Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

If this season brings you to that revered moment when you decide to give backcountry skiing a go, you might have basic questions beyond all the heady avalanche training and gear, stuff like, "How do I carry my skis when I have to bootpack or cross rock fields?" The local guys at TetonAT.com offer some help in the form of a few recent pics: Method One - the A-frame: And Method Two - What I...

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Does any kid ever write a report about wanting to be an underpaid, bored, fluorescent-light-hypnotized office drone working for some giant soulless corporation when he or she grows up? Of course not. People crave work that is challenging, fulfilling and meaningful, and takes place in a soul-nourishing setting. But how do you find that kind of work? Here are a few places to start looking. Here you'll find work with nonprofits, socially responsible companies, outdoor...

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You can create a happy home for critters of all sizes and species in your very own backyard by creating a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. My first step is to get myself a backyard... Here are some PDF tipsheets on attracting birds, butterflies, amphibians and more.

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Check out this awesome tool from eNature.com, a site formerly belonging to the National Wildlife Federation (now owned by a privately held company). The tool is called the ZipGuide. Basically, it's a simple search engine. Plug in your email and zipcode, select from the given options, and it will generate a list of your local birds, butterflies, reptiles and more. You can even ask it to show mammal tracks (so you can figure out what...

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Last weekend, while hiking (okay, lounging in the sun) in the Tule Elk Reserve in Point Reyes National Seashore, I spotted two white-gray birds circling and dipping overhead. Something about the way they were moving and the shapes of their heads made me think of peregrine falcons, but I had never seen a white falcon before. The above picture is the only one I managed to snap. Identifying a bird when you're bird-challenged like me...

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The relative safety levels of different ways of climbing depend upon if and how you use ropes. Learn why a cliffhanger dangling from a well-secured toprope has little to worry about, while a free soloist is gambling his or her life. TopropingWhat is toproping? Toproping means climbing while attached to one end of a rope that is anchored at the top of the wall or cliff. The climber’s partner controls the other end of the...

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When climbing gear is maintained and used correctly, it is extraordinarily strong and dependable. Most manufacturers of climbing equipment adhere to the stringent safety standards of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). You can tell if a piece of gear meets UIAA safety standards by checking the label for the UIAA symbol. UIAA standards include a variety of tests for strength, endurance, slippage and so on, depending on the type of gear. The strength...

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Climbing Safety OverviewAsking if climbing is safe is like asking if driving is safe: the only reasonable answer is “It depends.” In the case of driving, the safety of a driver depends upon factors like his or her skill and experience, the vehicle, the driving conditions and the actions of other vehicles. In the same way, the safety level of climbing depends upon six basic factors:•    Skill and judgment of the climber•    Climber’s equipment•    Terrain...

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Body burden. Toxic trespass. Chemical contamination. What does it all mean?Each of these phrases refers to the load of synthetic chemicals that each human being on this planet carries. Yes, even you. Not even people who practice subsistence fishing in remote Alaskan villages escape the chemical background noise of the industrial age.In fact, those people can be more heavily contaminated with mercury, arsenic, lead, PBDEs and other chemicals than people living in a city because...

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It's a commonplace but infrequently-considered fact that when you join a nonprofit organization, you often receive a sartorial token of said organization's gratitude for your support. (Translation: you give them bucks, they give you gear, everybody's happy.) Here are some cool and useful items of apparel and who you need to support to get them. Give on! Cool black beanie hat with "Alpinist" embroidered on it2 or 3 year paid subscription to Alpinist"Is climbing in...

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Shel's Savory Tomato Pesto Pie This is a personal favorite adapted from a recipe I found at the excellent foodie blog Farmgirl Fare. Food porn warning! Avoid this site if hungry.Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.For the crust:2 cups all-purpose white flour 4 teaspoons baking powder (make sure it's fresh!) 1 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (1 stick/ 4 ounces) cold butter OR a little less than 1/2 cup oil3/4 cup milk (if you're a little...

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Shooting from the hip is a photography term -probably originated from Wild West cowboy slang, but these days it's a photog term- that refers to taking a quick, basically uncomposed photo that you wouldn't have had time to get if you had taken the time to compose the camera carefully. These were all taken out the window of a moving car. It's a fun artistic challenge - try it!   

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In web terms, a "sticky" site is one that is effective at drawing repeat readers. So if you're an outdoors blogger hoping to reach the huddled masses, stickiness -not cleanliness- is the virtue next to godliness.(Besides - when it comes to the outdoors, if you're not getting dirty, you're probably not having fun.)Here are ten tips to stickify your outdoors blog and make readers come back for more, again and again and again.1. Teach them...

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Let's face it: most beach pics are boring.It seems counterintuitive. Beach photos typically have everything going for them: spectacular colors, scantily clad people having fun, bodies of water that never look the same twice, shall I go on? Yet the majority of beach pics, even the ones featuring Hawaiian sunsets and lithe, sun-kissed surfers, call to mind a quote I once heard. The quote is attributed to a photographer whose name I forget; I'm probably...

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The classic outdoors-inside room, as I picture it, is the basement rec room circa 1973, paneled in wood or fake wood with framed hunting-season photos and a prize fish mounted on a plaque decorating the walls. For those of us who would rather not live in fake-wood-paneled basement rec rooms circa 1973, but still want to honor our love of the outdoors in our living spaces, here are some ideas.What's your outdoors fantasy? That is,...

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Via WebMD, this article has some natural ways to help prevent yourself from catching a cold or the flu. I wish I had looked up this list a few weeks ago. Then maybe I wouldn't be sitting here with watery eyes, a red runny nose, and a cough that I can tell is going to get worse. Argh.And I start a new job next week. Double argh.Here are a few quick tips:Drink lots of waterTake your vitaminsGet...

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So you're dying to work outdoors. Awesome! Here are some questions to ask yourself to help decide on what kind of outdoors job to pursue and a few tips that might help you land the job. QuestionsDo I need a lot of money? Generally, guides and camp counselors don't get paid very well. The other benefits, like being outside all the time, are fantastic, but time under the sun won't pay an extravagant mortgage. If you've got an expensive lifestyle,...

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If I'm going to poke fun at fancy-pants outdoorsy poseurs, then I am morally obligated to poke fun at the kind of people who poke fun at fancy-pants outdoorsy poseurs, too. Without further ado...how to be hardcore.-Learn the lingo. Every outdoor activity has its own vocabulary - learn it by listening to super-enthusiasts talk. It's like another language at first. You might want to make yourself a glossary. Remember that you will also have to know...

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*"Easy" as in "doesn't require advanced mathematics", not "easy" as in "any idiot with a pile of snow and a couple of brain cells to rub together could get one up in ten minutes" Public domain image courtesy of the NOAA via WikipediaI come from a place that elicits igloo jokes from people who aren't from there: Minnesota. "That's like the Arctic, right?" Uh, yeah. I'm going to sic my pet polar bear on you now. I've gone ice climbing, hiked in...

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Hands down, the perfect fall beverage is apple cider. It's versatile, delicious, and healthy. Here's how you make it.Get yourself a friend with apple trees or go to an orchard and pick your heart out. Also get some pears- Asian pears are great. Unfortunately, if you don't have a cheap or free source of fresh apples, your cider is going to be really expensive. I'm lucky enough to have an acquaintance with a yard full of...

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