Explainer about windborne dust and carbon's effect on premature runoff, and the ongoing efforts of NASA's Tom Painter to estimate future trends.
A feature-length tongue-in-cheek review of UC Berkeley's Science of Happiness course. The Outside piece was later picked up by The Guardian.
A feature-length look at how the creators of Patagonia's new museum of products from its past intend it to sustain the company well into the future.
A feature profile of the prolific author-climber-explorer, David Roberts.
A search to uncover the true story of the late mountaineer Don Jensen's life.
The story of how the mechanics of memory created four divergent origin myths of a famous climb in Joshua Tree National Park.
In progress. Publication: Summit Journal. Spring 2027....
A remembrance of the late Fred Beckey and an analysis of how climbing's folkloric tradition imbued his legend.
Contributor, 1994 - 1999, California City Sports. Short trend explainers, how-tos, and profiles, with several cover stories, about mountaineering, Alpine climbing, indoor climbing, track and backcountry skiing, and more.
A deep dive into the environmental externalities of snowmaking in the Tahoe Basin during the drought of 2012 - 2016.
Don Jensen’s genius informed the shape of the pack you wear on your back today....
An examination of how the Bureau of Economic Analysis codified outdoor industry's contributions to gross domestic product, and what that means for outdoor recreation writ large.
Feature profile of Dr. Jesse Leaman and his metamorphosis from able-bodied athlete to quadriplegic college student to astrophysicist.
A mashup of profile, a book review, and an inquiry into whether humans produce endogenous hallucinogens during serious play.
Feature article about the ongoing efforts of the superintendent of Breaks Interstate Park in Central Appalachia, Austin Bradley, to replace...
The story of how the climber and writer Doug Robinson sparked an environmental revolution in Yosemite Valley.
Findings from the American Alpine Club's Sustainable Summits conference, organized to address the unintended consequences of overuse.
A review of environmental scientist Lauren Oakes' 2018 release, In Search of the Canary Tree.
A feature-length exploration of the natural and human history of California's greatest inland sea, Mono Lake.
Feature for Adventure Journal #40, Spring 2026 issue....
Researchers Lauren Oaks and Nik Sawe converted Oakes' doctoral research into music, a process called sonification. This piece explains how and why.
A 5,200-word profile of Joshua Tree National Park and its superintendent, David Smith.
I sat to Palmer’s right, a motion-sickness bracelet on my left wrist, anti-nausea gum in my mouth, and a gallon-size ziplock at my feet.
An inquiry into the psychological and biological causes of Michigan attorney Richard Jerome Levine's 2003 suicide in a Michigan trout stream.
Gonzo-style recounting of the 2026 edition 0f Tennis Paradise (as ordered by Alta’s editor). Fuck ’em if they can’t take...