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 BRANDED CONTENT

Clockwise from
top le: Going
le at Uluwatu,
Bali; Doing
an extended-
hand-to-big-toe
pose in his
new signature
Rainbow
Sandals; His
first time back
at Indonesias
famous G-Land
break in 20
years.

e Longest Wave
From big-wave pioneer to movie star to
award-winning shaper, Gerry Lopez is
one of the most influential surfers on the
planet. His secret weapon? Yoga.
GERRY LOPEZS COME-TO-YOGA MOMENT
happened thanks to a note tacked to a bulletin
board and the beautiful women whod gathered
around to read it. It was 1968, and Lopez, a
20-year-old student at the University of Hawaii,
feigned interest in the note and asked the
women what was up.
Its for a yoga class! one of the girls beamed.
Were going! said another.
Arent you? asked a third.
Oh, yeah, Im going, Lopez recalls saying.
So he signed up, bought a copy of The
Complete Illustrated Book of
Ive Yoga and went.
waves. Oahus fabled Banzai
Pipeline, where waves the
size of hotels explode on a
shallow limestone reef, was
long considered too dangerous
to ride until Lopez and his
cohorts came along and
showed that not only was
it possible to ride them but
that it could be done with
creativity. And no one did it
with more casual, confident,
and graceful style than Lopez.
Lopezs journey began
very interested in board
shapes and helped launch the
highly coveted Lightning Bolt
brand of surfboards in the
1970s, kickstarting a passion
for shaping some of the most
innovative boards on the
planet.
These days he splits his
time between southern Baja
and Bend, Oregon, where he
still shapes surfboards in a
secret shop on the northeast
side of town and snowboards
at Mount Bachelor as much
as possible. For seven years
now hes organized the
on a mat overlooking the
Cascades. Sometimes hes at it
for an hour; other times hes at
it for four. Hes been through
numerous copies of that
illustrated guide, the one he
first purchased in 1968.
Ive always believed that
yoga comes to people exactly
when its supposed to, he says.
There are so many things to
learn and understand about
yourself and life in general. That
education has never ceased.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEF T: CHRIS PEEL, PAT HUBER, JASON CHILDS

I was there more to see in Hawaii, where he grew Big Wave Challenge there,
always the girls, he says, but when up surfing at places like Ala where groomers build snow
believed I saw how the instructor Moana. By 14 he was the states features to look like waves
that yoga moved, like she was water junior surfing champion, and contestants ride them as
comes to running down a streamso and by 24 he was winning if they are. Hes also writing
people strong and flexible and contests at Pipeline. Along a book about everything
exactly completely at peaceI the way, he appeared in the hes gleaned from surfing INTRODUCTING
thought, holy cow, if thats surf classic Big Wednesday and yoga, to be published THE HOLOHOLO
when its what yoga is about, Im in. and dabbled in Hollywood sometime next year by Gerry Lopez has been
supposed The experience ended as Subotai in Conan the Patagonia Books. Come an ambassador and friend
to. up changing his life. Lopez, Barbarian and as himself in summer, you can find him of Rainbow Sandals for
now 68, went on to become Baywatch, the movie. Widely playing on an artificial wave over 40 years. Look for
one of surfings most recognized as the best tube on the Deschutes River in the his new signature sandal
influential athletes. Surfing rider in the world, he became citys new whitewater park called the Holoholo at
at a high level requires both strength and an influential pioneer in surf or making road trips to catch www.RainbowSandals.com
mental toughness, and Lopez says his lifelong exploration and was part of swells on the coast.
dedication to yoga allowed him to remain fluid the group that first surfed As he has for the past 50
and relaxed while deep in the hostile, frothing now-legendary breaks in Bali years, he still practices yoga
barrels of some of the planets most unforgiving and Indonesia. He also became every day, usually at home
 +

GERRY LOPEZ
PIPELINE MASTER & YOGI GURU

REPAIR REUSE RECYCLE

Our commitment doesnt end when you leave the store. Since 1974, we have repaired and
reused over 400,000 sandals that are donated to needy feet around the world. Our goal is to
help those in need and stop broken sandals from going to a landfill and polluting our oceans.

Dear Rainbow Family,

I designed the Holoholo to go out, have a

good time, and live with Aloha. Its truncated
domes stimulate the nerve endings, energy
channels, and pressure points that start and
end in your feet and toes. Wearing these
sandals is like a foot massage.

HOLOHOLO Enjoy,
TO GO OUT AND HAVE A GOOD TIME

W W W. R A I N B O W S A N D A L S .C O M
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05162017162140 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Hitch up. Head out. Go big. Adventure is so much closer than you think.
 CONTENTS O U T S I D E M AG A Z I N E


DESTINATIONS SPECIAL:
& )7 883;27
Brought to
You by the
Committee for
Better Living
For the past five years,
youve chosen our list of
the best adventure towns.
This time we assembled
a council of experts to
help us round up the 25
greatest places in America
for raising kids, landing
trout, commuting by bike,
drinking craft beer, and
putting together the kind
of diverse and welcoming
community that makes
a place thrive. BY JACOB
BAYNHAM AND MEGAN
MICHELSON
PLUS: Eight dream spots,
from Aspen to Atlanta,
hatching big ideas.

Did Airbnb
Kill the
Mountain
Town?
It was hard enough
living the dream in the
Wests most scenic
hamlets before seemingly
every other home was
turned into a holiday
rental. Now teachers and
firemen are being forced
out. But some locals say
the money they get from
short-term rentals is
all thats keeping them
afloat. TOM VANDERBILT
weekends in Crested
Butte, Colorado, to get
at the truth.

Into
the Wyld
On the crowdfunding
site Kickstarter, the three
most popular product
Uphill. launches have involved
Downhill. outdoor gear. But as the
I Like That. women behind the web-
With his fondness for site Wylder Goods are
IHOP, muscle cars, and finding, that initial boost
one-handed wheelies, is just the first step. What
Slovakian cyclist Peter will it take to make an
Sagan is bringing a little upstart women-oriented
joie de vivre back to a gear e-tailer thrive?
sport in desperate need. BY GORDY MEGROZ
BY BILL GIFFORD

6 Outside  COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY Joo Canziani THIS PAGE BY Brian Guido

0717_TOC_rlsd.indd 6 5/16/17 3:27 PM

05162017161655 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
2017 FCA US LLC. All Rights Reserved. Jeep is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC.
 F I N D YO U R
TRUE NORTH
YO U R A L L N E W 2 0 1 7 C O M PA S S
 CONTENTS
.YWXEWIG
Im freaking
SYXEGXYEPP]
ALEX HONNOLD, FROM
THE DOCUMENTARY ALONE
ON THE WALL, PAGE 27
 
Dispatches
First Look: A new crop
of long-distance trekking
routes take through-
hiking international.
Tech: Smartphones
conquer the backyard
barbecue.
Icon: Free soloist Alex
Honnold credits his
mental armor for getting
him up big walls.
Eats: Three surfer broth-
ers are whipping up the
healthiest drinks on Oahu.
Media: Outdoor detec-
tive yarns for summer
hammock reading.
Drawing Board:
A high-tech effort by
mountaineering scientists
10 Outside 
0717_TOC_rlsd.indd 10
to drill, study, and preserve
glacial ice cores.
In Memoriam: Ueli Steck,
19762017
 womens trail runners
Bodywork
In the Lead: New findings
in brain science suggest a
powerful tool for athletic
performanceprayer.
Fuel: The nutrient-dense
smoothies that make pro
athletes run.
Moves: Training tips from
Tour de France riders.
Performance Enhancer:
Ultrarunner Jim Walmsley
goes the distance with
donuts, pizza, and a lot
of shuffling.
05172017150659

37
47
44 48
46
JEN JUDGE/MODERN GENERAL; INGA HENDRICKSON; LEAH WOODRUFF
Essentials CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JIMMY CHIN; HANNAH MCCAUGHEY (2);
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Electric Bikes:
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mute. Plus: the clothes
and tools to take you 12 Exposure
from saddle to desk 16 Between the Lines
and back again. 96 Parting Shot

ON THE COVER: Styling by Jardine
Style Hammond. Hair and makeup by Bad Ass
Summertime calls Makeup. On Lauren: Jumper by Gap. On
for the perfect pair of Jesse: Windbreaker by Uniqlo; T-shirt by
shades and shoes. Saturdays NYC; shorts by J.Crew.
5/17/17 2:17 PM
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 EXPOSURE

Donica Shouse
One morning last January,
Shouse and her husband,
Abraham, swam into the
water off the west coast of
the Big Island of Hawaii
with a hydrofoil board
and a camera. The couple,
who own an adventure-
production company on
the island, employed an old
trick to attract marine life:
placing Hawaiian ti leaves,
which are used to make
hula skirts, on the boards
strut. Minutes later, a
pod of spinner dolphins
appeared to investigate.
Shouse captured Abra-
ham on the board as they
approached and began to
play with the leaves. The
dolphins were very curi-
ous, Abraham says. Id
never seen them surround
us like that before.

THE TOOLS: Canon EOS

5D Mark II, 15mm lens, ISO
800, f/11, 1/1,250 second

12 Outside 07.17

0717_Exposure_PS_rlsd.indd 12 5/11/17 2:21 PM

05112017151304 Approved with warnings
 07.17 Outside 13

0717_Exposure_PS_rlsd.indd 13 5/11/17 2:21 PM

05112017151304 Approved with warnings
 EXPOSURE

14 Outside

0717_Exposure_PS_rlsd.indd 14 5/15/17 12:09 PM

05152017125757
 Jasper
Gibson
Gibson and a few
friends stopped at
Kolob Canyon in Zion
National Park last year
during a fall road trip
through the South-
west. They headed to
the 150-foot Namaste
Wall, one of the most
aesthetic climbing
areas there is, Gibson
says. While climber
Wade Watts prepared
to send the 5.12c
Huecos Rancheros
route, the 24-year-
old photographer
positioned himself
on the other side of
the 200-foot-wide
canyon, then captured
Watts about 30 feet
up the rock. I was
trying to bring in the
colors of the area,
he says. Theyre
so gorgeous.

THE TOOLS: Sony

A6000, 1650mm
f/3.55.6 lens,
ISO 1,000, f/5.6,
1/30 second

07.17 Outside 15

0717_Exposure_PS_rlsd.indd 15 5/11/17 2:21 PM

05112017151304 Approved with warnings
 BETWEEN the LINES feedback

but rather an engaged cit-

izenry constantly striving
to fix them. Shortly after
I moved to Santa Fe in
2000, a brand-new trail
system opened up, named
for Dale Ball, the local
visionary whod made
it happen. Santa Fe was
already a great place for
hikers, but Ball spent more
than a decade working
with the city, the county,
and private landowners
to link together undevel-
oped parcels of land in the
foothills bordering town.
Thanks to him, there are now 24 BEAR THE BURDEN
miles of trails, and many connect In April, Jon Billmans Leave No Trace,
with older paths that were previ- a look into the thousands who have gone
ously isolated from one another. missing on our public lands, spurred
The Best Get Better The result: you can run a weekend ultra- many conversations about who should
Theres no such thing as a perfect place to live. marathon without touching more than a few bear the cost of those search and rescue
I know this because Ive been lucky enough feet of pavement. operations.
to call home several of the places this maga- This year, in addition to highlighting some
zine has showcased over the years in our Best incredible places to live, were shining a light Losing a loved one that many adven-
Towns package (Brought to You by the Com- on similar ingenious initiatives taking place and then wonder- turers accept as
mittee for Better Living, page 48). I grew up across the country to make already great cit- ing if theyll ever integral to their
in Portland, Oregon (traffic issues), and after ies even better. You can find them in the Big be found is truly adrenaline-
college I resided in Austin, Texas (almost zero Ideas sidebars that run through our coverage. one of lifes great fueled activities.
public land), and Boulder, Colorado (they For example, theres a plan being hatched to tragedies, but it GREG
dont call it the Boulder Bubble for nothing). build 60 miles of unpaved bike trails in Port- seems your article CHAMPLIN
Eventually, I moved to Santa Fe, home to Out- land. In Austin, one of the nations fastest- Leave No Trace Littleton,
sides headquarters and the place I finally set growing cities, major efforts are under way omitted some Colorado
down roots to raise a family. Here, I can walk to promote urban farminga way to address important in-
my kids to school and still get in an hourlong the loss of surrounding farmland to urban formation about Be sure, should
trail run before work. (I could go on, but I dont sprawl. And then theres Detroit, a city that mitigating risk you go missing

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GRAYSON SCHAFFER; STEELE BURROW/TANDEM; JANCEE DUNN
want to steal the spotlight from our Santa Fe never seemed like a good candidate for our and helping fund in most places,
write-up.) Yet this city has its problems, too. list. There, native celebrities like Jack White search and rescue that the taxpayer
Namely: the cost of living is high, there arent and Dan Gilbert are trying to revitalize aban- efforts. Your isnt going to pay
a lot of jobs to retain young people, and the doned neighborhoods. When it comes to the readers should to send in the
public schools are chronically underfunded. nations best towns, maybe the Motor City purchase the National Guard
What Ive learned is that what makes a city isnt such a long shot after all. Colorado Outdoor or the Army

FROM TOP: GLENN ACKER; KAORU FUJIMOTO/ANYONE/GETTY; ERIN WILSON

worthy of being featured isnt a lack of flaws, CHRISTOPHER KEYES ( @KEYESER) Recreation Search Rangers. Even
and Rescue card if the Guard or
for $3, which the Rangers had
helps reimburse nothing better to
#Commitment local governments do, imposing that
When Tom Vanderbilt booked his trip to and volunteer kind of obliga-
Crested Butte, Colorado, to report on the SAR resources. tion on the public
debate over short-term vacation rentals in Commonsense would result in
idyllic getaways (Did Airbnb Kill the Moun- planning and the the rest of us
tain Town? page 68), he also signed up for use of GPS also being banned
his first ski lesson in three decades. So when lessen the risk from recreating
his flight from Denver to Gunnison was can-
celed because of bad weather, the New York
writer faced a choice. Either he could wait
until the next morning for another flight and
miss all that fresh powder, or he could roll the Facebook Comment
dice and try to drive through a strengthening
of the Month:
blizzard. The decision, he says, was easy. He Jeff Imperato
begged a clerk at the rental counter for a 4x4 This just proves what Ive always
known: Squid are jerks.
and went for it. When I got to Monarch Pass,
dozens of cars had pulled off to the side of Like Reply
the road, but I just rolled on, he says. I had April 20, 2017 at 12:24pm
Sigur Rs on the car stereo. It was surreal.

16 Outside 

0717_BTL_rlsd.indd 16 5/16/17 11:24 AM

05162017121512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 feedback
BETWEEN the LINES
in those areas. recognize that
Instead of asking your magazine
for a gargantuan often features
nanny, we should attractive people
celebrate the on the cover, LY

knowledge, skill, both male and

and commu- female, but Im
nity spirit of the used to context.
volunteers who With this cover
spend the time photo, I have the
and put their anonymous body
own lives at risk of a woman.
to help others. SAMANTHA
WALT READ LONGACRE
1982:
When Kathleen
Fresno, California Anchorage, McCartney
Alaska ruled Ironman.
DUE CREDIT
I was thrilled to Samantha, you
see the article werent the only
on Horseshoe one to point out
Hell, because my the lack of infor-
cousin Tanner mation about our
Merkle and his April cover sub-
friend Dalan ject. She is Cait
Faulkner, who are Miers, a talented
amateur climbers, professional pho-
won the 24-hour tographer from
elite division. But Australia whose
I was dismayed 2015 book Washed
when I realized Elegance cel-
that the entire ebrates womens
story focused on surf culture. In
last years win- the photo, shes
ners, who happen walking into the
to be sponsored waters near Espe- No Dope
by major brands rance, in Western For contributor Bill Gifford, setting up an 6 A.M.: Wake up.
and finished Australia. Her interview with Peter Sagan, pro cyclings 6:15 A.M.: One
eighth this year. Instagram caption current wonder kid, turned into a saga that 12-hour Sudafed;
You did include a for the shot was played out over months as the world cham- 600 milligrams
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GRAYSON SCHAFFER; STEELE BURROW/TANDEM; JANCEE DUNN

picture of Tanner Off to work. pions public relations handlers tried to find of ibuprofen.
but made no men- a gap in his hectic schedule ( Uphill. Down- 6:30 A.M.: Zicam
tion that he was TRAIL WARS hill. I Like That, page 76). So when Gifford zinc lozenge after
the winner. I think Youre dead caught the flu days before the big date, he was breakfast.
the two young wrong in your forced to commit one of sports journalisms 8 A.M.: Mucinex,
guns from Texas, stance against cardinal sins: going anywhere near an athlete
FROM TOP: GLENN ACKER; KAORU FUJIMOTO/ANYONE/GETTY; ERIN WILSON

Benadryl.
as you called allowing bikes while sick. If someone catches you sneezing, 9:45 A.M.: Another
them, deserve a into the wilder- its interview over, Gifford explains. Theyll 12-hour Sudafed.
lot more respect ness (5 Lies kick you out. Fearful of ruining Sagans sea- 10 A.M.: Double
than you gave Being Used to Get son (or getting caught), he figured he had just espresso.
them for win- Mountain Bikes in one option: doping. I went to a pharmacy 10:28 A.M.: Ricola
ning with a com- the Wilderness, and bought everything they had, he says. lozenges, hand
manding lead. online). Bikes do The cure might have been worse than the sanitizer.
DAVE MILLER not negatively illness, but I just needed to get through the 10:30 A.M.: Interview.
McKinney, Texas impact the wil- interview. Heres what his meds schedule 1 P.M.: Thai coconut
derness beyond looked like the morning he met with Sagan. soup and an IPA.
COVER FIRE needing a trail. If
Im disappointed we allow hiking
in your cover and horseback
photo for April. riding, we have outsideonline.com/traillife
Instead of focus- no grounds to
ing on the wom- limit biking. You
ans skill, sport, should be advo-
athleticism, or cating full access Online Exclusive
passion for the to all trails. Check out Outside Onlines new column Trail Life,
where youll find tips to help you explore Americas
outdoors, the JOSH CARR
favorite hiking trails and info to ensure you stay safe
photo is focused Nottingham,
from the essential gear every backpacker needs to the
on her body. I New Hampshire
growing danger of Lyme disease in the East to that curi-
ous old dude who leaves spoons for through-hikers.

0717_BTL_rlsd.indd 17 5/16/17 11:24 AM

05162017121512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 BETWEEN the LINES
Pop Quiz
A Pint For his feature
of on Wylder Goods
Truthiness (Into the Wyld,
To help select this page 82), the
years Best Towns worlds first
list (page 48), we put outdoor-gear
together a council e-tailer catering
that includes three specifically to
outdoor-recreation women, which
advocates and launched with
brewmaster Ron the help of a
Jeffries of Jolly 2016 Kickstarter
Pumpkin Artisan campaign,
Ales. Why? Thats correspondent
exactly what we Gordy Megroz
asked articles editor took a deep look
Jonah Ogles, who Brewmaster at crowdfunded
oversaw the project. Ron Jeffries companies. After
I admit Im a little perusing a num-
obsessed with Jolly ber of startup
Pumpkin beer and But he insists there ies, Ogles notes. He campaigns on
have been looking are valid reasons for SUPs, he longboards, various online
for a way to get Ron having the beer- he loves dogs, and platforms, his
in the magazine for maker on the coun- he brews great beer. inbox became
years, says Ogles, cil. Ron travels all He knows the places flooded with
who, like Jeffries, is over to collaborate where Outside read- fundraising
a Michigan native. with other brewer- ers want to live. drives for new
products, many
of which seemed
too absurd to
Is This Thing On? be genuine. Can
Theres no debate about who has the best jobs among Outside you tell which are
staff: its our video team. In recent months, their assignments have real and which
included campouts, cross-country road trips, and (naturally) film we made up?
festivals. Weve gotten tired of hearing about their work when
they return to the office, which is why this month we decided to 1)
present a few examples of their most common technical blooper: THE LEGS
the unintended selfie. Apparently, this happens all the time in the JACKET
field, but really, how hard is it to not shoot yourself? Zip it like a regu-
lar jacket, but on
a. I definitely didnt look through 20 other options to find one your legs.
with a flattering angle.
MARIE SULLIVAN, associate video producer 2)
MEAT SOAP
b. This wasnt even the most embarrassing thing that happened We want to
on that trip. The next day, I sat on a cactus. change your
BRYAN ROGALA, video production manager mind about what
clean means
c. This was staged. They usually dont let me touch the cameras. with our collec-
MITCH BRETON, video production curator tion of meat-
scented soaps!
a b
3)
SEATYLOCK
A bicycle saddle
that quickly
transforms into a
three-foot-long
bicycle lock.
TYLER MALONE/JESTER KING

c 4)
SQEEGEE
Recover
quicker with our
patent-pending
foam-roller water
bottle.

ANSWERS: 1) Real. 2) Real. 3) Real. 4) Fake.

18 Outside 

0717_BTL_rlsd.indd 18 5/15/17 2:17 PM

05152017150717 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 BETWEEN the LINES
Its less about believing in the right
thingJesus, Allah, or the Flying
Spaghetti monsterthan it is about
believing in something.
&6%2(3272))(4%+)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JULIA STOTZ; DANA ALLEN/WILDERNESS SAFARIS (3); K. THOROGOOD/OUTSIDE TELEVISION
Go With Us
Located in the
heart of the Oka-
vango Delta, Tubu
Tree Camp is one
Back
ck in the Sa
Saddle of Botswanas best
For photographer
hotographer Brian Guidos
G first Outside assignment, a profile jumping-off points
orld-champion cyclis
of world-champion cyclist Peter Sagan (Uphill. Downhill. I Like for getting close to
That, page 76), our photo editors had a simple request: no awkward nature. A Unesco
posedd bike shots. That did
didnt turn out to be a problem. Sagan was World Heritage Site,
born to ride, says Guido, who had the former mountain biker popping the delta is home to
lies and riding atop w
wheelies walls. Watching his personality change as some of the planets
soon as he got in the saddle
sadd was the coolest part. It totally lit him up. most at-risk mam-
mals, including
black and white rhi-
What Were nos, lions, cheetahs,
Watching and nearly 130,000
This month, tune elephants. Explore
in to Outside the floodplain in
traditional mokoro
Televisions new
canoes, listen as
original series Over your safari guides
the Horizon, and regale you with local
join adventurer and lore, and watch for
professional diver the areas famous
Ellis Emmett as he leopards and other
sets out from his wildlife from the
native New Zealand camps open-air bar,
to circumnavigate which is raised high
the globe in his 49- above the delta floor.
foot sailboat, the Book your trip at
Rory Mhor. outsidego.com.

20 Outside 

0717_BTL_rlsd.indd 20 5/16/17 11:24 AM

05162017121512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Who says it takes more to satisfy us these days?

Out here, it doesnt take much.

Parted streams over polished rocks.

Ambiance built on quiet waters and a quiet mind.

Get the guide at Colorado.com

 DISPATCH

Scouting a
proposed
section of the
Transcaucasian
Trail in central
Armenia

22 Outside  PHOTOGRAPH BY Dave Katz

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 22 5/16/17 11:50 AM

05162017124143 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
HE
HES NEWS
<
F R O M

FIELD
T H E

F I R S T LO O K
Ramble On
INSPIRED BY ICONIC AMERICAN LONG TRAILS,
A NEW GENERATION OF PIONEERS ARE CREATING
PATHS FOR HIKERS AND BIKERS THE WORLD OVER
by Charles Bethea

IN 2010, AMERICAN Paul Stephens was working for USAID in

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgiaa country roughly the size of South
Carolinawhere he had originally traveled to volunteer for the Peace
Corps. In between helping with the agencys poverty and education
initiatives, he explored the nearby Caucasus range on foot.
There are lots of peaks above 4,000 meters and dense forests,
says Stephens, now 35. Western Georgia is like the Pacific Northwest,
but with ancient villages, defense towers, and churches on the moun-
tainside. During one excursion, he came across a few intrepid Eastern
European trekkers attempting to cross the countrys 800-mile swath
of untracked mountains and forest.
It just got me thinking, he says. So I started looking at the map.
Years earlier hed hiked much of the Virginia section of the Appalachian
Trail, along with the Great Smoky Mountains farther south.
I was inspired knowing you could keep going for weeks or months,
Stephens adds. It gets your imagination going and gives you a sense
of freedom. Theres also something about actually getting somewhere
continued >

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 23 5/16/17 11:50 AM

05162017124113
 DISPATCHES
Trail work
in western
Georgia

A sandy
section of
the Baja
Divide

St. Catherines
Monastery and
Mount Sinai,
in Egypt

on foot, somewhere far away, not Cabo. The two endurance-biking

just hiking in a circle. If there was
a long trail across the Caucasus,
he thought, you could walk it in
maybe three months.
In the summer of 2015, Ste-
phens and a Peace Corps buddy
began sketching a route through
Georgia, Armenia, and Azer-
baijan from the Black Sea to the
Caspian Sea, mostly through
national parks, for the Transcau-
casian Trail.
Long trails are exploding in
popularity, thanks in part to
recent blockbuster films like
Wild and A Walk in the Woods.
A thousand hikers now traverse
the entire 2,189 miles of the Ap-
palachian Trail between Georgia
and Maine each year, up from 575
in 2008, and nearly three mil-
lion more travel some portion of
the route. That kind of growth is
stalwarts had ridden the Great
Divide Mountain Bike Route, the
Colorado Trail, and the Arizona
Trail. After their second trip
down the Baja peninsula, they
knew they wanted to share the
experience with others. Their line
snakes through old mission sites
and backcountry desert. In the
Valle de los Cirios, ancient cirios
trees lean and curl, Carman says,
in Seussian fashion. During
the first season last winter, 250
attempted the route.
Most ambitious of all is an in- Walk This Way
The beta on the newest long trails
formal network in Chile called
the Greater Patagonian Trail. It THE SINAI TRAIL sandy, rocky, and slow tive at this point, but
consists, says Jan Dudeck, the Completed in 2015; going. The longest the hope is that the
German responsible for mapping 140 miles stretch without food finished trail will cater
much of it, of trails, roads, and Route: From the Gulf and water is 126 miles. to through-hikers
cross-country routes that were of Aqaba to the top The whole thing takes with homestays and
simply not made for hikers. of Mount Catherine, an average bikepacker easy purchase of sim-
Egypts 8,625-foot about six weeks. ple foods like bread,
Beginning in Santiago, the GPT high point. Payoff: The Gulf cheese, and fruit.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: TOM ALLEN; ASCENT/GETTY; NICHOLAS CARMAN

spreading internationally. crisscrosses an 1,150-mile stretch Difficulty: 4/10. A of California all to
In late 2015, Englishman Ben of land between the semidesert of through-hike can yourself. THE GREATER
Hoffler helped complete the Sinai the Precordillera and the giant gla- be completed in less Logistics: Youll PATAGONIAN
Trail in Egypt, which connects ciers of the Southern Patagonian than two weeks. pass busy highway TRAIL
Payoff: Biblical. You towns, remote fishing Perpetually incom-
140 miles of tribal footpaths from Ice Field. Through-hiking it in- climb Mount Sinai, villages, roadhouses, plete; currently more
the Gulf of Aqaba with the top volves trespassing, pack-rafting, where many believe and missionsmost than 7,500 miles
of 8,625-foot Mount Catherine. and backtracking. In short: dont Moses received the of which allow for Route: From San-
After the trails maiden through- expect any trail angels. Its more Ten Commandments. efficient resupplying tiago, Chile, to Tierra
hike a year later, the British Guild of a discovery trail than a hiking Logistics: Water is and resting. del Fuego.
scarce, and you wont Difficulty: 10/10.
of Travel Writers named it one trail, insists Dudeck, who has come upon any towns, THE TRANSCAU- The creator of the
of the worlds best new tourism done much of it. so hire a trained Bed- CASIAN TRAIL GPT isnt sure that
projects. The GPT may never be fin- ouin guide, who will About 25 percent finishing it is
Among the goals of the trail is to ished, but Stephenss Transcau- bring pack camels complete; currently possible, because
change perceptions of a chron- casian Trail should be done within and everything else about 400 miles the route is always
ically misunderstood region, eight years. Recently, he secured you need. Route: Along the changing and ex-
Caucasus range in panding. No one
says Hoffler, who has hiked por- grants and volunteers to work on THE BAJA DIVIDE Georgia, Armenia, monitors or main-
tions of long trails in the Cana- sections in Svaneti, Georgia, and Completed in 2015; and Azerbaijan. tains the trail, which
dian Rockies and plans to do Armenias Dilijan National Park 1,700 miles Difficulty: 5/10. involves trekking
chunks of the Pacific Crest Trail. this summer. Route: From San Hikers climb up over private property.
Mexico could also use an im- Now that were starting, says Diego to San Jos del to 10,000 feet and Payoff: A stunning
Cabo, Baja California descend into medie- range of environ-
age upgrade, but thats not why Stephens, I meet these Georgians Sur, Mexico. val villages. ments, from deserts
Alaskans Nicholas Carman and who were mountaineers back in Difficulty: 7/10. The Payoff: Broad green and glaciers to forests
Lael Wilcox stitched together the the seventies and they say, My trails vehicle-width meadows and narrow and volcanoes.
1,700-mile Baja Divide trail be- friends and I always dreamed of tracks are roomy, sure, alpine passes. Logistics: Youre on
tween San Diego and San Jos del walking across the Caucasus. O but the terrain can be Logistics: Specula- your own.

24 Outside 

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 24 5/16/17 9:33 AM

05162017102337 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 Energizing
adventure in
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the National Parks
Conservation
Association.

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 DISPATCHES

Coolest Cooler $450

A 55-quart, battery-powered
behemoth with a wireless
speaker, a USB charger, inter-
nal lighting, a bottle opener, a
cutting board, andno joke
a full-size blender? Damn right.
Because Lord knows youre
not going back inside for any
of those things.
e
a. Celluon PicoBit
projector $429
Screen movies on any
surface. The five-inch
HD PicoBit syncs with
your phone and has c. Bose SoundLink bar. Vacuum sealed
enough battery power Revolve speaker $200 and pressurized, the
to accommodate indul- Boses latest Bluetooth 128-ounce copper
a gent summer CGI fests. box radiates your tunes UKeg keeps your IPA
360 degrees. Its also a carbonated and fresh
b. BioLite SiteLight good listener: a built-in for weeks.
Mini string lights $20 mic lets you talk to Siri
You want enough illu- and other voice-activated e. Primus Kamoto
mination to see without software on your phone. OpenFire Pit $164
achieving a floodlight This 21-inch-tall steel
effect. For the perfect d. GrowlerWerks UKeg grate folds flat and lets
balance, daisy-chain 128 $257 you set up a campfire
b several ten-foot Site- This bit of steampunk anywhere. Wind guards
Lights together and ingenuity is a handheld and air vents make
control the intensity version of the commer- getting the fire roaring
from your phone. cial keg at your favorite quick and easy.

Lynx SmartGrill
d barbecue $10,359
The Tesla of barbecues.
With enough real estate to
satiate a block party and
an honest-to-God rotis-
serie, this propane-fueled
wonder can be run from
your smartphone or via
voice commands.

TECH
Rise of the
Machines
WITH ADVANCED
USED TO BE grilling was a dark art. The coals had to be just so, the sauce made from a recipe handed down
GADGETS AND through the generations. It made for good eats, but it was time-consuming and, frankly, a little intimi-
CONNECTIVITY, THE dating. Like most everything else, however, tech is making it easier. Nowadays, says Max Good, owner of
AUGUST IMAGE

BACKYARD BARBECUE Black Swan, which produces a line of premium sauces, you can throw some meat on the grill and check the
HAS ENTERED THE temp with your phone. Indeed, a host of new devicesnot to mention Bluetooth everythingallow you to
78')2896= orchestrate an entire Fourth of July cookout from your deck chair: set the lighting, mix the tunes, light up a
by David Ferry cozy firepit, even operate the cue. Heres a look at whats outfitting this summers high-tech patio parties.

26 Outside  PHOTOGRAPH BY Leah Woodruff

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 26 5/16/17 11:50 AM

05162017124143 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 Alex Honnold
FOR OUTSIDE78,
ANNIVERSARY, WERE
*)%896-2+4)340);,3
',%2+)(396;360(
THIS MONTH, WE LOOK AT
A CLIMBER WHO MAKES
3964%0177;)%8
by Grayson Schaffer

WHEN ALEX HONNOLD free-solos,

climbing unroped, he has pretty limited
options for retreat. Hes either got to climb
up to the top or, maybe in a pinch, back down
to the bottom or onto a ledge to await rescue.
So far he hasnt encountered any trouble he
couldnt get out of by himself.
For anybody whos ever climbed, whether
at a gym or on a local crag, the idea that you
could go year after year, soloing routes as long
as 2,500 feet and as difficult as 5.13, without
ever falling would require magical thinking.
Honnolds continued solo-climbing practice
has caused his friends to wonder whether his
brain is wired differently, or whether hes got
a streak of pathological focus.
A few years ago, I accompanied Honnold,
who is now 31, on a North Face speaking tour,
where we discussed risk. His position on the
topic is almost Vulcan: high consequence
is not the same as grave danger. Somehow
his mind is capable of rationally separating
danger from fear in situations that for the
rest of us would induce panic, palm sweats,
and sewing-machine leg.
During that speaking tour, the prospect
of seeing Honnold packed auditoriums. He
is part unassuming rock star and part circus
oddity. Some of that reputation is thanks to a
2011 broadcast of 60 Minutes that thrust him
into the mainstream. (It also had climbers in
hysterics over correspondent Lara Logans flooded in. While filming the 2009 docu- pulled himself up over the edge said, Hes
innuendo-laced fascination with Honnolds mentary Alone on the Wall, Honnold had a stupid, but impressive nevertheless.
large hands and whether or not they can fit similar freakout while the cameras Lately, Honnold has been
in small cracks.) His household fame reached rolled. He stands there on Thank spending more time climbing with
a new zenith in 2015, when he was the sub- God Ledge, a twelve-inch-wide OUTSIDES a rope. In 2014, he teamed up with

4
TH

ject of a New Yorker cartoon.
But beyond the spectacle, Honnold offers
a small grasp of how each of us might better
manage our own fear: by breaking it into
smaller components and dealing with them
individually. Honnold has sometimes called
AUGUST IMAGE
shelf 1,800 feet off the ground,
with his back pressed to the wall
and very calmly tells the cam-
era, Just a sec. Im freaking out,
actually. To the observer, the
meltdown is about as exciting as
rock climber Tommy Caldwell to
do the Fitz Traverse, a fantasy route
in Patagonia that encompasses
ANNIVERSARY the entire Fitz Roy Massif. Their
ICONS historic climb was chronicled in
the short film A Line Across the Sky,

the technique his mental armor, allowing watching a computer reboothes which appeared on the 2015 Reel
him to function under acute stress. Famously, that much in control of his mind. Or as the Rock Film Tour. Like the rest of Honnolds
when he first free-soloed Yosemites Half South African tourist who happened to be enthralling career, it was hilarious, terrifying,
Dome in 2008, his armor cracked and doubt standing atop Half Dome when Honnold and mind-blowing.

f PHOTOGRAPH BY Sebastian Kim  Outside 27

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 27 5/16/17 11:50 AM

05162017124143 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 DISPATCHES

Rush Hour
at the Shack

EAT S
Sunrise to Sunset
THE NORTH SHORES NEWEST FOOD FAD WAS STARTED BY Cant get to Oahu? Make
THREE BROTHERS FROM KAUAI this papaya bowl yourself.
by Kyle DeNuccio Ingredients: Directions:
1 papaya Slice the papaya up the
SOME OF THE BEST food is often found in the most unassuming places: a greasy hole in the 1 star fruit center and scoop out the
wall, a push cart, or, in this case, an old coconut shack across from Sunset Beach on Oahus 1 handful granola seeds. Slice the star fruit
North Shore. 1 tablespoon and tuck one slice into
Brothers Alex, Travis, and Koa Smith opened the Sunrise Shack last fall after 24-year-old almond butter each side of hollowed-out
Travis returned from a stint modeling in Manhattan. While in New York, he discovered the 1 handful papaya. Fill papaya to
demand for superfood-enhanced drinks and began experimenting with recipes, selling his blueberries just below the brim with
concoctions at farmers markets. I got amazing feedback, says Travis, but at the end of the 1 handful goji the granola. Drizzle one
day, it wasnt home for me. So he moved back to Hawaii, slapped a fresh coat of paint on
COURTESY OF SUNRISE SHACK

berries spoonful of the almond

that shack, and got to work. 1 handful butter over granola. Add
The tiny hut now serves up a variety of teas and coffees containing such purported wellness cacao nibs blueberries, goji berries,
boosters as deer-antler velvet, chaga mushrooms, and Siberian ginseng to a long list of the areas banana and cacao nibs until full.
best professional surfers, including John John Florence, Jamie OBrien, and Reef McIntosh. Coconut Sprinkle on the coconut
Though drinks are their specialty, the brothers, who have no formal culinary training, also shavings, bee shavings and bee pollen.
managed to create the perfect summer snack: a hollowed-out papaya filled with exotic fruits, pollen, and local Place three slices of
almond butter, coconut, and bee pollen. honey to taste banana at the edge of
Lots of places do great acai bowls, says 22-year-old Koa, whos also a pro surfer. So we each papaya half. Drizzle
figured wed try a papaya bowl instead. Its really raw and beautiful. Just like summer. with honey and enjoy.

28 Outside 

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 28 5/16/17 11:50 AM

05162017124144 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 NEW EMERGEN-C ENERGY+
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 DISPATCHES
Storey was a ranch
hand before releasing
Nothing Short of
Dying, the first in his
two-volume Clyde
Barr series
MEDIA EXCEPT FOR the time I was dig-
ging my own grave at gunpoint on
Summer the edge of Biscayne National Park,
Sherlocks I hadnt much experience with a
shovel. So begins Shiver Hitch, the
THE SEASONS
third Jane Bunker Mystery by Linda
BEST HEADLAMP
Greenlaw, the lobster-boat captain
READS? TAKE YOUR
made famous in Sebastian Jung-
PICK FROM SEVERAL ers The Perfect Storm. Her heroine
MYSTERY SERIES is a former Miami homicide detec-
7)8-28,);-0( tive turned insurance investigator who
by Jon Billman travels to Acadia Island to check out a
mysterious house fire. Bunker discov-
ers a body among the ashes, the victim
boiled alivelike a lobsterand then
burned to cover the crime. Meanwhile,
a noreaster maroons her on the island
with the killer.
Shiver Hitch is just one of several
new installments in outdoor mystery series worth
tossing in your pack. A Promise to Kill, Erik Sto-
reys sophomore release in his Clyde Barr series,
finds the tattooed ex-inmate, ex-mercenary riding
west from Colorado on his horse to clear his head.
When he stumbles into hired-hand work on a ranch
on Ute tribal lands in northeastern Utah, he finds
that a dangerous motorcycle gang called the Reap-
ers has moved onto the rez, wreaking havoc. What
ensues is a Sam Peckinpah via Peter Fonda motor-
cycle western, but with drones. Storey, who lives in
Grand Junction, Colorado, is a former ranch hand
and wilderness guide; he gives a high-country nod
to the influence of legendary Florida mystery writer
John D. MacDonald when, near the end, the hero
reaches for a Travis McGee novel. Barr may be to the
30 Outside 
0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 30
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mountains what McGee is to
the swamps. At night, when
the sun dropped below the
rocky mesas to the west, the
higher hills and mountains
to the east would bleed red in
the alpenglow. The moun-
tains most certainly dont
do all the bleeding before Barr rides off
with the sunrise at his back.
The catalyst for Keith McCaffertys
Cold Hearted Rivermy favorite of the
bunchis the true story of the sports-
mans lost Ark of the Covenant:
Ernest Hemingways steamer trunk
full of high-end Hardy fly-fishing
gear that was either lost or pilfered
in 1940 while the novelist was en
route to Sun Valley, Idaho. McCaf-
fertys hero, Sean Stranahan, is just
the man to untangle the lines when a
vintage leather fly wallet turns up in
a dead womans saddlebag. Strana-
han is a part-time trout guide, water-
colorist, and private investigator who
drives a 1976 Land Cruiser, lives in
a tepee, and sleeps with most of the
women he meets, including a one-
armed former rodeo queen.
This is the sixth Stranahan mystery, but its his
intermittent lover, sheriff Martha Ettinger, who the
reader wants to drink with. The law woman gets a
finger shot off and keeps it in a jar of tequila on her
pantry shelf. Bodies keep turning up in her back-
countryone was even found in a bear caveand
its up to Ettinger to pack them out. The horses
eyes went to disks like they did when you dia-
ANTHONY CAMERA
mond-hitched elk quarters on to a pack saddle. It
reminded Martha that in the end a human being
was just another kind of meat. The tackle caper
takes Stranahan to Michigan, Wyoming, and Cuba,
but its the fictional Hyalite County, Montana, that
gives the book such noir terroir.
5/15/17 9:48 AM
 DISPATCHES

The Cold Chain

A series of refrigerated vehi-
cles and storage facilities links
the Andes drill site to the re-
search lab in Grenoble, France,
and the ice cores final home in
a snow vault in Antarcticaa
24,000-mile journey. The cores
wont reach their destination
until at least 2021. If the chain
fails at any stage, the data in
those cores will be lost.

DRAWING BOA RD
Core Work The Mountain
The site of the
The Site
Located at 20,670
The Cores
Just under four inches
A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS ARE DRILLING INTO SOME
mysterious Eastern feet, the drill site is on in diameter, the three
OF THE WORLDS HIGHEST GLACIERS TO LEARN Air Lines plane crash a flat glacial expanse 475-foot cores will be
ABOUT OUR PLANETS PAST BEFORE THE ICE in the 1980s, Illimani between two peaks. cut into one-meter,
DISAPPEARS FOREVER is a massif of three Though its import- 15-pound logs to ease
by Nicholas Hunt 20,000-foot peaks. ant to work as fast transport and storage.
The team will accli- as possible to limit Insulated boxes are
MICROSCOPIC AIR BUBBLES inside glaciers can be read like the matize around La time at elevation, the too heavy to carry up
rings of a tree, providing climate data going back thousands of years. Paz for three weeks 15-person crew will the mountain, so the
But as the worlds glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate, researchers before moving to require 15 days of cores will be stored
are scrambling to preserve that data before its gone forever. Two years the drill site, a few continuous drilling to in a snow cave until
ago, a coalition of European universities and researchers founded Ice hundred feet below extract the samples. porters can bring
Memory, a group assembled to extract multiple ice cores from some of the summit. them to base camp
the planets most vulnerable high-mountain glaciers. The scientists The Drill in cardboard sleeves.
will study a single core from each site and store the rest in Antarctica The Ascent Designed for high-
for future testing. Thirty local porters altitude operation The Descent
Last summer, Ice Memory researchers pulled three cores from and guides will haul by Cryosphere Transporting 5,500
Mont Blanc that could prove invaluable for understanding how cli- more than two Research Solutions, pounds of ice down
mate change, pollution, and even diseases like the Black Death have tons of equipment, of Columbus, Ohio, the mountain must
affected Europe. The groups next venture, which at press time was including a specially the drilling system be done at night to
on track to be completed in June, is even more daunting: theyll climb designed ice drill, weighs 176 pounds minimize melting.
21,102-foot Bolivian peak Illimani and drill data out of its glacier, one nearly 6,000 feet up and breaks into eight Each trip will take
of the Andess most threatened. The 15 scientists on the two-month from base camp. Just pieces for transport. about five hours, and
expedition must be proficient in high-altitude climbing and able to below the drill site is Fully assembled, with a maximum load
work around the clock. You cant do this kind of research if youre not Stairway to Heaven, it stands nearly 12 of four segments per
a mountaineer, says Ice Memory cofounder Patrick Ginot, an engineer a roughly 60-degree feet tall and can ex- porter, the descents
with the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Develop- pitch where fixed tract cores as deep will require nearly two
ment. Heres how theyll pull it off. ropes are mandatory. as 820 feet. weeks to complete.

32 Outside  ILLUSTRATION BY Tanya Cooper

0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 32 5/15/17 9:48 AM

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 IN MEMORIAM
Ueli Steck
ON APRIL 30, alpinism lost one of its finest
when Swiss climber Ueli Steck fell to his death
while acclimatizing alone on the 25,791-foot
Nepalese peak Nuptse. He was preparing to
solo Willi Unsoeld and Tom Hornbeins 1963
route up Mount Everests West Ridge, then
continue up neighboring 27,940-foot Lhotse.
Steck is survived by his wife, Nicole, who
is also a climber, and will be remembered for
his two Piolet dOr awardsone for pioneer-
ing a new alpine route on 21,283-foot Teng-
kangpoche in 2008, the other for the first solo
ascent, in 2013, of the south face of 26,545-
foot Annapurna, statistically the deadliest of
the worlds high peaks. At 40, he was still in
the prime of his high-altitude career and no
doubt would have tacked other extensions
onto the known limits of human performance.
He told the website Swissinfo.ch in 2012, If
PHOTOGRAPH BY Jonathan Griffith
0717_Dispatches_rlsd.indd 33
I dont take myself out of this game, I will die
sooner rather than later.
But Stecks list of summits is not as large
as the hole he leaves in the mountaineering
community. He was known for superhuman
fitness; most peoples introduction to the
Swiss Machine was a video of him sprinting,
unroped, up the steep north face of the Eiger
in a record two hours and 47 minutes. And he
was revered for his warmth, always finding
time to visit with fans and other climbers.
The most important thing about him, to me,
was that he truly felt happiness even without
success, Melissa Arnot Reid told Outside.
He loved the pursuit.
Leading up to his death, Steck encountered
a run of bad luck. In 2013, he was involved in
a fight with Sherpas at Everests Camp II after
an expedition mate insulted one of the locals
05162017124159 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
in a dispute over setting ropes. In 2015, his
Dutch climbing partner Martijn Seuren died
during their bid to summit all 82 of the Alps
4,000-meter peaks. And in 2016, he and
German David Goettler were forced to turn
back on Shishapangma, though they did
discover the long-sought remains of Ameri-
can climbers Alex Lowe and David Bridges.
By then, Steck had undergone a sea change
in his outlook. Brought low after the Everest
conflict, he rediscovered the pure enjoyment
of climbing on Annapurna. Critics questioned
whether hed reached the summit, since hed
dropped his camera and his altimeter had
malfunctioned, but Steck brushed them off.
My inner fire is burning once again, he told
Planetmountain.com. It was almost extin-
guished after Everest. Now its flared up again,
fully. GRAYSON SCHAFFER
 Outside 33
5/16/17 11:50 AM
 IN T H E LE AD
The God
Dimension
ATHLETES ARE TURNING TO
MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS
*36%4)6*361%2')&3378
BUT NEUROSCIENCE SHOWS
THAT ITS THE TRUE BELIEVERS
WHO ARE FINDING THAT HIGHER
+)%68,639+,46%=)6
by Brandon Sneed

34 Outside  ILLUSTRATION BY Mike McQuade

0717_Bodywork_rlsd.indd 34 5/15/17 9:12 AM

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 BEFORE THE SIDE cramp hit and he started Ryan Hall
to panic, Ryan Hall felt like he was running
better than he ever had in his life. It was mile
ten of the 2007 Houston half marathon, and
he was in first place, averaging 4:30 per mile.
Hall didnt typically suffer from cramps, so
when he felt one coming on, he ignored it and
kept pushing. But the discomfort persisted,
then got worse. Panic took hold.
So Hall prayed. He was direct: Lord, please
help me get to the finish line without my stom-
ach blowing up. He focused and repeated it
again to himself. A minute later the pain was
gone, and Hall went on to win the race in
59:43, a North American record and at the
time the fastest half marathon ever run by a
non-African. Remembering that day and the
pain he experienced, Hall says, Theres defi-
nitely power in prayer.
Of course, for Hall to point to prayer as
a performance enhancer isnt exactly sur-
prisinghes known as much for his Chris-
tian faith as for being one of Americas most
gifted distance runners. And anyone famil-
iar with professional sports has witnessed
the pregame bowing of heads and postgame
shout-outs to God. Skeptics might dismiss it Skeptics might dismiss it as religious
as religious posturing, but science is reveal- posturing, but prayer works. When believers
ing that prayer works. When believers pray,
something happens in their brains that actu- pray, something happens in their brains
ally makes them better athletes.
Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, director
that actually makes them better athletes.
of research at Thomas Jefferson University
Hospitals Marcus Institute of Integrative frontal lobe and cerebrum, where our notion ing, Hall says, I feel much more grounded,
Health, has spent a large portion of his career of the future and our sense of self are concen- much more secure, much more freeI feel
studying the effects of religious faith on our trated. And prayer, it turns out, is one of the liberated.
mental hardware. When you pray, it changes best ways to achieve this state, perhaps even According to Newberg, all this boils down
your brain, he says. more so than mindfulness training. to something that sounds almost too simple.
In his research, Newberg found that The mindfulness movement is really more The more you buy into whatever youre
prayer allowed his subjects to more quickly of a secular approach, says Newberg, who is doing, the better the effect is going to be, he
and efficiently achieve flow, that coveted a former professor of religious studies at the says. If youre a religious person and your
state of mind most commonly described as University of Pennsylvania and the author of religion is important to you, then being able
being in the zone. During flow, a cascade How God Changes Your Brain. We sort of to engage in prayer can be extremely valu-
of neurochemicals descend into the brain, cleaned it up and secularized it so that its able. Its less about believing in the right
including dopamine (which regulates plea- more available to everyone, which is good. thingJesus, Allah, or the Flying Spaghetti
sure), serotonin (which reduces stress), and But in many ways it isnt as good or as power- monsterthan it is about believing in some-
norepinephrine (which activates the fight- ful as prayer. thing. In other words, whatever you focus on,
or-flight response). The brain also undergoes For two decades, Newberg has looked at have total faith in it.
electrical changes. the cerebral blood flow of believersfrom Take for instance what Hall experienced in
Scientists are able to measure brain waves Muslims to evangelical Christianswhile 2009 while he was running the final stretch
via an electroencephalogram, or EEG, and they prayed and has observed a pattern. of the Philadelphia half marathon. He was
have found that the measurements change When the subjects begin, there is activity in on pace with the leaders when he felt himself
based on what a person is doing and how the frontal lobe. Then, after anywhere from starting to fade around mile 11. He asked, OK,
theyre feeling. Most of the time, the brain 10 to 50 minutes, that area goes virtually God. What do you have for me? Hall says that
produces beta frequencies (13 to 30 hertz), silent. Additional research has shown that a Bible verse then came to mindProverbs
which help with complex thought and crit- during prayer, the frontal lobe is flooded with 23:7, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,
ical analysis. Youd expect an athletes brain alpha waves. Its the same result brought on variations of which are commonly found in
to be less active during strenuous effort, by mindfulness and meditation, but adding self-help and mindfulness books. Hall says,
and if theyre performing wellin a state of
NITIN VADUKUL

flowthe brain is indeed calmer, dominated
by alpha waves (8 to 12 hertz). In this condi-
tion, we become relaxed and instinct driven.
Brain activity is largely quiet, especially in the
in belief, Newberg says, can act as a power-
ful catalyst. When someone truly believes in
something, he says, it gives them a sense of
purpose. Its not simply a means to an end.
When Im praying to God while Im compet-
I remember declaring to myself, Even though
I feel tired, I do have strength left inside me. I
do have another gear. I can go deeper.
He accelerated, ran the final mile in 4:30,
and won the race. O

36 Outside 

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 FUEL
Blend In
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SMOOTHIES

ITS FROTHY-DRINK season. And while you may be tempted

to throw whatever youve got lying around into a blender, any-
one who has ever choked down a gritty glass of wilted veggies
knows theres more to it than that. We enlisted three athletes
to share their best liquid performance boosters.
by A. C. Shilton

THE CHEF: cup frozen

Runner Sara Hall blueberries
BEST FOR: 1 kale leaf
Recovery. cup lettuce
I really like this greens
smoothie after cup frozen
a tough morning spinach
workout, when teaspoon fresh
youre hitting an turmeric
energy lull but you teaspoon fresh
still have a full day ginger
ahead, says Hall. scoop protein
Research shows powder
that caffeine 1 cup almond milk
paired with carbs 1 to 2 cups water
can prompt your
body to store more THE CHEF:
glycogen after Surfer Ian Walsh
intense effort. This BEST FOR:
recipes combo of Holistic health.
milk, nut butter, Walsh travels the
and oats is the globe competing
perfect match to on the Big Wave
replenish depleted World Tour, and
muscles, says his recipe de-
Nicole Lund, a pends on the pro-
nutritionist at New duce he finds. But
York Universitys he always packs
Langone Sports ashwagandha, an
Performance herb that boosts
Center. recovery. You get
the macronutri-
1 cup oats ents you need,
1 tablespoon and youll promote
nut butter a strong immune
1 scoop chocolate system and de-
protein powder crease inflamma-
2 tablespoons tion, says Lund.
unsweetened
cocoa powder 1 cup organic
1 teaspoon sugar strawberries
1 cup coffee 1 cup organic
1 cup milk blueberries
2 cups ice 2 frozen bananas
Sea salt to taste 1 tablespoon
powdered
THE CHEF: greens (Walsh
Snowboarder likes Hanah One
Kimmy Fasani Superfood)
BEST FOR: 1 teaspoon
Taking your vita- ashwagandha Outside intern
mins. My morn- 1 kale leaf Elizabeth Whiting
ing smoothie 15 spinach leaves sampling Kimmy
sneaks in loads 15 mint leaves Fasanis blend
of nutrients and 1 inch turmeric
is easy to digest root, diced
before a long 1 tablespoon
day in the moun- almond butter
tains, says Fasani, 1 tablespoon
who owns a bak- almonds, pre-
ery in Mammoth, soaked to soften
California, with 1 tablespoon
her skier husband, chia seeds
Chris Benchetler. 1 tablespoon
According to flax seeds
NITIN VADUKUL

Lund, her recipe 2 tablespoons

is full of vitamins protein powder
and minerals 1 tablespoon
crucial for proper cacao nibs
muscle function. 1 cup almond milk

PHOTOGRAPH BY Hannah McCaughey  Outside 37

0717_Bodywork_rlsd.indd 37 5/15/17 10:57 AM

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 M OVES
Behind the Bike comes with huge
DESPITE THE CHRONIC DOPING SCANDALS, PRO
volumes of that
CYCLING HAS A LOT TO TEACH US ABOUT FITNESS
type of training.
by Vernon Felton Balance it out with
some time in the
YOU ARE FORGIVEN for letting le Tour slide from your attention. weight room. Youll
Much of the race is no longer on prime-time television, there hasnt improve bone den-
been a compelling American contender for years, and the near con- sity and connective-
stant stream of doping scandals is enough to make anyone tune out. tissue strength,
But there are still reasons to care. Everyday athletes can learn a lot which will help
from cyclists who pedal 2,188 miles in 23 days at an intensity most of curb overuse inju-
us would have trouble sustaining for two city blocks. On the eve of the ries and keep you
104th running of the worlds biggest bike race, we reached out to a few in one piece when
Tour stalwarts for the best (legal) training hacks for the rest of us. you crash.

Eat Smart
PETER STETINA
TWO-TIME
TOUR RACER,
Joe
Dombrowski
TEAM TREK-
SEGAFREDO
Your digestive
system can absorb
about 300 calories
per hour during
exerciseabout
one energy bar and
one sports drink.
Any more than

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: JONATHAN DEVICH/GETTY; JOSEP LAGO/AFP/GETTY; COURTESY OF CTS; TIM DE WAELE/CORBIS VIA GETTY
Andrew that and you risk
Talansky loading up your gut.
Youll want to stick
with solid food at
first; only switch to
gummies or gels in
the last 90 minutes
of a ride or race. Gels
are like nitrous, and
as every good racer
knows, you never hit
Peter the nitrous button
Stetina too early.

Suck It Up
Avoid
o the hard days, challenge CHRIS
Rut yourself. Join a club CARMICHAEL
ANDREW ride thats above FORMER TOUR
TALANSKY your comfort level RACER FOR TEAM
THREE- and see how long 7-11; FOUNDER
TIME TOUR you can hang. Try to OF CARMICHAEL
RACER, TEAM break your record on TRAINING
CANNONDALE- the local hill climb. SYSTEM
DRAPAC Race your friends Something
Peopleeven to every city-limits always hurts. Bike
prosspend too sign. I guarantee manufacturers and
much time riding youll get stronger fit specialists have
at a pace thats not and have more fun. convinced people
exactly easy but also that all discomfort
not hard enough Hit the Gym can be eliminated
to produce results. JOE from cycling, but
They never recover DOMBROWSKI there is almost
or improve. Dont TOUR HOPEFUL, never a time when
get stuck in the mid- TEAM everything feels
dle. On your easy CANNONDALE- right. So restthats
days, take it really DRAPAC importantbut
easyyou should Focusing exclu- know that you cant
be able to pedal sively on endurance always wait until
Chris and talk normally isnt healthy. Theres you feel perfect
Carmichael without huffing and a lot of hormonal before you get back
puffing. On your suppression that on the bike.

38 Outside  PH

0717_Bodywork_rlsd.indd 38 5/15/17 9:12 AM

05152017100203 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: JONATHAN DEVICH/GETTY; JOSEP LAGO/AFP/GETTY; COURTESY OF CTS; TIM DE WAELE/CORBIS VIA GETTY
P ERFORMA NCE
ENHA NCER
Ultrarunner
Jim
Walmsley
When Walmsley toes the starting
line of Junes Western States 100 in
Squaw Valley, California, it will be
the culmination of a years worth
of 100-mile training weeks on the
rugged terrain outside his Flagstaff,
Arizona, home. In that time, the
27-year-old has also set course records
at six of the seven races hes run and
shattered the fastest known time on
the 42-mile rim-to-rim-to-rim route
of the Grand Canyon (5:55:20). Yet,
in a sport plagued by career-ending
injuries, somehow Walmsley hasnt
been hurt once during his phenomenal
stretch of success. WES JUDD
PHOTOGRAPH BY Myke Hermsmeyer
0717_Bodywork_rlsd.indd 39
I drink a recovery beverage within
30 minutes after runningas soon as
possible. Im replenishing, rehydrating, and
getting my sugars, salts, and protein back
in. Usually, its a Clif recovery drink, but hon-
estly a soda is better than nothing.
Sleep and water are my two biggest
performance boosters.
After big races, I go straight into shuffle
mode: two to four miles at a nine-to-
thirteen-minute-mile paceon flat roads
in my squishiest Hokas. I give myself at
least three days of shuffling, and then, if
Im still feeling like I need time off, Ill take it.
I eat donuts, cookies, ice cream, and
pizza. You have to keep that furnace burn-
ing. Whole foods are your best friend, but if
youre craving fatty, starchy foods and youre
putting in the work, listen to those urges.
Its OK to carry a few extra pounds when
youre really trainingthats fuel.
05152017115224 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
If you have an injury, find something
you can do that will allow you to not
take days offa body in motion is more
likely to stay healthy.
I dont have a warm-up routine, but I
do dynamic stretches. I bounce, twist,
jump, and then head out the door.
Nothing too rigorous. But people make
fun of me for it.
I change up my shoes all the time. I run in
trail shoes, flats, road shoes, and Hokas. If
I wear one pair too much, I get irritations,
my Achilles gets overworked, my feet start
hurting. Varying your shoes keeps your
body adaptable.
Theres a lot of luck to staying healthy.
Theres no perfect approach. Theres
no 100 percent or always this.
Your body is going to win eventually
if you keep pushing, pushing, pushing.
 Outside 39
5/15/17 10:57 AM
 07.17
adventure tools, tested & reviewed

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This led me to Oru Kayak,
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40 Outside PHOTOGRAPHS BY Inga Hendrickson

0717_Essentials_rlsd.indd 40 5/15/17 9:04 AM

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Altra Superior 3.0 $110
The Superior is a low-swooping speedster,
though its only for midfoot strikersthe thin
foam and lack of drop dont pair well with back-
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shoes are weak on defense. While the Superior
(women's model shown) doesnt get much liftoff,
theres a rock plate in the forefoot for confidence
on scree and just enough cush to forget the trail
without losing precision while moving quickly.
A nimble dancer this is not, as the combination
of loose fit and structureless upper makes the
Superior a little squirrelly on slopes, especially
for narrow feet. A thicker sock helps. 9.2 oz
(mens) / 8 oz (womens); zero drop
42 Outside 
0717_Essentials_rlsd.indd 42
SP E C T R UM
Down
and
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TEAR ACROSS
ANY TRAIL,
WHATEVER
YOUR STYLE
by Justin
Nyberg
FAST + LIGHT
Saucony Peregrine 7 $120 Inov-8 Roclite 305 $130
Theres a reason the Peregrine continues to top The Roclite 305 is a fence-sitter. Like the Altra,
testers rankings each year: its one of the most it occupies the space where minimalist slipper
well-balanced utility shoes out there. The mid- leaves off and protective trainer begins, with
sole lies in the sweet spot between responsive a wee bit of cushion and just enough protection
and plush, and the blown-rubber lugs roll equally for moderate trail rubble. Thats a DNA best
well over sketchy gravel, sandy granite, and clean suited to an aggressive pace on technical terrain,
tarmac. Hard-charging runners in technical ter- imparting confidence that missteps wont leave
rain will appreciate the fairly locked-down fit on you wincing. Anyone who likes a responsive, low-
descents, along with the bulletproof yet imper- to-the-trail feel will enjoy it, although the thinner
ceptible rock shield. Heavy heel strikers might foam doesnt roll out a welcome mat for heel
look for a shoe with a thicker slice of foam at the strikers or heavy landers. Only the pickiest run-
back, but the vast majority of runners will find all ners will whine about the slightly loose feeling
the performance they need. 9.4 oz (mens) / in the heel during off-camber strikes and uphill
8.4 oz (womens); 4 mm drop climbs. 10.8 oz; 8 mm drop
5/15/17 9:04 AM
05152017095518 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT

Brooks Caldera $140
When your regimen calls for miles upon miles for
breakfast, lunch, and maybe even dinner, youll
appreciate the extra meat on the Caldera. With
its low-profile lugs (seen here on the women's
version) and a thicker, more stable midsole than
the other shoes in this category, its built for
long-range efforts on dry hardpack and even
stretches of pavement. But the sub-ten-ounce
weight keeps it feeling light and reasonably effi-
cient. Its a long-range cruiser with a soft, comfy,
relaxed vibe. The lack of overlays made for a bit
of a slack feel on descents, but jamming quickly
on technical downhills isnt on the menu here.
9.9 oz (mens) / 9 oz (womens); 4 mm drop
0717_Essentials_rlsd.indd 43
Merrell Agility Peak Flex $130
A medium-thick utility shoe, the Agility Peak
Flex takes a novel approach to booting up. The
main lace snakes through a set of tension bands
to deliver a kind of pulley-action, cats-cradle-
like double cinch when you tie it. Sounds com-
plicated but it works, achieving the snuggest,
most even midfoot fit weve ever enjoyed and
making for confident downhills. Overall, though,
the shoe is fairly roomy, and we noticed some
interior slippage on climbs and traverses. Its not
the fastest or smoothest ride out there, but it
proved to be well-rounded for everyday trail runs
without feeling cumbersome or sluggish. 11 oz;
6 mm drop
05082017131905 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
THICK + PROTECTIVE
New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro V2 $125
All together now: Ahhh. Consider the Hierro
the Ugg boot of trail runnersand we mean that
as a compliment. Fat slabs of interior padding,
a swollen tongue, and a thick, luxuriously soft
midsole make it a pillowy dream shoe for casual
cruises, long paths, and weary feet. Because it
doesnt have the outsize stack height of a Hoka
or other maximalists, it feels more agile on rough
and rolling turf, although the prominent heel
pitches you forward somewhat when descend-
ing. Just dont pull it on expecting a zippy or
responsive toe-off. The Hierro is akin to a sofa
with lacessink in, relax, and enjoy the ride.
10.6 oz (mens) / 8.5 oz (womens); 4 mm drop
 Outside 43
5/8/17 12:26 PM
 adventure tools, tested & reviewed
E LE C T R I C B I K E S

essen- Power Brokers

SAVE A TREE, RIDE AN E-BIKE
tials by Aaron Gulley

Stromer ST1 X $4,999

BEST FOR: Geeks with a need for speed.
THE TEST: The ST1 X epitomizes integration.
The futuristic aluminum chassis, complete
with through-axles, hides a high-capacity
618-watt-hour battery in the chunky down
tube, a proprietary 500-watt motoramong
the most powerful on the marketin the
rear hub, and an LCD touchscreen in the top
tube that displays battery level and assist
power. With the accompanying app (Android
and iOS), you can tune the engine perfor-
mance to make it accelerate faster or maxi-
mize efficiency. You can also lock out the
brakes, so it cant be rolled away by thieves,
and track the bike via the built-in GPS, should
it go missing anyway. Of course, all that tech-
nologyplus beefy fenders and a bombproof
rackcomes at a price: the ST1 X is the heavi-
est option here, and parking it can feel like
muscling a Harley.
THE VERDICT: With a range of up to 75
miles, this is a top-shelf daily driver for tech-
nophiles. 63 lbs

Faraday Cortland $3,499

BEST FOR: Bike snobs.
THE TEST: We love that Faraday managed
to combine the chic simplicity of a step-
through Dutch roadster with the technolog-
ical advantages of a pedal-assist motor. The
key is the diminutive 306-watt-hour battery
behind the seat and 250-watt front hub
motor, which together preserve aesthetics
while delivering a surprising amount of kick.
That scaled-down electrical system also
keeps the weight low, making this fun to ride
even with the motor off (a good thing, since
the range is only 20 miles). The Cortland was
obviously designed by cyclists, as the Gates
belt drive, eight-speed Shimano Alfine drive-
train, and Continental Contact tires are parts
wed hope for on any bike, pedal-assist
E-Bikes and the Law
No federal statutes currently or not. Our only niggle: the taillight is so
govern e-bikes, but California low that the rear wheel almost blocks
is leading the way on the state it from view. On the other hand, the
level. A 2016 bill breaks them
into three classes.
double kickstand is the best here.
Class 1 (the Faraday, above): THE VERDICT: The future of e-bikes
Assistance only when pedaling, beautiful, lightweight, and fun. 42 lbs
20 mph maximum, limited to
bike paths, lanes, and trails.
Class 2: Assistance without Juiced CrossCurrent $1,499
pedaling, 20 mph max, bike BEST FOR: True utilitarians.
lanes and multi-use paths. THE TEST: Heres proof that quality
Class 3 (the Stromer and
Juiced): Assistance only
e-bikes dont have to be a pain in your
when pedaling, 28 mph max, wallet. Its not the sexiest ride, with
pavement only. the 374-watt-hour battery tacked onto
the down tube like a growth, but the
340-watt motor in the rear hub offered
plenty of torque. The standard battery setup
is rated at 25 miles on a charge; however, the
lowest power settings added very little assis-
tance, so we opted for higher settings and
got a little more than half that range. We were
most impressed by the rigid version of the
bike, called the CrossCurrent Air, which ditches
the suspension fork (and three pounds) and
switches up the electronics, which reduces
the price to $1,095.
THE VERDICT: An e-bike for everyone.
51.5 lbs

44 Outside 

0717_Essentials_rlsd.indd 44 5/8/17 12:26 PM

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 a

c
d

ELECT RIC B IK ES bottle ($11) keeps enough for stout a multitool, and other to pair with slacks.
water from spill- quads, long legs never sundries. It rolls up Theyre not overly
Sitting Pretty ing onto your work reveal your socks, and into a strap-on tool kit. stiff, which is great
JUST BECAUSE YOU RIDE TO clothes when city nylon fabric sloughs for walking but less so
WORK DOESNT MEAN YOU streets turn rough. off water and morning In an age of high-tech for long commutes.
HAVE TO BE A SWEATY BIKE coffee mishaps. waterproof fabrics,
NERD A.G. d. IVIs Sepulveda the h. Fairwear If theres one piece
sunglasses ($220) f. Ridge Supplys Longport pullover of equipment that
with their mesa-flat Skyline socks ($15) ($129) is refreshingly every cyclist who
Though a. Kitsbows silhouette suggests. shape and Zeiss rock subdued, office- simple. Cut from rides at night should
Indigo Work shirt For photographers lensesstand out appropriate blue near a burly midweight have, its the j. Lumos
($195) looks like a it accommodates a from the hordes of the ankle and transi- canvas, its the per- helmet ($199). Yes,
classic Oxford, it wont full-size camera body plain-Jane shades tion to eye-popping fect piece for crisp its expensive for a
pull or choke while and two lenses. The on the market. neon yellow at the calf mornings. commuter lid, but the
riding, thanks to the rest of us can tote a for visibility. USB-rechargeable
elongated sleeves. tablet, phone, jacket, We didnt think there The i. Specialized lights are like giant
Vents at the shoulders and pretty much any- was anything more Forget the cramped Skitch shoes ($95) Do not hit! signs for
ensure a cool ride. thing else called for resilient than a good seat bag. The g. Jet are a killer crossover, motorists. They glow
on a day out. pair of jeansuntil Roll II Phantom with a sticky rubber brighter as you slow
b. Peak Designs we tried e. Mission Italia ($70) is a flat- outsole for pedal grip, down, and they even
Everyday Sling Thanks to a depend- Workshops Signal pack synthetic-leather a water-resistant have blinkers, con-
pack ($150) fits far able twist-lock lid, pants ($225). The carrier that stows a synthetic toe cap, trolled by a wireless
more than its trim the c. Nalgene Draft cut is trim but roomy mini pump or inflator, and manners enough handlebar remote.

 Outside 45

0717_Essentials_rlsd.indd 45 5/8/17 12:26 PM

05082017131905 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 0717_Style_rlsd.indd 46
46 Outside


05082017131906
$QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
CLOCKWISE FROM TO
TOP:
$90
Cary by Boll, $
$180
Holbrook Metal by Oakley, $1
$1
Serpico 2.0 by Smith, $149
Swing
Round Swi $4
ing by Vuarnet, $410
Detroit
Det $179
troiit XL by Electric, $1
$6
Salt x Aether Scout by Salt, $600
Alta by Sunski, $55
Sunskii, $

5/8/17 12:22 PM
 rs, $60
style
ll, $110
Authentic 44 DX by Vans, $75

Under Cover
Striper Linen by Sperry, $65
65
Palen-Repend by Skechers,
Freewheel Lace by Merrell,

Summer is here. Protect your

Manoa by OluKai, $100

dogs and peepers with panache.

Hemp by Sanuk, $60
FROM LEFT:

photographs by
Hannah McCaughey
styling by Blair
Anderson
   Outside 47

0717_Style_rlsd.indd 47 5/9/17 3:38 PM

05092017163008 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 SPECIAL

48 Outside 07.17

0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 48 5/17/17 10:38 AM

05172017112929 Approved with warnings
 *
2017

RXWVLGHV
p h o t o g ra p h s b y
JOO CANZIANI
BEST
TOWNS
Bend is one of the fast-
est-growing cities in the
country for a reason. It
has a whitewater park
right in town. Nearby
Mount Bachelor has ex-
panded its downhill bike
parkand got a new lift
last winter, which opened
up 600 acres. And 150
miles of trails have been
built in the Deschutes
National Forest in the
past decade.
Not enough? Smith
Rock State Park and its
hundreds of climbing
routes are just 30 miles
north (though 20,000-
square-foot Bend Rock
Gym is closer), and the
trail running is so good
that ultramarathoners
train here.
There are so many
things to do that, if one
thing isnt working, you
dont have to drive hours
to do another, says Lau-
ren Fleshman, a former
professional runner who
founded energy-fuel
Bends Crux
company Picky Bars with
Fermentation her husband, triathlete
Project; opposite, Jesse Thomas, and
Jesse Thomas Stephanie Bruce.
and Lauren Bend now has close
Fleshman at
to 80 outdoor-related
Benham Falls
businesses, ranging from
the established brand
Hydro Flask to startup
Cairn. (Oregon State
UniversityCascades will
Brought to You by the B E S T M U LT I -
soon offer a degree in
gear design and market-
Committee for Better Living SPORT TOWN
Bend, Oregon
ing.) Theres a booming
tech industry, an explod-
TO PUT TOGETHER OUR LIST OF THE BEST TOWNS EVER, WE SCOURED Population: 90,000 ing food-cart scene, and
Median home a growing number of con-
MORE THAN THREE DECADES OF COVERAGE AND CREATED A SPECIAL value: $271,000 certsthis years include
ADVISORY COUNCIL TO NOMINATE PLACES THAT ARE GREAT FOR KIDS, HAVE Median household Paul Simon and Ween.
income: $53,000 In short, Bend is the
DROOL-WORTHY FOOD AND DRINK SCENES, ARE WELCOMING TO PEOPLE
Council says: There kind of place where you
OF ANY BACKGROUND, AND HAVE ALL THE BIKE LANES AND SINGLETRACK YOU are a ton of great can do the nine-to-five
COULD POSSIBLY WANT. THE RESULT: 25 OF THE BEST BURGS ON THE PLANET. craft breweries. Its job thingand actually
one of the countrys earn a livingthen do the
PLUS: EIGHT BIG IDEAS TRANSFORMING THE PLACES WHERE WE PLAY. better scenes. five-to-nine fun thing, no
B Y J AC O B B AY N H A M A N D M E G A N M I C H E L S O N RON JEFFRIES problem. TIM NEVILLE

 Outside 49

0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 49 5/17/17 2:01 PM

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*
2017
RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS
a. Cruising Salidas
Monarch Crest Trail
bc. Portland recre-
ation, outdoors and in
b value: $248,000
BEST TOP-END
FOOD IN ZERO-
D E G R E E W E AT H E R
Portland,
Maine
Population: 67,000
Median home
value: $239,000
Median household
income: $46,000
Council says: Home to
some of the best beer
bars in the region. R.J.
Mainers are a hardy
bunch. Portland, with
its winter sea kayakers
in Casco Bay, third-
generation lobstermen,
50 Outside 
0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 50
Meet the
Council
This year we turned to
four experts to help pick
Americas best towns.
Each suggested 20 of
their favorites, and the
ones that received at
least two nominations
became finalists. Who
are these sage individu-
als? Glad you asked.
Jenn Dice is the vice
president for business
network and govern-
ment relations at
PeopleForBikes, an
organization that pro-
motes pro-bike poli-
cies and infrastructure.
A cyclist herself, she
has ten Leadville 100
finishers buckles. Ive Aparna Rajagopal-
been lucky to travel the
country for work and
have gotten to know
towns that are great
for biking. She lives in that promote inclusion
a Boulder, Colorado.
Ron Jeffries owns Jolly
Pumpkin Artisan Ales
and collaborates with
breweries across the
country. I wanted my
nominations to have
really great food, great
beer, and an opportu-
nity to go for a run or
get on a river, a lake,
c
BEST UNSUNG traffic-snarled Denver.
M O U N TA I N T O W N Were surrounded a 34.6-mile ride thats
Salida, by the Sangre de Cristos,
Colorado the Sawatch Range, and
Population: 5,500 the Arkansas Hills, says
Median home Shawn Gillis, owner of
Absolute Bikes, one of
Median household three bike shops down-
income: $41,000 town. Also, were in a tourism sector, which
and lawyers commuting Council says: You snow and rain shadow,
to work on nordic skis, instantly feel like a local so it will dump feet of
is no exception. when youre walking snow on the ski area
The cost of living is around in flip-flops going and well get just a few
higher than elsewhere to your favorite coffee inches on the valley floor.
in the state, but you do shop. JENN DICE That means nearly where an optional gratu-
get access. First, to the year-round mountain
coastline and forests Salidas residents share biking, especially on the
that surround the city. 100 miles of premier 25 miles of trails on the
Second, to great food. whitewater, Gold Medal south-facing Arkansas
Portland is home to trout fishing, seemingly Hills, two minutes from
BaoBao, a James Beard endless alpine single- downtown. The volun-
Awardnominated track, a ski hill (800-acre teers of Salida Mountain live, and good-paying
dumpling shop down- Monarch Mountain is Trails are always building
town, and the tastiest 30 minutes from town), more on city, county, and
pain au chocolat this and wood-fired-pizza Bureau of Land Manage-
side of Paris at the Stan- restaurants that serve ment acreage, at the rate
dard Baking Company craft beerall located of three miles per year.
in Old Port. roughly 140 miles from Biking highlights include
05172017145813 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
or the ocean. He lives
outside Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
Richard Louv is
the author of nine
books, including Last
Child in the Woods.
He cofounded the
Children and Nature
Network, which helps
kids, families, and
communities engage
with nature. All the
cities have some kind
of effort in place to
connect kids and
families to nature. I
made choices through
the prism of: Is this a
nature-rich city? He
lives in San Diego.
Durbin is a founding
partner of the Avarna
Group, which develops
projects and policies
and diversity in the
outdoor community.
For a lot of people,
living in a place where
there is a culture of
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: LISA SEAMAN/TANDEM; JILL BRADY/PORTLAND PRESS HERALD VIA GETTY; JOSH WHALEN/TANDEM
outdoor elitism isnt
a positive or inclusive
thing. So I was trying
to think about the
cultural accessibility of
recreation. She lives in
Truckee, California.
the Monarch Crest Trail,
designated Epic by the
International Mountain
Bicycling Association.
The Arkansas River
runs through town and
is a major engine for the
employs many locals
and elevates Salidas
eating scene at places
like Amicas Pizza and
the Boathouse Cantina,
ity on every check goes
toward new trail con-
struction. The Arkansas is
a prime trout fishery, too.
Salida isnt exactly
the cheapest place to
jobs can be hard to come
by. But find a way to
make it work and youll
have better access here
than in just about any
other town on this list.
5/17/17 2:01 PM
 Chase your dreams.
This should help.

The 2017 Outback takes you wherever the heart leads. Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with X-MODE,

plus 32 mpg.* Its a 2017 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with EyeSight and HID Headlights. And its enabled
with available SUBARU STARLINK Safety and Security with Automatic Collision Notification.
Prepare to find yourself in a very happy place. Love. Its what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.

Outback. Built to take you to the places youve never been. Well-equipped at $25,645.**

Subaru, Outback, EyeSight, and X-MODE are registered trademarks. *EPA-estimated highway fuel economy for 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i models. Actual mileage may vary. Activation with subscription
required. Includes one-year trial subscription to Safety Plus connected service. See your retailer for details. **MSRP excludes destination and delivery charges, tax, title, and registration fees. Retailer sets
actual price. Certain equipment may be required in specific states, which can modify your MSRP. See your retailer for details. 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited pictured has an MSRP of $32,390.
*
2017

RXWVLGHV

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF THE CITY OF CLEARWATER; COURTESY OF GOOD EARTH YOGURT; MATTHEW VAN BIENE/TANDEM; PHIL TIFO/TANDEM; DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY; JRG MODROW/LAIF/REDUX
BEST
TOWNS

BIG IDEA > The bridges concrete requires moving 1,000 mals need good sight
Build Bridges for Animals skeleton will measure tons of soil. The south lines to feel safe, says
Southern Californias San Fernando Valley, best known 165 feet wide. Any nar- side presents an espe- Edelman.
for sprawl and strip malls, is the setting for one of the rower and many species cially complicated chal-
most ambitious conservation projects in the U.S. The wont feel secure enough lenge, with a bypass road > Eight-foot-tall fences
Liberty Canyon Wildlife Corridor will span ten lanes of to venture across, says and an existing riparian will extend two miles
Highway 101, making it the largest such crossing in the Edelman. zone located some 45 along the highway to
world. When finished, it will enable all kinds of creatures, feet below the highway. help funnel animals
from lizards to mountain lions, to pass between the Simi > The span will be toward the corridor and
Hills and Santa Monica Mountains. Big cats and other topped with up to four > Vegetation will borrow away from dangerous
species can thrive in relatively small home ranges, says feet of soil to support from multiple ecosys- crossings.
Paul Edelman, chief of natural resources and planning vegetation and enable tems and include plants
for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. But they cover for burrowing that have distinctive > The biggest bene-
need connections between habitats to avoid inbreed- animals like gophers scent trails to guide factors will be apex
ing. Urban wildlife corridors arent new, but nobody has and shrews. critters across. Planting predators like bobcats
tried anything on this scale before. Designed by urban patterns will strike a and mountain lions,
greenspace pioneer Clark Stevens, the project will cost > Creating and main- balance between provid- which are sometimes
an estimated $50 million to complete and is expected taining habitat on either ing cover and allowing killed while trying to
to be open in 2021. WILL COCKRELL side of the overpass ease of movement. Ani- cross freeways.

52 Outside  ILLUSTRATION BY Bryan Christie Design

0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 52 5/17/17 2:01 PM

05172017145813 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 a. Saint Petersburgs
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF THE CITY OF CLEARWATER; COURTESY OF GOOD EARTH YOGURT; MATTHEW VAN BIENE/TANDEM; PHIL TIFO/TANDEM; DANITA DELIMONT/ALAMY; JRG MODROW/LAIF/REDUX

Clearwater Beach
b. The Dal Museum
cf. Bishop: close
to the mountains,
far from overrun

a c

b e

B E S T PA D D L I N G Sweetwater Kayaks in BEST CLIMBING

IN THE GULF
town. Then you come out
Saint through a little necklace
Petersburg, of islands and you feel like
Florida youre in the middle of
Population: 257,000 nowhere.
Median home Saint Pete has a Sal-
value: $145,000 vador Dal museum and
Median household killer Cuban food at places
income: $46,000 like Bodega. Locals keep
Council says: The their boats and SUPs
water is warm, clear, strapped to the roofs of
and beautiful, and their cars so that when
the beach is long and they leave work (health
wide. R.J. care, finance, and man-
ufacturing are big here)
Life is lived on the water they can squeeze in a bit
in this old-school Gulf of paddle time before
Coast town. You dont heading home.
even have to leave the If the sea breeze gets
city limits to kayak you restless, hop on a
through Weedon Island bike and ride the 47-mile
Preserve, a 3,000-acre Pinellas Trail up to Tarpon
wildlife refuge with a Springs, stopping for a
resident population of grouper sandwich or a
roseate spoonbills and pint of signature Florida
a well-marked four-mile weisse along the way. Its
water trail. worth a short detour to
It goes through man- Caladesi Island, where you
grove tunnels, and youre can swim alone in ultra-
under the canopy, says clear water and kick back
Russell Farrow, who owns on a sugar-sand beach.
HAMLET TO CALL
HOME BEFORE
I T S T O O L AT E
Bishop,
California
Population: 4,000
Median home
value: $145,000
Median household
income: $41,000 THE S H O O - I N
Council says: Because Charleston,
its in a rain shadow, it f South Carolina
sees amazing weather. It In Charleston, youll take
can be snowing on Mount time to shuck oysters,
Tom and youll be climb- east side of the Sierra ride bikes with your
ing in a tank top. Nevada, trout-fishing the kids through swamps
APARNA RAJAGOPAL- Owens River, or back- and mossy oaks, and
DURBIN packing into the John linger over a low-country
Muir Wilderness. Tourism sunset. People here are
Rock rats have long trav- is the main industry here, sweet, southern, and
eled to Bishop for year- but many residents tele- resilient. Downpour on
round sport climbing, but commute to companies Folly Beach? No worries.
its also a great place to based in Los Angeles or Itll be over in a few min-
live if youve been priced San Francisco. utes. The tourists run
out of other mountain The food and drink for cover, but the locals
towns, like Mammoth options are getting better, arent going anywhere.
Lakes, 42 miles north. too. A new small-batch Population: 133,000
Youll spend your free distillery is opening soon, Median home
time bouldering in the and you can get wine and value: $256,000
Buttermilks, backcoun- organic fro-yo at Good Median household
try-skiing couloirs on the Earth Yogurt. income: $56,000

n  Outside 53

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*
2017
RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS
b e
BIG IDEA
Give the Little
Guy a Leg Up
In the current age of
serial entrepreneurs and
tech-startup incubators,
Memphis, Tennessee,
is investing in that
old-school bedrock of
commerce: the small
local business. MemShop,
launched in 2012 as a
city-sponsored initiative,
provides businesses
with rental assistance,
managerial training, mar-
keting services, and
a prenegotiated six-
month lease for a space.
54 Outside 
0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 54
a
ac. Small
businesses keep
Memphis vibrant.
de. Who needs
more paved trails?
Not Portland.
c Oregon: a dirt trail net-
No idea is too small: the Memphis Guitar
among the 15 startups Spa, which repairs
supported by the pro- instruments. This is a
gram to date are a cookie town with a tremendous
shop and a hula-hoop amount of creativity,
studio. We launch busi- says the owner, Kevin
nesses in clusters, one Ferner. But there isnt
neighborhood at a time, as much capital here as
says MemShop fundrais- there is in larger cities,
ing and program director so its challenging for
Cynthia Norwood. All small businesses. Like
of them go through the his neighbors, he takes
training at the same pride in Broad Avenues
time, and some end up turnaround. It used to
mentoring each other. be you couldnt walk
In 2013, the pro- down this street without
gram helped launch six a pistol, he says. Now
businesses on historic were the anchors of the
Broad Avenue, including block. W.C.
05172017145843 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
BIG IDEA
Let Them
Ride Dirt
Theres a crazy notion
going around Portland,
work that traverses the
entire city. The Off-Road
Cycling Master Plan calls
for the development of
a continuous loop that
could be as long as 50
miles. In many cities, the
off-road riding happens
in a state park or other
large public space, says
Michelle Kunec-North, a
program manager for the
city. Were trying to put
that approach on ste-
roids, with trails in all 1,425
city-owned properties.
The project was
launched after surveys
revealed that while about
12 percent of county res-
idents had ridden off-
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JEN JUDGE/AURORA; BROWN CANNON III/INTERSECTION PHOTOS; EXPERIENCE GRAND RAPIDS; FOUNDERS BREWING CO.; EXPERIENCE GRAND RAPIDS; DAVID SILVER; NICK KELLEY
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ERIC ECHOLS; LINCOLN BARBOUR; DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY; ERIC ECHOLS; DAVEL5957/GETTY
d
road within the past year,
municipal planning didnt
give the activity the same
consideration as less
popular sports like tennis
and skateboarding. The
new master plan sug-
gests a mix of beginner
terrain, singletrack, and
technical flow trails. Right
now its only a blueprint
itll take at least two
decades to complete
but cyclists are focused
on the long game. In
20 years, fast-growing
cities like Portland are
going to have a lot more
people, says Nat Lopes,
founder of Hilride, the
trail-building company
the city has contracted to
help develop the project.
Unless you plan now for
parks and open space,
there is going to be a lot
less of them. W.C.
5/17/17 2:01 PM
 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: JEN JUDGE/AURORA; BROWN CANNON III/INTERSECTION PHOTOS; EXPERIENCE GRAND RAPIDS; FOUNDERS BREWING CO.; EXPERIENCE GRAND RAPIDS; DAVID SILVER; NICK KELLEY
a Grand Rapids
B E S T C O M B I N AT I O N
O F M O U N TA I N S A N D
M A R G A R I TA S
Santa Fe,
New Mexico
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ERIC ECHOLS; LINCOLN BARBOUR; DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY; ERIC ECHOLS; DAVEL5957/GETTY
Population: 84,000
Median home value:
$260,000
Median household
income: $51,000
Council says: New
Mexico has the only
license-plate slogan in
the country that doesnt
lieLand of Enchant-
ment. RICHARD LOUV organizes an annual bike,
For a town designed to
blend ina city ordinance
requires that buildings
look like earthen adobe
structuresSanta Fe sure
stands out. Its hard to
be inconspicuous when
youre a 7,000-foot-high
state capital with 300
days of sunshine, an ad-
jacent 350-square-mile
wilderness area, and five
French bakeries. The air is
clean, the sky is large, and
the outdoor recreation is
endless. (Full disclosure:
Outside is based here, and
not by accident.)
The place has an
abundance of culture
the high-desert outpost
is one of the largest art
markets in the U.S., shares
a ballet company with
Aspen, Colorado, and
0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 55
ad. Year-round
playground in
Santa Fe
eg. Revitalized
has a renowned opera
yet its not pretentious.
You can buy $15 stand-
ing-room tickets for the
opera and find street
tacos that rival anything
in Mexico.
I can ski every morn-
ing and still be at work by
9 A.M., have world-class
food after looking at
world-class art, and then
get out on a sunset run,
says Madeleine Carey, a
local conservationist who
Grand Rapids,
run, and ski event called
Plaza2Peak.
Despite all the sage-
brush, the place is firmly
in the mountains. There
are five ski areas within
two hours, the closest of
which is Ski Santa Fe, just
16 miles from down-
town. Diablo Canyon, 45
minutes away, has great
sport climbing. The Dale
Ball, La Tierra, and Galis-
teo Basin trail networks
offer more than 100 miles
of singletrack for running
and riding.
Whatever you get up
to, at days end theres a Grand Rapids had a TGI
town full of margaritas
and enchiladas smoth-
ered with red and green
chile waiting. A place this
good cant hide for long,
even if the buildings are
made of mud.
05172017145843
b e
c
g
THE SHOO -IN
Missoula, Montana
Montana has no shortage of places circled by
mountains, trails, and trout-stuffed rivers, but
none match Missoula, where loggers, guides,
CSA-loving parents, ranchers, and University
of Montana students all blend together.
Population: 71,000
Median home value: $238,000
d Median household income: $41,500
BEST RIVER TOWN excited to get out after Provin Trails Park, and
high school. there are ten mountain-
Michigan But the entire state biking trails within 45
Population: 195,000 is on the rebound, and minutes of downtown.
Median home value: no city offers better proof Lake Michigan is just 30
$109,000 of that than Grand Rap- miles away, or 45 miles
Median household ids. The Medical Mile via bike path. For week-
income: $40,000 which includes research end backpacking, the
Council says: Its one of institutes, a Michigan Huron-Manistee National
the pilot towns for our State University campus, Forest is a little over two
Cities Connecting Chil- and hospitalsinjected hours north.
dren to Nature program, billions of dollars into the The new mayor, Rosa-
and what they do will be economy and created lynn Bliss, hopes to make
passed along to 19,000 thousands of high-paying the town more sustain-
other municipalities. jobs. Today, Grand Rapids able, too. Bliss wants all
R.L. is a little big city, as the public buildings to be
locals like to say. It has completely powered by
Not so long ago, Mich- great food and even bet- renewable energy by
igans economy was in ter beerthe brewer 2025. The city planted
the dumps. Downtown Founders began here in 2,000 trees last year, with
1997, and now there are the goal of 40 percent
Fridays and a fancy hotel, almost 40 craft breweries. tree cover citywide. (Right
recalls Rachel Posthu- The city itself also now its at 35 percent
mus, who grew up here has more than 70 parks. more than Portland, Ore-
and now owns Switch- (The surrounding county gon.) Bliss plans to add
back Gear Exchange. You has an additional 38.) 100 miles of bike lanes
didnt want to spend any Sandy trails loop through to city streets by the end
time there. We were all a dense pine forest in of the year.
 Outside 55
5/17/17 2:01 PM
$QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
*
2017

RXWVLGHV
BEST
a. Dayton whitewater
bd. Kansas City
culture

TOWNS
d eg. Merging city life
and wildlife in Seattle

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JORDAN HART; ZACH BAUMAN; DANIEL HOLZ/TANDEM; TIM MCGUIRE; JOHN MATZICK/ALAMY; VISIT KC (2)
b c g

BEST REBIRTH OF
THE AMERICAN
DREAM
Dayton, Ohio
Population: 141,000
Median home value:
$67,000
Median household
income: $28,000
BEST MIX OF the throngs of Royals BEST BIG CITY tain or bomb a new
BARBECUE AND fans watching games WITH BONA FIDE downhill-mountain-bike
BIKING in the Power and Light A DV E N T U R E trail on Tiger Mountain
Kansas City, District, a humming clus- Seattle, within an hour of the
Missouri ter of bars and restau- Washington International Districts
Population: 475,000 rants, and see Garth Population: 684,000 ramen, pho, and poke
Median home value: Brooks at the Sprint Median home value: joints. Were lucky to
$133,000 Center arena. The citys $453,000 not just have bike paths
Median household renowned barbecue is Median household and playfields but also

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: DAVID A. SMITH/GETTY; ELLEN PUSTEJOVSKY; ALEX ARISTEI;

Council says: Ten years income: $46,000 complimented by tapas income: $71,000 massive forest and beach
ago, it was on everyones Council says: It has at the Antler Room, bone Council says: Snoqual- parks right in the city,
list of dying cities. Now so much more natural broth at Uncommon mie Pass is close for covered in trails, says Lulu
theyve turned it around. beauty and public parks Stock, and craft cocktails day adventures, North Gephart, senior director
J.D. than most cities. R.L. at basement speakeasy Cascades is one of the of marketing at the Wil-
Manifesto. least crowded parks, derness Society. It helps
When Dayton struggled Dont laugh: Kansas City You may be thinking, and the Olympics have you forget about the rain.
after a major General might be the most livable But its in the plains! a rainforest. A.R. Its a big citythe

CHRISTIAN HEEB/LAIF/REDUX; JOEL VALENCIA; JOSE MORE

Motors plant closed in
2008, city leaders came
up with a plan: recast its
image based on its rivers
and trails. It worked.
Cultural vibrancy has
returned in places like
the artsy Oregon District
and the Second Street
Market. But what people
find outside town is the
real drawhundreds of (the IRS has a major
miles of hiking trails,
60 miles of mountain-
biking track (ten of them
within city limits), and
400 miles of waterways
in the Miami River valley.
city in the country. It Theres nothing to do! population is 684,000
has a newly revamped Wrong. You can climb in Were not joking when but the distinctly different
downtown, a low cost of a bouldering gym located we say that Seattle has neighborhoods give it
living, and emerging food ten stories underground everything you could the feel of a clustering
and art scenes. in a former limestone want. It is almost entirely of small towns.
Straddling the border mine or mountain-bike surrounded by water. There is a downside:
between Kansas and along more than 130 Then there are the moun- homes have gotten ex-
Missouri, Kansas City has miles of singletrack that tains. The Cascades to ceedingly expensive, and
affordable homes and twists through the city the east top out at 14,411- salaries havent kept
plenty of jobs with the from Swope Park to foot Mount Rainier, while pace. But at least jobs are
federal government Minor Park. Thanks to a views of the Olympics plentiful. Large employers
soon-to-be-completed to the west can be had Boeing and Starbucks,
office here) and at the link trail, youll be able from your deck. tech companies Amazon,
corporate offices of to hike or bike all the Almost all of that Microsoft, and Zillow,
Garmin and Sprint. way from Kansas City to wide-open space is and outdoor brands Evo,
But thats just part of Saint Louis via the 238- accessible, too: you can Filson, K2 Sports, and REI
the equation. Living in mile Katy Trail. Ready to run more than 35 miles all have operations here.
K.C. means you can join move? We thought so. of trails on Cougar Moun- Its not hard to see why.

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 a. Sloss festival,
Birmingham
b. Birmingham
Boulders
cf. Spearfish,
South Dakota

a e
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JORDAN HART; ZACH BAUMAN; DANIEL HOLZ/TANDEM; TIM MCGUIRE; JOHN MATZICK/ALAMY; VISIT KC (2)

BEST SOUTHERN
RENAISSANCE
Birmingham,
Alabama
Population: 212,000
Median home
value: $87,000
Median household
income: $31,000
Council says: You
wouldnt expect to find
mountain biking in Ala-
bama, but its there and
its good. J.D. trail running at Ruffner
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: DAVID A. SMITH/GETTY; ELLEN PUSTEJOVSKY; ALEX ARISTEI;
THE S H O O - I N
Widespread Panic and b Austin, Texas
Alabama Shakes. And Over the past decade,
Railroad Park, a former so many hipsters have
B E S T M A K E OV E R
industrial zone, has
FROM PIT STOP
migrated to the Texas
been transformed into capital that the popula-
T O P L AYG R O U N D
a 19-acre greenspace tion has swelled to more
with food-truck rallies, Spearfish, than two million in the
a bike-share program South Dakota metro area. Housing is
with solar-powered Population: 11,000 pricey, but the tech indus-
docking stations, and Median home try continues to thrive.
running trails. value: $194,000 Population: 932,000
The outdoors are with- Median household Median home
in reach, too. You can find income: $43,000 value: $241,000
Council says: For the Median household
Mountain, eight miles Dakota Five-O race, f income: $58,000

Why is a city in Alabama
on this list? Easy: its the
latest southern belle to
reinvent itself as a place
where food, industry, and
outdoor access collide.
When the steel indus-
try died down, so did
CHRISTIAN HEEB/LAIF/REDUX; JOEL VALENCIA; JOSE MORE
from downtown, and 29 we roll in with our moun-
miles of mountain-biking tain bikes on Friday and
trails at Oak Mountain dont get in our cars again ends at Spearfish City Spearfish Canyon, a
State Park, Alabamas until we leave three days Park, which features a half-mile from town, has
biggest. (Dont overlook later. J.D. campground and a creek almost 700 sport routes
the dependable bass full of wild rainbows. The up to 5.12 on high-quality
fishing in Oak Moun- If youve ever been to event, which serves as limestone. The Sunshine
tains Double Oak Lake.) Spearfish, its probably an open house for the Wall is south facing and

Birmingham, says Ryan
Cavender, a local climbing
guide who founded the
Idlewild Adventure Com-
pany. But now theres town. And Horse Pens 40,
nightlife reemerging.
People live downtown
now. Theres a real, tangi-
ble energy.
Jobs in Alabamas larg-
est city currently abound
in banking, insurance,
medicine, and education
(via the University of
Alabama at Birmingham).
The town has a summer
music festival with head-
liners that have included
Theres outdoor boul- because you were getting
dering on two-story-high gas on a cross-country
sandstone at Moss Rock, road trip. After Frank Lloyd
15 minutes from down- Wright passed through
the town in 1935, he won-
an hour away, attracts dered: But how is it that
climbers from around the Ive heard so little of this
world with its boulders. miracle?
The citys first climbing Located at the mouth
gym, First Avenue Rocks, of a Black Hills canyon,
opened in 2009, and two the town remains a rarely
additional gyms have visited wonder. But the
opened in the past few good news is spreading,
years to feed the growing due to mountain-biking
climbing community. events like the Dakota
Put it all another way: Five-O, a grueling 50-mile
the magic of the Magic race over Black Hills sin-
City is back. gletrack that starts and
local trail-building crew, promises dry and warm
draws 700 riders each climbing even in winter.
September and sells out And when it really gets
in two hours. cold, local climbers
Black Hills State Uni- swing axes into the ice
versity adds some youth at nearby, 60-foot-high
with its 4,500 students Bridal Veil Falls.
and is a major employer Theres not a lot here
in town. The students in the way of modern
help keep Crow Peak entertainment, says
Brewing (try its Pile O Dillon Julius, who owned a
Dirt Porter) and Killians gear shop before signing
(get the sashimi nachos up with CampNative.com,
or duck wings) in busi- a campsite-reservation
ness. Then, when they startup that moved here
clear out in the summer, in 2015. Everything there
the streets are quiet is to do is outdoorsand
and so are the trails. its all free.

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0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 57 5/17/17 2:01 PM

05172017145859 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
*
2017

RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DAN MILNER; COURTESY OF THE WINDSOR BOUTIQUE HOTEL; REGINA NICOLARDI; ANDREW THOMAS LEE (2)
Population: 88,000
Median home
value: $200,000
A PERFECT S U MMER DAY Median household
24 Hours in income: $43,000

Asheville
Just when you think this small North Carolina slaw. Try the Gravy and topped with (from $280; windsor 9 P.M.
mountain town has reached peak cool, more Flight ($7), a biscuit chutney. chaipani asheville.com). After dinner, stroll
chefs receive James Beard Award nomina- with three gravies. asheville.com Bonus: youre a few through the South
tions and the outdoor access gets even bet- biscuitheads.com blocks from MG Slope neighborhood
ter. From road-cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway 3 P.M. Road, a fun-loving around Buxton Hall,
to paddling the French Broad to hiking and 10 A.M. Rent a stand-up cocktail bar decked where youll find half
biking Pisgah National Forests hundreds of Play a round of disc paddleboard from out with Christmas a dozen breweries
miles of singletrack, heres how to spend the golf (Ashevilles French Broad River lights year-round in a four-block area.
perfect day in the Souths hippest mountain sport of choice) at Outfitters ($40; and a menu full of Burial Beer Com-
town. GRAHAM AVERILL Richmond Hill, a city frenchbroad adult slushies and pany, with its over-
park with one of the outfitters.com) and draft cocktails. size murals of Tom
6 A.M. cruises Blue Ridge toughest courses on paddle among the Selleck, is a must
Asheville has a repu- Parkway, and ends the East Coast. tubers on a mild 7:30 P.M. (burialbeer.com).
tation as a moun- with the fast Town stretch of the French Chow down on
tain-bike mecca, Mountain descent. 12:30 P.M. Broad through the a fried-chicken 10:30 P.M.
but the road riding Head to Chai River Arts District, sandwich paired Catch a Lyft to Sal-
is even better. Rent 8:30 A.M. Pani, where chef stopping for a beer with collard greens vage Station, a river-
a carbon Trek Silque Refuel at Biscuit Meherwan Irani at New Belgiums and mac and side bar just outside
from Liberty Bicycles Head, in trendy West has brought Indian latest brewery and cheese at Buxton town with an expan-
($75; libertybikes Asheville, where the street-food flair to taproom. Hall Barbecue, were sive lawn speck-
.com) and pedal a classic southern bis- downtown. Order chef Elliot Moss has led with fire pits,
25-mile loop that cuit is transcended the Kathi Kabab 5 P.M. created some of the Ping-Pong tables,
takes in the five-mile with toppings like Roll, with chicken Check into the most buzzed-about and impromptu
Elk Mountain Scenic pulled pork or fried perfectly seared Windsor, a boutique dishes in the South. rounds of disc golf.
Parkway climb, chicken with sriracha in tandoori spices hotel on Broadway buxtonhall.com salvagestation.com

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0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 58 5/17/17 2:27 PM

05172017151645 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 WE DIDNT INVENT
THE SUMMER COCKTAIL
Shape your summer with Patrn. We slow-roast only the
finest 100% Weber Blue Agave, giving our tequila its signature smooth finish,
perfect for enjoying in any summer drink. We didnt invent the summer cocktail,

WE JUST PERFECTED IT.

The perfect way to enjoy Patrn is responsibly. Handcrafted and imported exclusively from Mexico by The Patrn Spirits Company, Las Vegas, NV. 40% abv.

PATRN AND TONIC

For this recipe and others visit patrontequila.com/cocktails

*
2017

RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS

b ac. Living the SLO life

in San Luis Obispo
df. The Twin Cities
are all about the water
f and wheels.

BEST BLEND OF
ermans Beach, just a
SU N S H I N E , FO O D,
few miles south of town,
A N D B E AC H E S
and Cub Scouts eating
San Luis popcorn in their sleeping
Obispo, bags while watching d e
California double features at the
Population: 47,000 Sunset Drive-In.
B E S T P L AC E T O
Median home The average commute off-street paths, cycling plenty of water, too.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: KENDRA ARONSON; DANIEL KURAS/TANDEM; CAVAN IMAGES/DISSOLVE;

value: $546,000
Median household
income: $46,000
Council says: San Luis
Obispo has the charm
and nature and cool air
of San Francisco without
all the techies or the pre-
apocalyptic vibe. R.L.
BIKE-COMMUTE
time is 15 minutes, and YEAR-ROUND
jobs are easy to get in
agriculture, education,
Minneapolis
and tourism. Cal Poly and Saint
State University keeps Paul,
the place feeling young Minnesota
despite all the retirees Population: 711,000
who move here for the Median home
nearly 300 days of sun- value: $232,000
Median household
in the Twin Cities is as In summer, locals flock
second-nature as pond to the Chain of Lakes
hockey. People ride year- Regional Park to paddle-
round here, says Katie board, canoe, or practice
Nyberg, director of a local log-rolling. (Yes, its real,
nonprofit called the Mis- and it will kick your ass,
sissippi Park Connection. which is why there are
In winter, the bike paths expert-taught classes.)
are often plowed before Last year, the Twin Cities

JOSH WHALEN/TANDEM; ARCO IMAGES GMBH/ALAMY; SAM DEAN

Set just minutes from
both the Pacific Ocean
and the Coast Range, San
Luis Obispo is roughly
halfway between San
Francisco and Los Ange-
lesand, fortunately, is
nothing like either city.
Theres a reason
shine each year. the streets. launched a paddle-share
Homes arent cheap, income: $71,000 City planners have program, where people
but thats to be expected Council says: The city taken a regional ap- can borrow Minnesota-
in this kind of paradise. planners are always think- proach, connecting bicy- made Current Designs
After all, you can load ing about how to connect cle networks throughout kayaks to float sections
up on amazing produce bike networks. Its not just the Twin Cities. The Nice of the 72-mile Mississippi
at the weekly farmers about having a bike path Ride bike-share program National River and Recre-
market (theres a free around a lake; its the launched in 2010 and ational Area.
bike-valet service, too) entire journey. J.D. now offers more than When the day is done,
and then spend your 1,500 neon green bikes dont expect the lutefisk
MICHELLE AND CHRIS GERARD (2)

locals refer to it as the
SLO lifethe only thing
that moves fast here are
the cars zipping past on
Highway 101. Nobody
is in a rush, says Coby
Parker-Garcia, a local
winemaker at Claiborne
and Churchill Winery.
Youll find friends grill-
ing over bonfires at Fish-
weekends surfing, sea- Sure, the Twin Cities (except in winter). The lo- of Lake Woebegon lore.
kayaking through caves, have affordable homes, cal culture has spawned East African and South-
or mountain-biking past a mellow pace of life, and creative ventures like east Asian refugees have
coastal sage overlooking a great economy (its Artcrank, a bike-poster injected international fla-
the ocean at Montaa de home to tech, retail, and art show, and thriving vor into the food scene.
Oro State Park. Still not finance giants 3M, Target, businesses, including in- Near the University of
convinced? Monthly bike and U.S. Bank). But the dustry giant Quality Bike Minnesota, Afro Deli
nights attract hundreds real reason to move Products. makes sambusas, and
of costumed cyclists here is the biking. With But you dont need at the Midtown Global
on a group ride through 224 miles of on-street to be on two wheels to Market, Phams Rice Bowl
downtown. bikeways and 181 miles of navigate the citytheres serves up steaming pho.

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05172017145914 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 BIG ID EA
Give Em a Lift
In 1993, the average number of cars on the street in Aspen, Colorado, during peak traf-
fic hours was about 1,100. Fast-forward to today: the resident population has jumped
31 percent, tourism is booming, and the average number of cars is 750. While many
mountain towns battle congestionvehicle miles in Colorado increased by 22 percent 1.1 million: Approximate
from 2000 to 2015Aspen remains a unicorn of relatively uncrowded streets. How? number of people riding the
It started with a commitment to free (and frequent) local buses and has only gotten free public buses on local
more creative. W.C. routes around Aspen in 2016.
Five million riders use buses
life
in the broader Roaring Fork
$6 million: The Valley, the second most for
ter citys annual budget any region in Colorado.
for public transit.
Aspen also spent 50: Wi-Fi-equipped buses
$9.5 million on the in the Roaring Fork Valleys
5: Downtowner elec- central Rubey Park rapid-transit fleet.
tric taxies. The golf- Transit Facility, com-
1,100: Bikes in cart-style vehicles, pleted in 2015.
Aspens bike-share which are equipped
program, We-cycle, with heaters and ski 9: Vehicles in
which launched racks, can be hailed Aspens hybrid-
in 2013. with a mobile app. car-share program

BIG IDEA ising harbinger for Motor

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: KENDRA ARONSON; DANIEL KURAS/TANDEM; CAVAN IMAGES/DISSOLVE;

Look to City is investment by

the Stars
Want to revive your
postindustrial city? Ask
for help from the famous,
wealthy locals who call
it their home. When cit-
ies revitalize, part of the
first wave of investment
comes from what we
JOSH WHALEN/TANDEM; ARCO IMAGES GMBH/ALAMY; SAM DEAN
Dan Gilbert, the Detroit-
born billionaire founder
of Quicken Loans.
Since Gilbert moved
his company to town
seven years ago, he has
developed huge blocks
of real estate, including

the landmark building

call friends and family
money, explains Peter
Chapman, executive vice
president for the Detroit
Economic Growth Cor-
poration. Detroit should
know. In February, garage-
rock icon Jack White
flipped the switch on a
MICHELLE AND CHRIS GERARD (2)
at 1400 Woodward Ave.,
which hes converting
into a 130-room boutique
hotel in partnership
with upstart watch and
leather-goods brand
Shinolaknown for
stamping its wares with
Built in Detroit. According

new 10,000-square-foot to Chapman, that kind

record plant for his label,
Third Man Pressing, adja-
cent to the record store
he opened in late 2015. By
flying his brands flag so
publicly in Detroit, White,
who was born and raised
in the city, has legitimized
it as a creative hub.
An even more prom-
of endeavor is what con-
vinced Microsoft to plant
a 40,000-square-foot
office in Detroit, opening
early next year. They
believe Detroit has the
talent, he says. People
think this is where the
educated millennials are
moving. W.C.

ILLUSTRATION BY Bryan Christie Design  Outside 61

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*
2017
RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS
b e
B E S T P L AC E T O
R I D E S I N G L E T R AC K
PA S T W O R L D -
CLASS ART
Bentonville,
Arkansas
Population: 45,000
Median home
value: $174,000
Median household
income: $72,000
Council says: The real
magic of Bentonville is
these community groups
that have come together
for group rides, trail build-
ing, and advocacy. J.D.
Bentonville is best known
as the home of Walmarts
corporate headquar-
ters. But this northwest
Arkansas town, located
in the hills of the Ozark
Plateau, is quickly gaining
a reputation as one of
the countrys top moun-
62 Outside 
0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 62
c
tain-biking destinations.
From downtown you can
hop on your bike and
access over 200 miles
of flowing singletrack,
group rides depart daily
from the town square,
and a growing number of
programs are aimed at
getting kids, women, and
newbies into cycling.
Bentonvilles pub-
lic schools are ranked
among the best in the
state. Walmart is, of
course, the areas largest
employer. But you can
easily find education jobs
at the local community
college.
All that Walton Family
money has led to some
serious philanthropy,
too. The Crystal Bridges
Museum of American
Art draws tourists by the
busload, and everyone
05172017112931
gets free access to the
works of Jackson Pollock,
Mark Rothko, and Jasper
Johns. Near the increas-
ingly cool main square,
youll find places like 21c,
a 104-room modern hotel
slash art museum with
12,000 square feet of gal-
lery space and an upscale
southern restaurant.
In the towns oldest tural cuisine endless, and
church, theres a new
restaurant called the
Preachers Son, with a
chef whos actually a Reno is home to the
preachers son. And Bike worlds tallest climbing
Rack Brewing (funded
by a then vice president
at Walmart) is opening
a new 8,800-square-
foot location next to an
outdoor market that has
a culinary school, a fancy
chocolate company, and
food trucks. May the
renaissance continue.
$QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
ab. Top-notch
art and trails in
Bentonville
cf. Playing
hard, Reno
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: SCOTT SADY (2); WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION; DERO SANFORD/COURTESY OF CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART; COURTESY OF MIDTOWN EATS (2)
THE SHOO -IN
Flagstaff, Arizona
In what other town can you wake up to chorizo
chilaquiles at MartAnnes Breakfast Palace, hop on a
56-mile urban trail system, ride to a trailhead that leads
into the worlds largest ponderosa forest, and still have
time to cycle 2,000 feet up Snowbowl Road before
happy hour at the Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge?
Population: 70,000
Median home value: $267,000
Median household income: $49,000
B E S T L O W- K E Y slot machines.
HIDEOUT The up-and-coming
Reno, Nevada Midtown neighborhood
Population: 241,000 embodies the citys
Median home changing vibe: tattoo
value: $211,000 parlors, record shops, and
Median household vintage-clothing haunts
income: $47,000 sit side by side with whis-
Council says: The politics key cocktails at Chapel
of Reno are progressive, Tavern, gumbo and cat-
the options for multicul- fish at the Mustard Seed,
and elk burgers at Mid-
the outdoor possibilities town Eats.
numerous. A.R. Teslas new Giga-
factory, which will be
located just outside
town, is slated to bring
wall (164 feet, at Base- more than 6,000 jobs
Camp, located at the to the area when its
Whitney Park Hotel), completed in 2020.
year-round desert moun- Thats caused a spike in
tain biking, a half-mile- real estate prices, but
long downtown white- you can still score a home
water-kayaking park, and in the Biggest Little City
the 55-degree chutes for nearly a third of what
at Mount Rose, just 25 homes cost in most Lake
minutes uphill from the Tahoearea towns.
5/17/17 10:38 AM
 BIG IDEA
Feed the Fish
Waterfront is prime real
estate. But when Seattle
decided to revamp a mile
and a half of its decaying
naval yard along Puget
Sound, the designers
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: SCOTT SADY (2); WALTON FAMILY FOUNDATION; DERO SANFORD/COURTESY OF CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART; COURTESY OF MIDTOWN EATS (2)
New York agency behind > While people love for underwater plant life > Storm-water runoff is
Manhattans celebrated walking along waterside to anchor on, and also directed toward the large
High Line elevated park, overhangs, nearshore eco- feature ledges that planting beds, which act
collaborated with marine systems require abundant help protect fish from as filters, vastly reducing
biologists to create a sea- direct light. To meet both predators. pollutants spilling into
wall and promenade that demands, Field Opera- the sound.
includes restored habitat tions designed a sidewalk > Native trees and
for migrating juvenile studded with a grid of plants add shade for > Farther offshore, a

factored in the needs of
an often overlooked con-
stituency: fish. Chinook
salmon are considered
a sacred species by the
native tribes of the Pacific
Northwest and have long
provided a livelihood
(and favorite meal) for
many Washingtonians.
As a result, James Corner
Field Operations, the
salmon. W.C. translucent glass blocks
> Salmon prefer to
migrate in shallow water.
Since the seafloor had
been dredged for years
to allow passage for large
boats, the new design
raises the bottom using
large sacks of stones.
humans and habitat for restored kelp forest
that can support tens of birds. They also provide offers habitat for marine
thousands of pounds. nutrients to the marine species like otters, her-
ecosystem when vegeta- ons, and crabs.
> The concrete panels tion, soil, and insects fall
that make up the new into the water.
seawall are heavily tex-
tured, to make it easier

ILLUSTRATION BY Bryan Christie Design  Outside 63

0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 63 5/17/17 10:38 AM

05172017112931 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
*
2017

RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN (3); DUSTIN CHAMBERS/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX; ERIK S. LESSER/EPA/REDUX (2)
b
f
ad. Libations
d and empty trails

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: TODD KOROL/AURORA; BARBARA ALPER/GETTY; LONELY PLANET/GETTY; TOM BOL/AURORA;
in Fort Collins
eh. The beauty
of Kona: water
(and coffee)

DLEWIS33/GETTY; COURTESY OF NEW BELGIUM BREWING; BRANDON SAWAYA/GETTY; DANE CRONIN/TANDEM

c weve handed out
B E S T B I K E -T O - the foothills of the Rocky
H A P P Y- H O U R T O W N
Mountains has over 20
Fort Collins,
breweries, most notably
Colorado New Belgium and Odell.
Population: 161,000 Borrow a cruiser from
Median home Fort Collins Bike Share
value: $266,000 and you can even put
Median household together a self-guided
income: $56,000 tour of local breweries.
Council says: You can A beer CSA delivers
get almost everywhere bombers brewed from
in the city in a bike lane. locally farmed hops, and
And if youre mountain the town promotes a
biking or road biking, you winter bike-to-work day.
can ride to your rideno Its also a good place little city with resorts
driving necessary. to launch a business:
J.D. tech-startup incubator
Innosphere helps appli-
In Forth Collins, two cants get ideas off the
things reign supreme: ground. The only thing
biking and beer. Theres thats missing: a ski hill. rugged black-lava-strewn
even a weekly radio show Thankfully, backcoun-
that combines the two, try skiers can head to
discussing bike building Cameron Pass or climb
and cyclocross from vari- 13,000-foot peaks in
ous local taprooms. Rocky Mountain National
This college town in Park, an hour away.
Name That
Town!
Over the years,
Best Towns kudos
for everything
g h from bouldering
to college living to
wellness (huh?).
Can you guess
B E S T P L AC E T O dinner, race outrigger
which is which?
FORGET ABOUT canoes, and drink coffee
T I M E C O M P L E T E LY from beans grown on the 1. Best College
Kona, Hawaii flanks of a volcano. Town, 2003
Population: 12,000 The village has 2. Best Town,
Median home retained the same feel 2011 and 2015
value: $389,000 for decades, says resi- 3. Best Wellness
Median household dent Ikaika Hauanio, a Town, 2006
income: $57,000 wealth-management 4. Best Skiing in
Council says: Kona adviser at Merrill Lynch. the East, 2010
isnt a resortits a gritty Thats part of the reason 5. Best Rock
why people love it here. Climbing, 2006
around it. R.J. The black tarmac of
the Queen Kaahumanu A. Sebastapol,
The Kona Coast, on the Highway, the site of the California
west shore of Hawaiis Big Ironman World Cham- B. New Paltz,
Island, is marked by its pionships in October, New York
draws cyclists with its C. Chattanooga,
landscape, national his- wide shoulders and Tennessee
toric parks, and friendly whale watching, plus D. Santa Cruz,
aloha lifestyle. The theres hiking to secluded California
village of Kailua-Kona is beaches and white-sand E. Waitsfield,
throwback Hawaii, with campsites accessible Vermont
locals who spearfish for from town.

64 Outside
ANSWERS: 1) D. 2) C. 3) A. 4) E. 5) B.


0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 64 5/17/17 10:38 AM

05172017112931 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT

ac. Bringing the farm
to the city in Austin
df. Atlantas colorful
Eastside Trail
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: BENJAMIN RASMUSSEN (3); DUSTIN CHAMBERS/THE NEW YORK TIMES/REDUX; ERIK S. LESSER/EPA/REDUX (2)
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: TODD KOROL/AURORA; BARBARA ALPER/GETTY; LONELY PLANET/GETTY; TOM BOL/AURORA;
DLEWIS33/GETTY; COURTESY OF NEW BELGIUM BREWING; BRANDON SAWAYA/GETTY; DANE CRONIN/TANDEM
BIG IDEA
Plant a Seed
As the fastest-growing
city in America, Austin,
Texas, is literally con-
suming its surrounding
farmland, with housing
developers buying up
acres from small farmers
cashing in on skyrock-
eting land values. The
dynamic threatens both
a rural way of life and
the ability to buy local
produce in the birthplace
of Whole Foods. Now
the city government
and Austin businesses
0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 65
b
c abandoned railway tracks
are responding with a food startups. And
strategy aimed at making organizations like the
this ground zero for urban Texas Center for Local
farms nationwide. Food are fighting to
First, new municipal retain surrounding farms
policieslike a 2013 that are still determined
ordinance that allows to feed the city. Two
farmers to sell produce million people just means
on their property and more demand for local
raise fowl, rabbits, and food, says the centers
fishmake it easier to executive director Sue
start new growing oper- Beckwith. Were hoping
ations. Second, a wave to create a new industry
of young tech-minded by better connecting
entrepreneurs have rural producers to local
created a number of markets so they can
incubators and invest- make enough money to
ment funds to nurture keep their farms. W.C.
05172017112931 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
e f
BIG IDEA
performing artists.
Turn Art Most of the people on
into an the Beltline are walking
Adventure their dogs or getting
When it was first con- groceries or commuting,
ceived, Atlantas Beltline says Elan Buchen, the
was a wildly ambitious Beltlines project man-
project: 22 miles of ager for art and culture.
They might come across
converted into a biking some weird performance
and pedestrian path that or a booth with artists
would connect dozens doing haiku fortune tell-
of neighborhoods in a ing. Then they keep going,
city thats long been looking for morebefore
defined by sprawl and you know it, theyve
traffic jams. Though its walked a mile. Mean-
still a work in progress while, the annual Lantern
some ten miles have Parade, a music and
been developed since arts procession staged
2006the greenway is the first Saturday after
already breathing new Labor Day, has become
life into Atlanta in the one of the defining
form of art. A two-mile events of the Beltline.
section of the Beltline At the first one, in 2010,
known as the Eastside there were a couple
Trail has emerged as an hundred of us, says
eclectic outdoor gallery Buchen. Last year we
featuring sculptures, had over 70,000 people.
murals, and space for W.C.
 Outside 65
5/17/17 10:38 AM
*
2017
RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS
a Quiz: Who Won
b MAKING THE MOST
B E S T R O C KY
M O U N TA I N S E C R E T
Boise, Idaho
Population: 218,000
Median home
value: $180,000
Median household
income: $50,000
Council says: Some of and its a leisurely six-mile
the best things about
Boise are the adjacent
wilderness and the nature
in the city itself. R.L. adrenaline can drive up
When talking about great
Rocky Mountain cities,
Boise gets overlooked.
Thats a mistake. It has to Rivers trail system
jazz festivals, a local
symphony orchestra,
Broadway shows, and an
opera. Boise State Univer-
sitys 24,000 students cial-education teacher.
add vitality to the core,
and the city is also home
to a vibrant tech industry,
with employers like Hewl-
ett-Packard and Micron.
66 Outside

0717_Dest_BestTowns_rlsd.indd 66
It also offers all kinds
of opportunities for ad-
venture. The Boise River
winds through town, with
the 25-mile Greenbelt
trail running alongside it.
The water is ice-cold and
refreshing in summer,
float between Barber Park
and Ann Morrison Park.
Paddlers looking for more
to the South Fork Payette
River or the Salmon.
But Boises greatest
asset may be the Ridge
in the citys foothills.
The trails there are
never-ending, says Paige
LaMontagne, a spe-
Ive heard you can make
it all the way to Canada
on singletrack, but Ive
never tried. (We checked
a mapits tempting.)
05172017150029
d otherthree of them have
ac. Boises thriving
downtown, empty
trails, and wild rivers
cf. Everything is big-
c
ger in Anchorage.
BEST CITY FOR identifies as nonwhite,
and 100 languages are
OF SUMMER spoken in the school
Anchorage, district.
Alaska This is the kind of town
Population: 300,000 where you can do a 50K
Median home nordic race within city
value: $290,000 limits or spot a bald eagle
Median household or black bear on your way
income: $78,000 to work. Over 120 miles
Council says: Though it of multi-use trails twist
has an industrial feel, the through town, perfect
city boasts a large local for cross-country skiing
and slow-food move- or fat biking midwinter.
ment, has a lively bar and You feel like youre in
music scene, and was the middle of the woods,
voted one of the top 50 but youre actually in the
bike-friendly cities in the middle of the city, says
U.S. by Bicycling maga- Andrew Kastning, head
zine. A.R. cross-country-ski coach
at the University of Alaska
Youll never be able to Anchorage.
eat store-bought fish Heli-skiing in the
again after you live in Chugach Range draws
Anchorage, where fresh tourists, but Anchorage
king salmon and rainbow locals prefer to earn
trout caught from the their turns, climbing up
Kenai River are on menus Hatcher or Turnagain
across the city. Anchor- Pass, 60 minutes north
age is also surprisingly or south, respectively.
diversemore than a For resort skiing, Alyeska
third of its population is a gorgeous hourlong
$QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
It Best?
Over the decades that
weve been picking Best
Towns, a few have been
on the list more than any
made the cut seven times.
Which are they?
A) Boulder, Colorado
B) Santa Fe, New Mexico
C) Portland, Maine
D) Lubbock, Texas
E) Charleston, South Carolina
F) Bozeman, Montana
COURTESY OF ALYESKA RESORT; CHAD EHLERS/ALAMY; JONATHAN CONTI/IDAHO STOCK IMAGES; VISIT IDAHO
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HAGEPHOTO/COURTESY OF ALYESKA RESORT; GRANT ORDELHEIDE/TANDEM;
drive away, or you can
take your kid night skiing
on a well-lit rope tow
at the citys Hilltop Ski
Area. Plus, you have easy
access to five national
parks, and downtown
is just 30 minutes from
Chugach State Park, with
495,000 acres of forest
and 280 miles of trails.
Many of the jobs are
still in oil or gas, though
you can find gigs in health
care, tourism, and the
growing solar-energy
industry thats on the
rise. Still, the cost of living
feels a little high, since
items like bananas and
avocados are shipped in
from down south. Sure,
you may only get five
hours of daylight in the
thick of winterthank
God for all the drive-up
espresso shacksbut
youll forget about that
when youre on a moun-
tain-bike ride at 10 P.M. in
June and the sun is still
high in the sky.
ANSWERS: B, C, and E
5/17/17 2:01 PM

Taking the High Line
For professional slackliner Mickey Wilson, the
next adventure is wherever he can park the RV
BALANCED ON A THIN STRIP
of nylon anchored high
above a remote canyon
in the southern Rocky
Mountains, professional
slackliner Mickey Wilson
is working on a new
sequence of stunts. His
fiance and semi-pro
slackliner, Purple, is
there, along with Wilsons
father, Duff y, a former
pro skierall of them
living out of a fully loaded
Winnebago Paseo that lets
them turn any camping
spot into their living
room.
Lately, Wilson has been
focused on highlining, or
slacklining at elevation:
essentially a radical update
on tightrope walking
that involves performing
tricks. (If you havent seen
it, Google it.) He recently
perfected highlinings
first double front flip and
cant wait to show off
what hes cooked up next
at the GoPro Mountain
Games in Vail this June.
I worked with the Games
to add three highline
venues for the first time,
he says. Its sure to be a
crowd-pleaser.
Thanks to Wilsons
uncanny ability to be in
the right place at the right
time, he just may pull it
off. He is, above all else,
a man of action who also
loves to kayak, mountain
his crew to eat, sleep, and
bike, skydive, and ski. Last
winter, he became famous
around the world for
rescuing a skier who was
hanging by his neck from
a chairlift at Arapahoe
Basin in Colorado. I just
saw the situation and
acted, he says about when our gear and food and go.
he scooted along the top of
the chairlift cable, climbed
down to the chair, caught
a knife tossed 20 feet up
to him by a ski patroller
below, and then cut down
the skier who was hung up
in his backpack. (This, too,
is worth Googling if you
havent seen it.)
That same propensity
for action has taken him
around the world as a
slackliner. Hes gone to
Europe for competitions
and the Middle East for
performances, but he can
often be found rambling
around out West, looking
for cool spots to string a
highline across a chasm.
Thats where the Type
B RV comes in. With
it, he can set up close to
the slackline site, with
enough room for he and
Taos, New Mexico, high
relax comfortably. An above the banks of the
BR ANDED CONTENT
RV means more time on
the line, Wilson says. planned to skydive out of
Instead of wasting half a
day setting up camp and
then undoing it all at the
back end, we just throw in
slacklined in camp. It
Once in camp, they
have the space to map out
and plan the slacklines
installation within the
weatherproof walls of
the RV and dont have
to worry about battling
the wind and weather to
cook breakfast or dinner.
Its a true basecamp.
And oddly enough, says
Wilson, thanks to the
large, adjustable awning
along the side of the RV,
we end up spending more
time outside, taking in our
surroundings instead of
huddled in a tent to get out
of the sun or rain. My dad
and I have always loved
camping, and the RV just
makes it easier.
The night after Wilson
and crew camped at the
remote canyon, they spent
a few days outside of
Rio Grande. Wilson had
a hot air balloon, but the
weather didnt cooperate,
so they explored the area
on foot and, of course,
was greatall we had to
do was think about the
adventure, he says, which
for Wilson means getting
airborne one way or
another. As he likes to say:
We werent meant to only
hang out on our two feet
on solid ground.
Go RVing has
everything you
need to start your
RV adventure. To
find dealers and
rental companies
and research RV
campgrounds, please
visit GoRVing.com.
To watch a video of
Wilsons RV adventure,
head to outsideonline.
com/thehighline.
 Crested Butte has
been one of the fastest-
growing markets for
short-term rentals.

68 Outside 

0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 68 5/12/17 9:57 AM

05122017104959 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 *
2017

RXWVLGHV
BEST
TOWNS

did airbnb
kill the
mountain
town?
Living the dream
has never been
easy in the Wests
most beloved
adventure
hamlets, where
homes are a
fortune and good
jobs are few.
But the rise of
online short-term
rentals may be
the tipping point
that causes idyllic
outposts like
Crested Butte,
Colorado, to lose
their middle class
altogetherand,
with it, their soul.
By Tom
Vanderbilt

photographs by Rebecca Stumpf  Outside 69

0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 69 5/12/17 9:57 AM

05122017104959 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
* A FEW
YEARS
AGO,
Brian Barker was living in Portland, Oregon,
with a well-paying union job as a spokes-
person for the fire department. But despite
having a job you dont leavehe had an
itch. I wanted to go live in the mountains,
he says. I didnt want to sit in traffic all the
time. I was tired of living in the city.
So he began searching. Missoula, Boise,
Truckeeanywhere within 30 minutes of
a ski area. In 2014, he relocated to Crested
Butte, a 1,500-person-strong former coal-
mining town nestled in Colorados Upper
Gunnison River Valley. Its often referred to
as the last great American ski town, a dis-
tinction that locals, despite acknowledging
it with a hint of self-deprecating smirk, do
not really go out of their way to dispute. Phe-
nomenal skiing aside, it is the sort of place
where doors go unlocked (except, occasion-
ally, to keep bears out); where locals on the
Crested Butte Bitch and Moan Facebook
page gripe about tourists (typically Texans)
exceeding the 15-mile-per-hour speed limit
downtown; where powder days mean closed
stores and canceled meetings; where even
the gas pumps at the local Shell station seem
to take things just a bit more slowly.
This is a great place to raise kids, Barker,
a divorced father of two young children,
tells me one evening, wearing a baseball cap,
a vest, and a hint of stubble. Were seated
at the Brick Oven, a locals hangout on Elk
Avenue, the towns main spine, where tidy
wood-frame buildings in a rainbow palette
glow beneath the snow-capped mass of the
eponymous mountain.
Barkers life seems enviable. He rents a
beautiful place a mile south of town. He
had his kids on skis practically before they
could walk. He has a job he loves, as market-
ing manager for the towns Adaptive Sports
Center, a nonprofit that gives people with
disabilities the chance to participate in out-
70 Outside 
0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 70
door activities. They
ski down that moun-
tain, he says, and
now they realize they
can ride the bus to the
grocery store.
This postcard ex-
istence comes at a
price, though. The
clich about remote
adventure-town
idylls is that people
either have a second
home or a second job.
Barker has three jobs.
I produce videos on
the sideI just shot
my first wedding.
Oh, and I drive an
ambulance, he says,
laughing. As a single parenthis ex-wife
lives 35 minutes away, in Gunnisonyou
pretty much have to work multiple jobs.
Not long ago, Barker stopped by the prop-
erty-management company that oversees
his rental to talk about a water heater on the
fritz. The manager said, I know you have
It wears on your community when your
schoolteachers and folks like that cant be
a part of it, says MacDonald. They should
be the ones coaching and volunteering and
showing up for free music.
kids, but the owners are thinking about
turning your place into a VRBO. You should
probably start looking.
Barker suddenly found himself in the eye
of a gathering social and economic storm,
caused by the rise of the online short-
term rental. From Barcelona to Boston, the
world has been grappling with the arrival
of home-sharing platforms. Amid any
number of skirmishesneighbor against
neighbor, tourist against townie, lobbyist
against legislatorcities have scrambled to
get a handle on this wild west (one of the
most common descriptors of the new home-
rental landscape) and rushed to enact reg-
ulations. Everywhere you look, the battle is
raging. In Flagler County, Florida, just north
of Daytona Beach, 150 people turned out for
a March meeting over a bill, backed by home-
rental companies, that would limit how
local governments can regulate short-term
rentals, or STRs, as they are now frequently
05152017130512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
abbreviated. In Asheville, North Carolina,
the issue proved so contentious that, late
last year, a task force created to study STRs
publicly splintered, according to the local
Citizen-Times. In March, the city of San
Diegowhere residents of neighborhoods
like Ocean Beach have decried the loss of
local identity as rentals have proliferated
had to move a meeting on STRs to a bigger
venue because of overflow crowds.
In the Mountain WestGods country,
renters hell, as one alt-weekly tagged it
where towns are already chronically beset
by housing shortages, traffic problems, and
the invariable ambivalence about sharing
ones slice of heaven with the tourists who
help sustain it, the entrance of Airbnbs and
VRBOs and HomeAways has heightened the
tension. Some places, including Boulder
and Denver, have passed tough regulations
that permit only primary residents to rent
out their properties for short periods. Other
towns have taken the opposite tack, chang-
ing laws to allow previously illegal renting
that was already on the rise, as happened late
last year in Missoula, Montana.
In Bozeman, in Ketchum, in Jackson, in
*
just about every destination or gateway
town, one hears a similar murmur: not only
are short-term rentals squeezing the last
drops out of the housing supply, but more
profoundly, they are threatening the very
character that drew in localsand tourists.
This is precisely the drama playing out in
Crested Butte, and Barker has found himself
cast in an unwanted walk-on part. Im liter-
ally losing sleep over the
fact that I dont know <
where Im going to be Brian Barker, top
living in a few months, right, moved to
he tells me. He has Crested Butte with
his family in 2014.
tracked down countless Despite holding
leads and joined mul- three jobs, he may
tiple waiting lists for be forced out of
his home as more
deed-restricted housing long-term rentals
reserved for local work- are converted to
ers, which comprises vacation units. Im
scared, he says.
21 percent of the town. Im kind of trapped
He does not own a dog, in paradise.
5/15/17 12:15 PM
*

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0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 71 5/15/17 12:15 PM

05152017130512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 despite his kids pestering, to make himself
a more attractive tenant. He has talked with
the Regional Housing Authority about Sec-
tion Eight housing, the national program
providing assistance to low-income rent-
ers. Which I qualify for, he says pointedly.
Its pretty humiliating, at age 41, to ask the
federal government for help with housing.
He does not want to leave the area, for fear
of putting his child custody in jeopardy. Im
scared, he confesses. Im kind of trapped
in paradise.
Later, as I walked back to the place I had
rentedvia Airbnba few blocks away, I
thought of a line I had seen on the site: Live
like a local. But what happens when locals
cant afford to live like locals?
WE TEND TO think of the housing market
as a large, impersonal, quantitative thing.
Prices rise because of increased demand
and constricted supply; they fall when the
opposite holds. But to revise the old saw, the
singular of data is anecdote. Stories about
*
After both of my long-term tenants walked,
VRBO let me make my mortgage payment, one
woman explained. This is the middle class
hanging on by its fingernails.
actual people. I wondered what part Ias
the consumer of an STRwas playing in this
story. Were my few nights contributing to
people like Barker getting kicked to the curb?
In Crested Butte, I was staying in a small
housea former miners cabinnear the
heart of town, so small that several nights
in a row I actually wandered right past it.
(Not helping matters was the fact that it was
enveloped by towering snowdrifts.) I had
been lured by its historical charm, its sauna
and hot tub, and, as advertised, its location:
Easy walk to Elk Avenue, Nordic Center
and just across the road from the FREE town
shuttle to the ski area.
I stay in Airbnbs and the like for the same
reasons you do. Because I have a family and
I want to cook and have multiple rooms.
Because I have bikes or other equipment and
dont want to be hassled by the front desk.
Because I indeed want to live like a local
in a quiet, quaint neighborhood. STRs have
become so familiar that they already come
with their own rituals and clichs, their own
weird sense of dj vu. Theres the three-
ring binder stuffed with brochures, the tips
from the host, the Wi-Fi password. The odd
72 Outside 
0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 72
box of pasta and random condiments. The
signs that speak to the failures of previous
guests. (In mine: Please only use the remote
to turn the fireplace on or off.)
Then there is that odd sense, when youre
plunked down in the middle of a residential
neighborhood, of being both an anonymous
interloper and tenuously belonging. Marga-
ret Bowes, who directs the Colorado Asso-
ciation of Ski Towns (CAST), told me that
she had recently returned from a nordic-ski
weekend in Crested Butte. We were right in
town, she says. And as I looked across the
street at what are obviously homes owned by
locals, I just thought, They must get so sick
of seeing different faces walking in and out
of their neighbors houses.
I never saw much of anyone. (Those huge
snowdrifts hardly helped.) I sensed their
presence primarily through a notice in my
rental asking me not to use the hot tub after
10 P.M. Noise (in Colorado, often associated
with hot tubs) is one of the holy triumvi-
ratealong with parking and trashof ways
that STR guests usually fall afoul of neigh-
borhoods and stoke NIMBY fears. I commit-
ted none of these sins.
And yet, I thought, certainly a sense of
residential community is defined by more
than simply the absence of noxious behavior.
Michael Yerman, Crested Buttes town plan-
ner (like almost every man here, bearded and
flanneled), lives in a deed-restricted part of
town where STRs are not allowed, and he
described how his neighbors had helped him
dig out of his snow cave after the recent
storm. Theres a lot to be said for knowing
your neighbors and feeling like they have
your back when you need it, he told me.
My rental, it turned out, was owned by a
fellow New Yorker, Tony Powe, who spends
two months a year in town. An Englishman
and former restaurateur, hes currently
launching an app called WeLocals that
encourages people to shop locally. He and
his partner, on the hunt for backcountry
skiing, stumbled on Crested Butte, fell in
love, and bought the cabin in 2000. It was
one of the smallest houses in town, and was
inhabited, he told me, by a group of trusta-
farian skiers. The kitchen housed a drum kit.
05122017105000 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Initially, he rented to ski bums. After reno-
vating roughly a decade ago, he decided
to shift to vacation renterspartly, he said,
because of how our long-term tenants had
treated the place, but also because we
wanted to use it. He employed a local prop-
erty-management company, but after it
began stacking the house full of people,
he switched to Airbnb in 2013, which gives
him more control.
Amid all the talk of restricting STRs, Powe
wonders about unintended consequences.
If, say, a 90-day rental cap is introduced,
what people will do is hike their prices a
bit and theyll make sure those 90 days are
at peak seasonand your shoulder tourism
months will stop growing. Powe, who is
friends with plenty of locals, added, If we
cant rent it, we just wont rent it. It would
stay empty for ten months of the year. That
means no guests like me spending money
every night on Elk Avenue; no one getting
paid to service the house.
Powe also suggested that STRs in many
small towns are not the get-rich-quick
scheme people expect. It seems like youre
making a lot of money, because youre
charging for a week what long-term renters
wont even pay for a month, he told me. But
there are the unsold nights. According to
data from research firm Airdna, the median
occupancy of Airbnb rentals in Crested Butte
is around 25 percent lower than in larger
cities like Denver and San Francisco. Then
there are the taxes and maintenance fees
I think we spent $2,000 on snow removal
in January alone, Powe said. At the end of
the day, he added, I dont think we make
that much more money than if I did a long-
term rental.
F ROM 19 T H-CE N T U RY miners to 20th-
century skiers, people have long sought a
temporary abode in mountain towns. The
difference now is how were finding them.
The stat I cite is that in 2010, 8 percent of
leisure travelers used STRs, says Matt Kies-
sling, with the Travel Technology Association
(funded by Airbnb, HomeAway, and Trip-
Advisor). By the end of 2016, that was pro-
jected to be one in three.
As Ulrik Binzer, founder and CEO of Host
Compliance, a San Francisco startup that
helps municipalities track STR activity
mostly to help collect tax revenuedescribes
the trend, It used to be a big commitment to
rent your ski house. You had to hire a prop-
erty-management firm, hide your personal
belongings, sign a contract, and pay the
property manager 30 percent of the spoils.
A lot of people didnt bother. Today, he says,
anyone with Internet or a smartphone can
take a few pictures and become an STR host.
5/12/17 9:57 AM

Meanwhile, he says, people are now more
used to renting other peoples homes. You
dont have to go through the massive cleanup
operation. Consequently, STRs have soared.
In 2016, HomeAway had more than 670,000
room nights in Colorado alone, up 24 per-
cent from 2015.
Early on, says CAST director Bowes, STRs
were mostly just excess inventorysomeone
had an extra room, they werent going to rent
it out long-term anyway. Now, she argues,
its reached such a point that people buy
homes for the sole purpose of renting them.
Indeed, as Host Compliances Binzer told me,
I have friends who pitched me on the idea of
buying a place in Park City and renting it out
during Sundance, basically paying the mort-
gage for the whole year.
Seemingly no Colorado town has been
unaffected by the rise in STRs, but their
responses have varied. Durango, for example,
has some of the most stringent regulations
limiting not only the number and location of
STRs in the most desirable neighborhoods
but also restricting them to two per block
so that vacation rentals, as Scott Shine, the
towns planning manager, told me, dont
overwhelm a specific part of a neighbor-
hood. Breckenridge, by contrast, does not
0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 73
limit the number of STRs or rental nights, but
early on it strove to make sure it had a reg-
ulatory handle on its STR stockincluding
collecting all applicable taxes.
Philip Minardi, who directs policy com-
munications for Expediawhich owns
HomeAway and VRBOsays that the com-
pany welcomes the conversation of what
good policy looks like, noting rather tartly
that such policy does not include a Denver
law essentially prohibiting nonresidents
from short-term-renting their homes. We
think its a smart move for cities to address
how you regulate our industry in a respon-
sible manner, he says. If a city wants to
get to the heart of ensuring neighborhood
character, thats something they share with
HomeAwaythe reason why travelers are
coming to communities is for the unique
character. Just how much of a conversation
about policy Expedia really wants to have is
an open question. The company has lobbied
for legislation in some states that would limit
municipalities ability to regulate STRs.
When I ask Marisa Moret, public-policy
manager for Airbnb, for some best practices
in STR regulation, she says that her company
supports clear and reasonable home sharing
policies that benefit hosts and strengthen
05122017105000 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
In 2016, HomeAway had
more than 670,000 room
nights in Colorado, up
24 percent from 2015.
communities. She adds that Airbnb is an
economic lifeline for many hosts who depend
on the platform to pay their mortgage, raise
their families, or make ends meet.
For ski towns throughout the West, per-
haps the most pressing challenge related
to STRs is workforce housing. Its always
an issue, and this has just exacerbated it,
Bowes says. Homes that used to be rented
to the workforce, that offered year leases, are
suddenly being pulled out from under them
and put on the short-term market.
Not so long ago, in Crested Butte, this
was scarcely a problem. As Melanie Rees, a
housing consultant and former state eco-
nomic-development official who lived in
Crested Butte for 15 years, told me, If you
had asked during the recession, almost
everyone would have said that we dont have
a housing shortage. There were foreclosures
left and right, people were moving away. But
resort communities are highly volatile, she
stresses. One of the first things people give
up when times are tight is their vacations
and their vacation homes. One of the first
things people do post-recession is go on
vacation or try to take advantage of the real
estate while prices are down.
Crested Butte got its post-recession
 Outside 73
5/12/17 9:57 AM
 comeback. Owing in part to aggressive
marketing, visitor numbers are up, partic-
ularly in summer. (More than one local told
me that July is get-out-of-town month.)
Then, Enter the short-term-rental market,
and wow did it create an opportunity that
had not really been there before, says Rees.
Online platforms made all the difference.
People who were wannabes could now
become owners, thanks to the additional
income. Between 2009 and
2014, the Crested Butte area
was one of HomeAways top
ten fastest-growing STR
markets.
THE IMPLICATIONS of this
growth were made clear to
me one morning in Crested
Buttes town offices, housed
in a stately brick building that
was once the high school.
There, after passing through
a front entrance whose eaves
were massed with snow (a
sign warned me to LOOK
UP ), I found Dara MacDon-
ald, the town manager, in a
room whose door still bore
the name of the teacher
whod once taught there.
Its a divisive issue for
the community, she said
when I asked about recent
discussions of STR limits.
People on both sides have
valid points, and no ones
wrong. On a conference
table, she spread out a series
of pie charts. In the first,
labeled Free Market Housing
Occupancy 1997, the cate-
gory of short-term rentals
is a mere 6 percent slice. By
2012, it climbed to 14 per-
cent. By 2016, 29 percent.
As she cautioned, the numbers are not exact,
and there is some crossovera short-term
rental might be a local renting for just a few
weeks or the month of July.
What most concerned her was another
piece of the pie, one showing long-term
rentals. Those shrank from 43 percent of the
towns free-market housing stock in 1997 to
24 percent in 2016. There, in statistical form,
was the dry expression of Brian Barkers
poignant story: locals competing for fewer
rental opportunities.
Nobody in the towns government, Mac-
Donald told me, thinks that limiting STRs
is going to solve the affordable-housing
problem. MacDonald, curiously, was the
first person I met who lived in Crested Butte
74 Outside 
0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 74
proper. This was possible, she admitted, We see a lot of larger homes, but we cant
only because shes in a town-owned prop- find the right tenant mix to make it affordable.
erty. As Yerman, the town planner, told me, The other challenge is that since everyone in
The average home price is $900,000. You the county has seven sets of skis and three
can make $100,000 a year and not have a dogs, finding that pet-friendly opportunity
chance. has continued to be difficult.
Which is why many feel that solving the Dogs aside, living like a local has long been
Mountain Wests affordable-housing prob- a precarious idea in the Mountain West. As
lem requires more than trying to curtail Host Compliances Binzer put it, If youre a
demandyou also have to increase supply. ski bum working the lift, or a waiter at a pizza
joint, youre competing
with all these vacationers
for housing. In Crested
In Crested Butte, Butte, this is aggravated
long-term rentals
have dwindled by the fact that the town
from 43 percent to is encircled by protected
24 percent of the space and largely built
housing stock.
out. The biggest pool of
housing in the area is 30
miles awaysmall won-
der that the free shuttle
bus between Gunnison
and Crested Butte recently
began making hourly trips
*
in peak season.
STRs didnt start this
fire, but they have been
a particularly combus-
tible fuel. In most Rocky
Mountain ski towns, any
commercial development
needs to mitigate its im-
pact by providing a cer-
tain amount of affordable
housing for its workforce.
A long proposed new hotel
in Crested Butte, for ex-
ample, would have to cre-
ate three new employee
units. STRs dodge that re-
quirement entirely. Here,
a whole industry came in
and converted units into
these lodging accommo-
dations, and the housing
impact was not mitigated
In Crested Butte, this is happening via new in any way, says Melanie Rees, the housing
developments like the income-restricted consultant. Its not a level playing field.
Anthracite Place Apartments. In Steamboat In Crested Butte, STRs are providing
Springs, the ski resort is offering cash bonuses much needed lodging. While Mt. Crested
to landlords who house employees. The Aspen Butte, a small, tourist-focused settlement
Skiing Company recently hired a planner to at the base of the ski area, has some 1,100
deal with affordable housing. rooms in hotels and condos, the town itself
One pilot program, in Summit County has only a handful of small inns, with STRs
(home to Breckenridge and Copper Moun- now making up 65 percent of total lodg-
tain, among others), is looking to entice ing tax revenue. The rentals generate some
property owners back into long-term rent- jobsalthough whether theyre the sort that
als by providing free property management sustain white-collar professionals like Brian
for landlords. The county is also offering a Barker is another question. Is his dreama
renter-education course to, as county hous- solid middle-class life in a beautiful moun-
ing director Nicole Bleriot described it, raise tain communitynow out of reach?
the level (i.e., quality) of tenants. This, she More than once, I heard a vague aversion
said, can be a tricky matchmaking dance. directed against, as an editorial in the local
5/12/17 9:57 AM
05122017105000 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 paper put it, people who think they have a
natural entitlement to live in a sweet cheap
house in town. And yet I could also sense an
inchoate fear that Crested Butte was in dan-
ger of losing what made it so desirable in the
first place. Much of its last-great-ski-town
aura comes less from its skiing than from its
strong sense of identity (it was a working
town long before there was a ski resort), its
relative affordability (compared with, say,
Aspen or Vail), and its quirky cast of local
characters. After a while, it wears on your
community when your schoolteachers and
folks like that cant be a part of it, said Mac-
Donald. They should be the ones coaching
and volunteering and showing up for free
music. When you drive home for the night
and dont come back, its harder.
Barker knows that his path may end
downvalley, in Gunnison, home to any num-
ber of ex-Buttians. His realist outlook does
not mask his frustration. Im a part of this
community. I work at our biggest nonprofit.
*
The idea that we dont know what problem
were trying to solvefor me personally,
the issue is a town without residents, said
a council member, a town without voters.
Im a firefighter. Im involved in the arts. Im a
dancer. This is my town, this is where I want
to be, and Im getting kicked out, he told
me. I know ski towns are expensive places
to livebut they need people like me.
ON A WEDNESDAY evening at town hall,
several dozen residents were seated across
the room from four council members. It was
the eleventh time the council had gathered to
discuss STRs since 2015. Roland Mason, the
mayor pro tem, perhaps sensing the crowds
weary resignation, noted that Denver took
two years to set up STR regulations. I under-
stand that for those of you who have shown
up for every meeting, it seems tedious, he
said. At the same time, this has been one of
the most difficult policy issues Ive had to
deal with in seven and a half years.
I had been told by Steve Ryan, a former
Oklahoman who runs a local property-
management company, that early on, as
possible limitations were floated, the coun-
cil meetings had been inundated with
attorneys and second-home owners. Now
the group was pure Crested Butte: boots,
flannel, tanned faces with ski-goggle lines.
The problem is getting drilled down to the
0717_FEA_Airbnb_rlsd.indd 75
folks that it affects the most, Ryan said.
After thinking about STRs for several days,
it struck me that the whole deal, thorny and
murky, seemed like the kind of quagmire
that American political scientist Robert E.
Horn has called a social mess. The STR
issue meets any number of Horns criteria:
different views of the problem and con-
tradictory solutions; numerous possible
intervention points; consequences diffi-
cult to imagine; and no unique correct
view of the problem. For every person that
I met who worried about what STRs might
do to their block, I encountered someone
else who relied on earnings from their own
STR to stay on that block. For every defense
of ones private-property rights, I heard a
counter-defense to not have ones pri-
vate-property rights infringed upon by a de
facto hotel setting up shop next door.
The complications in the meeting began
with the fact that the towns mayor was not
present. He (along with another council
member) had recused himself because he
has rented his home out as an STR. Another
challenge was the fact that while the council
knew how many houses had STR licenses, it
did not know how many of them were actu-
ally being used as STRs or how often. Then
there was the vagueness of STRs themselves.
As council member Chris Ladoulis explained,
Whats tricky here is that the commercial
activity people are engaging in is letting
people sleep thereand its really similar to
what you do when you own the property as
a resident. If I was running a nightclub or
selling power tools, its easier to spot.
Lurking beneath the thickets of bureau-
cratic procedure (the minutes from previous
meetings, the grandfathered exemptions)
was an anguished examination of the soul
of an American small townwhether the
people who loved it could afford to be there,
whether love was in fact enough to save it.
This wasnt politics with a capital P; it was
something far deeper. One woman described
how, in 2008, after both of my long-term
tenants walked, VRBO made the difference
for meit made me able to make my mort-
gage payment. STRs, she suggested, were
a symptom of a larger problem: This is the
05152017130512 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
middle class hanging on by its fingernails.
Another woman, a realtor, voiced a per-
spective I often heard from opponents of
regulation: Im not sure what the problem
is. Crested Butte had spent money to bring
more visitors, she argued, but now were
saying we dont want them here. Limiting
STRs is not going to lower the price in town.
The town is going through the roof because
people want to live here.
One of the council members, a lawyer
named Jackson Petito (who also spins discs
on the community radio station), later offered
a response. The idea that we dont know
what problem were trying to solvemaybe
we as a council dont, but for me personally,
the issue is a town without residents, a town
without voters. Jim Schmidt, another council
member, mused aloud: I dont think we have
a police officer that lives in town. The new
guy! someone cried out. I thought he was
in Mt. Crested Butte? replied another.
In that small exchange I felt the very
crackle of civic life; these werent abstract
issuesthey were the lives of people who
were endlessly intertwined. Before the
meeting started, Steve Ryan had told me that
things might get contentious. Its democ-
racy at work, its civilized, he said. Every-
body drinks a beer or a coffee and goes in
and throws tomatoes against one another.
Indeed, as someone told a speaker that his
time was up, a man hissed from behind me:
Let him speak, you always do!
Schmidt, drawing a breath, concluded:
Boy, after hearing everybody tonight, Im
having an even harder time coming to a de-
cision. Luckily, there were no hard choices
to be made; voting on the most contentious
restrictions would take place at a future
meeting.
Afterward, stopping at a tamale joint for a
late dinner, I ran into John Belkin, the towns
blunt-speaking attorney. As we nursed Mex-
ican Cokes, he said: If you can make it here
and survive, you have essentially your own
private ski areasome of the hardest skiing
in North America. But there are trade-offs.
You cant make a ton of money. You might
have to live in Gunnison. Each of us has to do
our own evaluation of whether those sacri-
fices are worth it.
As we headed out into the frigid night, we
saw a man on a skateboard being pulled by
a dog down icy Elk Avenue. We both smiled,
in silent acknowledgment of a small per-
fect moment in the last great American ski
town. O
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TOM
VANDER BILT ( @TOMVANDERBILT) IS
THE AUTHOR OF YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
TASTE IN AN AGE OF ENDLESS CHOICE.
 Outside 75
5/15/17 12:15 PM
0717_FEA_Sagan_rlsd.indd 76 5/10/17 10:21 AM
05102017111641 Approved with warnings

Uphill.
Uphill.
Downh
Downhill.
I Like

That.
Clever, goofy, charismatic,
and fast, two-time world
champion Peter Sagan
may never win the Tour de
)UDQFHKHVQRWDFOLPEHU
but he just might be the star
who saves bike racing. BILL
GIFFORD hung out with
the Slovakian powerhouse
in his spiritual home of
Southern California and
met a kid-on-wheels whose
sense of fun has given the
sport a much needed boost.

graphs by Brian Guido

photographs

   Outside 77

0717_FEA_Sagan_rlsd.indd 77 5/15/17 11:00 AM

05152017115224 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Peter entertaining cyclist of his generation.
Sagan won the world-championship
road race in Richmond, Virginia, in
September 2015, attacking the last
Sagan-isms, the product of a quirky mind
and still somewhat-limited English:
Tour is Tour.
Uphill. Downhill. I like that.

Sagan
climb and dropping his chasers on
the downhill. In 2016, he came out
strong and won two tough spring
classics, Gent-Wevelgem and the
Tour of Flanders, followed that sum-
I will think about tomorrow tomorrow.
Best of all, with Sagan, theres never been
a whisper of rumor about doping. Although,
when I pointed that out to his agent and his
press spokesman, they both said, in unison,

is late, mer by three days in yellow at the

Tour de France. There he won three
stages and took home his fifth green
sprinters jersey in five outings. If he
wins this year, hell tie Erik Zabels
record of six in a row.
So far!

A DAY BEFORE the charity ride, I drive over

and the crowd is getting antsy. About 50
kids, ages seven to thirteen, are eyeing a row
of gleaming new Specialized mountain bikes
that are about to become theirsif and when
this Peter kid shows up. Small skirmishes
break out as parents try to restrain their off-
spring from lunging at the precious pink and
orange rides.
Its November 2016, and Sagan is in South-
ern California to host an exclusive charity
ride. Two hundred fans have ponied up as
much as $3,000 apiece to spend the week-
end rolling and schmoozing with the two-
time world champion, a 27-year-old from
Slovakia who is the closest thing to a cycling
celebrity since the days of you-know-who.
The ride was supposed to benefit the Boys
and Girls Clubs of America, including this
bike giveaway to deserving local kids. But
now the star and his entourage have gone
AWOL somewhere on the grounds of the
Westlake Village Inn, a romantic expanse of
Tuscan-style villas, small lakes and bridges,
and even a vineyard, which once played host
to The Bachelorette.
Scanning the horizon desperately, the
emcee, a young woman in a Boys and Girls
Club T-shirt, grabs the microphone and tries
a diversionary tactic. Peter! Peter! Peter!
she chants. A few kids and parents join in,
but then the noise dies down, having failed
to produce Peter.
The emcee changes tack and asks a more
basic question: Can anybody raise their
hand and tell me who Peter is?
After some awkward silence, one boy
pipes up: Hes a man who races his own
bike!
Yes! the host says, a little relieved.
A little girl chimes in. Hes Peter Pan!
Which is an even better answer, as well
soon see.
SAGANS RIVALS WISH that he would be late
more often, particularly at the finish line.
Over the past two years, hes usually been the
one waiting for themin the process, estab-
lishing himself as the most compelling and
to Malibu to interview the champion. He has
just come back from two weeks in Bora Bora,
his longest vacation in years, and he looks
That would have qualified as an extraor- tanned and relaxed, his signature chestnut
dinary year for any rider, but Sagan wasnt manewhich he hadnt cut in more than
done. He took a break from the road to race two yearsstreaked with blond highlights.
in the mountain-bike event at the Rio Olym- He and Kate have been staying in a Cali-
pics, for the typically Saganesque reason fornia-perfect modern house overlooking
that it seemed like more fun. He started the ocean, about 45 minutes from Westlake
dead last and threaded his way to the front Village. The kitchen hums with blenders and
before he flatted on the second lap and mixers, because Sagan is here to shoot pro-
dropped out of contention. Several weeks motional videos for a new sponsor, Osmo
later, in Qatar, he came back to
take a second world title on the
road, beating a stacked field of
sprinters. It was a stunning feat: 6DJDQKDVHOHFWULHG
only five other riders have ever
won two world championships
a sport that has
in a row. Is just lottery, Sagan needed a dash of joy
told me with a shrug.
Almost no one else sees it
lately. :KHQKHVQRW
that way. Hes a once-in-a- winning races, KHV
generation rider, his rival Mark
Cavendish, a sprinter not nor-
lighting up YouTube
mally given to praise, has said. with one-handed
Hes making us all look like
juniors. Others compare him to
wheelies and other
Eddy Merckx, widely considered
the best all-around bike racer
impromptu stunts.
ever. Like Sagan, Merckx was a
versatile athlete who won many one-day Nutrition. Theres a sleek lap pool, blond
races but also took the Tour de France overall wood everywhere, modern furniture, and
five times, a goal that may not be in Sagans contemporary art on the walls. Sagan lounges
reach. Because of his relatively large sizehe on the couch, looking right at home.
usually weighs around 175 poundshis one He loves coming to America, his former
weakness is long climbs, which are essential teammate Ted King told me. He likes the
to winning the Tour. American mindset. Sagan trains at altitude
Even so, Sagan has electrified a sport that near Lake Tahoe and Park City, Utah, and
has needed a dash of joy lately. When hes not he has a particular fondness for IHOP and
winning races, hes lighting up YouTube with muscle cars. A couple of years ago, after he
one-handed wheelies and other impromptu signed a contract with the Tinkoff-Saxo
stunts, like riding his bike straight up onto team, reportedly worth between $4.4 mil-
the roof of a car and into the rack. In his lion and $6.5 million a year, he started shop-
most popular effort, he and his wife, Kate, ping around for a replica of the General Lee
spoofed Youre the One That I Want, the from The Dukes of Hazzard. (Apparently, the
big-finish number in Grease. We are actors, show is still big in Slovakia.) He eventually
Sagan said during last years Tour de France, settled on a Dodge Charger, painted gray,
after he and yellow-jersey winner Chris with a blown fuel-injected engine. Sagan
Froome pulled off an audacious breakaway was still figuring out how to register it legally
on a sprint stage. No, we are artists. in emissions-conscious Europe, and the car
In the media, hes famed for koan-like was marooned in California.

78 Outside  

0717_FEA_Sagan_rlsd.indd 78 5/15/17 11:00 AM

05152017115225 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 During races, he rides the way them Duke
boys drove, with power slides and acrobat-
ics that strike fear and awe into other riders
hearts. At the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, the big-
gest cobbled classic of the year, he bunny-
hopped a fallen rival, Fabian Cancellara.
His bike-handling skills are like no other,
says Jonathan Vaughters, founder and gen-
eral manager of the U.S.-based Cannon-
dale-Drapac team. Hes got this situational
awareness and balance that no one else has.
At the beginning of last season, Sagan
showed up to race with something else
that no one had: hairy legs. (Whether he
was thumbing his nose at one of cyclings
hallowed personal-grooming traditions or
merely being lazy is anyones guess.) Ear-
lier this morning in Malibu, he rode up and
down the steep driveway on his new red and
black Specialized Roubaix while a photog-
rapher snapped away. His agents watched
nervously as he attempted a no-handed
wheelie and then balanced on a slate ledge
above the pool.
Such tricks make him a welcome anom-
aly in a sport that seems ruled by cyborgs.
King remembers a miserable spring training
ride in Italy in 2011, when they were both
on Liquigas-Cannondale. As the group was
struggling up a difficult climb, King looked
over to see Sagan riding a no-handed wheelie
up the hill. He looked like a circus bear, he
says. A painful outing suddenly became fun.
The wheelie has since become Sagans trade-
mark move.
At the moment, Sagan is resting on a
couch in the living room, eyeing his inter-
viewer. Most cyclists resemble starving
street cats. At a well-muscled six feet, Sagan
looks more like a lion. Hes always watch-
ing, like a predator, says his friend Scott
Tedro, CEO of Sho-Air, a trade-show ship-
ping company that has sponsored Sagans
teams in the past.
He gives relatively few interviews, despite
his outsize profile on social media and You-
Tube, and arranging this sit-down required
the pulling of many strings. In Europe, hes
besieged by journalists who want to talk to
him; his face is plastered on billboards and
shows up in TV commercials. A UK sports-
business magazine recently ranked him the
26th most marketable athlete in the world,
ahead of Argentine soccer superstar Lionel
Messi. In the U.S., his celebrity is more lim-
ited: on the first night of the charity event,
a security guard demanded to see his entry
wristband.
For all Sagans antics on the bike, the
lovable eccentric proves to be surprisingly
guarded in person. Perhaps its because of
his sudden fame and wealth; perhaps hes
weary of answering the same questions over
0717_FEA_Sagan_rlsd.indd 79
and over. When I open with a softball about
his holiday, he turns to his agent, perplexed.
Is this going to be about my vacation? he
asks, in Italian.
SAGAN WAS AN unknown in 2008 when
he showed up at the junior world moun-
tain-bike championships in Val di Sole, Italy,
and crushed the field by a minute and a half.
VeloNews editor in chief Fred Dreier remem-
bers trying to interview him after the race,
something that proved difficult, since the
Slovakian spoke no English. Dreier was
impressed by the young champions sheer
physicality.
The other racers in the field looked like
typical boys, with baby faces and skinny legs,
he recalls. Then there was Peter Sagan. He
looked like a big, burly man, with bulging
leg muscles and huge veins running down
his calves. He was 18 but looked like he could
walk into a saloon, order a beer, and then kick
somebodys ass.
Born two months after the Berlin Wall
came down, Sagan grew up in Zilina, an in-
dustrial city of about 85,000 in what is now
Slovakia. His father, Lubomir, was a former
barman who opened a small grocery store
after the fall of Communism. Peter, the baby
among four kids, was raised in part by his
elder sister while his parents worked non-
stop. When the big European supermarket
chains began moving into Eastern Europe,
his entrepreneurial dad closed the store and
opened a pizza shop.
Sagan was too adventurous for school.
One day he wandered off from kindergarten
and made his way back home, a journey of
05152017103922 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Sagan in
Southern
California
well over a mile. He was always questioning
things, and he was never satisfied with an
answer like, Youre too young for this, says
Kate. He was always pushing, pushing.
When Peter was eight, his brother Juraj
(pronounced you-rye) got into mountain
biking, and Peter followed his lead. Juraj
was 13 months older, and pretty soon they
realized that their primary competition was
each other. Peter rode mostly because it was
fun; winning was something that just sort of
happened along the way. He won one race on
a department-store bike he borrowed from
his sister. He dabbled in downhill mountain
biking and on the track as well, developing
the bike-handling and tactical skills that
would later help him win professional races.
The family traveled around Eastern Europe,
going to events in Poland, Hungary, and
the Czech Republic. After Peters world-
championship victory on the mountain bike
and a second-place finish in cyclocross, the
pro teams came calling.
I remember watching him at 2010 Paris-
Nice and thinking, Good Lord, who is this
rookie whos destroying everybody? says
King. In his pro debut, the 2010 Tour Down
Under, he made himself known by dropping
Lance Armstrong on a climb. He followed
that up six weeks later by winning two stages
of Paris-Nice, a notoriously hard early-
season stage race, despite having an armful
of stitches. Two years after that, he nabbed
the first stage of his first Tour de France (and
the third, and the sixthenough to claim the
sprinters jersey).
He won with seeming ease, often by sur-
prise, and generally without help. He almost
   Outside 79
5/15/17 9:19 AM

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never has teammates in the finale of a big
race, preferring instead to surf the wheels
of the other favorites, waiting for the right
moment. Most people in the peloton are
scared of him, just his abilities, Froome told
the Associated Press. He can do everything.
He chooses when he wants to go in the break-
away, how he wants to ride the finish.
Occasionally, fans were reminded that he
was basically still an adolescentlike the
time in March of 2013 when he pinched a
podium girls behind while cameras rolled.
He apologized almost immediately and
brought the woman flowers a week later, but
the Twitter backlash lasted for days. It didnt
help that hed also been videoed autograph-
ing a fans breast.
Hes grown up since then, partly thanks to
Kate, who he met within weeks of the butt-
80 Outside  
0717_FEA_Sagan_rlsd.indd 80
Sagan finished
second or third
an absurd
seven times in
2015 Tour de
France stages.
pinching incident. Shes also
from Slovakia, blond, finely fea-
tured, and, importantly, nearly
three years older. Her father and
brother were in construction
and worked on Sagans house in
Zilina. The couple got married
there a year and a half ago. Sagan
dressed in traditional Slovakian
garb and, for kicks, rode a bicycle
suspended on a wire more than
ten feet above the ground.
Other than for holidays, the
Sagans rarely go home. Not that
they dont want to; they simply
cant. Peter is a national hero, and he gets
mobbed everywhere he goes. There was even
a satirical play about him, called Tourmina-
tor, that ran for years in his hometown.
In Slovakia, its everybodyits just too
much, he says. The Sagans homein glitzy
Monacois quieter, weirdly. They are on
the road most of the time, global sporting
nomads. They went to Bora Bora straight
from the World Championships in Qatar,
so by the time they make it back to Monaco,
they will have been away for more than six
weeks, circumnavigating the world in the
process. Looking into Sagans eyes, I get the
sense that hes deeply, deeply tired.
WHEN SAGAN FLIES home, it will be to a
whole new set of responsibilities. Hell be
anchoring a new team, after a difficult two
05152017103922 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
years on Saxo-Tinkoff, where he suffered
under the mercurial rule of Russian banker
slash cycling aficionado slash tyrant Oleg
Tinkov. When Sagan failed to deliver a Tour
de France stage win in 2015placing second
or third an absurd seven times and extending
a two-year winless streakTinkov mused
that he wished he could cut Sagans salary.
Demoralized, Sagan started shopping for
a midseason transfer. One of the first teams
he approached was U.S.-based Cannon-
dale-Garmin (now Cannondale-Drapac),
which could pay only about half of what he
got from Tinkoff, according to team general
manager Vaughters. Sagan was interested
anyway. I said to him, Youre really going
to leave the largest contract in cycling?
Vaughters recalls. He said, I love riding my
bike. I dont care how much I get paid. The
deal ultimately fell through.
6
Sagan addresses the topic obliquely. You
have good periods and you have bad periods.
You have also crazy sometimes, he says. Its
H
a lot about what people you have around you.
If you have always negative people around
you, it is bad.
He adds: It is how I see the life.
His new team, Bora-Hansgrohe, is built
mostly around him (and, as always, includes
his brother Juraj). This is novel, given his
preference for freelancing during the lead-
up to big sprints. While Sagan appreciates
having teammates, he says he still prefers
flying solo, which suits his temperament and
gives him the advantage of surprise. They
can make the tactics, he says of his rivals. I
have just follow.
He leads with a sort of quiet humility,
says King. Its awesome. You want to go to
work for him. Hes not barking orders at you.
But Sagan also knows that, in his second
year in the rainbow-striped world cham-
pions jersey, he will be a marked man. Its
not going to be so easy to pull his trademark
surprise attacks. This will prove true in the
2017 spring classics campaign, when Sagan
will find himself stymied by the negative
tactics of rival teams, who seem to be riding
more to make him lose than for themselves
to win. Hell come away with a close second
at MilanSan Remo, a disappointing 27th at
the Tour of Flanders, after a freakish crash,
and well off the podium at Paris-Roubaix,
which he really hoped to win.
Will he ever win the Tour de France? He
doubts it. He is a power rider, good at punch-
ing his way up shorter, steeper inclines, then
out-kicking his rivals to the line. He thrives
in one-day races with a few sharp hills.
Still, if the Tour course isnt too moun-
tainous and the other cards fall into place
like he escapes in a breakaway, gains time
on the climbers, continued on page 90 >
5/15/17 9:19 AM
 Labor Day Weekend
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 82 Outside 

0717_FEA_Wylder_rlsd.indd 82 5/15/17 1:29 PM

05152017142130 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 iN -
P H O T O G R A P H S
B Y

M I C H A E L
F R I B E R G
Opposite: Wylder
founders Jainee
To o
h
Dial (left) and
Lindsey Elliott

T h e w o m e n at W y l d e r G o o d s
Th E h a d a b i g d r e a m : t o c r e at e t h e

yL D
w o r l d s f i r s t o u t d o o r - g e a r r e ta i l e r f o r w o m e n , b u s t i n t o a n i n d u s t r y
o v e r r u n b y b r o s , a n d s av e t h e p l a n e t. A l l i n f o u r n o t - s o - e a s y s t e p s .

Wy
groz
B y G o r dy M eg

 Outside 83

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05152017142130 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT

S T E P O N E
E
Embrace
Em
Your
Y o
Ambition
Am
A m
Onee night
ni gh in March 2015, housemates
Jainee
nee Dial
Di and Lindsey Elliott were sitting
D therapist, at a yoga festival in Squaw Valley,
on a leather
lea h couch in front of a woodstove in
their Northern California home, sipping Bul-
leit bourbon, eating Mexican food, and hash-
ing out the details of their plan to infiltrate
the outdoor industry.
We need to work with companies striv-
ing for social and environmental impact,
Elliott said.
And we want them to be disruptive, Dial
added. She took a sip of bourbon and rested
her glass on the coffee table. Then reality
began to sink in.
Holy shit, said Dial. Were up against each other: a few hours later, Parker fell 300
giants.
There was good reason for trepidation.
The duo were hatching the business theyd
ultimately call Wylder Goods, the worlds
first online outdoor-gear retailer for women.
Over the past decade, dozens of e-commerce
sites have launched to sell gear from a broad
range of brands. The biggest players, like
Backcountry.com and Evo, generate tens
of millions in revenue by offering massive
selection and, frequently, big discounts.
More recently, boutique outfits like Huck-
berry have made their mark by presenting
highly curated inventories that attract loyal,
discerning buyers. But while some sites have
sections for womens products, nobody had
tried to build a business catering primarily
to female consumersespecially not core
adventure athletes.
Dial and Elliott envisioned a company that
did exactly that. The gear would be selected
by Wylder ambassadorsprofessional ath-
letes, photographers, activistswhod test
each product for durability, fit, and func-
tion. Product descriptions would occasion-
ally be raw. Things like This shirt contours
your muffin top, Dial told me later. Wylder
would also be one of the outdoor industrys
few benefit corporations, or B Corps, mean-
ing that it would be obligated to donate, in
its case, 2 percent of its proceeds to outdoor
nonprofits.
Dial, 36, had been nurturing the Wylder
idea since July 2013. At that time, she owned
an adventure-travel company in Portland,
Oregon, called Nomad, which ran small
yoga, surfing, and rock-climbing trips along
the Pacific Northwest coast. The job fre-
84 Outside 
0717_FEA_Wylder_rlsd.indd 84
quently reminded her about the dearth of
solid, high-performing womens gear. The
stuff wasnt cool, she says. It was ugly. For
women the options were khaki or paisley
that none of us really wanted. After a year
running it, Dial sold Nomad. It was a crash
course in business, she says. At that point,
I wasnt willing to make the sacrifices neces-
sary for it to be successful.
Around then, Dial met Brad Parker, an
accomplished rock climber and massage
California. We started talking and didnt
stop, says Dial. After three days, he told
me he loved me. With nothing tying her to
Oregon, Dial moved to Sebastopol, an art-
ists hamlet an hour north of San Francisco,
to live with Parker and work as a freelance
web developer. A year later, he took her on
her first climbing trip in Yosemite, where the
two summited Cathedral Peak. After they
descended, Dial remained at camp while
Parker climbed one more pitch before dinner.
That was the last time the couple would see
company
feet to his death.
Whenever Dial tells this story, tears
stream down her face, and shell often look
to Elliott for support. Dial spent five months
barely able to get out of bed. The anguish
and despair and mistrustthat all your
dreams could evaporate, she says. Then
Elliott moved in. A development associate
for the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center,
Elliot, then 27, had befriended Dial about a
year before Parkers death. Shed recently
broken up with her boyfriend and needed a
place to live. She created a whole new space,
Dial says. Hope. The two would stay up late
crying, drinking whiskey, and, later on,
talking about Dials vision for Wylder. Grief
has the ability to recalibrate everything, Dial
says. I had an idea of what my life would
look like, but grief comes and takes that away
and leaves this vacuum. When you have
nothing to lose, it makes it feel less crazy to
take a big chance.
In January 2015, Dial and Elliott attended
Outdoor Retailer, a biannual trade show in
Salt Lake City that offers gear sellers a first
look at the seasons new products. Theyd two goals: generate enough money to get
come packing their concept for Wylder at
an opportune moment. Industry brands had
long treated the womens market as an after-
thought. Even the relatively small percent-
age of female-specific products created over
the years were derivatives of stuff designed
primarily for men, results of the maligned
shrink it and pink it approach. But outdoor
companies were increasingly seeing women
consumers as a massive growth oppor-
tunityif only they could reach them before
the competition.
05152017163320 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
Dial and Elliott came away from the OR
show convinced of two things: nobody was
attempting anything like what they had in
mind, and several brands, including Pata-
gonia and Zeal Optics, were struggling to get
their womens lines to consumers. Its hap-
pening, Elliott confided to one of her friends
when she returned to California. Im not
sure when, but its happening.
S T E P T W O
Ne
Network
Like
L i
Cr
Crazy
By April
Apri 202016, it was, in fact, happening. The
mpany finally had a name, which Dial had
thought
ught up
u one day in the shower. I took it
from wilderness, she says. And I liked the
way the y looked. It also had a base: Salt
Lake City, Dials hometown. Over the previous
year, the women had developed key parts of
the companyrelationships with womens
outdoor groups, narratives for the website,
and logosand consulted with e-commerce
pros on everything from logistics manage-
ment to back-end web design.
They also created a Kickstarter campaign.
Neither of us came from money, so we had
to do something else, says Elliott. Crowd-
funding has become a highly successful busi-
ness strategy for outdoor companies. Kick-
starters top three most-funded projects (two
Pebble smartwatches and a cooler with a
built-in blender and speaker) are active-gear
oriented. The platforms ninth-biggest cam-
paignwith 26,359 backers fronting almost
$6.5 millionwas built around a messenger
bag from a San Franciscobased company
called Peak Designs, a regular on the Outdoor
Retailer floor.
The Wylder Kickstarter campaign had
the company off the ground, and prove to
outdoor brands that theres strong demand
for an online womens-gear retailer. It went
live April 19, 2016, with a goal of raising
$45,000enough to build out the website,
buy initial inventory, cover basic legal work,
and, with whatever was left over, pay them-
selvesan amount they figured would come
to only a couple of thousand dollars. Theyd
produced a four-minute video for the cam-
paign, which, through trades and favors, had
cost them less than $500. In the clip, you
5/15/17 3:43 PM
 watch as women surf, run, and backpack.
What inspires me about Wylder is a chance
to build a better business, Elliott narrates.
The chance to take all the best things that
are built to last, that are built with social and
environmental good in mind, and celebrate
them. For prizes, Dial and Elliott offered
donors everything from trucker caps to a
weekend bouldering in Moab led by the
women and professional climber Kevin
Jorgeson, a close friend. They mobilized a
grassroots campaign, recruiting a network
of brand reps, industry influencers, active
women, and friends to spread the word.
At 1:30 that afternoon, Elliot and Dial were
holed up at Dials parents house in Draper,
Utah, drinking LaCroix, eating dark choc-
olate, and staring at a computer screen. For
four minutes nothing happened. It was the
longest four minutes of my life, says Elliot.
Thending! Backer alert! One of her high
school friends had just donated $1, enough
to encourage others to follow suit. Within
an hour and a half, the women were scram-
bling to find more donor gifts. By the time the
fundraising drive had ended, in May 2016,
theyd received more than $54,000 from 606
backers. That, plus a low-interest loan from
a friend, allowed the women to move forward
with Wylder.
The Kickstarter campaign proved that we
had buying power with vendors, says Elliott.
Indeed, while 600 backers doesnt sound like
much, the sudden emergence of a passionate
group of women willing to put money into
the idea caught the industrys attention. As
Tyler Nelson, Patagonias sales representa-
tive in Utah, put it, They have a following
that established retailers would kill for.

S T E P T H R E E

Hustle
H u
A feww da
daysys into August 2016, I met Dial and
Elliott
ott at the Salt Palace Convention Center,
a th
at Outdoor
utdoo Retailers summer show, where
the two ruruddy-cheeked brunettesso sim-
ilar in appearance
app that they could pass for
sistersgreeted
ersgr me with smiles and an abun-
dance of sself-esteem. See my key chain?
ce o
Dial asked. Engraved in it were the initials
JMFD. Jainee Motherfucking Dial, she
chuckled.
Their website, WylderGoods.com, was
about half complete, and the two were at OR
to curate the products theyd sell through There are 2,000 reasons the world doesnt want your business to succeed, says Dial. Above, testing
it. To control their branding, outdoor-gear products near Wylders Salt Lake City office.

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05152017142130 $QQSPWFEXJUIXBSOJOHT
 manufacturersparticularly big dogs like
the North Face and Patagoniacan be picky
about who they let sell their products. I ex-
pected the Wylder women to have to plead
with companies to hear out their strategy.
So I was surprised when, during a meeting
with Salomon, Dial and Elliott dressed down
a marketing executive for what they deemed
Dial and
were products with a less-than-satisfactory Elliott with
environmental impact. recent hire
Is Salomon talking about using the Higg Gina Peters

Index? Elliott asked.

Im not sure what that is, the executive
responded.
It measures the impact of products on the
environment, said Elliott.
Id give Salomon a four out of ten on sus-
tainability, Dial interjected.
Your competitors are using the Higg
Index, so you should at least look it up, said
Elliott.
Nonetheless, the Salomon exec was soon
fawning over the women. Were not taking
on more online retailers, she said. But were
gonna push for you guys. Walking to the next
meeting, Dial explained that theyd become
used to such receptiveness. Patagonia wasnt
taking on more e-commerce sites, either,
she said. But they made an exception for
us. They even waived their minimum order
requirement.
The fact that outdoor brands are so eager
to reach women gives Wylder an advantage
over other gear-curation sites. Nike reported
a 20 percent jump in sales of womens prod-
ucts in 2015, while mens products grew just
9 percent; its projecting $11 billion in sales
of womens products by 2020. This spring,
REI launched a massive womens initiative,
Force of Nature, that included millions of
dollars in ad spending and more than 1,000
events. Across the industry, while many
segments stagnate, womens-gear sales are
growing (by nearly 10 percent year over year
in 2013, the most recent data available). The
first online storefront to successfully tap
this awakening giant is going to clean up. Of
course, that requires building a functioning
business. And fast.
S T E P F O U R
olate factory in Salt Lake City. They moved in
last November, after working from Elliotts
living room for seven months.
The office is cozy, just big enough for three
desks, a couch, Elliotts Lab-Doberman res-
cue, Moka, and a rug that doubles as Dials
yoga mat. One wall is plastered with catalog
clippings from various companies, products
that will make it onto the website. A white-
board, scribbled with sales goals, takes up
another wall. Dial shoots all the product
images for the site on a piece of white butcher
paper in a corner of the room, and the women
store inventory in a basement unit they share
with Gold Coast Skateboards. Five brands
have agreed to ship directly from their ware-
houses to consumers, allowing Wylder to
carry more products, and the women have
started experimenting with presales as well,
to better gauge demand.
WylderGoods.com went live on Novem-
ber 23. To build its guts, the women hired a
coder, but the style and design of the pages is
all theirs. Its attractive and easy to navigate,
and will sell products from about 70 com-
panies, including Carve Designs, Patagonia,
and United by Blue.
lowers on social media. More concerning is
that sales have been slow. The companys
biggest day was in December 2016, when it
sold 16 products and made around $2,000.
Were able to pay bills, says Dial. But were
barely paying ourselves.
Theres also an encroaching feeling of
burnout. The women are constantly work-
ing to pack inventory and fill orders, market
the company, and do the accounting. Im
a basket case a lot of the time, says Dial.
There are 2,000 reasons the world doesnt
want your business to succeed. Ive ques-
tioned my self-worth, cried myself to sleep,
and asked myself more times than I can
count, What the hell was I thinking? she
says. Im not very good at faith, so often I
just try to remind myself that on the other
side of this sacrifice is a landscape that looks
entirely different.
Loss of momentum isnt unusual for
crowdfunded projects. In 2012, Daniel Freschl
raised more than $49,000 through Kick-
starter for one of the first rechargeable head-
lamps. He quickly sold 1,000 units, mostly to
people whod supported his campaign, and
built another 2,000. Those sold, too, many

Buckle
B u Up To date they have yet to make full use of
their ambassadorswomen like Krystle
to customers whod received coupon codes
from early Kickstarter backers. But scaling
Wright, an Australian adventure photogra- up proved difficult. In three years, Freschl
In February,
ebruar three months after the launch pher, and the Salmon Sisters, a pair of Alas- was out of business. To a certain extent, I
of the website,
hee webb I meet with Dial, Elliott, and kan anglers. The plan is to eventually pay think Kickstarter made it harder for me to be
Ginaa Pe te
Petersa recent full-time hire who them to help lead events, like a photography profitable, says Freschl, who now works as
dles contracts
handles co and logistics with ven- workshop or a fishing trip, as well as to write a mechanical engineer for Fitbit. It gave me
dorsat
sat their
th new office inside an old choc- blog posts and promote Wylder to their fol- the opportunity to continued on page 90 >

86 Ou
Outside
ut 

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05122017102109
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 SAGAN continued
ntinued from
om
m pag
page 80
COLLECT THE BEST OF
and rides a decent time trialanything is
possible. Its all destiny, because I never did
any decision, Sagan muses. It was always
life bringing me here, in this point where
I am now.
THE NEXT DAY, Sagan leads a pack of some
400 road cyclists up into the coastal moun-
tains (including the paying guests and var-
ious hangers-on). At the top of the first big
climb, the group stops at an espresso truck,
and the champion is mobbed by delirious
American cycling fans. He poses for selfie
after selfie, the smile never leaving his face.
He actually seems to enjoy this.
On the next climb, surrounded by superfit
Southern California riders, he tells the group
to ride ahead without him. Its hard to tell if
hes joking, but he says, I am three weeks in
the vacation with no bike! Go ahead!
Despite the fact that these are hyper-
competitive Type A cyclists, nobody takes
advantage of the chance to drop the world
champion.
The following afternoon, most of the
guests have packed up and left when the kids
start streaming into the plaza. It proves to be
an excellent chance to see Sagan in his ele-
ment. He has like two sides, I think, Kate
had told me. One is like there is a big child
in him, and one is a very responsible person.
Today at the charity event, the responsible
person told the big child to show up, which he
does, albeit a little late and looking slightly
sheepish. He clacks across the cement in his
cycling shoes and walks over to the row of
bikes. The kids press forward, and he hands
each one a brand-new toy, with a helmet
thrown in. One by one, they hop aboard and
their parents buckle the helmets on and send
them off to wobble around the area; amaz-
ingly, no one falls.
Then Peter gets on his own mountain bike
ORDER TODAY! and sails into the sea of swirling kids. Soon
ONLY $7.95 theyre clustered around as he bunny-hops
(PER ISSUE INCLUDING SHIPPING) and does wheelies, showing off his moves like
(CANADA ADD $4 AND INTERNATIONAL $6, U.S. FUNDS ONLY)
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ALLOW 2-3 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY
the happiest hes been all weekend. O sales tax. POSTMASTER: Send U.S. and international
1-800-678-1131 BILL GIFFORD ( @BILLGIFFORD) IS
AN OUTSIDE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR.
90 Outside 
0717_FEA_Wylder_rlsd.indd 90
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WYLDER continued from page 86
launch a project without proper funding. I
got in over my head without somebody with
deep pockets behind me.
But Dial and Elliott remain optimistic. To
increase their reach, theyre partnering with
womens outdoor groups on the East Coast.
Theyre experimenting with Facebook ads.
Theres talk of converting Sprinter vans into
mobile stores. And in January, they began
seeking out investors and talking with peo-
ple from B Lab, a nonprofit that helps benefit
corporations find funding. We only want
to be working with people keen on social-
impact investing, says Elliott. In retail thats
a very tiny pool.
On the day of my visit, the women have a
conference call with David Stover, cofounder
of Bureo, a company that builds skateboards
from old nylon fishing nets and also launched
on Kickstarter. Three years ago, Bureo re-
ceived a crucial second round of investment,
from Patagonias capital fund, Tin Shed Ven-
tures. Its been an unreal experience, Stover
says. We went from not knowing what that
partnership would look like tofast-forward
three yearsworking on the R&D of fabrics
for a Patagonia line. Were looking at sourc-
ing our nylon to be used in jackets and other
products. The benefits of the relationship
have gone far beyond any financial support
they provided.
Thats a beautiful story, says Elliott.
The call ends, and the two women look at
each other and smile. Then they get back to
work. O
CORRESPONDENT GORDY MEGROZ
( @GORDYMEGROZ) WROTE ABOUT
KIKKAN RANDALL IN MARCH.
Volume XLII, Number 7. OUTSIDE (ISSN 0278-1433) is
published monthly by Mariah Media Network LLC, 400
Market St., Santa Fe, NM 87501. Periodical postage
paid at Santa Fe, NM, and additional mailing offices.
Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No.
R126291723. Canada Post International Publications
Mail Sales Agreement No. 40015979. Subscription
rates: U.S. and possessions, $24; Canada, $35 (in-
cludes GST); foreign, $45. Washington residents add
address changes to OUTSIDE, P.O. Box 6228, Harlan, IA
51593-1728. Send Canadian address changes to OUT-
SIDE, P.O. Box 877 Stn Main, Markham, ON L3P-9Z9.
5/15/17 3:43 PM
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