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Free USGS Topo MapsWinter Base Layers
I’m not sure exactly when humble “long underwear” became “next-to-skin technical base layers.” But somewhere over the past decade designers in the outdoors industry switched up the nomenclature and cut words like “skivvies” and “long johns” out of the conversation [ ... ]

Free USGS Topo MapsFree USGS Topo Maps
Beginning in the 1940s, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Mapping Program was tasked with the immense cartographical feat of surveying the entire country to create a series of more than 50,000 topographical maps. Widely-available and mostly accurate, the 1:24,000-scale government [ ... ]

Zigo LeaderThe Bike that went Around the World
The bicycle that carried Scott Stoll around the world doesn’t look like anything special. There’s tape on the frame and extra washers to hold racks in place. The leather saddle is faded and worn, a dented anatomical imprint testimony to the months and thousands of miles Stoll sat pedaling [ ... ]

Environmental Non-profitsWhy is the plankton in the oceans dying? And what does this mean for the health of the oceans and marine life?
As the lowest link on the marine food chain, plankton—that tiny aquatic plant, animal and bacterial matter floating throughout the world’s oceans—is a vital building block for life on Earth. Besides serving as a primary food source for many fish and whales, plankton plays a crucial role in mitigating global warming. [ ... ]

Environmental Non-profitsDo you have current facts and figures about how much rainforest is being destroyed each day around the world, and for what purpose(s)?
Pinning down exact numbers is nearly impossible, but most experts agree that we are losing upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest daily, and significantly degrading another 80,000 acres every day on top of that. Along with this loss and degradation, we are losing some 135 plant, animal and insect [ ... ]

Environmental Non-profitsIs it true that environmental non-profits have been hit hard by the economic downturn?
Non-profits of every stripe have been suffering from the economic downturn. In a recent survey of 800 U.S.-based non-profits, 75 percent reported feeling the effects of the downturn, with more than half already experiencing significant cuts in funding from both government and private foundation sources. [ ... ]

Rebecca Rusch at the finish line24! How to Survive Your First 24 Hour Mountain Bike Event

If you are curious about 24-hour mountain bike racing, you are probably not alone. As more Nor Cal athletes participate in these events, the buzz continues to spread. But it seems the confusion and mystery over 24 hour races is growing as well.

Are 24-hour races the most painful, brutal race format ever, or is it really just an excuse for good friends to party all night long? Is it a chance to achieve new levels of agony with fellow ultra-endurance monks, or is it a way to metabolize gallons of beer with fat tire enthusiasts from all over the world? The correct answer is “all of the above.”

Cyclists from varied backgrounds are enticed by these events and quite often are hooked after their first race. The reason? To put it simply, 24-hour events are a blast.

More specifically, the team format of the race appeals to one of the core values of riders everywhere: good friends hanging out with bikes. Unlike adventure racing where each team must race together, 24-hour mountain bike racing is done relay style, [ ... ]

John Bachar Solos
Crack A Go Go

John Bachar's Last Interview Plus John Long and Peter Croft

John Bachar Solos Leave It To Beaver
 

Recently Posted Articles

  • A Day at the Skinny Ski Races

    A majority of Americans, including many avid outdoor enthusiasts, get their impression of cross-country ski racing from one of a couple sources. The first image is of elite racers, seen on TV every fours years or so, like those we’ll be watching during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this year. You know

  • Honeymooners Hunt Patagonia Pow

    After tying the knot in California’s summer heat, my new hubbie, Greg, and I were feeling the need to cool off. So we high-tailed it to the Southern Hemisphere for the novelty of a couple Sierra ski rats sharing powder turns in August.

  • Winter Camping in Comfort

    While the Sierra wilderness is chock full of backpackers in the summer those same trails and camp sites empty faster than a shot glass come winter. Maybe it’s the snow, or the cold, or most likely both, but few avid Sierra explorers have the gusto for winter camping.

  • Backcountry Economics 101

    In these strange economic times most people I know are sticking to basics and any money for frills is very judiciously spent. If it’s not a necessity, it needs to act like an investment with long-term benefits and quick paying dividends.

  • Sentinel of the Sierra’s Winter Wildlands

    Marcus Libkind has been breaking trail through Sierra snow, literally and figuratively, for nearly 40 years. And for this, every skier and snowshoer who appreciates the serenity and thrills of self-propelled exploration along California’s long white backbone owes him a debt of gratitude.

  • Tele’s Youth Movement

    Telemark skiing is an addictive and challenging sport that most snow junkies discover only after years of alpine skiing and snowboarding. It might be the lure of the backcountry, the comfort of lighter weight gear, or the soulful, expressive style of the turn. Regardless, it’s largely an avocation of adults [...]

     

  • Nordic Relief for Alpine Skiers

    Cross-country ski instructors began to notice it about five years ago, and now it’s a full on trend: Downhill skiers taking up skate skiing. Some downhillers only skate when the powder is tracked out, others have made the switch to skate skiing every day. [...]

     

  • All We Have to Lose Are Our Chains

    Aside from the hum of spokes and the rattle of a loose fender, the forested hinterlands are deadly quiet. The cycling trail I follow, dubbed the Berliner Mauerweg (“wall way”), often utilizes the patrol roads that once ran alongside the Wall. A mere two decades in time separate my journey [...]

     

  • Building Winter Immunity

    The human immune system is a complex and amazing thing. While you’re going about your day, working, exercising, eating and sleeping, your body is hard at work detecting harmful invaders, mobilizing immune cells into battle, and designing custom-made antibodies to destroy pathogens. [...]

  • Rocker 101:

    As if the camber vs. reverse camber debate in the ski and snowboard world wasn’t confusing enough a few years ago, you’re likely to find your head spinning like an out of balance washing machine looking at the racks of new boards this season. [...]

     

  • Sweet Fourteen

    John Muir may have been guilty of flowery, purple prose when he attempted to put the Sierra Nevada into the medium of words. From atop a San Francisco hill, Spanish explorers saw but a “snowy mountain range” that flippantly reminded them of their Sierra back home. [...]

     

  • Up and Down Amid Brobdingnagian Stones

    I had just climbed to one of those belays where living feels beautiful and life is sweet. Tying off a horn I call down “off-belay” to Greg with a certain amount of relief. Time, then, to fondle the view from 200 feet of the arête and wait for him to pull through the cruxes made apparent by the slow progress of the rope.

  • Talking Rocks and (No) Ropes with Alex Honnold

    Sacramento’s Alex Honnold is not your average rock climber. Sure there are other uber-strong 23-year-old ropeguns out there, but Honnold’s game face ain’t like the rest of ‘em. Over the last three years, Honnold has proven to be one of the boldest rock climbers that has ever ascended stone. Like an invisible ninja Honnold burst on to the free-solo scene (climbing without ropes) with no prior notoriety and has systematically peeled back the eyelids of the climbing community.

  • Bachar Lived with Risks Shared by Many

    Ascending a sea of knobs on the steep west face of Yosemite’s Fairview Dome, John Bachar was enjoying a fine autumn day, cool and quiet without another climber in sight. As usual, he was free soloing, climbing without a partner, rope or protective gear.

  • Lone Pine: The Poor Man's Chamonix?

    It may be a stretch of the imagination to compare Lone Pine, California, with Chamonix, France. But if you look past the effigy of John Wayne on every motel wall downtown on the 395 strip, past the sage and Hollywood gunfights of the Alabama Hills, and straight up to the jagged aiguilles of the Sierra Crest, certain similarities come into focus.

  • Fresh Rock in North Tahoe

    If you’re an avid North Tahoe rock climber, visiting or local, chances are you have climbed just about everything in the guidebook within your ability. The accomplishment is not too tough really. In the public’s eye there are only two major North Tahoe climbing areas: Donner Summit and Big Chief.

  • Riding the Crooked Spine

    When you are on a bike ride that intends to span the entire length of the Americas following the mountains on dirt roads, you begin to dream about having a t-shirt or flyer to pass out and answer the barrage of unavoidable questions. If we haven’t managed to slip away from the crowd of locals interrogating us, somebody inevitably asks us, “Why? Why are you riding your bike across the globe?”

  • Open Your Eyes and Climb

    Sometimes all it takes for progression is good vision. In the summer of 2006, Truckee rock climbers Ty Fairbairn, Dustin Sabo, Brian Sweeney and Scott Thelen opened their eyes to the obvious while driving along Interstate 80 and discovered one of the best new Tahoe rock climbing developments in recent years – the Castle Peak boulders.