Hot Outdoor Recreation Posts
How To: Make a Swedish Torch (AKA Canadian Candle)
It's known that during the Thirty Years' War that took place in Europe between 1618 and 1648, soldiers used Swedish fire torches (also called Canadian candles) for heating, lighting, and cooking meals.
How To: Keep Mosquitoes & Other Annoying Bugs Away from Your Campfire or Backyard Fire Pit
I'll be honest—I've never been a huge fan of camping. It's not that I have anything against nature, I'm just partial to showering and sleeping in my own bed. In fact, the only part of camping I've ever really enjoyed is sitting around a campfire. Outdoor fires are perfect for socializing and cooking hot dogs, but they're also great at helping remove one of camping's biggest annoyances.
How To: Build Your Own Rainbow-Colored Igloo with Milk Carton Ice Blocks and "Snowcrete"
When most of us are snowed in, typical activities include movie marathons, hot chocolate, and complaining about being bored. Maybe, if we're feeling ambitious, we'll build a snowman.
How To: Build a Campfire in the Backcountry
In this video, John E. Hiker walks you through the basics of building a campfire at a cold winter campsite in Olympic National Park. John shows you step by step how to gather the best wood and light a fire using a fire starter. Fire starters are considered to be one of the "ten essentials" for backcountry travelers, so you should carry it with you and plan to use it at your camp. Getting to camp cold and wet at the end of a long day is no time to be a survivalist and try to light a fire with ...
How To: Ford/Cross a River Safely in the Backcountry
In this video tutorial, former Outward Bound instructor and mountaineering guide John E. Hiker demonstrates a basic technique for safely fording (crossing) a river. Typically, more hikers are killed each year from drowning while fording rivers than by bear attacks, falls, avalanches, and all other wilderness hazards combined. The technique shown here is especially useful for those crossing a deep river with a heavy backpack.
How To: Make a Compass in Your Kitchen
Things you'll need: Glass or shallow bowl
How To: Prepare a deer skull for mounting in the European style
You just shot a beautiful buck and you'd like to add his skull to your wall of trophies. If you're looking to mount the deer skull in the European style, take a look at this walkthrough and learn how to prepare the skull through boiling, degreasing, and bleaching.
How To: Keep your paintball gun clean for better performance
Paintball gets messy. Keep your gun clean, and you'll have a better chance of staying clean yourself, because a clean gun means a more effective gun. This video will show you how to take your paintball gun apart, clean each piece, and put it back together.
How To: Stand up and balance on a skateboard
Skateboarding is fun, once you learn how to do it. The first step is sometimes the hardest. Watch this video and learn how to properly stand on a skateboard and balance. Don't watch the board fly out from under your feet ever again.
How To: Stop your skateboard by powersliding or dragging your foot
So, you've finally figured out how to stand up on your skateboard and ride it without having the thing fly out from underneath you. The only problem is, you don't know how to stop. Instead of jumping off when you're headed towards traffic, watch this video and learn how to stop your skateboard three different ways.
News: B.A.S.E. Jumping Off Buildings in Russia—Slavs Got the Crazy Adrenaline Bug
If you've yet to witness B.A.S.E. jumping, it's an activity for adrenaline junkies first publicized by filmmaker Carl Boenish in '78. The freefall sport employs ram-air parachutes, and is most commonly executed in locations such as the highly elevated El Capitan rock formation of Yosemite National Park (El Capitan is also technically the birthplace of the sport).
Photo of the Day: Australian Handplant
A skateboarder pulls an inverted handplant in a distant, upside-down land.
How To: Go ice fishing in a frozen lake
Ice fishing can be a bit more challenging (and cold!) than regular fishing - but much more rewarding when you catch something! This video by expert fishers Dick and Sue Viera show you all the proper techniques and safety precautions for a successful ice fishing trip. Go ice fishing in a frozen lake.
How To: Add a mono leader to a braid fishing line
This great how-to shows clearly how to tie a length of braided line to a fluorocarbon leader. In the video, the demonstrator uses large rope so that the technique can be clearly seen. This trick has been gaining popularity in the freshwater fishing community lately in part because it helps to reduce twist and snarl, but absorbing some of the pull. Follow this super video yourself and see if the trick works for you. When you're out in your boat and you feel the tug of that big mouth bass, you'...
News: Hawaiian Surfer Dudes Make Their Own DIY Waves
Anybody who surfs knows there's often plenty of downtime waiting for the perfect swell to come along. So what do you do while you're waiting around? Option 1: Nothing (boo). Option 2: Fabricate your own ready-made waves, via a makeshift current pool hooked up to the Waimea River, one of the longest rivers in the Hawaiian Islands. Kudos to Stephan Figueiredo, Dennis Tihara, Gabriel Pastori, Diego Silva and Felipe Cesarano for their up-and-go-get-'em. There has been some debate regarding possib...
How To: Properly cape a pronghorn antelope or similar for mounting and taxidermy
While a pronghorn antelope is used in this video, the techniques and methods will also work for any deer, elk, caribou or other hunting animal you've bagged. Learn how to properly skin and remove the head for later taxidermy and mounting.
News: Brooklynites Build Skull-Shaped Igloo Fortress
What better place to brave the Snowpocalypse than in a snowy simulacrum of a human skull? For those of you old enough to remember He-Man, yes, that's Castle Grayskull. And, oddly enough, the artist, Kilroy III, has actually done this before—nearly 20 years ago:
News: Head over Wheels! The World's First Double Front Flip on a Mountain Bike
On January 25th, Bienve Aguado decided that he would be the one to pull off the world's first double front flip on a mountain bike. And guess what? He did it! Just goes to show what a little grit, determination and thousands and thousands of hours of practice can do! A second clip which shows the trick from start to finish: Your move, extreme unicyclists.
How To: Make a survival belt out of paracord using the cobra knot
All you need is a single long piece (at least fifteen meters) of sturdy paracord, as well as a clasp for either end. You can also use this technique to make a rifle sling or something else for which you will need a long length of woven paracord. The knot itself is not difficult - just watch carefully and make sure you've given yourself enough time to finish this project. A great project to make for yourself, or the survivalist in your life.
News: Alpine Racer Swaps Surfboard for Skis
Chuck Patterson has spent much of his life riding majestic mountains in boots and bindings, ski poles in hand. In recent years, the extreme athelete decided the massive Hawaiian swells needed conquering as well. Below, Patterson ditches the traditional surfboard for his trusty skiis, and towsurfs into some of the biggest waves of the year at Jaws, Maui's legendary surf break. More at Jaws:
News: The Backflip Brothers (Tandem Isn't for Sissies Anymore)
Some may say riding tandem is reserved for girly girls, seniors and little kids, but anybody would be hard pressed to call brotherly X-Gamer duo Colton and Caleb Moore sissies. At first thought, executing a two-men-clutching-each-other-on-a-snowmobile-backflip might be construed as somewhat odd, but the risk of two dudes potentially falling to their death is two times more thrilling than just one.
How To: Build a small outdoor fire in a chiminea or fire pit
Always practice good fire safety! Even homemakers go camping sometimes, and you'll want to know how get a good fire going. You can use a firestarter log if you don't have any kindling. If you don't have a firestarter log, you can use twists of newspaper.
News: Slip 'n Slide of Death
It's massive, it's dangerous, and it looks HELLA fun. Shot by filmmaker Devin Graham on the Canon 5D Mark II, it's most likely the widest slip 'n slide in the world (the exact location remains a secret):
News: (I Wish I Could) Wakeboard in a Cranberry Bog
Ok, so it's an advert for a hyper-aggressively marketed energy drink, popular with teens and possibly accountable for the occasional detrimental cardiovascular side effect (yes, we're talking Red Bull). But it would still be totally awesome to wakeboard in a cranberry bog.
News: Lazy Man's Parkour Part III
Kudos to Chris P. for sending in pics that make lazy parkour look even lazier. (Did you guys even leave the room?)
Man About Town: The Elegance of Skateboarding
There's something hypnotizing about Kilian Martin's graceful moves set to the Tommy Edwards classic, It’s All in the Game. Beautifully shot. Great fashion. Completely elegant freestyle skateboarding. More evocative of Gene Kelly than the X Games.
News: Real Life, Cold-Blooded Cuckoo Clock
German artist Michael Sans Berlin taxidermied a somewhat sadistic homage to one of his nation's most traditional craft objects, the cuckoo clock (the first version was made in southwest Germany's Black Forest between 1740 and 1750).
News: The Lazy Man's Parkour Part II
Our new pal Peter Svejgaard sent in these great pics of him and his friends doing the best kind of parkour -the lazy kind- yesterday in Odense, Denmark. Check out their album for more.
News: Surfing Monster Waves By Moonlight
Watch surfer Mark Visser take on a 30-40 foot massive wave off the famous Jaws reef break on Maui in nearly total darkness. Guided only by the LED lights built into his life vest and board, helicopters hovered overhead, filming the event. "It wasn’t until I saw the pictures I realized how big it was. This project has been two years in the planning and it was the scariest, but most exciting thing I have ever done. Riding in complete darkness meant I had to go off feeling. I had to zone out fro...
How To: Cut Deer Antlers, Clean Bear Skulls & Cape Elk Skins: The Art of Taxidermy
There's three types of animal lovers in the world. The first are your basic pet owners. The ones with a
How To: Do inverts on a BMX bike with Jamie Bestwick
Want to do inverts hurricanes like a pro? This video from Jamie Bestwick presents a complete breakdown of the impressive, crowd-pleasing trick. Want more trick tips? Search WonderHowTo for additional BMX video tutorials much like this one.
How To: Do a nose manual on a BMX bike with Corey Martinez
Want to do nose manual like a pro biker? This video from Zack Warden presents a complete breakdown of the impressive, crowd-pleasing trick. Want more trick tips? Search WonderHowTo for additional BMX video tutorials much like this one.
How To: Do a 360 or 540 hurricane on your BMX bike
Want to do 360° and 540° hurricanes like a pro? This video from Zack Warden presents a complete breakdown of the impressive, crowd-pleasing trick. Want more trick tips? Search WonderHowTo for additional BMX video tutorials much like this one.
News: Crazy Russians Jump to Near Death (Not Again)
What's with Russians jumping to icy depths (re: near death)? Exhibit A.
How To: Tie a Modified Albright knot or Alberto knot for fishing
If you've ever gone bass fishing then you know how important it is for your line to be sturdy and strong. Make sure your line is in tip top shape next time by forming this Modified Albright or Alberto knot.
How To: Maintain the Powerful BowTech Destroyer Hunting Bow
When you think of archery bows, you think of a curved piece of wood. You can feel the taut string between your fingers. Images of Robin Hood appear, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. You think of simplicity. But when it comes to hunting, a bow is an entirely different beast.
How To: Do a varial flip on a longboard
Enhance your longboarding skills by properly executing the varial flip maneuver. Learn the technical details behind properly doing this move by watching this video from Loaded Boards. Adam S demonstrates this move on a Loaded Bhangra Complete longboard.
News: Skiing the Manhattan Tsnownami at 40 MPH
Car + rope + 1 pair of skis + 1 brave volunteer. Chris Branca makes the most of the recent NYC tsnownami by jetting down Park Avenue at 40 miles per hour:
How To: Choose a good deer ambush spot & light a survival fire with steel
This survival video offers up two pieces of useful information: how to scout and choose a good location to hunt deer and how to use the Kodiak fire steel tool to light a fire. These two pieces go hand in hand when you're out in the wild looking for food and needing a way to cook it.
News: AT-AT Crash Lands as Snow Fort
Snow fort + Star Wars = coolest dad in the world. Says Redditor jabo27 : “I actually measured out my son’s big toy AT-AT to get the different parts to the right ratio, but then that all went out the window when I actually started building it in the yard. At least you can crawl into the head (from the back side), through the neck and up a deck on the body. and then slide down it’s ass.”