When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
How Mallory Duncan’s Artistic Vision Crystallized Into a New Kind of Ski Film: Three years after his award-winning The Blackcountry Journal, filmmaker and skier Mallory Duncan has a new film: LINES. The piece draws parallels between performing in the mountains and writing and rapping. He shows the behind‑the‑scenes process of skiing in the backcountry set against preparations to take to the stage.
Heli-hikers in the Purcells. Photo: Jerry Kobalenko
The Canadian Mountains Where Heli-Hiking Was Born: In the roadless corners of British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains, heli-hiking blends hiking and high adventure. Originating in the 1970s as a summer counterpart to heli-skiing, heli-hiking opens up pristine backcountry peaks. After only a 15-minute helicopter flight from the town of Golden, hikers are dropped into the otherwise inaccessible Purcell Range to scramble along ridgelines and summit remote mountains.
Deb Volturno. Photo: Jim Kakuk
The future of sea kayaking
Deb Volturno On The Future Of Sea Kayaking: Deb Volturno is a pioneering figure in sea and surf kayaking. In this interview, she reflects on the changes that have occurred over the last 40 years, her first mentor, and the growth of women in paddling.
Will Moss Becomes Youngest to Free The Nose in a Day: Twenty-year-old Will Moss has become the youngest climber to free The Nose on El Capitan in a single day, completing the 900m granite wall in just 11 hours and 48 minutes.
Earlier this year, Moss became the first person to flash Free Rider (also on El Capitan) in less than 24 hours. Unlike most climbers — who prepare by tackling the routes over multiple days before making their single-day attempt — Moss trained by rehearsing cruxes, and when he felt ready, he attempted the wall. Wet conditions hampered his first two attempts, but his third was a success.
Will Moss frees The Nose of El Capitan in 11 hours and 48 minutes. Photo: Andrew Pittman
Crowds on El Capitan
Wall of Dreams or Crowds and Chaos?: Not all is well on El Capitan, however. Katie Keeley gives a candid account of climbing on this mecca of big-wall climbing. Her climb up The Nose was crowded and noisy, littered with heaps of tangled ropes, climbing traffic, and a “Disneyland-like” atmosphere.
Why So Many Thru-Hikes End in a Breakup: In 2024, 46% of people who took on the Appalachian Trail were in a relationship when they set off. Only 42% of them were still in a relationship at the end of the trail.
Couples counselor Michele Weiner‑Davis explains why so many relationships fail on the trail, regardless of whether you are hiking together or you leave your partner at home. She believes clear communication, realistic expectations, mutual appreciation, and addressing pre-existing issues are often the difference between deepening your bond and arriving at the end of the trail alone.
Shira Biner and her team in front of the buttress they climbed on Eglinton Tower. Photo: Natalie Afonina
Baffin Island
Frozen Fiords and First Ascents: This podcast features Shira Biner discussing the physical and emotional aspects of her 2025 expedition to Baffin Island. Over 29 days, the Canadian climber led an all-female team as they skied 150km across the sea ice to the granite walls of Eglinton Fjord. There, they established a new 600m route on Eglinton Tower.
The Most Baffling Mysteries in America’s Great Outdoors: Mike Bezemek has spent years scouring America for outdoor mysteries, covering everything from unexplained phenomena to baffling disappearances. Here he writes about seven of his favorite mysteries, including the ancient stone ring of the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, the mysterious half-million symmetrical lakes across the East Coast, and three Alcatraz runaways that vanished.
