Outside Podcast

When it comes to the GOATs of outdoorsy heroes, who do you think of first? Chances are it’s not  Grand Canyon rafting legend Georgie White, groundbreaking author and Adirondack wilderness guide Anne LaBastille, and backcountry powder-skiing trailblazer Dolores LaChapelle. And author Heather Hansman wants to change that. Her new book, “Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild” is a triple biography of the trio’s influence on our understanding of wild places and the odds they faced to earn this influence.  Heather rectifies the sexism that kept their names out of our history in “Fierce Country,” but never pulls a punch when it comes to the grimy parts of life that made these women complicated heroes. In her research and writing, Heather found deep gratitude for the full and messy lives these women led, and a better understanding of why and how to live a life outside.

Today's Long Read with Outside Magazine Features Editor, is Part 2 of one of the most read articles in Outside's history: the story of the only hiker to eve rdie while seeking the summit of central colorado's most famous 14er. Ted Katauskas, a member of the search team that finally recovered her remains 19 years later, investigates who she was and what we can all learn from her death before our own adventures in the high alpine.

When you watch a movie or TV show in which an actor portrays a skier or biker or climber or…whatever-er, do you believe them? Whether or not they can convincingly descend/ascend a mountain or a wall or a tree is often the difference between success and failure for shows set in the wilderness. Luckily for the brand new USA Network show, “Anna Pigeon”, veteran TV actress and outdoorswoman Tracy Spiridakos takes on the title role. In order to portray Anna’s ruggedness as a Glacier National Park ranger and hardboiled detective solving many-a-crime that happens inside the grounds of the park, Tracy called up two things: her lifelong love affair with nature and the same athleticism she’s used throughout her career to perform her own stunts. Wrestling criminals to the ground and into handcuffs is one thing, but it takes a real dirt lover to pull off horseback riding, hanging off cliffs on the side of a mountain, and sitting on a tree branch chatting with bald eagles. That is the type of acting skill that makes a character both believable and beloved.

Today's Long Read with Outside Magazine Features Editor, Fred Drier, is Part 1 of one of the most read articles in Outside's history: the story of the only hiker ever to die while seeing the summit of central Colorado's most famous 14er. Ted Katauskas, a member of the search team that finally recovered her remains 19 years later, investigates who she was and what we can all learn from her death before our own adventures in the high alpine.

Don't miss Part 2, next Saturday.

Surely you know someone who has eaten the most nachos at apres. Maybe you have the fastest Strava segment on your local lunch loop bike ride.  But if you’re aiming for a truly impressive outdoorsy goal, you’ll need more than quad strength to pull it off. Take Brad Ryan for example: Brad’s best known as one half of the viral duo “Grandma Joy’s Road Trip.” Brad and his grandmother, Joy Ryan, visited all 63 U.S. National Parks, making Joy the oldest person to complete the circuit. What began as a way to show his Grandmother her first mountain became a transformative adventure for Brad and Joy to grapple with long-buried familial secrets and harms. All of this is vividly told in Brad’s new book, “Grandma Joy and Me: a Journey of Healing, One National Park at a Time.” Octogenarian camping and road tripping for a record-setting adventure is outlandish. But our nation’s most beautiful outdoor spaces can create the space for reconciliation, empathy, and healing.