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Client, Mountain Madness

Survivors from Everest '96 recall a day of terror and confusion that many still believe was distorted in ways that oversimplified complex events and dishonored the dead.

David Sharp's lonely death on Mount Everest revived the old, raging debates about personal ethics and the wisdom of commercially guided climbing. But whatever went right and wrong in 2006, the bottom line remains: You challenge this peak at your own risk, because its punishments are swift, terrible, and blind.

You need to learn your lesson! So listen up to Mike Roberto, a fast-talking consultant who uses the '96 saga as a teaching tool for students, lawyers, and businessmen.

With 25 national parks, 815 miles of coastline, and thousands of wildlife species, Costa Rica is indeed a rich coast. Experience it all with these seven sea-to-jungle family adventures.

We sit down for a candid conversation with �����ԹϺ��� contributor Eric Hansen about his most recent assignment, a quest to find the world's most extreme bar, Colombia's El Mirador, for the September feature story, "It's Thriller Time."

Wanna live where the action is? The goal: Trails out the back door, a serious Saturday-morning peloton, whitewater just up the road, and neighbors eager to join in. Our source: The best adventure athletes in America, who tell us where they live and why. The result: 20 places where locals work, train, and play hard. Start packing now.

Think life in America's favorite outdoor mecca would be dreamy? Careful what you wish for.

Is it possible to guide safely on Everest? Or will the mountain always demand its pound of flesh? MARK JENKINS talks to a dream team of veterans—between them, they've reached the summit 17 times—in a frank look at the risks, rewards, and nightmares of taking clients to the top.

North Korea opens its doors to American tourists

To air is human. To go big is divine. To huck for dollars at the hard rock cafe... a cry for help. Why are action-sports athletes suddenly channeling Evel Knievel?

Befuddled and heartbroken after watching the New York Yankees end their beloved Boston Red Sox’s 2003 playoff run, Jeff Neumann and Ray LeMoine needed to get away. Far away. So, using the money they’d earned from selling “Yankees Suck” T-shirts in Boston, they hopped a plane to Jordan and bussed…

For the Italian-born photographer, a trip to the Caribbean to shoot W. Hodding Carter for August's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin Swimmer" was more than an assignment, it was a rum-soaked adventure.

When a study this past spring revealed that the British are significantly healthier than Americans, we went looking for the wellness benefits of warm beer. But it turns out there are plenty of more wholesome buzzes in the UK.

Strap in for a road trip through the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan with Robert Thurman—Uma's dad and one of the planet's most magnetic Buddha boosters—and get set for stunning scenery, harrowing S-curves, and face time with the wild side of your soul

What happens when a Type A relaxation-phobe takes his first vacation in years? Life gets good again.

With on-call mechanics, high-energy meals, and leg massages, boutique bike hotels turn cycling into a destination sport on par with skiing

Costa Rica's Nature Air gets an emissions-free face-lift

Snowbound in the Andes after their plane crashes, the starving members of a Uruguayan rugby squad are forced to live off the flesh of their fallen teammates. Now, for the first time, the hero of their ordeal writes his own story. In this exclusive excerpt from Miracle in the Andes, Nando Parrado reveals the untold horrors of their suffering—and the

Biking & Nightlife

Hook up with Carmichael Training Systems and Santa Fe Mountain �����ԹϺ���s for one of the most comprehensive adventure racing camp in the country.

Refugee rockers JJI Exile Brothers give Tibetan youth a new attitude

SCOTT LINDGREN, whose first descent of Tibet’s deadly Tsangpo was chronicled in our July 2002 issue, continues to paddle and film the world’s most dangerous whitewater. His upcoming DVD, Burning Time II (out in May), features first descents in China and Turkey. And during a recent trip to Zambia,…

Get steeped in Sri Lanka's tea country at four new lodges in the southern highlands

A virtual tour of South Asia's pearl-shaped island.

All it takes is one trip to change your life - and we've got 40 of 'em. Dreaming of close encounters with cheetahs or penguins? Want to climb a mountain in Peru? Experience an epic trek in China? One trip, one world - that's all it takes.

There's no substitute for the natural world, but engineers are catching up. Ten years ago, an indoor climbing wall turned heads; now developers are mimicking mountains, rivers, and oceans. As urban centers swell, so do the latest man-made achievements.

Here's why ten Winter Olympics have been staged high in the Alps: James Bond glamour, beautiful slopes, and raging après—ski that lasts till 3 a.m.

Seamus Murphy's recent trip to Syria with writer Patrick Symmes was one of many in a long list of far-flung adventures across the globe. Read about his experiences in Syria, then view an exclusive photo gallery of the country.

The Golden State gets set to host America's richest bike race ever

For the veteran adventure photographer, Bhutan broke the mold.

When it comes to adventure kingdoms, all roads eventually lead to California. Here's where to find the Golden State's secret stash.

Time to tune up that garageful of gear (we don't mean lawn chairs) and devote your next outing to full-throttle fun.

IN JANUARY, ARIZONA’S Hualapai tribe, whose 2,000-person reservation covers 1,500 square miles along the Grand Canyon’s south rim, is opening a glass-bottomed, horseshoe-shaped walkway that will jut 70 feet from the edge, 4,000 feet above the canyon floor. Located 200 miles west of the crowded lookouts of Grand Canyon National…

Now you can explore Easter Island's famed stone statues in style

Surrounded by the beauty of the world's highest range, thousands of people live without sight. The Himalayan Cataract Project is curing blindness—literally overnight—in the most remote villages of Nepal and India. And, hey, as long as you're performing mass miracles, why not run up a 21,000-foot peak?

Fight back! Don't succumb to the cold-weather blues this winter—head south to the Caribbean and Central America, where the sun comes up early and the ice comes shaved. Presenting the six freshest surf-and-chill outdoor adventures this season.

Some two to three million people have been left homeless by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck South Asia, according to a press release issued by the North Face and GlobalGiving. Here, find out where you can donate gear to the help in the relief effort. Donated gear will be collected…

So it's a vast, faraway adventure mecca,no worries, mate! Here come ten abso-bloody-lutely awesome Australian odysseys—from Sydney to the bush—plus locals' picks and all the beta you need to get there.

Patagonia's wild peaks and blue glaciers have long been the ultimate lost frontier. Now an American gone gaucho is carving out an incredible new trekking kingdom in Chile's vast, unspoiled Ays�n region, and adventure's South American dreamscape just got a whole lot bigger.

A veteran documentary photographer, Teru Kuwayama frequently finds himself on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan—the latter of which he calls his “hands-down favorite country on earth.” This despite the fact that he and �����ԹϺ��� Reconnaissance Agent and Hard Way columnist Mark Jenkins were arrested after traversing Afghanistan’s northeastern…

In the brave new world of Eastern Europe, a bond forged in adventure�then nearly forgotten�is reborn. Just in time.

Thirty vehicles, 16,000 miles, and not a single tank of gas

Think Utopia doesn't exist? Maybe not yet—but these ten towns are making a play for perfection with adventure-friendly innovation and cool ideas for building smart communities. Plus the hottest concepts in urban revival, combating sprawl, and better hometown living.

What does a naive environmentalist discover when he buys his own forest? He's got to log it to save it.

You can't buy it in any store, can't send away for it online, can't meet the author (there are thousands), and you probably won't be able to read it if you do find it, since much of it is written in Hebrew. PATRICK SYMMES follows the trail of an underground global legend: the everywhere-and-nowhere travel bible of Israel's combat-fatigued, footloose vagabond yo

Our two-week pleasure tour samples the best of Canada's most bountiful province

On the southern end of Italy's boot—Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, and the island of Sicily—you'll fall in love with the creamy gelato, unspoiled beaches, and the rhythms of a simpler life

A family of four takes on the Big Five in Kenya

From chic clubbing in Dublin to cycling the Ring of Kerry, Ireland's got a bit of everything

Dreamy spots in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean to tie the knot

Don't just hike—follow in the footsteps of famous explorers and naturalists

If your big-day fantasies include a crescent beach or a mountain vista, you're part of the hottest trend in nuptial bliss: destination weddings

The past is present on Ireland's windswept west coast

Ten tempting all-American lodges with style and ambience to spare

Catch a glimpse of these five heavenly cascades

Discover Yunnan, an uncommon convergence of rushing rivers, ancient villages, and snowy peaks that's fast becoming China's premier adventure playground

From the red-rock vistas of Abiquiu to the dunes of White Sands—with a few shots of tequila mixed in—New Mexico is another world. Try these 12 perfect days in the Land of Enchantment. Horseback Riding into the Sunset Cerrillos Twenty miles south of Santa Fe, where the southern Rockies peter…

A new breed of luxury camping mixes fresh air and fireside fun with crisp linens and five-star dining

Welcome to Croatia, the melting pot of hot. Where East meets West, the old is new, the young are worldly-wise, the wilds are pristine, and the 20th-century shadows of war are giving way to a hip and happening 21st-century place to find peace.

Thirty-three years after the passage of the Clean Water Act, New York’s 315-mile Hudson River, long an icon of industrial and municipal pollution, is running clean enough that native fish species like the striped bass are boosting their numbers even in the waters off Manhattan. And they’re not alone. About…

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, Fl Little Palm Island FLY IN, BOAT OUT: Little Palm from your taxi window This 28-bungalow retreat is as off the grid as it gets—120 watery miles south of Miami, accessible only by boat or floatplane. Snorkel and kayak off white beaches, or…

Climb aboard for the ultimate ride with the ultimate boat buddy: Martin Litton, the Colorado River legend and conservation warrior who, as much as any other single person, shaped the Grand Canyon float trip into an American classic

Irresistable wildlife-viewing trips, close to home

Think outside the cubicle. Ditch your desk and soak up the sun courtesy of the nation's best alfresco Wi-Fi unplug-ins.

Two guys, ten days, 500 miles by bike through gorgeous Norway. The only rule? No suffering.

This exotic archipelago used to be the sole domain of Darwin fanatics. Not anymore.

This 37,280-square-mile archipelago gave birth to one of nature's most revolutionary theories. Best part is, hardly anything's changed since Darwin's time on these volcanic isles... except their popularity.

No one denies that our 50th state is Paradise, USA. But anyone who's ever been to this lush chain knows a simple truth: Not all the islands are created equal. So which is best? Welcome to the Great Hawaiian Island-Off. Read on, and pick your perfection.

An 812-mile effort to revive the spirit, if not the tactics, of the West's most notorious monkey-wrencher

HARDY IF NOT HEFTY, the 125cc, two-stroke, Soviet-era Minsk motorcycle is the vehicle of choice on the intermittently paved roads between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Put one to the test on this 18-day Easy Rider–meets–The Motorcycle Diaries tour, which parallels the route of the historic 1,500-mile…

The catastrophic Christmas tsunami hit Thailand's climbing meccas hard. Railae Beach resident SAM LIGHTNER JR. reports on the nightmares and miracles of the aftermath—and on the Thais and expats rebuilding their slice of paradise.

What do you want—a printed invitation? OK, here it is: We’ve scouted the year’s coolest travel offerings—from new classics like cruising the Arctic, exploring the wild Caribbean, and journeying across Russia’s heartland to bold new frontiers like trekking Libya and tracking wildlife (and luxury lodges) in Sri Lanka. Going somewhere?…

Real adventure means making a difference. Check out these ways to make philanthropy a part of your trip—and dare to get inspired.

Stash the skis and bust out the sequined thongs—it's Carnival time in the tropics. Seaside adventure and rum-fueled hedonism await.

An ANWR defeat would deal a major blow to the entire concept of wilderness protection. In this exclusive essay, Senator JOHN KERRY vows to take the fight to the GOP leadership.

Does President Bush have the votes to drill Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? The world is about to find out.

A new class of hotels pitches boutique offerings to thrill-seeking hipsters

On a planet crowded with six billion people, isolated primitive cultures are getting pushed to the brink of extinction. Against this backdrop, a new form of adventure travel has raised an unsettling question: Would you pay to see tribes who have never laid eyes on an outsider?

Read “The Light of Seven Mountain Suns,” about the Himalayan Cataract Project and Sight-to-Summit Expedition, by senior editor Nick Heil in the December issue of �����ԹϺ���, now on stands, then see more of photographer Ace Kvale’s shots here. Sight-to-Summit Gallery To view an exclusive gallery of the expedition, click…