Active & Physical Pursuits

Calisthenics/Street Workout How I Achieved My First Muscle-Up (After a Year of Failing) The muscle-up seemed impossible. For a year, […]

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (No-Gi) How I Survived My First Week of No-Gi BJJ (And Didn’t Tap Instantly) Walking into my first

Snowboarding (Backcountry) My First Backcountry Snowboard Tour: How I Didn’t Trigger an Avalanche The silence of the backcountry was profound,

Downhill Skiing How I Conquered My First Black Diamond Ski Run (Without Dying) Standing at the top, the black diamond

Surfing (Longboard) How I Finally Mastered Cross-Stepping on My Longboard (After Months of Trying) For months, cross-stepping felt like tightrope

Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) My First SUP Experience: How I Avoided Falling In (Mostly) The rental board felt like a wobbly

Rock Climbing (Bouldering) How I Sent My First V5 Boulder (And the Secret Beta I Used) For weeks, that V5

Backpacking How I Survived My First Solo Backpacking Trip (And Didn’t Get Eaten by a Bear) The trailhead sign felt

Open Water Swimming My Terrifying First Open Water Swim: How I Conquered Fear (And Freezing Cold Water) The dark, choppy

Mountain Biking (Enduro) How I Survived (and Didn’t Totally Suck At) My First Enduro MTB Race The start gate loomed.