Adventure Activism

Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Alpinist, Climbing, Diversity, featured / 11.01.2013

When Alpinist editor Katie Ives asked me to write a story about diversity in mountaineering, I was incredibly honored and more than a little thrilled. But upon deeper reflection, I realized to my chagrin that there were only so many writers she might have tapped to address this emerging issue in the world of adventure. As I am one of relatively few people of color actively participating in the American outdoor industry, let alone working as a journalist, it inevitably falls to me to speak to the...

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Adventure Activism, Charitable Giving, Climbing, Environmental Justice, Interview / 10.01.2013

National Geographic Young Explorer Asa Firestone wants to inspire kids through climbing. Though not a particularly original concept in itself, the idea aims to gain traction in a unique location: the crime-ridden slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Armed with an MBA from the Marshal School of Business at the University of Southern California, Firestone plans to build a social and economic alternative to life in gangs along with a climbing wall and the educational infrastructure to train young people as alpine athletes and commercial guides. Known locally as...

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Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Commentary, Expedition News, Life Out Loud / 02.01.2013

The first morning of the new year my wife Shamane and I spent working out at our local health club. Now that we finally have almost two feet of snow on the ground it's a shame we couldn't go skiing. All the trails around Madison are groomed to perfection and one friend said the cross-country corduroy nearby at Mirror Lake State Park was "like riding a magic carpet". But four weeks after surgery for a partial knee replacement Shamane is in re-hab. Whether you're addicted to backwoods ski...

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Adventure Activism, Business, Charitable Giving, Diversity, Environmental Protection, Kids in Nature, Outdoor Recreation, Outdoor Retailer, philanthropy, Sierra Club / 27.12.2012

  On a Saturday in early fall 2012 environmental activist Christian Alvarado dedicated a few hours of his time in service to nature. He lead a group of students on a work project to clean up trash and remove graffiti along the banks of the Connecticut River. Helping to restore the esthetic beauty of Riverside Park near his home in Hartford, Connecticut this part-time student and aspiring filmmaker serves as a role model to empower a new generation of young people to protect the world in which they live. Alvarado,...

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Adventure Activism, Climbing, Diversity, Expedition Denali / 17.10.2012

(This story is the second installment that details the latest Expedition Denali training mission to the summit of Mount Baker ) My field of vision was restricted to a bright white cone of light. The beam of my headlamp reflected back the blue-grey footprints of the climbers on lead ahead of me. Overnight the summer slush had frozen to a solid mass of ice that threatened with every step to sweep my feet right out from under me. On the Easton Glacier of Mount Baker at 4 o'clock in...

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Adventure Activism, Adventure Media Review, Film preview, Madison / 15.10.2012

It goes without saying that I love mountain movies. The whole genre of adventure media is thrilling for more than just the imagery that displays the daring exploits of men and women on high alpine peaks or sheer walls of granite thousands of feet above the ground. These new films created by artists and athletes from around the world are exciting because unlike most of your Hollywood-style cinema these movies depict the true-life stories of real people. And the adventures they portray are infinitely accessible to anyone with...

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