You are browsing the archives of 2009 January.

A heated winter jacket. Avoid-grip trekking poles. Gummy athletic gel. These are a few of the innovative products coming to market later in 2009 in the outdoors industry. Last week, at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show in Salt Lake City, I got a peek into this future of outdoors gear and apparel. Here’s [...]

If there’s one season when you need the right gear for your adventure, it’s winter. Don’t believe us? Try backpacking through Shenandoah National Park in February with a three-season tent and a 40-degree sleeping bag. Or go cross-country skiing wearing all cotton. Hitting the mountains during the winter with the wrong gear is a recipe for misery and potential disaster. But don’t fret. BRO’s 2009 Winter Gear Guide covers the full spectrum of winter goodies, from 0 degree sleeping bags to running tights to snowboards designed for terrain parks.

If there’s one season when you need the right gear for your adventure, it’s winter. Don’t believe us? Try backpacking through Shenandoah National Park in February with a three-season tent and a 40-degree sleeping bag. Or go cross-country skiing wearing all cotton. Hitting the mountains during the winter with the wrong gear is a recipe for misery and potential disaster. But don’t fret. BRO’s 2009 Winter Gear Guide covers the full spectrum of winter goodies, from 0 degree sleeping bags to running tights to snowboards designed for terrain parks.

Mountains-to-sea trail founder Allen De Hart.

Ski film legend Warren Miller’s latest flick, Children of Winter, features much of the expected big air action. But this one jumps around the world with a diverse cast of characters to not only show off chops but also expose the fun side of playing on the mountain in winter. Former World Cup speedster Daron [...]

An invasive weed may be our next great fuel.

The Old Ceremony is the rare band that can write contemplative, artsy rock ‘n’ roll while not coming across as holier than thou. Walk on Thin Air, the Chapel Hill quintet’s third album, is sometimes bold and brash, often sparse and ethereal, but at all times introspective. Django Haskins, principal poet and songwriter for The [...]

If there’s one season when you need the right gear for your adventure, it’s winter. Don’t believe us? Try backpacking through Shenandoah National Park in February with a three-season tent and a 40-degree sleeping bag. Or go cross-country skiing wearing all cotton. Hitting the mountains during the winter with the wrong gear is a recipe for misery and potential disaster. But don’t fret. BRO’s 2009 Winter Gear Guide covers the full spectrum of winter goodies, from 0 degree sleeping bags to running tights to snowboards designed for terrain parks.

Known as the “Grand Canyon of the South,” the scenic centerpiece of Breaks Interstate Park is the steep gorge that’s cut by the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River. It’s not easy to reach the deepest gorge this side of the Mississippi River. There’s only one entrance, which is on the Virginia side of [...]

On October 18, 1929, just days before the stock market crash, Thomas Wolfe published his monumental novel, Look Homeward, Angel, unveiling the machinations behind small town life in western North Carolina. It took Wolfe several years to return to his Asheville hometown, and when he finally took his first glimpse of the Blue Ridge in [...]

Deliverance (1972) Chattahoochee National Forest, Ga. The 1972 adaptation of the James Dickey novel has scarred the South forever with backwoods cultural stereotypes, but it also yielded one of the region’s most successful films. The thrilling adventure that was filmed in Georgia on the Chattooga River—where paddlers and rafters still pass the movie-instilled landmark Deliverance [...]

In the mid 70s JOhnny Cash was riding an unprecedented wave of country music stardom. In June of 1974 his performance at Grandfather Mountain…

Can cyclists overcome the obstacles of pedaling to work? Road rage can strike anywhere—even Portland, Oregon, continuously rated the most bike-friendly city in America. Last summer, Portland bicycle commuter Jason Rehnberg chided a reckless driver passing him. Suddenly he found himself splayed across the hood of a moving Ford Escort, holding on for dear life. [...]

Outdoor Programs Fight the Battle of the Bulge Maybe it was the invention of country-fried steak. Or possibly it’s because there’s a Cracker Barrel every third interstate exit. Whatever the reason, the South is tipping the scales more than any other region in the United States.     Nine of the top 10 most obese [...]

Maintaining personal health is about more than just diet and exercise While most of us spend time, money, and energy keeping ourselves healthy, the society we live in doesn’t always aid in that endeavor. Unfortunately, many Americans believe that they are doing a good job of taking care of their bodies and keeping detrimental substances [...]