Once when I was alone, crossing the road, on the way to a Carolina football game, a drunk, white, frat-boy hanging half-way out of his friend’s Chevy pickup truck yelled at me, “Hey! Love me long time!”

Wai Yi NgWai Yi NgApril 4, 2019Colorism, Asian, Climbing, Asian American, Family, Race, Racism, African American, Growing Up, Being the only one, FriendshipComment

The Miseducation of Leave No Trace - Policing Black and Brown Bodies in the Outdoors

…recently, it seems more and more that Leave No Trace (LNT) is being misused to police black and brown bodies in the outdoors

A Wilder Mind: Korean-American Climber Finds Purpose in Storytelling

There’s a common unspoken thread amongst adventurers that spans gender, ethnicity and sport. I can only describe it as a passion for life—a state of mind that tells you over and over again: there are no limits to what you can achieve.

David RozulDavid RozulMarch 17, 2019rock climbing, storytelling, Asian American, Korean American, #diversifyyourfeed, AsianComment

Want Six Pack Abs? Try These Exercises! (Part 3)

Welcome to the final installment of my abs series! I hope you have enjoyed my previous posts focusing on floor work and rings. This post is going to focus on bar work and climbing exercises.

African American Pro Surfer Dominique Miller Is Smashing Stereotypes on the World Tour

The ensuing news coverage declared her the breakthrough performance of the world tour. There’s a photo of Dominique: quads tensed, long brown curls flying loose behind her. Goddess like. She ended 2018 as the 5th ranked woman in the world.

This Black Mom Is Balancing Work, Marriage, Motherhood and Skydiving

Don’t wait for the conditions to be right. If you see something you want to try, go for it. You may even inspire someone else along the way!

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsFebruary 28, 2019Skydiving, Black Women, Motherhood, FamilyComment

Reflections on Balance and Burnout through Adventure Sports

Creating balance in your life can be tricky. Here are some reflections on my experience creating an amazing balance in my own life—one that takes into consideration work, play, and especially rest—as well as the work it took to get there.

Caroline HsuCaroline HsuFebruary 20, 2019Asian, Climbing, Hiking, Skydiving, Skydive, Mental Health, Asian AmericanComment

Winter Is Here and So Is Adventure

When it came to winter hiking, I learned that I had to be extra prepared due to how quickly extreme weather could roll in and how easily I could unintentionally put my life in danger.

Hamziye AmanGuest UserFebruary 11, 2019Winter hiking, Washington Trail Associations, Hiking, Pacific Northwest, Muslimah, Muslimah Hiker, Muslim, WinterComment

Brown Coaches, Brown Athletes

Coaching representation means not only physical safety but spiritual and emotional safety, too—it’s impossible to overstate how important this is for the next generation of outdoor athletes and enthusiasts.

Michael A. Estradamichael a. estradaFebruary 11, 2019climbing, coaches, Color the Crag, Black womenComment

The Ultimate Backpacking Trip Through Utah and Arizona

The purpose of this article is to give insight on the five days and four nights I spent in Utah and Arizona—where I went, what I did, and how I got there—so you can do the same.

Tales from the Road: Climbing 18 Pitch Flyboys in Mazama, Washington

We fight these battles by ourselves day in and day out, but we don’t have to with the support of friends, family and the climbing community. It’s easy to forget that we’re not alone. Resilience is a team sport.

David RozulDavid RozulJanuary 27, 2019Adventure, Friendship, Filipino, Pinoy, Climbing, Climbers, Asian, Asian American Comment

Want Six Pack Abs? Try These Six Floor Exercises (Pt 2)

Welcome back to my series on getting a stronger core! I am going to focus on exercises that require little to no equipment other than a surface for you to lay on. These are easy to do when you’re traveling or at home watching Netflix.

Melanin Base Camp in 2018

Happy New Year from our family to yours! As we ring in 2019 we’d like to share our highlights from the past year! In 2018, we published 94 articles, racked up 92.2k page views and said hello to 47.3k of you! Thanks for reading. Here’s what our bloggers have been up to!

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsJanuary 7, 20192018, Melanin Base Camp, End of Year, Highlights, Top Articles, BloggersComment

In Pursuit of Mindfulness with African American Skydiver Nicholas Walker

Nicholas Walker is an African American competitive skydiver with ten years in the sport and over 1,050 jumps. He’s also a 3rd generation military veteran who first learned how to survive, adapt and thrive through a childhood that spanned two continents, six schools and almost losing a parent—twice.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsJanuary 3, 2019Black skydiver, Skydiving, Resilience, Adapt, Skydive, Grief, Storytelling, Trauama, African American, FamilyComment

Resilient: Faith Briggs

Faith Briggs shares her experiences as a biracial woman of color, as an athlete and creative who has faced injury and disappointment, and as a human being who, through humor and a positive attitude, always keeps her head up.

Leading the Way Up Pico de Orizaba

In December 2018, African-American mountaineer Rebecca Ross summited 18,500’ Pico de Orizaba in Mexico while leading her first international mountaineering expedition. She writes, “My body went through the wringer and then some. However, I discovered a reserve of strength and tenacity that I didn’t know existed.”

An African American Climber's Guide to "Being the Only One"

Meet Forrest Parks; at 26 years-old they are a sport climber, a Deuter ambassador, an Outdoor Research grassroots athlete and a Diversify Outdoors coalition member.

Danielle WilliamsDanielle WilliamsDecember 3, 2018climbing, chicago, sending in color, justin forrest parks, #diversifyyourfeed, familyComment

Resilient: Introduction

There is an inherent degree of uncertainty when pursuing any athletic endeavor. Whether it’s chasing after first place on the podium; spending years training for the next project; or even recovering from a debilitating injury, athletes never truly know if their training and efforts will be enough.

Michael A. Estradamichael a. estradaNovember 27, 2018Resilience, uncertainty, series, photography, interview, michael a. estradaComment

I Said I Wasn't Outdoorsy...But I Lied

Someone very boldly asked me “What is your story? What got you outdoors?” Having been asked that question before, I automatically launched into the short synopsis of my brief outdoor career… I continued on with this neatly packaged story of how I fell in love with the Outdoors in my mid twenties. For so long I absolutely believed this narrative to be true, but looking back I now realize that...I lied.

What I Learned from My Brush with Death: Taking the “I” out of Climbing

Following a near death accident, how do you fight to continue to do what you love when the people you love don’t want you to.

David RozulDavid RozulNovember 12, 2018Climbing, Injury, Family, Asian Climbers, Fil-Am, Filipino, Pinoy, Asian Comment

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