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In Montana, A Threatened Swath of Old Growth Fuels a Longstanding Debate
In the remote, heavily logged Yaak Valley, an unlikely stand of old growth sits at the center of a debate about what a forest is for—and how best to protect it
Outside Online
The Green Man
This essay is a journey to untangle a web of grief after being involved in an avalanche that killed Dan Escalante, a beloved member of his community in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. The story explores ways ancient cultures coped with the reality of loss, acknowledging the natural process of death, and brings the old wisdom to bear in present-day practices.
Alpinist Magazine
The Other Border
After President Donald Trump referred to Canada as “the 51st state” and announced a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods, a trade war broke out. Both Canadians and Americans living in border towns are trying to maintain a sense of normalcy, but some are beginning to question if top-down politics has the power to shake the foundations of what makes this region unique and peaceful.
Deseret Magazine
Ski Towns, Stop Catering to the Ultrarich
Across the West, resort towns are facing a livability crisis. Luckily, advocates say, this problem can be fixed.
Outside Online
Black Lives Matter Protests in Gunnison County Showed People of Color They Have More Allies Than They Realized
“Deafening silence” spurred young women to organize demonstrations in Gunnison and Crested Butte and people showed up. And then they kept showing up with ideas for moving beyond symbolic gestures.
The Colorado Sun
The Colorado County That Learned From the 1918 Flu
A quarantine against the world worked once for the Gunnison Valley. Can it again?
Outside Online
What the Tree’s Know: Solving the Mystery of Colorado’s Record Avalanche Season
Long after Colorado’s 2019 avalanche season was over and the snow had melted, the wreckage it caused remained strewn across the state. Now snow scientists are finding the silver lining in the debris that nature deposited in their backyard.
The Cleanest Line/Patagonia
Keep Red Lady Free
Activism doesn’t have to be all wonk and politics. The townspeople of Crested Butte, Colorado, show us that when you’re fighting for what you love, you can still have fun.
Patagonia Journal
Tree Nerds Like Me: Into the Forest with Ecologist Deb MacKillop
Learn how Deb MacKillop has combined her love for biking, skiing and trees into one professional passion that allows for better stewardship of her home forest.
The Cleanest Line / Patagonia
Vessel of Prophecy
Take a journey from thousands of years ago to the present, one paddle stroke at a time. A group of Northwest US tribes relives the cultural significance of their heritage with a remarkable wintertime paddle across the American Great Plains. The mission? Heal a nation and a people in the heart of a traditional dugout canoe.
Kootenay Mountain Culture
Below Zero Heros
Hippocrates, Laird Hamilton and Beyoncé consider it a cold, hard fact: find out why a Rockies-raised writer follows the wisdom of the world’s reigning expert on cold therapy.
Kootenay Mountain Culture
AKINMI AND SWARAK’XN:
THE ARROWS AND THE FROG
The Ktunaxa and Sinixt first nations have walked the Kootenays for millennia. So too have their legends. With the help of an intrepid filmmaker, two first nations storytellers recount the ancient creation of two of the region’s most renowned promontories.
Kootenay Mountain Culture