Outside Podcast

The Size Disadvantage

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Look around the start line of an endurance race and you don’t see many tall competitors. Look on the podium, and you never see any. Why is that? Why...

The Trouble with the Internet’s Most Famous Moose

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When Marty Moose strolled into Santa Fe looking for a mate, he became a viral sensation in New Mexico. But that did nothing to help his search for lov...

Way, Way Too Close to a Whale

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

People dream of boating or swimming with whales. But that’s based on the false assumption that they are gentle giants that don’t bother humans. Bu...

Can Golf Be an Endurance Sport?

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you make the best of a golf addiction? Add running. That’s the formula contributor Alex Ward tried to perfect a few months ago, when he start...

Do Couples That Ski Together Stay Together?

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adventures can provide fuel for romance, but only if you know how to take what you learned in the mountains back home. Just askPaddy O’Connell. Padd...

The ‘Into the Wild’ Bus Has Another Story to Tell

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The abandoned vehicle where Chris McCandless died teaches us a lot about modern Alaska. Ever since Outside published Jon Krakauer’s feature about th...

A Wild Conversation with E. Jean Carroll

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Before she became famous for her lawsuits against former President Trump, the writer took a road trip for an Outside story that had her asking total s...

The President of Off-the-Couch Fitness

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What’s an acceptable baseline of fitness? What should you be able to do off-the-couch? For some people it’s running a mile. For others, it’s a m...

Training Like a Pop Star (Taylor's Version)

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is Taylor Swift an elite endurance athlete? On the Eras tour, the singer-songwriter is performing three nights a week, singing and dancing for as long...

The Anti-Bonk Diet

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After a certain number of hours, endurance races are basically eating competitions. We spend years training our bodies for peak performance on race da...

Burgers, Palm Trees, and Buried Treasure

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In-N-Out Burger’s iconic palm trees are a reference to buried treasure, but they also make the restaurant a very unlikely climate change indicator. ...

The Most Unexpected Way for an Athlete to Get Faster

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We try to gain a competitive edge from things like nutrition, recovery, weight training, and new shoes. But what if becoming a parent does the trick? ...

Are We Done with the Endangered Species Act?

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After 50 years, one of the most consequential environmental laws in U.S. history may no longer be relevant to the world we’re living in. Which makes...

The Curious Rise (and Fall) in Cougar Attacks

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mountain lions are becoming more aggressive. Or maybe they aren’t? But their populations are certainly increasing. Or not? After cougars killed mult...

Big News About Our Show

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our founding host, Peter Frick-Wright, is returning—and we couldn’t be more excited. After taking the last four years to focus on short-run podcas...

What Mikaela Shiffrin Only Tells Her Mom

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re one of the greatest skiers of all time, there are some things you only say to the person you trust most in the world. For Mikaela Shiffr...

Celebrating the Spirit of an Adventurer

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Honoring the life of someone who spent their days exploring wild places often means embracing the pursuits that brought them joy. This approach can le...

The Strange New World of DIY Sufferfests

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All over the country people are creating outrageous unofficial athletic contests that are equal parts grueling and just plain silly. What’s going on...

Learning to Love the Creepy Crawly Things

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Spiders and other hairy scary critters are everywhere. It’s best—for us and the planet—if we can figure out how to coexist. Backpacker executive...

So You Wanna Be an Outdoor Parent

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no way to guarantee that your kids will embrace nature and adventure, but you can do some things to point them in the right direction. Just ...

“I Needed to Keep Running to Heal Myself”

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For endurance athlete Dillon Quitugua, ultramarathons are a way to empower fellow Pacific Islanders and also work through the pain of the abuse he’...

A Long Walk from Rural Alaska to the Runways of Paris

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Indigenous model and activist Quannah ChasingHorse lives her life in two very different worlds. Growing up in a tiny Native village just south of the ...

The Running Life of Indie Rocker Ben Gibbard

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie applies the same approach to ultramarathons that he does to touri...

“These Brides Are Trying to Kill Us”

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nothing says “for better or for worse” like forcing your wedding guests to trek 60 miles to a ceremony deep in the jungle. While many people dream...

Confessions of PCT Thru-Hikers

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What really happens to you when you spend months trekking the Pacific Crest Trail? Getting tired and filthy is just the start of it. We talked to doze...

In Search of a Darker Night

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Artificial light makes it impossible for most people in North America to see the Milky Way. But we don’t have to live like this. As we learn more ab...

Summer Read: A Journey Across Iceland in Search of My Health

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Pam Houston traveled to the Nordic island nation to ride its unique breed of spirited horses, she wasn’t just after an adventure—she was urge...

When Yvon Chouinard Invites You to Go Surfing

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You say yes, of course. But what about those other wild opportunities that you’re not so sure about? In this episode, we talk to athletes and advent...

Summer Read: A Murder on the Appalachian Trail

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America’s most classic hiking route is generally a safe place for an adventure. But not always. Since 1974, there have been 13 murders on the trail....

For the Love of Summer Camp

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When your most cherished childhood experience becomes impossible for your own kids, there’s only one choice: recreate it for them yourself. That’s...

Summer Read: Walking the Haunted Past of the Mississippi Delta

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When W. Ralph Eubanks began exploring his family’s homeland, he fell in love with it—and came to understand how this troubled part of the state ga...

Is AI the Weekend Adventurer’s New Best Friend?

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Backpacker editor Zoe Gates sets off to discover if chatbots are the solution to our trip-planning woes. Preparing for wilderness excursions can be fr...

Summer Read: An Obsessive Quest to See 10,000 Bird Species

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are passionate birders and then there’s Peter Kaestner, whose devotion has him traveling the globe in pursuit of the ultimate record. Fewer th...

The Joy of the Very Short Adventure

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After years of pushing himself to go as big and far as he could, Alastair Humphreys realized that the most valuable trips we take are usually the ones...

Summer Read: What Heatstroke Really Feels Like

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Your head is pounding, your muscles are cramping, and your heart is racing. And that’s just the start of it. Heatstroke kills thousands of people ev...

A Wild Ride on the Pony Express

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to know what it was like to travel this legendary trail, there’s only one way: get on a horse and follow all 2,000 miles of it. That’s...

What Science Tells Us About the Power of Awe

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Studies show that astonishing experiences in nature can have life-changing benefits, and that even small everyday doses of time outdoors can have imme...

William Shatner’s Enduring Love for Planet Earth

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The actor’s flight into space in 2021 left him with an urgent desire to make us aware of the fragility of our home—a feeling that has yet to fade...

Dave Eggers Is 99 Percent Animal

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a reason the acclaimed author wrote his latest book in the voice of a dog: it enabled him to run free all over an imagined seaside park. Egg...

A Foolhardy Attempt to See an Eclipse from the Top of the Andes

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When veteran climber Mark Jenkins came up with a plan to witness a solar spectacle from the summit of a 20,000-foot peak, he had little idea what he w...

The Real Lives of Wildland Firefighters

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working the front lines of America’s wildfires is a difficult and dangerous job, but that doesn’t mean everyone who signs up is chasing adventure....

Bill McKibben on the Next Phase of Climate Activism

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As America continues to grapple with political uncertainty and an uneasy relationship with the planet, the author and environmentalist makes the case ...

The Love Story That Saved 15 Million Acres in Patagonia

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s new film, ‘Wild Life,’ captures the saga of Doug and Kristine Tompkins, whose devotion to conservatio...

Inside a Sinking Submarine

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Among the world’s harrowing marine survival stories, the strangest might be a crew’s escape from one of the earliest submarines. It was 1851, and ...

Finding Magic in the Night Sky

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You don’t have to be an astrology buff to believe that the moon and stars have a special kind of power in our lives. Talk to almost anyone who’s s...

The Storm That Changed Everything

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When the largest tornado ever recorded touched down in central Oklahoma, amateur storm chasers, professional meteorologists, and thrill seekers were e...

Why We Hold On to the Climbing Gym

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How have these indoor spaces have become hubs for the outdoor community? Over the last four decades, climbing has gone from a countercultural activity...

A Bold Rescue on a Moab Cliff

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When a BASE jumper slammed into a red-rock tower and his parachute snagged on a ledge, there was only one way to save his life: go up and get him. Tha...

The Best Worst Accidents

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some experiences are unforgettable for both very bad and very good reasons. A violent car wreck that ends up putting you on a path to the summit of Mo...

So, a Comedian Walks Into the Woods ...

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In her podcast, FOGO: Fear of Going Outside, Ivy Le takes on the great outdoors—very, very reluctantly. The result is a lot of jokes about poop, ick...

A Foolhardy Quest for the Holy Grail of Fly-Fishing

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chasing the elusive permit fish is an exhausting endeavor for the most seasoned anglers. So why would a total newbie even try? That was the question f...

What We Get—and Don’t—from Adventuring Alone

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Challenging solo trips can be immensely rewarding. Just ask competitive bikepackers, who ride grueling courses through the backcountry carrying everyt...

Just Try Not to Breathe

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s no more difficult or uncomfortable physical challenge than holding your breath underwater for an extended period. Which is why the Air Force...

A Race to Save His Dying Friend

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Scott Pirsig’s close friend Bob Sturtz suffered a stroke deep in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, Pirsig had no choice but to leave him in the wi...

What You Learn During Seven Hours on a Ski Lift

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we keep skiing, despite the crowds, the cost, and the unpredictable conditions? Spend an entire day on a chairlift and you’ll find out. Outsi...

To Save the Soul of a Mountain Town

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In Aspen, Colorado, and other alpine communities, the future depends on making sure the weirdos and oddballs are still welcome. That’s what gets con...

Why Skier Angel Collinson Quit at the Peak of Her Career

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

She was one of the world’s best big-mountain freeskiers—and then, suddenly, she decided she was done. Angel Collinson’s announcement shocked the...

When Cody Townsend Let Go of His Ego

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For an episode of our new podcast, The Daily Rally, the professional skier talks about learning to get out of his own way while on an expedition in Al...

A Wild Mission to Visit Every National Park in One Year

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Pennington wanted to see it all. But life on the road was fiercer than she ever imagined. After almost half a decade of planning a cross-country...

How Psychedelics Helped a Paralyzed Athlete Walk Again

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After suffering a brutal accident while on a kite-skiing expedition in Patagonia, Jim Harris’s painstaking recovery took a sudden leap forward when ...

A Vegetarian Runner’s Quest to Become a Meat Eater

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Endurance athlete Mallory Arnold was struggling with extreme fatigue when her coach made an unexpected suggestion: start eating meat again. Arnold, 26...

An Exhilarating Dip in the Bone-Chilling Sea

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For a community of hardy souls in Maine, there’s no better way to feel fully alive in winter than immersing yourself in the frigid Atlantic. Yes, th...

The Messy Reality of Forming New Habits

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Figuring out how to get better sleep and more excise and is hard—which is why we tried out some new programs for you. Every year, Outside reporter...

Why Cold Pizza Is (and Isn’t) the Perfect Ski Snack

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever seen a skier pull a hot dog out of a jacket pocket while on a chairlift or devour a towering plate of nachos back at the lodge, you k...

Holiday Adventures Gone Wrong

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Escaping the craziness of the season to head into the wild can sound amazing—right up until that overnight snowstorm crushes your tent. Because whil...

The Real Magic We See in the Northern Lights

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Witnessing the Aurora Borealis can feel like you’re glimpsing another world. For some people, that’s exactly what’s happening. Photographer Hugo...

What Happens to Drivers Who Hit Cyclists

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Talk to the victims of crashes and their families, and they’ll tell you: when a motor vehicle injures or kills a bicyclist, the American justice sys...

Weekend Read: The Supposed Dream Life of a Ski Patroller

26 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Racing around a mountain resort to aid injured skiers sounds like the ultimate adventure job. But with housing and other costs soaring, getting paid i...

Weekend Read: The Adventures of a Pony Named Legend

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

He was born to a herd of wild horses on an island off Virginia and found his way into the heart of a little girl on the dusty trails of the Southwest....

What it Takes to Survive a Winter War

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Ukraine prepares for months of frigid conflict with Russia, its troops might look to another nation that held its own against the Red Army in the c...

Weekend Read: An SOS from the Middle of the Ocean

12 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Carr was halfway across the Pacific, alone on a 36-foot yacht, when he began sending frantic alerts that he was being kidnapped by pirates. Th...

Humanity’s Most Confounding Survival Epic

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

People encounter all kinds of threats in the natural world, but a virus presents an especially ominous challenge, as Outside contributing editor David...

Weekend Read: The Obsessive Dedication of the World’s Greatest Rock Skipper

05 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kurt Steiner has spent his life skipping stones, developing a technique to produce throws that defy the laws of physics. Ask him why he’s committed ...

Bear Grylls Wants to Talk About Your Mental Health

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The exuberant king of survival TV insists that our wild adventures are about more than just chasing fun—they can help get us through the struggles o...

He Fought a Bear with a Pocketknife

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alone in the wilderness, facing a grizzly that was determined to kill him, Colin Dowler had only one option: fight for his life. The 44-year-old had ...

A Perilous Chase on the Open Sea

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It began in the waters off Antarctica: a crew of eco-vigilantes found the illegal fishing ship they’d been hunting. It wouldn’t end for some 10,00...

What I Learned About Survival and Motherhood from Two Lambs

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Farmers aren’t supposed to get emotionally attached to their livestock. But when you suddenly find yourself caring for two newborn sheep, these thin...

Paralyzed by a Scorpion in the Grand Canyon

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When a rafter was stung by a scorpion, she assumed she’d be fine. Within hours she lost her ability to see or speak clearly. It was the beginning o...

The Unshakeable Spirit of the World’s Greatest Surfer

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John John Florence has remarkable physical talents, but his greatest asset as an athlete might be his enduring positive attitude. The 29-year-old is o...

Why You Can’t Stop Watching Survival TV

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a reason that reality shows set in wild places hold our attention: we can’t help but imagine that it’s us out there. This is especially...

Why Outdoor Sports Make You Cry

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Spoiler alert: It’s not because you’re a wuss. Adults rarely cry because of pain or physical discomfort, so why do so many of us cry during outdoo...

Why Outdoor Adventures Make You Crave a Giant, Juicy Burger

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a reason a strenuous outing makes you desire a greasy mound of meat: it has a lot of what your body needs. This we learned from talking to s...

Summer Read: They Chose Death over Life Apart

20 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric and Pam Bealer were living in a cabin in rugged coastal Alaska when they made a dramatic decision: they would exit the world together. Pam was su...

The Obsessives Who Hunted Forrest Fenn’s Treasure

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When retired art dealer Forrest Fenn hid a million dollars’ worth of gold in the Rocky Mountains, he sent thousands of people on a desperate journey...

Summer Read: My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Dream Job

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For Caitlin Giddings, leading cross-country bike tours was supposed to be the ultimate escape from the monotony of normal life. Instead it was a kind ...

How Viggo Mortensen Became a Cave-Diving Legend

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To portray the hero of the Thai cave rescue in the new film Thirteen Lives, the Hollywood star had to go deep—literally. Mortensen plays the part o...

Summer Read: A Mount Hood Tragedy We’ll Never Forget

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A group of high school sophomores set off on what was supposed to be a grand climb. Instead, it became one of the deadliest alpine disasters in North ...

A Frantic Escape from a Wildfire

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greg and Julie Welch were relaxing at their campsite in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in August, 2011, when a tiny fire in a nea...

Summer Read: Testing Love on the Open Sea

30 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Can a relationship survive a grand adventure? That was the big question hanging over two novice sailors as they set out on a voyage off the coast of N...

A Bold New Way to Poop in the Outdoors

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Long-standing rules for how we do our business in the wilderness are changing in a very big way—and it’s about time. For decades we’ve been taug...

Summer Read: A Little Boy Lost in the Woods

23 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Cody Sheehy was six years old, he disappeared into the wilderness of northeast Oregon. Now, more than three decades later, he insists that the ha...

Bad Decisions, Good Stories

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Presenting three delightful tales of adventures gone very, very wrong. Because when the weather turns, your gear breaks, you get lost, or you simply r...

Summer Read: The Sinking of the ‘Henrietta C.’

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A father and son working a crab boat in Chesapeake Bay were caught in a rising storm when they realized that something was very wrong: water was comin...

How I Met Your Motherland

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For his new PBS show, America Outdoors, comedian and activist Baratunde Thurston connects us to our natural environments through the most interesting ...

What it Feels Like to Fight a Wildfire

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As an out-of-control blaze approached their home, a couple made what seems like a crazy choice: they ignored evacuation orders and stood their ground....

Jack Johnson Reaches for Hope

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On his first album in five years, the singer-songwriter brings us a collection of heartfelt tracks that offer warmth and comfort when we really need i...

How Blockchain Technology Can Get Us Outside

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amid all the noise surrounding Web3, something fascinating is emerging: a new kind of immersive adventure storytelling. An innovative effort is underw...

Swimming for Your Life in the Open Ocean

11 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After two young pilots crashed their small plane into the water off Hawaii, they realized their best hope for survival was to make it back to land on ...

How We Find Love in Wild Places

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is there something about adventure and risk that opens our hearts? Absolutely. In this episode, created in concert with an Outside article about love ...

A Thriller from the Death Zone

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Amy McCulloch was a young adventurer looking to challenge herself when she set her sights on 26,781-foot Manaslu, in the Himalayas. On a guided...