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Becky Wade with training partners in Ethiopia

3 Mindset Shifts from Training in Ethiopia

Becky Wade Published Jul 18, 2024

group of Ethiopian runners training in a forest

Ethiopian Runners Train Differently. Or Do They?

Matt Fitzgerald Published Jul 18, 2024

Ethiopian runners train on the hard, gravelly coroconch road.

New Book Explores and Explains Ethiopian Distance Running Success

Amby Burfoot Published Jul 18, 2024

He loves coffee, he loves his kids, and he loves adventure.

The Coffee Entrepreneur with an Adventure Habit

Megan Michelson Published Jul 18, 2024

9 Athletes' Favorite Regional Dishes

Power players from around the world don't subsist on oatmeal alone. We asked athletes to share the hometown dishes that are still part of their training diet.

Nick Pachelli Published Sep 19, 2016

Destinations

The 28 Best Trips of 2016

From epic skiing in Antarctica to a lazy beer-fueled canoe trip in North Carolina, these are the best places to visit this year

The Editors Published Mar 1, 2016

In late February, I went with a small team of mountain bikers, including MTB World Cup champ Kamil Tatarkovic and pro mountain bike racer Sarah Leishman, on an expedition to the Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia. The stated goal was to summit the country’s highest peak, 14,928-foot Ras Deshan, and ride back down.

The expedition was a terrible idea, mostly because the trails were sometimes about as rideable as cocaine-addled donkeys. There were 1,500-vertical-foot hike-a-bikes—both up and down. Every single one of us went over the bars. The crew caught dozens of scrapes, a softball-size contusion, a festering eye infection, and stitches in the chin. And day after day, we were half-wheeled and passed by muleteers and local marathon runners.

And yet our Giro-sponsored group made the trip’s high point and found some incredible singletrack along the 10-day route. We saw some of the world’s wildest and most untamed mountains, shared trailside injera with villagers who spoke only Amharic, were chased by exuberant children at almost every turn, learned the Ethiopian national shoulder dance (badly!), and pedaled our bikes in places that few people will ever be lucky enough to experience.

Destinations

Ethiopia Epic: Mountain Biking the Country's Highest Peak

A small team of mountain bikers went on an expedition to the Simien Mountains of northern Ethiopia. The stated goal was to summit the country’s highest peak, 14,928-foot Ras Deshan, and ride back down.

Aaron Gulley Originally Published Dec 15, 2015 Updated May 17, 2022

According to photographer Jimmy Nelson, the Before They Pass Away project began nearly 30 years ago when he began walking from one side of Tibet to the other. That’s when he set it upon himself to document the last of the world’s ancient tribes and peoples with his 50-year-old 4x5 film camera. Nelson then spent the next four years traveling across the world to photograph 31 tribes, chosen for their geographical, traditional, and aesthetic importance. He spent two weeks with each photographing and learning a little about their traditions, mannerisms, and beliefs.

Now, each community's images are captured between the covers of his new photography book Before They Pass Away. “My dream had always been to preserve our world’s tribes through my photography,” writes Nelson. “Not to stop change from happening—because I know I can’t—but to create a visual document reminding us, and the generations after us, of the beauty of pure and honest living.” Here, we preview of Nelson’s book and some of the people he encountered.

Photo: The Kazakhs of the westernmost province of Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia, are a Turkic people originating from the northern parts of Central Asia and can trace their roots to the 15th century. Most Kazakhs in this remote, mountainous region are dependent on domestic animals for their livelihood and practice the ancient tradition of hunting rabbits, marmots, foxes, and wolves on horseback with the help of trained golden eagles.

Apparel

Everyone Should See These Photos of the World’s Oldest Cultures

Nearly 30 years ago, Jimmy Nelson set it upon himself to document that last of the world's ancient tribes and peoples with his 50-year-old 4x5 film camera.

The Editors Originally Published Sep 10, 2015 Updated May 17, 2022

Destinations

‘Mad Max’ Landscapes You Need to Visit

Can an asteroid-impact zone or the shores of a lava lake be beautiful? Absolutely.

Melanie Chambers Published Apr 17, 2015

Africa

The Decider

Pasquale Scaturro never wanted to be a glorified “tour-bus” driver. For him, leading expeditions, like rafting Ethiopia’s Omo River, is a glorious hobby. He picks a spot on the globe, invites his friends, dons his 19th-century-explorer hat, and relishes being the man in change.

Michael McRae Originally Published Mar 26, 2008 Updated Feb 24, 2022

Africa

Africa Now

Get ready for the new age of adventure on the world's wildest continent. Whether it's the Ugandan National Kayak Team leading raft trips on the raging White Nile or entrepreneurial young guides building stylish bush camps with an eye toward helping local communities, a fresh generation is redefining travel in…

H. Thayer Walker , Hal Espen , Peter Stark , Ted Botha Originally Published Jan 4, 2007 Updated Feb 24, 2022

Climbing

High and Mighty

No Shortcuts to the Top No Shortcuts to the Top No Shortcuts to the TopThere Is No Me Without You There Is No Me Without You Ed Viesturs, with David Roberts (Broadway, $24) WHEN SEATTLE mountaineer Ed Viesturs topped out on 26,545-foot…

Jason Daley Originally Published Sep 28, 2006 Updated Feb 24, 2022