Carnage in Colorado
The pine beetle epidemic that has been sweeping the western United States and Canada for nearly the last 10 years is old news. By now most people have heard that due to warmer winters and recent drought cycles, these rice-sized pests have been infesting trees at increasing rates since the start of the decade—10 million acres of pine has fallen victim in Colorado alone, and forecasts remain grim throughout the West. Read More …
How’s this for a secure world record? On the heels of 13-year-old Jordan Romero’s May 22nd summit of the world’s highest peak, which made him the youngest ever to summit, the China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA), which controls climbing activity from the Tibetan side, issued new regulations on June 10 that ban those under 18 and over 60 from attempting the peak. Read More …
Approaching Stewart Falls, UT
Waterfall Hunting: going outdoors with the goal of finding new waterfalls, photographing them, and enjoying the rare opportunity to swim beneath them.
For thousands of years, people around the world have been traveling to waterfalls to experience the mesmerizing sight and sound of falling water. Every waterfall is different but still conjures the same deep-down sense that the land is a treasure to be preserved but at the same time also shared. Read More …
This is the beginning of all hell breaking loose, but I missed all the gnar.
“I’m ready!” you tell your friend above, and a couple seconds later hear the distant response of “OK, dropping!” You fire off frames as your friend bursts from the lip of the jump, but he lets out an “Oh S#!T” as soon as he’s in the air, and you both know this is going to end badly. You have two choices. You can either lower your camera, and cringe as your buddy takes a massive digger, or you can hold down the shutter release and fire off frames like a machine gunner making his last stand. Either way, strange as it may seem, the first thing your friend will say when you get over to him is, “Tell me you got a picture of that.”
I’ve seen some pretty nasty stuff happen to friends while I was holding a camera, but I rarely got the defining photo because I didn’t want to be that jerk who stood there taking pictures while his friend got broken off. Read More …
Little Cottonwood Creek, Utah, overflowing its banks
Two weeks ago on the night of Thursday, June 10, a heavy rainstorm moved through southwestern Arkansas, dumping up to 9 inches of rain over a mostly remote section of wilderness. In this area lies Albert Pike Campground, located at the junction of the Little Missouri and Caddo Rivers.
Two to three hundred people were camping in tents, cabins, and RVs on Thursday night when light rain began to fall. The rain picked up around 11pm and didn’t let up until around dawn. The NOAA issued a flash flood warning for the area after 1:30am, but all the sleeping campers heard was the rain pelting the outside of their tents. Read More …
Sun, snow, and Mt. Superior
With weather worthy of sandals and shorts in Salt Lake City, June 5th, to me, seemed like an excellent day for skiing. Lots of late-season snow and consistent melt/freeze cycles with little rain left considerable coverage on favorable aspects above 8,000 feet. And after more than 20 consecutive weekends of charging down the fall line, the idea of another Saturday without strapping sticks to my feet made me feel a little dead inside. It is an addiction, after all.
We wouldn’t trade our topouts or summits reached for much, but there are times when there is little better than enjoying a good flick and acting slightly self-indulgent on the couch after a long day on the trail. When Hollywood decides to escape the studio and get into the backcountry to tell a story, we’re doubly satisfied. We polled the office for the favorite Hollywood movies shot outside of the studio. Here are the results:
Every spring, for the past four years, a special event has been taking place in the otherworldly expanse of southern Utah, near the town of Escalante. Outdoor industry retail representatives from across the country are brought together to explore a land defined by geological wonders, scattered with Native American ruins, and full of wisdom-laden locals. Sprinkle in some canyoneering, hiking, and fly fishing expeditions followed by interactive sessions with the employees and gear designers, and you get the ultimate feedback environment for a line of outdoor products— Mountain Hardwear Basecamp 2010. Read More …
Whether you need a weekend of outdoor-infused peace or are the next badass moving in to claim a place in local legend, cancel your über-spendy St. Tropez wine-tasting/windsurfing trip, pack up the Vanagon, and hit the road. Thanks to a complex process of deduction (throwing darts at a dusty map), we compiled a rockin’ list of spots around the country where you can paddle until you’re blue in the face, climb until your hands are a mélange of blood and chalk, and crank until you collapse in a pool of sweat. Read More …
Charlie giving the slot canyon a boost
I recently had the honor of attending a weekend gear-testing session in Escalante, Utah, that was sponsored by Mountain Hardwear. Mingling with the reps and designers in between 8-hour hiking and canyoneering sessions opened my eyes to a few things. Among them: Escalante is quite possibly the coolest place in the world, and the people who make Mountain Hardwear tick care deeply about everything they do. Read More …
Shoes to packs, hit the trails.
Backcountry house-hunting, simplified.
Stay dry out there.
Public Waterways In Utah
By: JGW | July 29th, 2010No Comments »
Would you like to know more about how that fact really affects kayakers, fishermen and fisherwomen, hunters, tubers, and other people who like to use and play in public waterways? Read More …
Tags: kayaking, laws, public waterways, utah
Posted in Commentary, Outdoor Articles |