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HIKE AND KAYAK THE OLYMPIC PENINSULA by: VentureThere July 22, 2010 Bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by the Hood Canal and on the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Peninsula is anchored by the majestic Olympic Mountains. Not many places in the states can match its diversity in terrain and weather in such a compact geographic area. You'll find easy access for exploring lakes, waterfalls, rivers and rain forests. |
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by: VentureThere July 20, 2010 "What do we get if we win, Daddy? Do we get a big trophy?" "I'm not sure, Luke," I calmly tell my very enthusiastic 6-year-old. "We' re just going to do our best, right?" "I know, I know. But I'm pretty sure we're gonna win." At least one of us is confident. I hadn't even planned on paddling in the SUP race. But my wife, Ilene, saw a flyer about it at the gym and suggeste… Read More |
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VICTORIA FALLS MULTISPORT SAFARI by: VentureThere July 16, 2010 Etched between the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the Smoke that Thunders") is both an inspiring landscape and the launchpad for some of Southern Africa's most intense whitewater on the Zambezi River.
Thanks in part to the Zimbabwean independence in 1980, the region has since took root as one of the most popular adventure travel destinations… Read More |
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FUTURE GEAR II: SNEAK PEEK AT OR by: GearJunkie July 16, 2010 Last week, I covered "future gear" from the Outdoor Retailer trade show, a twice-annual event in Salt Lake City. From the looks of my early snooping, this year's show, August 3 - 6, promises to play host to some of the coolest new equipment in years. Here's a second sneak peek at a few of the items that'll be displayed on the trade-show floor. This is the gear you'll see at shops this winter an… Read More |
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MOUNTAIN BIKING THE GREAT DIVIDE by: VentureThere July 14, 2010 The Great Divide mountain bike route is the world's longest off-pavement cycling route, tracking a total of 2,745 miles from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. It is highlighted by singletrack, long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way along the Continental Divide. The route travels south through the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and then through the U… Read More |
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by: GearJunkie July 13, 2010 The annual Badwater Ultramarathon kicked off this week, July 12 to 14, and will trace its usual 135-mile route from Death Valley, Calif., to the base of Mt. Whitney. It rises more than 8,000 vertical feet in that length. It is a route touted frequently as the world's toughest for a footrace, and each year up to 90 of the hardiest -- or insane! -- ultra athletes can see temps up to 130F and rel… Read More |
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TOP 20 DESITNATIONS FOR ADVENTURE TRAVEL by: VentureThere July 09, 2010 Adventure travel is commonly considered the combination of tourism, the outdoor lifestyle and adventure sports, and the latter of the three embodies the adrenaline-based catalyst that determines where and when the trip is booked. Depending on the personality of the traveler, these components can be dished out in equal parts or heavily weighted towards one component or the other. <… Read More |
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WEEK TRIP: PADDLE IDAHO’S OWYHEE RIVER by: VentureThere July 07, 2010 The nation's newest protected wilderness is yours to explore along Idaho's Owyhee River, and along with it comes 120 miles of intermediate and class II-V rapids. This 7-day trip features dozens of great rapids, stunning desert canyons, hot springs and great hiking. All without the crowds of other, more well-known destinations. Coeur d'Alene-based ROW Adventures is the outfitter of choice… Read More |
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by: GearJunkie July 02, 2010 By Stephen Regenold The twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show, this summer in Salt Lake City August 3 - 6, is a peek at the future of gear. The items displayed on the trade-show floor are what you'll see at shops this winter and in the spring of 2011. Below is an early preview, a couple scoops from Gear Junkie and my moles in the outdoors space. . .
Super Ligh… Read More |
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by: VentureThere July 01, 2010 The sun is setting on Deer Valley, Utah, as a lone mountain biker grinds slowly up the steep hill on her way home. She's decked out in all the gear (helmet, hydration pack, cycling shoes, tight fitting jersey and shorts) and looks like she's finishing up what must've been an epic ride.
Me: I'm wearing jeans, flip-flops, and enjoying a cold bottle of Squatter's Provo Girl Pilsne… Read More |
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BIKING NORTH WALES' COED LLANDEGLA (+VID) by: VentureThere June 29, 2010 Here's a fun video segment from a crew mountain biking through Coed Llandegla Forest, North Wales. The forest covers 650 hectares and was planted in 1972 by one of the UK's primary forestry and timber harvesting groups. There's a nicely developed trail system ranging from beginner to advanced terrain, all of which is run by local outfitter Oneplanet Adventure. They provide full e… Read More |
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STONE SUMMIT: LARGEST U.S. CLIMBING GYM (+VID) June 28, 2010 There are some big things going down in Atlanta, Georgia, aside from 8 million gallons of water at the aquarium, 30 acres of botanical gardens in Piedmont Park, and CNN and Coca-Cola corporate HQs.
Atlanta is also the home to 30,000 square feet of indoor climbable terrain at Stone Summit Climbing and Fitness Center. Walls allowing 30-foot-plus whips, routes that -all counted up… Read More |
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IT'S NOT THE BIKE, IT'S THE RIDER (+VID) by: VentureThere June 25, 2010 We spend a lot of time talking about bikes, equipment and how it will allow us to experience a different kind of riding on new terrain. While there is a lot of truth to the subject, pure bike handling skill will trump equipment any day of the week.
To prove this point, BikeRadar.com recently posted a video of some amazing stunts done on a carbon road bike. Granted, it is Martyn… Read More |
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by: VentureThere June 24, 2010 The jagged horizon sets the Grand Tetons apart from the rest of the Rocky Mountains. Around forty miles long and ten miles wide, this specific range of the Rockies is also the youngest. Thanks to the Grand Teton National Park and National Forest, the area is protected and the mountain biking is amazing.
Escape Adventures offers a six-day package ($1,390) that tackles the prairi… Read More |
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WEEK TRIP: NEW ZEALAND HELI TOUR by: VentureThere June 23, 2010 The season's first heli drop was charted last week in the Two Thumbs region of New Zealand's Southern Alps, where a handful of ambitious shredders were treated with 1,200 vertical meters of early-season snow.
Alpine Heliski is one of the Southern Hemisphere's premiere heli service operations, and their tour operations run heavy from July through September with the pow-zone typi… Read More |
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by: GearJunkie June 23, 2010 Each year, I test dozens of outdoors products for GearJunkie.com, Outside magazine online, and a network of newspapers that syndicate my column. The gear included are items from boats and bikes to tents, gadgets, apparel, and trail-running shoes. At the end of the year, my annual "Top 10 Gear Picks" article highlights and awards 10 products as the best-of-the-best items I've used over the year.… Read More |
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HOT ROCK AFRICA EXPEDITION: SUDAN June 16, 2010 The Hot Rock Climbing Expedition is a trip across the entire continent of Africa, north to south, from Egypt to Cape Town, all while exploring new crags and putting up new routes on barely touched cliffs.
This international group of 20 boulderers, sport climbers and big-wall trad climbers who signed up for this adventure hail from Argentina, America, South Africa, Switzerland, … Read More |
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by: VentureThere June 14, 2010 The snow conditions at Arapahoe Basin could best be described as iced coffee (or more precisely, Frappuccino). It was a bit slushy, and dirt from a dust storm earlier in the year had colored the leftover Rocky Mountain snow with a coffee brown hue. Definitely not ideal snow conditions but very good considering it was June.
When I told my surfing buddies back home in coastal Nor… Read More |
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LOST CAMERA FOUND AFTER 6 MONTHS AT SEA by: VentureThere June 14, 2010 There were photos of two men preparing to scuba dive and a towheaded family nestled together on a couch. There was a mysterious relic settled deep into the sea floor. And even a puzzling video clip of splashing water that appeared to have been taken as the camera thrashed around under the control of something that wasn't human.
These are the images that Paul Shultz viewed after… Read More |
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WEEK TRIP: CYCLING THROUGH BASQUE COUNTRY by: VentureThere June 14, 2010 Dozens of pros in the Euro peloton, and an obscene number of Michelin-starred chefs, call the Basque region home. And if you time it right, you can have it almost all to yourself and completely personalized with the help of Velo Classic Tours.
On this eight-day trip, pedal along the snaking mountain roads of the western Pyrenees, past pine forests, remote villages, and cher… Read More |
