Outside Winter 2021

Calling All Kooks Last December, I recorded an interview with contributing editor Tom Vanderbilt for the Outside Podcast about his new book, Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning. Tom has written for Outside for more than a decade, so I’m biased, but trust me—this is a book everyone should pick up. It chronicles Vanderbilt’s multiyear quest to learn half a dozen new skills as he approached age 50, including playing chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling, along with what he managed to glean about the learning process itself. These personal narratives are inspiring and hilarious, but the best part of the book is the persuasive argument it makes that, as Vanderbilt writes, “being a beginner can be a wonderful thing.” That’s a thesis the majority of adults out there…

A Seriously Good Time For our December issue, writer Bill Donahue compiled an oral history of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, an organization that has worked to attract Black people to the sport for nearly 50 years (“First Tracks”). One reader shared a fond recollection. “First Tracks” conjured up wonderful mem-ories of 1979, when the National Brotherhood of Skiers held a summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, where I was working at Elkhorn Village. It was the best week of the season. Great skiers, parties, laughter, goodwill, friendliness, and big tips. Mark Wolfe Corvallis, Oregon Last Row In 2020, Paralympian Angela Madsen died at age 60 while attempting a historic crossing from California to Hawaii (“A Death at Sea on the ‘Row of Life’”). Andrew Lewis’s profile of Madsen for Outside Online was among our most popular…

Wildlife photographer Vincent Munier spent six years traveling to some of the planet’s most frigid regions for his book Arctic. The 44-year-old, who lives in eastern France, photographed many creatures that populate the Arctic Circle, including polar bears and musk oxen, but he was especially keen on the arctic wolf, rarely seen by humans. During a 2013 trip to Canada’s Ellesmere Island, Munier trudged through the tundra for a month, dragging his gear and provisions behind him on a sled as he tried to catch a glimpse of the wolves. Finally, his patience was rewarded: one night as he was about to go to sleep, Munier peered out of his tent to see a pack approaching. As nine arctic wolves surrounded his campsite, they seemed more curious than threatening, he says.…

MOMENTS AFTER a red-tailed hawk lands on an oak tree outside the Steve Jobs Theater, Tim Cook walks up with a smile. It’s a warm fall morning, and the raptor is just one of many birds in the sprawling landscape of restored native habitat that surrounds the massive ring-shaped second headquarters Apple opened in Cupertino in 2017. Having an office here, Cook tells me, “is like working in a national park.” He ticks off a couple of well-known stats: more than 80 percent of the 175-acre campus is greenspace; there are more than 7,000 trees. The design, says Cook, “brings the outside in and the inside out.” Before the pandemic caused most of Apple Park’s 12,000 employees to work remotely, many of them held meetings in the building’s fruit-tree-filled central courtyard.…

a. Columbia Barrett Spur Black Dot $600 Dark fabrics soak up the sun’s rays, but Columbia supercharged the process with some new tech: nanometers-thick aluminum dots peppering the exterior. The effect is similar to a space blanket, helping to retain heat, while breathable face fabric prevents clamminess. Additional warmth is provided by baffles of synthetic insulation layered over responsibly sourced 700-fill down—perfect for winter side-walk dining. 2.3 lbs (men’s, pictured) / 2.4 lbs (women’s) b. Stio Shot 7 Down $649 When the mercury drops below zero, reach for this jacket. The Gore-Tex shell is equipped with responsibly sourced 800-fill down, and PFC-free DWR coating lets you ski hard without the jacket sucking up moisture, which can cause the insulation to collapse. We love details like twin drop pockets and grippy elastic on the…

a. Salomon ADV 5 Skin pack $145 We like this pack for longer winter efforts when we need a few extra items but don’t want to wear anything bulky. It fits like a hug and accommodates layers, poles, a headlamp, and traction devices when you’re not using them. Included soft flasks are great for warm beverages. b. Dynafit Ultra 100 GTX shoes $170 The Ultra 100 GTX is an agile, lightweight trail runner (10.2 ounces for women, 11.6 for men) made for going long in gnarly conditions. The six-millimeter drop supports the heel and ankle, and a soft midsole provides gentle landings. Rubber soles by backcountry-skin maker Pomoca lends security and precision in slick conditions. c. Black Diamond Distance spikes $100 Black Diamond has been making mountaineering crampons for decades. This year it brought that…