Blog
Can Human Judgment Handle the Backcountry?
For the past three years, one incident in the Alaska backcountry has haunted me. On a slightly overcast day in Prince William Sound, while skiing virgin slopes with the help of a chartered yacht (yes, it was an awesome assignment), I watched as my ski guide was nearly swallowed by a 1,500-foot-wide avalanche. With the help of his airbags, he emerged unharmed, thank the powers that be. But in the winters since then, the accident replays itself in my mind. I continually wonder: What could we have done better? Avalanche science…
A Sleek New Magazine Hits the Southwest
Every so often, a new editor pings me out of the blue to see if I’d like to write for their magazine. I love it when that happens. (Usually it’s the other way around.) The most recent instance was an Arizona-based editor working for a brand new regional magazine, Dorado, covering food, design, style and the outdoors in the American Southwest. The glossy has a beautiful design aesthetic, terrific photography, and an impressive roster of A-list writers from the region. I’m proud to write for…
How to Survive the Concrete Jungle
A couple months ago I had the opportunity to talk with a woman named Jenn Pattee. Eight years ago, Pattee had a dream life: She had a killer job as a graphic designer at Apple; lived in San Francisco, her dream city; and was engaged to a great man. By all accounts, she should’ve been happy. But she wasn’t. Her body wasn’t holding up to the stress of living in a world of right angles. She had developed a chronic overuse injury, gained weight, and…