Outside Magazine, Aug 1998

Stories


 

Here, Sharky, Sharky
They call it Shark Alley: a narrow, seal-infested channel off the coast of South Africa where legions of great whites prowl and where any number of operators-come-lately with a boat, a jury-rigged cage, and a bucketful of bait will gladly take you "sharking." It's also where high-risk adventure just might have reached its absurd apogee. Feeling lucky, chum?
By Tim Cahill

  The Shark Blotter: From sea to predator-filled sea, fish-bites-man encounters that should give you pause
before you take that next dip.
By Mike Grudowski
 
The First Law of Gravity
That is, the one that states that all things that go up-even fearlessness personified, even a glacier-taunting flyboy-must one day come down. Paul Claus, storied king of the Alaskan bush pilots, has managed to evade that decree. So far, at least. A report from the rarefied heights of the Last Frontier.
By Daniel Coyle

Poet … Lover … Omnivore … Friend
His cameo at the Oscars made you laugh. His tour-de-force performances in White Fang and The Edge made you cry. But do you know the real Bart the Bear? Those who do-and who haven't been eaten yet-tell all.
By David Rakoff

F I T N E S S   S P E C I A L :
Welcome to Your Future, Sissy Boy
When elite jocks need to amp-up their level of fitness, they turn to Florida's International Performance Institute and über-trainer Mark Verstegen for some serious, shall we say, encouragement. Here are the tricks that add muscle to their frames, inches to their leaps, and extra oomph to their games.
By Andrew Tilin

  The Hard Way: Fear-inspiring workouts from the training logs of Jerry Rice, Walt Stack, and other fitness paragons.
By Cory Johnson
Bring It Home: A rapid-fire regimen to recondition your condition in just four weeks.
By Andrew Tilin

 

  D E P A R T M E N T S
Dispatches: News from the Field
In a world of dwindling firsts, two American climbers tackle the unnamed, unmapped, untouched walls of Greenland's Sweizerland Range.

  Say it ain't so, Jacques: Disturbing allegations surface about Cousteau's legendary documentaries.
An up-and-coming beach volleyball champ aims to become the Tiger of the sands.
Why the British are snorkeling in muck, and other tales from Europe's most dubious month.
Beating the animal-rights drum, a kung-fu-fightin' activist makes more than a little noise.
P L U S : How the world's oldest profession is thriving on the world's coldest continent, why cats are no longer invited to dinner in Vietnam, strange new twists in the Kenyan Wildlife Service's ongoing power struggle, and more.

Field Notes: Cirque du Sailor
Which is more grueling for those who compete in the Whitbread Round the World Race: The months-long slog through icy oceans aboard claustrophobic sloops, or the endless, obligatory rounds of schmoozing at every stop? A report from the epicenter of big-money sailing, where the captains are stars but the Fortune 500 is boss.
By Bucky McMahon

The Wild File
Is Pluto really a planet? Which volcano will be the next to blow its stack? Why do fireflies light up?

Destinations: The Big Easy
Intrigued by the notion of long, lazy days of easy paddling, cooling dips, unambitious fishing, and hard-core moose-watching? Then grab a canoe and point your compass north, to the refreshingly laid-back waters of Ontario's Temagami.
PLUS: Back on this side of the border, six of the nation's most alluring canoe rambles, from the desert to the bayou; and how to make canoe camping as carefree as it ought to be.

  High summer in Colorado's remote and spectacular North Park wilderness is short-but not to be missed.
Bring your water bottle, and your wallet, too: Despite hue and cry, the U.S. Forest Service starts charging admission.

Review: Happier trails
Off-road running doesn't have to result in a litany of blisters, stubbed toes, and twisted ankles-thanks to beefed-up, lug-treaded trail-running shoes that keep getting tougher and tougher. Ten of the best armored kicks from Adidas, Fila, Merrell, Asics, New Balance, Montrail, Brooks, Etonic, Nike, and Reebok.

  Buying Right: Seven well-crafted ways to carry the kids while you're backpacking, cycling, or jogging
The Other Stuff: A technological breakthrough that makes fixing your surfboard a snap, and the clever new gizmo that helps you car-top your kayak.
Books: A better-than-bug-dope device to keep mosquitoes off your noggin; Dreamland: Travels Inside the Secret World of Roswell and Area 51, by Phil Patton; Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe, by George Schaller; and more.
 

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Cover photograph by Stuart Westmorland/Tony Stone Images

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