Outside Podcast

Mikah Meyer, an endurance athlete and LGBTQ+ advocate, shares his captivating journey of visiting all 419 National Parks. He opens up about the heavy burden of shame he carried and how a transformative river trip helped him confront that pain. Through personal stories, he discusses navigating his identity as a gay man within outdoor spaces. Mikah emphasizes the power of mentorship, community support, and self-acceptance, blending humor and heartwarming anecdotes to inspire listeners to embrace their authentic selves.

In this engaging conversation, professional snowboarder Kimmy Fasani shares her powerful journey through motherhood, loss, and surviving cancer. She draws fascinating parallels between her snowboarding adventures and life's challenges, highlighting resilience and emotional honesty. Kimmy emphasizes the importance of fostering independence in children while processing grief. Her advocacy for inclusive maternity policies showcases how personal challenges can shape systemic change in sports. With humor and heart, she illustrates how passion can serve as a source of strength during difficult times.

An interesting thing happened when Scott Losse started poking fun at snowboarders and mountain bikers in his Instagram posts: He went from being sort of known around Seattle as a stand up comedian to blowing up across social media as the guy saying all the things a lot of us think when we’re at the mountain, on the trails, or in the bike park. Losse’s observational humor about the outdoors has transformed his trajectory as a comic; more importantly, it helps ensure our often painfully self-serious social feeds, filled with inspiring-but-totally-unrelatable accomplishments, get a little more silly.The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

We have some fun, exciting news! Longtime Outside Podcast contributor, Paddy “PaddyO” O’Connell is taking over as host of the show. In every episode, PaddyO will chat with people about how their experiences in the outdoors have shaped the way they navigate life. From the mountain climb that inspired a business to the bike wreck that healed a relationship to the morning meditation session in the garden that became a gallery show, PaddyO gets people with fascinating stories of life outside to open up and give us all something to think about the next time we leave the trailhead, hit the road, or head downhill. Take a listen to the new show trailer and tune in every Wednesday for the surprising impact of a life outside.

The first written accounts of surfing in Africa predate accounts of surfing in Hawaii by 100 years. In his new movie Wade in the Water, documentarian David Mesfin asks: what else have we glossed over in the history of black surfing? The result is a stunning look at black suffering and black joy, and how a group of people who have been stereotyped as avoiding water actually have a deep and meaningful history with the ocean.

What happens to your body when you get lost and confused on a mountain in the bitter cold of a winter night? In 2016 The Outside Podcast launched with this harrowing story of a lost motorist fighting for his life. Based on Peter Stark's classic feature, Frozen Alive, it is still considered a high-water mark for experiential audio storytelling.The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Matthew Bryce went surfing alone. Would he die alone, too? As he was riding waves, Bryce got blown out to sea. He had a wetsuit and a surfboard, and nothing else. No way to call for help, or signal to the rescuers that he could see searching for him in a helicopter. Alone and freezing in the ocean, how do you keep from giving up?The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

When John Orth, a violin maker from Colorado, set out to break his own world record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours, he had no idea he was competing against a college kid from Virginia. And that kid, Andrew Shapiro, didn't know Orth had his eyes set on the same number--10,000 pull-ups. No one had previously thought such a feat was possible, and as the two men grabbed their respective bars and started to pull, they would find a new limit to human endurance.The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Outside spends a lot of time ranking the best mountain towns in the country, but which one is the worst? Is Aspen’s conspicuous wealth worse than Jackson Hole’s false modesty? How many billionaires does it take to ruin a local economy? Is there any hope for the ski-bum lifestyle? Paddy O’Connell and Frederick “Rico” Reimers bring us a debate you only win by losing.The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Shaun White has been the face of snowboarding for two decades. So what is he doing in retirement? A lot. He’s launching his own snowboard brand. He’s raising money to protect public lands. He’s even starting his own half-pipe competition. In this live interview from The Outside Festival in Denver, former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones talks with White about life after pro sports and how the keys to his past success play a role in his future.Tickets to the 2025 Outside Festival and Summit are on sale now at early bird prices at theoutsidefestival.comThe Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.