Outside Podcast

The world's most interesting video game designer just hid a treasure in the woods. What's he up to? Jason Rohrer has been pushing the limits of game design for 20 years, but his latest creation takes players into the forests of New England in search of a sculpture made of solid gold. The catch? He says there isn't one. But people familiar with his past work aren't so sure.The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Ada Limon, the first Latina poet laureate of America, brings poetry to the heart of nature. She discusses her innovative You Are Here project, which places poems in national parks to inspire connection and reflection. Limon highlights how poetry can heal and provoke thought amid our environmental challenges. She emphasizes the importance of nature in understanding grief and self-awareness, urging us to find beauty in both the wild and in ourselves. Join her in redefining how we experience art in the great outdoors.

A quarter of the money at the world’s largest banks goes directly to funding fossil fuel projects. But what if it didn’t? In this episode, reporter Cat Jaffee calls customer service at her bank—one of the world’s largest financial institutions—to ask them if they might consider investing her money differently. It goes about as well as you’d expect.Calculate your banks carbon footprint at www.topofinance.org/calculatorBank FWD Climate Calculator: www.bankfwd.orgFind a better bank: https://greenamerica.org/get-a-better-bankIs your retirement savings invested in fossil fuels? www.fossilfreefunds.orgThe Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside Plus members. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus.

Emojis are silly. But sometimes something silly gets lodged in your brain and you can’t stop thinking about it. Recently, reporter Meg Duff noticed that her phone was mis-classifying a handful of animal emojis, and an internet rabbit hole turned into a headphones smiley face.The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

What’s stranger than a story about people stuffing ferrets down their pants? How about that story leading the writer to create one of the largest, most successful digital media companies, ever. When Outside published The King of the Ferret Leggers, by Don Katz, more than 30 years ago, it became an instant classic and is now considered the funniest story Outside has ever published. But what people don’t know is that writing the piece began a long, strange journey that ended with Katz founding audio giant Audible.The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Since the beginning of women’s sports, a question has loomed: who qualifies as female? Tested follows the unfolding story of elite female runners who have been told they can no longer race as women, because of their biology. As the Olympics approach, they face hard choices: take drugs to lower their natural testosterone levels, give up their sport entirely, or fight. This episode asks: Would you alter your body for the chance to compete for a gold medal? Find the whole series here: https://link.chtbl.com/OutsideMagazineThe Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

When a technological breakthrough gives some athletes a major advantage, how should we think about the victories, the medals, the world records? Is new technology unfair? Is it cool? Does it matter which sport it affects? In this episode Outside’s running correspondent, Fritz Huber, travels to the Nike Sport Research Lab to try to figure out why some sports embrace new technology, and others ban it.The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

Some of the most hardcore athletes in the world are elite race walkers. Moving faster than most people can run, their sport pushes the limits of endurance, pain tolerance, and fueling. Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee was looking for any edge he could get when he signed up for an experimental nutrition study in Australia. He immediately became one of the world’s best. But not for the reasons everyone thought.The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus

National Geographic photographer Cory Richards and Outside writer Katie Arnold share their stories of overcoming mental health crises. They discuss using the body to heal the mind and the mind to heal the body. The podcast delves into their near-death experiences, personal growth, struggles with mental health, and finding stillness amidst chaos.

After My Octopus Teacher won the Oscar for Best Documentary, the producers realized they had left an important voice out of their movie—indigenous South Africans who had been silenced and separated from the ocean by apartheid. In the new podcast “Back to the Water,” Pippa Ehrlich and Zolani Mahola explore the relationship between South Africans, their history, and the sea. Listen to the full series here.The Outside Podcast is made possible by Outside+ subscribers. Learn more about all the benefits of a subscription and subscribe now at outsideonline.com/podplus