Outside Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Long Read! These Detectives Use Tree DNA To Catch Timber Thieves Oct 24, 2026

Show notes

In this week's Long Read with Outside Magazine Features Editor Fred Drier, we explore an entirely different kind of poaching than the one you're thinking of. This isn't a story about illegally hunted grizzly bears or gray wolves, it's about trees.

In the Pacific Northwest, loggers venture deep into national forests to illegally cut down protected species of trees that they can then sell as specialty lumber for thousands of dollars.

Today's story was reported by Nick Davidson, about a high profile case of timber poaching that occurred in Washington's Olympic National Forest in 2018 and how a team of forest service rangers and investigators ended up cracking the case by using tree DNA.

Why You Should Eat More Pop-Tarts, with Ocean Rower Kelsey Pfendler Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

We love our extreme endurance athletes, like Ironman champions, the lady who walked to the South Pole, and Alex Honnold. But, regardless of how many times we stare slack jawed at their accomplishments, we never stop asking: Why? Why do they choose to do these outrageous, objectively un-fun things? Record setting open ocean rower Kelsey Pfendler has the most relatable answer for these un-relatable outdoor pursuits: “ There’s a part of me that I don’t get to be unless I’m in those places.” In July 2026, Kelsey became the first American woman, youngest woman, and fastest person overall–breaking both the women's and men's records–to row solo and unsupported from California to Hawaii. Nothing about the 2,400-mile journey is easily identifiable to regular ole outdoor folks, but Kelsey’s ideas on the importance of endurance sports, fear, and motivation are relevant to everyone. After all, who doesn't need a little motivation to push harder when the going get tough?

BONUS! You’ll Want to Check Out This New Hampshire Campfire, With Matt Lyons Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Recorded live at Postcard Cabins, Blake Brook, presented by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy

When it comes to the outdoors, New Englanders are a particular bunch, known far and wide for their insistence that — where you might be in the world and whatever you might be doing — you’re missing out if you haven’t done it in New England. Hiking, biking, surfing or skiing, if you haven’t encountered these characters in the wild, you may have found them in your social feeds, where they’re masterfully depicted by Matt Lyons.

Matt amassed millions of social followers with his hilarious caricatures of outdoorsy stereotypes, but he only mocks what he knows himself, and he knows the New Hampshire wilderness better than most. From thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to weekend escapes from Boston, Matt knows the value of slowing down and getting outdoors. That made him the perfect guest to join us at Postcard Cabins, tucked into the woods just 90 minutes outside the city.

We talked about that thru hike, as well as the unconventional path Matt took from middle school teacher to social media phenom, and of course why his native New England is such a treasure trove of characters for one of the funniest people in all the outdoors.

Plan your stay at Postcard Cabins, part of Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy: https://www.marriott.com/brands/outdoor-collection.mi

The Surprising Link Between Competition and Community, with Eliot Jackson Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

You’ve surely heard the stories of a deeply competitive athlete whose drive to win has wreaked havoc on those around them. But can the positive attributes of competitive drive, like goal setting and persistence be harnessed to achieve something totally different than dominance—even something altruistic? If you’re mountain biker Eliot Jackson, the answer is yes.

Eliot parlayed national championships in motocross into top 10 finishes in downhill mountain bike racing. When he retired at 36 years old, Eliot shifted his drive to confront the racism in cycling, sparked by the national racial justice reckoning that swept the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

In 2020, Eliot founded Grow Cycling, a foundation to promote access and inclusion in the sport. Under Eliot’s guidance, the foundation turned ideas into real life solutions, starting with a 50-acre bike park in Inglewood, California. It's a shining example of a vibrant, diverse bike scene and how individual competitiveness can create real community.

BONUS! You’re Thinking About Jackson All Wrong, With Jim Ryan Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Recorded live at Trailborn Jackson Hole, presented by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy.

What does Jackson Hole look like through the eyes of a big-mountain ski superhero who's just as excited to talk about the town's artists and musicians as its powder? On this special episode of the Outside Podcast, brought to you by Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy, we sit down with Jim Ryan, recorded live at Trailborn Jackson Hole in Jackson, Wyoming.

Jim is a Vermont ski racer who headed west when his race career ended, and he became a fixture in the Jackson community, and not only in the ways you'd think. He's respected by the town's world-class athletes, but he'll just as happily tell you about its swing dancers, its creatives, and its... LARPers?

Together, it adds up to one big idea: you've been thinking about Jackson all wrong. By the end, you'll be booking your own stay at Trailborn Jackson Hole to see it for yourself.

Plan your stay at Trailborn Jackson Hole, part of Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy: https://www.marriott.com/brands/outdoor-collection.mi

Circumnagivating the Globe–and Other Little Goals–with Anne-Marie Keane Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Most of us, at some point in our lives, will put a goal aside, with every intention of coming back to it later on in life. Maybe it’s that marathon you always thought you should run. Maybe it’s going for that big promotion at work. Or perhaps it’s trying to learn how to play guitar or a new sport or…the list is endless.

The point is, we all have dreams, big, small, audacious, or somewhere in between. But, while the goal setting is endless, the follow through is often nonexistent. Unless you’re pianist, composer, and sailor Anne-Marie Keane, who's currently fulfilling a life-long—and long delayed—goal of sailing the globe. In today's episode, she gives a master class in navigation, not just of the seas, but of a life well lived.

Long Read! Inside the Surprisingly Intense World of Competitive Steinholding Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

On this week's Long Read, with Outside Magazine's Features Editor Fred Drier, we welcome you to fall—specifically, to Oktoberfest. Thanks to the magic of marketing, the German festival where people don lederhosen, drink beer, and sing songs has spawned a new tradition.

Masskrugstemmen is the German word for competitive steinholding. You heard that right; it's a competition in with competitors hold beer steins full of beer and ... well, that's about it.

In 2025, reporter Martin Fritz Huber traveled to Central Park to check out the Masskrugstemmen National Competition, to soak up the suds and the fun at the event, and then for this story, he took a deep dive into the wacky world of Steinholding.

People Raft the Grand Canyon For All Kinds of Crazy Reasons. Here are 7 Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

This past July, host PaddyO checked the box of a bucket list adventure 20 years in the making: boating all 280 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. And, of course, he couldn’t go without a microphone stuffed into his drybag. PaddyO interviewed a handful of guests, complete strangers to him, and a few dory boat guides tasked with navigating more than 250 rapids over 15 days. Sure, the Grand is known for its beauty and thrills, but there is something else that draws people here. When boaters arrive at the Lee’s Ferry put-in, somehow, the Grand Canyon becomes whatever they need it to be–-a mirror, a teacher, a therapist, a parent. By the time you hit the Pearce Ferry takeout two weeks later, you’re a different person. Skeptical? Just listen.

Long Read! Rachel Entrekin Pushes the Limits of Human Endurance and Pets Every Dog She Sees Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

On this week's Long Read, Abby Wise, Brand Director for Outside, takes us into the world of ultra running that has watched in awe as American runner Rachel Entrekin completely dominates the sport's most grueling distances. Known as the Queen of Cocodona for her consecutive wins at the punishing 250 mile race in Arizona, she made history this spring by winning the event outright, beating the entire men's field by over an hour, but her remarkable season was far from over. Just recently, Entrekin made her highly anticipated debut at the legendary UTMB race in Chamonix, France, trading desert heat for the brutal technical climbs of the Alps.

She proved her versatility against a stacked international field, taking an incredible second place in the women's race with a time of 22 hours and 15 minutes. To find out what drives one of endurance sports rising stars, we turned to writer Rebecca Byerly. Rebecca had a front row seat to Rachel's history making performance this year as she was out on the trails pacing another runner at Cocodona. In this in-depth profile, Rebecca explores Rachel's rise to the top, her unique approach to training, and the joy that fuels her through hundreds and hundreds of miles.

The Unexpected Upside to Getting Totally Lost , with Emily Miller Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

When’s the last time you were lost, as in “zero connectivity, a map you don’t understand, and tens of miles between you and shelter” lost? If you’ve ever been in that situation you know it awakens a kind of primal panic. It's not pleasant, but it's an amazing classroom, and it's one that Emily Miller has intentionally led people into for over 15 years. Emily's a gifted rally racer, which means she's used to being lost while at speeds near 100 miles an hour. But as interesting as her racing career is (and listen on for just how interesting it was!), it's the race she founded that's really fascinating. The Rebelle Rally is the longest navigation race in the U.S., and it's only open to women. In the past decade, Emily has trained more than 8,000 women to race it, which mean's she's taught them how to get excruciatingly lost, and then find their way home. Turns out, those skills are pretty translatable to the rest of your life.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected