Long Reads

Long reads are Outside's long-form articles our readers know and love. These features showcase our strongest writers, most ambitious reporting, and award-winning storytelling about the outdoors.

Latest Stories

Apparel

My 99-Year-Old Grandmother Built an Empire Around Outdoor Apparel’s Most Important Fabric

After hearing tales of his family’s former textile business in postwar South Korea, writer Yoon Kim traced his grandmother’s pathway from a war refugee to an industrial innovator. The research helped Kim understand his own place in the outdoor world.

Yoon KimNovember 4, 2026

Exploration & Survival

How a Group of Bigfoot Hunters Started Solving Cold Cases in the Woods

For years, a group of friends has combed Gifford Pinchot National Forest for signs of a mythical creature. Now they use those same tracking skills to help solve cold cases.

Emily HalnonOctober 31, 2026

Everest

Jim Morrison Made History on Everest. Now He's Ready to Tell His Story.

The veteran mountaineer navigated a 9,000-foot route off the world’s tallest peak that had never been survived. A new documentary reveals the decade of preparation and grief behind the record-breaking feat.

Anna CallaghanOctober 29, 2026

Everest

To Make ‘Everest: The Other Side,’ Jim Morrison Had to Cheat Death One More Time

Three years after ski mountaineer legend Hilaree Nelson was killed in a Himalayan avalanche, Jim Morrison returned to complete their shared dream. A new documentary from Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi captures the perilous descent and the grief behind it.

Anna CallaghanOctober 29, 2026

North America

Drive Rowdy, Raise Hell, and Haul Away Trash. We Crashed Off-Roading's Craziest Rally.

Just how far can a $500 car make it in the off-roads of Oregon? We hitch a ride at Gambler 500 in Oregon, where 4,000 drivers in modified beater cars haul out 391,000 pounds of trash from public lands.

Alex PulaskiOctober 20, 2026

Everest

What It Really Feels Like to Survive an Everest Avalanche

After surviving a catastrophic mountain collapse on the world's highest peak, a climber shares the raw, visceral experience of facing her own mortality and the terrifying wait for rescue. This is an excerpt from Nicole LoBiondo’s debut memoir, 'Where the Air Grows Thin.'

Nicole LoBiondoOctober 13, 2026

Books & Media

73 Years Later, Tenzing Norgay Gets Top Billing

Genden Phuntsok had never climbed a mountain when Jennifer Peedom cast him in Apple’s Tenzing. He talks to us about what it took to carry a film about the first ascent of Everest.

Kevin SintumuangOctober 9, 2026

Apparel

People Wait Months to Buy This Fleece Hoodie. Here's How the Melly Became an Outdoor Obsession.

From its roots in Leadville, Colorado, to its devoted following today, former employees, locals, and longtime fans tell the story of how a small fleece company became an outdoor institution.

Amelia ArvesenOctober 13, 2026

Books & Media

“I Don’t Have a Cell Phone or a Computer." Inside the Simple Life of Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard.

In an excerpt from his forthcoming book, filmmaker Jimmy Chin profiles Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and takes a deep dive into Chouinard's lifelong relationship with taking risks in the outdoors.

Jimmy ChinSeptember 28, 2026

Water Sports

“I’m Always Scared.” The World’s Top Kayakers Chase Joy and Risk at Whitewater’s Gnarliest Race.

Extreme whitewater may look like a reckless gamble, but on Idaho’s stoutest rapids, elite paddlers find a sacred language of focus, survival, and profound connection. Our associate editor soaked it all in at the North Fork Championship, kayaking’s gnarliest race.

Madison DapcevichSeptember 23, 2026

Active Families

My Dad and I Fought About Politics for Decades. Then He Taught Me to Hunt.

I thought my dad and I didn’t agree on anything anymore. Then, I asked him to take me hunting.

Kassondra CloosSeptember 17, 2026

Exploration & Survival

At a Doomed Self-Help Retreat, a Sweat Lodge Ritual Turned Deadly

In her latest book, 'Plastic Shaman: The True Story of a Deadly Self-Help Retreat and America’s Misguided Quest for Wellness,’ author Annette McGivney investigates a sweat lodge ceremony that turned fatal.

Annette McGivneySeptember 9, 2026

Training & Performance

Rachel Entrekin Just Placed Second in the Women's Race at UTMB. She's Only Getting Started.

After making history at an iconic, grueling, 200-plus-mile footrace, Rachel Entrekin brought her relentless drive and realistic positivity to the Alps for one of ultrarunning's biggest tests.

Rebecca ByerlyAugust 29, 2026

Environment

This Jersey Shore Beach Town Had a Seagull Problem. The Solution Involves Hungry Killer Birds.

Until recently, you couldn't eat a slice of pizza along the Jersey Shore without fighting off a cloud of aggressive seagulls. Enter a collection of trained predatory birds that scares off—and yeah, sometimes kills and eats—the winged pirates.

Andrew ZaleskiAugust 17, 2026

Africa

New, Solar-Powered Safari EVs Are Getting Us Closer Than Ever to Wildlife

Solar-powered electric vehicles are making wildlife encounters quieter and more sustainable. The technology could soon reshape safaris and wildlife tourism far beyond Africa.

Greg PrestoAugust 14, 2026

Hiking

I Hiked the Appalachian Trail with a Couple Weeks Before They Were Murdered

Decades after crossing paths with a young couple weeks before they were murdered, journalist Earl Swift returns to the trail to confront the thin, and sometimes random, line between survival and tragedy.

Earl SwiftAugust 11, 2026

Exploration & Survival

What Really Happened on Broad Peak, the Deadliest High-Alpine Tragedy in More than a Decade

Ten climbers set out to summit the notorious Broad Peak during a narrow weather window. None of them made it back alive. This is what really happened during the expedition and the harrowing body recovery mission that followed.

Ben AyersAugust 7, 2026

Hiking

I Spent 24 Straight Hours at an Ultramarathon. Here’s Why Runners Go Long.

100-Mile trail races booming in popularity, and every other person we know seems to be training for an ultra. Our writer—who is not a runner—wanted to understand why. So, he stayed up all night at California’s Western States Endurance Run interviewing athletes, race crew, and fans. Here’s what he learned.

Roman StubbsAugust 5, 2026

Water Sports

Noodling for Catfish Is Now a Tourist Activity. We Blame TikTok.

Once outlawed, hand-fishing for giant catfish in the Southeastern U.S. has never been more popular, thanks to viral videos on social media. We booked a tour with a noodling guide to see if the tug is really like a drug.

Aidan McCahillJuly 22, 2026

Exploration & Survival

This Veteran’s Cure for Soldiers with PTSD: Go Build an Earthship in the Desert

Ryan Timmermans, an Army veteran who did multiple tours in Afghanistan, invites former soldiers to live away from running water and the power grid in a self-sufficient community in Northern New Mexico. Timmermans believes the simple lifestyle is more therapeutic than anything the government can provide.

Nick AspinwallJuly 17, 2026

Long Reads

Latest Stories

My 99-Year-Old Grandmother Built an Empire Around Outdoor Apparel’s Most Important Fabric

How a Group of Bigfoot Hunters Started Solving Cold Cases in the Woods

Jim Morrison Made History on Everest. Now He's Ready to Tell His Story.

To Make ‘Everest: The Other Side,’ Jim Morrison Had to Cheat Death One More Time

Drive Rowdy, Raise Hell, and Haul Away Trash. We Crashed Off-Roading's Craziest Rally.

What It Really Feels Like to Survive an Everest Avalanche

73 Years Later, Tenzing Norgay Gets Top Billing

People Wait Months to Buy This Fleece Hoodie. Here's How the Melly Became an Outdoor Obsession.

“I Don’t Have a Cell Phone or a Computer." Inside the Simple Life of Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard.

“I’m Always Scared.” The World’s Top Kayakers Chase Joy and Risk at Whitewater’s Gnarliest Race.

My Dad and I Fought About Politics for Decades. Then He Taught Me to Hunt.

At a Doomed Self-Help Retreat, a Sweat Lodge Ritual Turned Deadly

Rachel Entrekin Just Placed Second in the Women's Race at UTMB. She's Only Getting Started.

This Jersey Shore Beach Town Had a Seagull Problem. The Solution Involves Hungry Killer Birds.

New, Solar-Powered Safari EVs Are Getting Us Closer Than Ever to Wildlife

I Hiked the Appalachian Trail with a Couple Weeks Before They Were Murdered

What Really Happened on Broad Peak, the Deadliest High-Alpine Tragedy in More than a Decade

I Spent 24 Straight Hours at an Ultramarathon. Here’s Why Runners Go Long.

Noodling for Catfish Is Now a Tourist Activity. We Blame TikTok.

This Veteran’s Cure for Soldiers with PTSD: Go Build an Earthship in the Desert

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