Outside January/February 2022

Feel the Burnt Whenever I meet new people, and, inevitably, they ask me what I do for a living, answering that I am the editor in chief at Outside magazine elicits a near universal response: “Wow, that must be an amazing job!” And it is, but not because I’m gorging on an endless buffet of plum assignments in the field—which is what most of these folks seem to imagine. I send writers to exotic locales way more than I travel myself. And I’m OK with that. I’m grateful to have a job that constantly taps into my creative passions. But the reality is that working as an editor at Outside involves a lot of time spent indoors. Put another way, I wrestle with the same work-life-balance issues that most American employees do.…

Photographer Kari Medig knows snow. His hometown of Nelson, British Columbia, gets more than 450 inches of the white stuff every year. So Lesotho, a small highland country nestled entirely within the borders of South Africa (average annual snowfall: about four inches), seemed an unlikely destination for a ski trip. With climate change making for drier winters in the region, the only flurries Medig expected to see were those coming from the snowmaking equipment at Afriski, a six-run resort in the Maluti Mountains. Initially intending to capture the contrast of a single strip of white in an otherwise arid landscape, Medig was forced to recalibrate when he woke up the day after arriving in August of last year to the biggest powder dump the area had seen since 2016. “I…

IF YOU FOLLOW climbing, you’re aware of the tragedy of Alex Lowe. The 40-year-old Montana climber was a star of his generation, alternately referred to as a mutant and “the secret weapon” by his climbing partners and those up on his résumé. And then, just like that, in October 1999, he died in an avalanche on the south face of 26,335-foot Shishapangma, along with cameraman David Bridges. Lowe’s death shook the climbing world and made national news. He left behind a wife, Jennifer, and three young boys—Max, 10, Sam, 7, and Isaac, 3—in Bozeman. Alpinism is brutally efficient at converting sturdy, tight-knit families into grieving widows and traumatized children, but what happened next raised the story to the level of myth. Within a year, Conrad Anker—Lowe’s feral and boisterous climbing partner,…

[CLASSIC] Aether Launch $425 A true trail-to-town crossover, the Launch (and women’s Senna, $375) fuses technical materials with urban design. The bomber jacket’s fit is as stylish as it is effective at sealing in heat at the cuffs and hem. Meanwhile, interior seams with elastic binding and a 16 percent spandex blend in the shell allow for superior stretch when adjusting snowshoe straps and planting ski poles. The 800-fill goose down makes this garment warmer than you’d expect given the low-bulk silhouette. (Men’s XS–XXL, 1.2 lbs; women’s XS–XL, 1 lb) Columbia Bulo Point II Omni-Heat Infinity Down $250 Cloudlike baffles stuffed with 700-fill goose down conform to your chest like a gentle hug, while supple reflective gold lining amplifies your body’s natural heat. Flurries bead on the DWR-treated shell—made of recycled polyester in the…

a. Adsum Classic Logo sweatshirt $165 Your athleisure drawer would be understocked without a durable cotton sweatshirt. This heavy crew is beautifully simple, and the brushed-cotton interior made it cozy enough to keep on for an entire three-day weekend. (S–XL) b. Fjällräven Abisko tights $175 These don’t look out of place in any hip coffee shop, but they’re decidedly high-tech. A polyamide blend, plus reinforcements in the knees and rear, make the Abisko the only casual wear testers will be using for ski mountaineering come spring. (Women’s XXS–XXL, men’s XS–XXXL) c. Rabbit Men’s EZ Tee shirt $45 The EZ Tee was the plushest and highest-performing shirt we tested, thanks to its ridiculously supple and stretchy polyester-spandex fabric. Although it looks like a casual cotton tee, it kicked butt on runs over ten miles. (S–XXL) d. Prana…

a. Arc’teryx Sentinel AR jacket $675 A bomber shell with a subtle, warm flannel backing, the Sentinel AR is an ideal all-rounder. It’s light enough to cram into a pack and cozy enough for lift rides. Bonus points for generous pockets you can access with a waist belt on. (XS–XL) b. Eddie Bauer Guide gloves $149 These gloves have been a tester favorite for four winters running. They keep hands warm in cold, stormy weather but aren’t too heavy during any uphill push. Goatskin leather at the palms and fingers adds durability. c. Ortovox Diract Voice avalanche transceiver $380 Ortovox simplified the search process with optional voice commands. Marking functions accommodate up to four buried devices at once, and three antennae offer a 50-meter search-strip width. d. BCA Stealth 300 Carbon probe $100 Lightweight and strong, the…