The “Buddy System” in Outside

by Erik Olsen on

If you didn’t catch this month’s issue of Outside and the whole “buddy spread” inside, it’s worth a read. The stories are short, but sweet, and feature a few of our favorite dudes from adventure, sports and music.

I mean, who could NOT want to hang out on the beach with Eddie Vedder and Kelly Slater. Or suck back a beer with Sebastian Junger and Scott Anderson. Of course, they’d have to do all the talking because folks like us, well, we’ve got stories, but they ain’t nothing compared to the tales that guys like this can tell.

Along these lines…Anderson, the author of a wonderful book entitled The Man Who Tried to Save the World, was more recently involved in trying to catch Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic for a $5 million reward. The effort failed, but they’re making a movie about it with Richard Gere. Or so said today’s paper.

Australia’s Beaches: Look, but Don’t Touch

by Iva Skoch on

Australia’s beaches are among the most beautiful in the world. To look at, at least. If you actually want to go in the water, you might have a problem. Especially in the more remote areas.

I went this past February, one of the most popular months to go (the end of their summer) but it is clearly a bad time to visit the beach. Not only was it infested with vicious jelly fish (blue bottle, box jelly fish and other lethal ones), but it was also the crocodile mating season. Although stunning beaches stretch along Australia’s east coast for thousands of miles, it is recommended that travelers read the warning signs, such as the one displayed here.

Locals seem to prefer going in the water wearing full-body nylon suits (“stinger suits”) to protect their skin from the stingers (i.e., jellyfish). Nylon suits, however, don’t really work against the crocs. The “salties”, as Australians like to call the dangerous salt-water crocodiles, lay eggs in the ocean, but very close to the shore…and needless to say, they don’t want to be bothered with people swimming over their nursery. With crocodiles being a protected species–it is illegal to shoot them–they have become a problem for public beaches. And now, with Steve Irwin not around, I would predict the crocs will get even more comfy along the shore.

Surf Panama

by Erik Olsen on

Just a little while ago, we did a podcast with the travel guide writer Joshua Berman. Joshua told us all about his experiences living in Nicaragua and how he came to write the Moon Guide Book “Living Abroad in Nicaragua”, which just came out. One of the things we discussed was surfing down there, which has really taken off lately. That got me to thinking about other places in Central America where the surf is up and so I thought I’d do a little Googling to see what I could find.

Probably the best piece I found is this one in the Washington Post, that is all about surfing in Panama. There, just a short distance from the canal, you can ride tasty waves all day long and then settle yourself down in one of Panama City’s fine drinking establishments. Body boarder and would-be surfer John Briley headed down there to take surfing lessons, and his story not only discusses the destination as a fine new surf spot, but is also a soul searching tale of an old dog learning new tricks.

The Surfing Rabbi

by Erik Olsen on

Somewhere way back…I honestly can’t remember when but am far too lazy to search for it…I blogged about a gentleman who lives in Venice Beach who represents quite an unusual mixture of cultures. His name is Norm Shifty Shifren, but he is better known among the locals who ply the tasty waves of So Cal as the Surfing Rabbi.

Now, perhaps Neil, who lives in Venice Beach, knows better than I do, but this seems a bit odd even for Southern California. But then again, it is a fine gimmick…and one that Rabbi Shifren has put to some personal use. He leverages the appeal of his off-beat, yarmulked image to teach surfing classes, make public appearances and, of course, to write a book. This being So Cal, the only thing missing is a movie deal…though perhaps that’s in the works.

Rabbi Shifren calls his classes a “Kabbalistic Quest for the Soul”, which immediately conjures up images of Madonna, cone bra in full extension, hanging ten on a curling blue wave. The reason I bring this all up about the rabbi, is that a friend of mine recently mentioned that a friend of his did the Rabbi’s surfing camp in Costa Rica and I thought, man, that is one of those adventures worth writing home about. For more on the Rabbi, let me point you to this rather old, but entertaining piece in Salon.

Best Colleges for Outdoorsmen

by Neil Woodburn on

There are a variety of different reasons why one chooses a college. Academics and sports are usually towards the top of the list. Access to the backcountry usually is not.

Naturally, Outside Magazine feels that a student’s priorities should be re-prioritized and have therefore put together a rather thorough ranking of America’s best universities that are “adrenaline friendly.” The list is a couple of years old, but still very relevant.

Coming in at #1 is UC Santa Cruz. This northern California campus near Monterey Bay rests amongst redwood trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Students ditching class can mountain bike, kayak, surf, hike, scuba dive, backpack and otherwise indulge Mother Nature in a variety of ways within just a few miles of campus.

For a full list of the other 39 campuses highlighted, click here. And in case you’re wondering, University of Colorado at Boulder took second place (which I’m sure will anger a large number of students who claim Boulder is the center of the universe when it comes to such rankings).