Every day before sunrise on Maui, a motorcade of rental cars creep up to the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakalā and throngs of bleary-eyed tourists spill out to shiver through the sunrise. It really is a sight, but when I first … Read More

Using text adapted from Robert Marshalls “Alaska Wilderness: Exploring the Brooks Range” (1929) and images from Expedition Arguk (2013), “The World Beyond the World” aims to celebrate that most ancient and sublime of human pleasures: moving through a mysterious, beautiful, … Read More

“Backcountry skating” is the practice of hunting for wild ice, whether on on a river, lake, glacial lagoon, or inside an ice cave. Filmed in southcentral and southeast Alaska over the course of two winters, “Wild Ice” features nordic bladers, … Read More

Purchased May 2016 and replaced August 2017, reviewed November 2017, updated December 2017 One of my rules on Winterbear is that before reviewing a product, I’ll use it outside many times in a variety of conditions. However, occasionally a product … Read More

Purchased January 2016, reviewed October 2017 In August 2008, a friend and I set off a three-day backcountry traverse of Chugach State Park. Our kit included some older gear (how can my back ever forget that 10-pound dome tent?) but … Read More

Purchased January 2016, reviewed October 2017 Most people start with two basic backpacks: a day pack in the 15-30 liter range and an overnight pack in the 55-80 liter range. Packs in the 35-50 liter range always seem to require … Read More

Purchased March 2017, reviewed September 2017 The DMOS Stealth is a blingy backcountry shovel introduced as the ideal tool to build ski and snowboard jumps (called “kickers”). The Stealth’s serrated blade is made from 2.5mm 6061 aluminum, and its 56.5-inch … Read More

Purchased December 2016, reviewed September 2017, updated November 2017 The Shocking Blue (aka Shocking Blue Neo) is the namesake sleeping bag in France-based Valandre’s “Shocking Blue Series” of cold-weather sleeping bags. Many winter sleeping bags are given names that conjure … Read More

Purchased July 2015, reviewed August 2017, last updated November 2017 The Nammatj 2 is a four-season Swiss Army Knife of a tent from Swedish tentmaker Hilleberg. Weighing in at between 5 and 6.5 pounds depending on setup, the Nammatj 2 … Read More

The Bomber Traverse is an informal hut-to-hut wilderness backpacking route in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska. The purpose of the Bomber Traverse Map is to aid wilderness travel by indicating general backcountry routes and hut locations, by codifying locally-accepted names … Read More