RIDGE NARRATIVE

RIDGE NARRATIVE

Stories etched in stone.

Chapter 01TRENDING
Chapter 02EDITOR'S PICK
Chapter 03LATEST
Chapter 04MOST READ

The Latest

AllTRENDINGEDITOR'S PICKLATESTMOST READ
EDITOR'S PICK

How Cool Outdoor Gear and Style Pull Us into the Wild

I didn’t grow up with the outdoors. I grew up in suburban New Jersey, where my relationship with this world began not on a trail but in anEddie Baueri…
4 min read
TRENDING

How I Taught My Kids to Love Type 2 Fun

I wanted to plant a seed with my daughters: that running, including the more competitive, pin-on-your-bib variety, is as much about traveling somewher…
6 min read
LATEST

I Helped Restore Protections for Bears Ears. Now It’s at Risk Again.

Deb Haaland looking over Bears Ears(Photo: Deb Haaland) The first time I stood beneath the sandstone cliffs of Bears Ears as Secretary of the Interior…
5 min read
TRENDING

I Am a Woman Over 50 and I Am Done Being Erased by the Outdoor Industry

The outdoor industry gets a lot right. Its commitment to public lands is fierce. Sustainability initiatives are woven into brand DNA. Conservation eff…
6 min read
MOST READ

Why the Best Part of the World Cup Was Watching with Strangers.

(Photo: Adam Gray/Getty Images) Yesterday I ran over the Manhattan Bridge, and when I came down the Brooklyn side I saw them taking it apart. The big…
5 min read
MOST READ

What ‘Yesteryear’ Gets Right (and Wrong) About Homesteading and Outdoorsy Influencers, According to Influencers

(Photo: Courtesy Penguin Random House) Caro Claire Burke’s 2026 novelYesteryearis a hit. With multiple weeks as #1 on theNew York Timeshardcover bests…
10 min read
MOST READ

The Forgotten Story of the First Woman to Guide the Grand Canyon

Georgie White in the Grand Canyon(Photo: Eiseman, Margaret, NAU.PH.2004.8.2.2.21. Northern Arizona University, Cline Library) This story is excerpted…
10 min read
MOST READ

The Nolan Wells Tragedy Reminds Us That the Most Dangerous Moment on Any Adventure Is When the Group Splits Up

Another Black boy is dead. The name Nolan Xavier Wells has been plastered all over my Threads feed. The chant-like repetition of his name in the news…
11 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Did I Find a Cure for Male Loneliness? No, But I Found a Way to Embrace Solitude in the Wild.

Resurrection Bay with snowcapped mountains in background.(Photo: Getty) On the longest solo trip of my life, I stepped off a two-seat float plane onto…
9 min read
TRENDING

Malik Tillman's Bloody Sock and the Beautiful Art of Staying Ready

(Photo: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images) By the 64th minute, the shadow had taken most of the field. It had been coming all evening, sliding off the rim…
5 min read
MOST READ

Why One History-Making Marathoner Almost Quit the Sport Entirely

Calamia at the Tokyo Marathon(Photo: Carter Howe) When Cal Calamia stepped up to the start line of the Tokyo Marathon last March, they already had a w…
7 min read
TRENDING

The Poem That Awed the Outside Summit

On May 29, writer, performer, and cultural worker Bobby LeFebre took the stage at theOutside Summitin Denver to deliver “The Cathedral,” an original p…
4 min read
MOST READ

The Science Behind Lionel Messi’s Viral Moment of Tears

(Photo: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Lionel Messi scored, and then he cried, and then he tried to make it look like he hadn’t. He bunched…
5 min read
MOST READ

Our Sister Publication 'Trail Runner' Is Entering a New Chapter

Editor’s Note: Our sister publicationTrail Runnerjust got a refresh. You can check it out atwww.trailrunnermag.com. Recently, while slipping down the…
4 min read
TRENDING

My Grandma Joy and I Traveled to Every National Park Together. The Hardest Part Was Facing Our Past.

(Photo: Courtesy of Brad Ryan / Getty / Canva) Trigger warning: This article mentions sexual abuse. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse,…
7 min read
MOST READ

What the Knicks’ Historic Finals Comeback Teaches Us About Resilience

The party I started at on Wednesday night was at a fancy SoHo hotel so discreet it doesn’t have televisions—not in the bar, not in the rooms. By tipof…
4 min read
LATEST

The Enhanced Games Promised a Drug-Fueled Athletic Revolution. Then Things Got Messy.

(Photo: Getty Images for Enhanced) After much ballyhoo, the Enhanced Games wrapped very early on the morning of May 25. By midday, cherry pickers and…
12 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Meet the Right-Wing Climate Activists Who Fight for the Environment

Benji Backer is profiled in the new documentary(Photo: Courtesy "The (Conserve)atives") Jessica Moerman, an evangelical preacher based in Washington D…
6 min read
TRENDING

Knock, Knock. I’m Your Local Doping Officer, and I’m Here to Collect Your Pee.

Testing athletes for banned substances on race day isn’t that difficult. Ensuring that they’re clean the other 364 days of the year is another story.…
8 min read
LATEST

These 4 Dogs Are Living the Dream

Mo Beck and Queso(Photo: Halo Collar) All dogs want to experience freedom—but as responsible owners know, safety comes first. Halo Collar’s real-time…
4 min read
TRENDING

My Reactive Dog Makes People Uncomfortable. I’m OK With That.

This story discusses sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline toll-…
5 min read
TRENDING

Why Chef José Andrés Believes People Who Love the Outdoors Are the Best of Humanity

James Beard-Award winning chef,New York Times-bestselling cookbook author, Nobel Peace Prize nominee: José Andrés has earned many titles over the year…
7 min read
TRENDING

A Century Before Lewis and Clark, an Indigenous Explorer Traversed the Continent. I Spent a Year Studying His Adventure.

(Photo: David David Gallery, Philadelphia USA/Bridgeman Images, altered by Drue Wagner) It feels like wading through a sea of green. With every step,…
24 min read
TRENDING

Leatherman Multi-Tools and Accessories for Outdoorsy Dads

If there’s a guy in your life who has a solution for every problem with a trick or tip around the campsite, there’s a solid chance it’s your old man.…
5 min read
MOST READ

America's Next 250: The Future of the American Outdoors Is Already Taking Shape

Table of Contents This July 4, the United States will celebrate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Across the nation, thi…
3 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

How a New Generation Is Redefining Who the Outdoors Belongs To

(Photo: Courtesy 40 Acre Conservation League) We begin with a story that by now feels overly familiar: A Black man went surfing and he got called the…
10 min read
MOST READ

Radiohead's Ed O’Brien Just Dropped a New Solo Album Inspired by Ancient Trails and Alternative Healing

Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien's second solo album, Blue Morpho, is inspired by his healing journey in nature.(Photo: Gullick) Brazilian shamans, psyc…
7 min read
TRENDING

Give Your Grad (Multi-)Tools for Success

To succeed in life after school, grads need a lot in their metaphorical toolbox—passion, determination, a good work ethic, a strong support system, an…
4 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Who Gets to Belong Outside? Communities Are Working to Widen the Circle

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.Learn about Outside…
4 min read
MOST READ

A Near-Fatal Surfing Accident at Pipeline Turned Jack Johnson Into a Musician

(Photo: Courtesy of SURFILMUSIC) Most of the world knows Jack Johnson for his mellow, feel-good songs like “Banana Pancakes” and “Better Together.” Hi…
9 min read
MOST READ

What It Really Takes to Perform High-Energy Music in Thin Mountain Air

(Photo: Courtesy Brothers of Brass) If you’ve strolled down Denver’s 16th Street Mall in the last decade, odds are you’ve heard the raucously upbeat s…
6 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Why Stepping Outside Is Essential

As a kid growing up in the 1970s, I didn’t think much about spending time outside. It was simply what you did—after school with friends, in the backya…
4 min read
LATEST

Why Weathermen in Movies Always Get a Bad Rap

(Photo: From left: Dreamworks; Focus Features; Warner Bros) In May 1944, the Allies were getting ready to invade Europe from England. Their forces num…
7 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Is This the Most Overhyped Ingredient in the Northeast? We Went Foraging to Find Out.

If you live in the Northeast, the months of April into May mean many things. Mets fans at the bar talking themselves into a long summer. The first cot…
6 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

This New Podcast Is the Survival Obsession You've Been Waiting For

Blair Braverman dogsledding(Photo: Nathaniel Wilder) On May 12, Blair Braverman, a longtime columnist forOutside, launched a new podcast,What to Carry…
2 min read
MOST READ

TikTokers Are Freezing Their Shoes in Ice and Skiing on Grass. So I Had to Try It.

Carter Markey ice-shoe-skiing(Photo: Courtesy Carter Markey) My doctor friend hates it when I send him texts that start with, “Hey, how bad of an idea…
5 min read
LATEST

The 13 Essential Horse Movies to Watch After the Kentucky Derby

"High Horse: The Black Cowboy" is a docuseries by "Get Out" filmmaker Jordan Peele. (Photo by: Troy Harvey/PEACOCK)(Photo: Troy Harvey/PEACOCK) The Ke…
6 min read
TRENDING

A Human Finally Ran a Sub-Two-Hour Marathon. I Was There—Hours Behind Him.

(Photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images) Sabastian Sawe broke the tape on The Mall on Sunday morning with both arms in the air and a look on his face that…
9 min read
MOST READ

Our Spookiest Stories, Now Available in Audio

True crime podcasts are experiencing asurge in popularitythe past few years, with roughly 50 percent of Americans exploring the genre, and 34 percent…
5 min read
TRENDING

Can’t Wait for ‘Alone’ Season 13? These 13 Survival Masterpieces Are Just as Harrowing.

After 12seasonsofAlone(and with a 13th on the way), it’s clear that we can never get enough of shelter construction, foraging, hit-or-miss hunting, sl…
6 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Exclusive: Taron Egerton on Overcoming a Petrifying Fear of Heights for the Intense Set of 'Apex'

Taron Egerton knows range. The Welsh actor got his start as Gary Unwin in the spy franchiseKingsman(from 2014), starred as Elton John inRocketman(2019…
6 min read
LATEST

David Attenborough’s Unexpected Encounter With a Baby Gorilla Changed Everything

While filming" Life on Earth" in 1978 in Rwanda, David Attenborough had an unexpected encounter with a playful baby mountain gorilla named Pablo.(Phot…
7 min read
TRENDING

I Have Found a New Favorite Workout Band. They Wear Masks and Play Insane Music.

Angine de Poitrene rock hard. They also wear crazy masks.(Photo: KEXP/YouTube) While attending a child’s birthday party recently, I was asked a very s…
4 min read
LATEST

Can the Outdoors Solve a $5 Trillion Healthcare Problem? This New Alliance Says Yes.

(Photo: Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association ) Outdoor recreation has earned a place in the health and wellness conversation. Now, it’s time to p…
5 min read
MOST READ

HBO's New Series on the Life and Death of Climber Dean Potter Is Emotional Dynamite

Dean Potter graced the cover of Outside magazine in December 2002.(Photo: HBO / Andy Anderson) “It’s over,” my wife says. “You can come back now.” She…
12 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

My Guide Says It's Safe but I'm Freaked Out. Should I Speak Up?

Should you disobey your guide during a backcountry adventure?(Photo: Reg Speller / Getty Images) Dear Sundog,On a recentguided rafting tripdown the Up…
4 min read
LATEST

I Produced Survival TV Shows for 25 Years. Here’s How I Found Some of the World’s Most Intense Locations.

The author in South Africa(Photo: Rachel Maguire) Have you ever watched your favoriteoutdoor reality showand wondered what it’s like to pick the locat…
5 min read
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HBO’s ‘The Dark Wizard’ Reveals the Haunting Story Behind One of the Most Famous Deaths in Extreme Sports

Dean Potterisn’t a name you forget. On May 16, 2015, the famous climber and BASE jumper fell to his death after a wingsuit flight in Yosemite. He was…
2 min read
MOST READ

Snowboarder Josh Rosen Gets Real About Life Before—and Beyond—His New Show

Josh Rosen in Maine(Photo: Courtesy DIRT) I thought I knew what to expect when I sat down withJosh Rosen, host ofDirt,a Huckberry travel and adventure…
7 min read
MOST READ

Listen to Audio Stories From Outside's Spring 2026 Issue

There’s a question at the heart of our Spring 2026 Issue: What happens when you test a hypothesis about yourself that you’ve been too comfortable to e…
1 min read
TRENDING

Why Lucas Bravo Spent a Week Living in the Infamous 'Into the Wild' Bus

Fear is part and parcel of any outdoor adventurer’s experience, but unlike many of us, Lucas Bravo likes that feeling. “I like to go to places where I…
7 min read
MOST READ

10 Audio Stories of Women Who Reshaped Outdoor History That You Can Listen to Right Now

History often overlooks women—especially in an industry like the outdoors, which was dominated by men for so long. But this March, as we celebrate Wom…
1 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Why Everyone Is Talking About This High School Coach’s Impossible Marathon Finish

Nathan Martin crosses the finish line to place first with a time of 2:11:16.50 on a last-second sprint as Kenya's Michael Kimani Kamau dives and falls…
4 min read
MOST READ

Charlize Theron: Barefoot Climbing, a Broken Toe, and Trying Not to Die in ‘Apex’

Charlize Theron has just placed her right hand on a crimp when her foot slips. Suddenly, she’s dangling from the rock by a few mere fingertips, hundre…
21 min read
MOST READ

The Stories You Couldn’t Stop Listening To

Outside recently launched atext-to-speech feature, making it easier to stay caught up on the headlines—without spending more time in front of a screen…
4 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

The Most-Licked Art in America: Inside Chicago’s Legendary Ice-Carving Factory

Max Barajas, the owner of Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, carves a shell(Photo: Blair Braverman) Wherever Max Barajas, the owner ofNadeau’s Ice Sculpturesin…
5 min read
LATEST

What the Hell Is an Alpine Divorce? And Why Is Everyone Talking About Them Right Now?

(Photo: Buena Vista Images/Getty) In 1893, Scottish-Canadian author, Robert Barr, wrotea short storyabout an unhappy married couple that was vacationi…
4 min read
LATEST

Is "Hot Girl Hiking" Empowering—or Just the Newest Form of Gatekeeping?

“Hot girl hiking” is the kind of phrase that evokes strong emotions for women-identifying members of the outdoor community. Searching theterm on TikTo…
5 min read
TRENDING

I Rewatched the First Season of ‘Survivor.' Here’s What You Won’t See When Season 50 Premieres.

(Photo: CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. / Canva) “You are witnessing 16 Americans begin an adventure that will forever change their lives,” a khaki-c…
7 min read
MOST READ

Therapy, TikTok, and Zero Apologies: Inside the First Truly Gen Z Olympics

Silver medalist Eileen Gu of Team People's Republic of China celebrates prior to the medal ceremony for the Women's Freeski Big Air(Photo: Cameron Spe…
5 min read
TRENDING

Conman or Hero: Inside the Podcast About the Fishing Industry’s Most Divisive Figure

Views of commercial fishing boats in the harbor in New Bedford, Massachusetts(Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images) Where is the line be…
7 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Our Most Memorable (and Unhinged) Outdoor Dates

(Photo: Getty / Canva / Ayana Underwood) In honor ofValentine’s Day, we’re looking back on our most memorable dates in the outdoors. Adventure brought…
9 min read
MOST READ

Why Lindsey Vonn’s Crash Was the Most Valorous Moment of Her Career

(Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images) I had a plan: sit my daughters down on the couch, pour myself something warm, and give them a lesson in triumph. I…
5 min read
LATEST

'We Have to Disguise Science as Patriotism.' What It’s Like to Work as a National Park Ranger Right Now.

If you think visiting national parks is great, try exploring one full-time—and getting paid to do it. That’s the marquee perk of working as a National…
8 min read
MOST READ

New Movies Every Outdoor Lover Needs to Watch This Year

Joel Edgerton in "Train Dreams."(Photo: Netflix) Maybe it’s the mid-winter gloom talking, or maybe it’s just that I’ve spent the last six months doom-…
5 min read
TRENDING

How Runners Are Responding to ICE in Minnesota

On Friday, January 23, tens of thousands of Minnesota residents packed the streets of downtown Minneapolis despite sub-zero temperatures. Workplaces,…
8 min read
MOST READ

Burnout Isn’t Laziness. It’s Your Life Getting Too Flat.

Last year, in an effort to mix up my routine and step away from constant goal-chasing, I put “farmers’ market” on my calendar the way other people put…
3 min read
TRENDING

Did Alex Honnold’s ‘Skyscraper Live’ Live Up to the Hype?

Honnold climbed Taipei 101(Photo: Netflix) There was danger! There was drama! There was a WWE pro wrestler yammering away about rock climbing! And yea…
5 min read
LATEST

Listen to Outside on Your Hikes, Runs, and Walks

If you’re like us, you have a dozen stories open in tabs you swear you’ll read later—right after you finish work, cook dinner, and log your long train…
2 min read
MOST READ

My Friends Still Love to Get Wasted. Should I Invite Them on My Next Adventure?

Do you still invite your drinking buddies out?(Photo: James D. Morgan / Getty Images) My group of friends has doneriver tripstogether for decades. We…
5 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Could Leech Facials Help Cure My Phobia of Them?

A few weeks ago, while scrolling idly through spa treatments I couldn’t afford, I encountered the worst thing I have ever heard of in my entire life:…
7 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

MLK Day Was Removed from the National Parks’ Fee Free Days. Here’s Why That Hurts.

Monday is set aside to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.(Photo: PhotoQuest/Getty Images) I never visitnational parkson federal holidays. Crowds and lon…
6 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Want More Outside? Here’s How to Make Our Stories Show Up First on Google.

Algorithms be darned. Google recently gave its users some autonomy over their search results with its “Preferred Sources” tool. And if you’re an outdo…
1 min read
TRENDING

People Love to Hate Cruises. Here’s What Critics Don’t Get.

I did not plan to become the person who casually says, “I took a cruise to Alaska last month.” It feels a bit like confessing that you prefer the elev…
4 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

Breaking Horses, Driving Cattle, and What 'Yellowstone' Got Wrong: I’m a Full-Time Professional Cowboy

If you’ve watchedYellowstone, read a dime Western, or been to a rodeo, you’ve probably got some preconceptions about what the cowboy life was like—and…
9 min read
EDITOR'S PICK

What My Rec League Taught Me About Aging, Ego, and Letting Go

I’m playing right-back, like I have for 25 years. This time, I’m playing in a seven-on-seven post-work recreational soccer league, with short fields a…
10 min read
MOST READ

Shipwrecked by Whales: ‘Adrift’ Tells the True Story of a Family Lost at Sea for 38 Days

(Photo: Courtesy of The Robertson Family and Apple / Canva Ayana Underwood) Outsideis known for covering survival stories, from the 1996 Everest disas…
14 min read
LATEST

The Enduring Appeal of the Dirtbag Mullet

Mitch Docker with his mullet(Photo: Courtesy Mitch Docker) You can see it poking out from the back of beanies at bouldering crags. Under helmets on cy…
6 min read
LATEST

The Stories You Loved Most This Year

Every year, we publish hundreds, if not thousands, of stories. And every year, a few stay with us long after we’ve shipped the magazine or hit publish…
12 min read
MOST READ

Love It or Hate It, the Snoafer Has Already Won

A Speedgoat sole mashed with a leather upper leads to the Hoka Speed Loafer.(Photo: Fredrik Broden) Ever since theNew Balance 1906Ldebuted at Paris Fa…
7 min read