Outside November/December 2022

A Shallow End Like everyone else’s these days, my email inbox is a lawless mess of unsolicited brand messages, way too many media newsletters, a ton of unfiltered spam, and just a few occasional work messages worthy of a look. (Most important business has migrated to Slack.) It’s a place I mostly dread spending any time. But on May 4, a message arrived from one of my favorite writers, with a subject line that immediately had me intrigued and excited: MAN IN A CAN. “You think there’s a feature in this story of a 40-year-old murder case discovered in receding, drought-stricken Lake Mead?” wrote Outside contributing editor Mark Sundeen. The question was followed by a link to a news article about the Nevada couple who, two days earlier, had found a…

THIS SUMMER I traveled back to Nepal to report on high-altitude mountaineering for Outside, and I witnessed a sea change in global alpinism. On the world’s tallest mountains, climbing’s historical values had further given way to a brand of peak bagging turbocharged by social media. Climbers pursued speed records by ascending multiple 8,000-meter peaks in a single season, an effort that seemed impossible only a few years ago. As always, crowds returned to Mount Everest, but this year the familiar congestion and conga line of summiters materialized on other mountains as well. As images and videos of climbers appeared in a continuous stream across multiple social media platforms, venturing into the Death Zone felt more like an Instagram meetup than the serious and dangerous endeavor it is. The origins of this…

IN THE MID-1960S, a researcher at the University of Florida named Robert Cade went to a bank and borrowed $500 to buy sugar and salt. The homemade drink he’d devised for the university’s football team, dubbed Cade’s Cola—or Gatorade—was attracting widespread attention, and he wanted to mix a big batch of it to sell. The sugar provided crucial fourth-quarter energy for the players, and the salt—well, scientists and athletes are still debating what role the salt in sports drinks plays in athletic performance. The question lurks in the background of a new study published in the European Journal of Sport Science, by sports nutrition researcher Alan McCubbin of Monash University in Australia. The study uses a mathematical model to determine exactly how much sodium is required during exercise of varying intensities…

I HOPE NEVER to take a plane again. I’ve flown in my share, and I never collected miles, so I don’t have any to use up. To me, rewarding frequent fliers with miles is like giving well-behaved inmates the perk of spending more time in jail. I remember when comedians used to make jokes about airplane food—if only! Now the semi-undeclared civil war that our country is currently engaged in takes place vividly and luridly in the aisles of commercial flights, with cursing, spitting, brawling, and the assault of flight attendants. I want to miss as much of this rage-filled period of our history as I can. Today I do my traveling on foot, aided by public transportation. I live in New Jersey, and a great wilderness for adventures lies about…

Block Shop Textiles Parasol robe $155 The fabric of this unisex, organic-cotton full-length robe is made by master printers in Jaipur, India. The fifth-generation artisans use hand-chiseled blocks to create unique designs, delivering an aesthetic that only care, earthy azo pigments, and a little elbow grease can produce. STYLE A. Fjällräven Expedition Pack Down anorak $350 A slightly relaxed fit and large kangaroo pocket give this vintage-inspired anorak some serious Scandinavian style. And the 700-fill down insulation and high neck will keep you warm in Swedish-level cold. B. Toast Cashmere scarf $270 Toast makes everything to withstand both the elements and the whims of fashion. This scarf is no exception: created from 50 percent cashmere, 50 percent sheep’s wool, it provides plenty of real estate to keep the luxury seeker on your list cozy this winter. C.…

1. Ride the Winter Trains In Switzerland, most everyone takes the train to the ski mountain. There are a few locomotive options on this side of the pond, too. The Winter Park Express from Denver to Colorado’s third-largest ski area is back this season. Trains with baggage compartments for skis and boards leave Denver’s Union Station every Friday through Sunday, January through April, starting at 7 A.M. During the two-hour trip ($29 each way), you’ll roll through 31 tunnels and view the Continental Divide. Returning trains depart Winter Park at 4:30 P.M. Even cooler, if you time your flights right, you can hop the A Line train—with commuter service between Denver International Airport and Union Station—and skip the rental car. For a more vintage vibe, board the Mount Washington Cog Railway,…