrepid king of survival entertainment. But wait—he’s not alone. He’s tied to someone. As the chopper gently sets them on the ground, I see that it’s a middle-aged woman. There’s some brief dialogue. And cut! In an instant, Grylls is upon me with a bro hug and his signature boyish enthusiasm, a trait that belies the…

1 WASHINGTON In 2017, two Seattle-based surfers turned a mid-century motor lodge in the coastal town of Westport into a communal hub for anyone looking to hit the area’s beach, point, and cove breaks. Loge Camps takes a variety of budgets into consideration, offering private hotel rooms, hostel beds, and a campground. In addition, soft-top and performance board rentals are available on-site. A few hours inland, in Leavenworth, Loge has built a small Bavarian-themed mountain village on the Wenatchee River, with front-door access to some of the most popular skiing and mountain biking in the state. The 2.6-acre commune has all the amenities of its sister property but with the bonus of a bike- and ski-tuning shop. There’s even a training area where you can brush up on your avalanche-response skills.…

20 BRITISH COLUMBIA The Great Bear Rainforest sits in the rugged Coast Mountains, and the nine-chalet Tweedsmuir Park Lodge is built on 60 acres of private wilderness within it. Hike the Bella Coola Valley, fish for cutthroat trout and sockeye along the Atnarko River, and watch grizzlies feast during the salmon run. Or show up midwinter for access to 2.64 million acres of heli-ski terrain. At night, unwind in a sweat lodge or the outdoor hot tub before heading in for dinner. From $3,375 21 NICARAGUA Outside GO owners Sandy and Chip Cunningham handpicked the surf breaks on this nine-day trip. It begins in Granada, with a hike up and sandboard down the nearby Cerro Negro volcano. Then it’s a short jaunt to Jicaro Island Lodge on Lake Nicaragua, where guests sleep in…