Alone Again, Naturally
Why would anyone want to spend three lonely months trying to walk across Antarctica? Stranger still, why would anyone try it twice? A probing dialog with Bùrge Ousland, sledge-pulling glutton for punishment.
By Jack Barth

The 1997 Outside Prognosticator
The dawning year will usher in killer fish, Bigfoot on Must See TV, the continuing overexposure of Carl Lewis, and a very unlikely addition to the GOP. At least, that's what our Psychic Friends tell us.
By Ned Zeman

As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow--First Chill--Then Stupor--Then the Letting Go
Bet you've used the phrase "I'm freezing to death!" Bet you could never imagine the horror of actually doing so. A degree-by-dropping-degree examination of a most awful way to die.
By Peter Stark

Adventure Travel Special

Departments
Dispatches
Building on the momentum of ballyhooed America's Cup challenger Mighty Mary, a trio of all-female crews tries to sail into the record books. As the new Congress gets rolling, a look at the Beltway's real environmental power brokers. An old-growth forest is harvested--from the bottom of Lake Superior. Jeff Lowe unveils his latest vertical creation. Presenting Salty, Brigham, Tommy, and Tammy, candidates for the coveted job of mascot at Utah's 2002 Winter Games. Plus: Paula Newby-Fraser and Luc Van Lierde emerge from the penalty box to take the Hawaii Ironman, a Colorado resort agrees to pay $1.1 million for its 18-hole flub, ageless French cyclist Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli adds two more achievements to an unparalleled career, PBS pulls the plug on Marty Stouffer's Wild America, and more...

Field Notes
On the Philippine isle of Marinduque, the Boac River was a nurturing, nourishing lifeline--until it was snuffed by 2.5 million tons of muck.
By James Hamilton-Paterson

Out There
His pal was funny, dependable, and always the first one off the boat--even when it was moving at 30 miles an hour. Now he's gone, leaving our man to find a fitting way to remember a most unusual friend.
By Randy Wayne White

Bodywork
Separating fact from fallacy: Sure, you've heard the buzz--heart-rate monitors and Abdominizers, caffeine and chromium, downloading and carbo-loading, overtraining and GU. But do you know what really works and what's just the fad du jour? To keep your 1997 workouts both healthy and sane, we bring you the ten most widespread fitness myths, and of course, the true lowdown on each. Square one, revisited: an upper-body workout that hits every major muscle group, using nothing but good old-fashioned push-ups and pull-ups.

Review
Carving made easy: Whether you cruise on one plank or two, the latest alpine gear has been designed to do most of the work for you. Ten of the best new all-mountain skis and snowboards from Atomic, Elan, Fischer, Rossignol, Salomon, Burton, Glissade, K2, Morrow, and Oxygen. Snug and curvy sunglasses that make goggles all but obsolete. Nature's cozy gift to the skier, also known as the classic wool sweater. Plus: Plastic telemark boots that--sorry, purists--flex just like leather; collapsible snowshoes that go from fanny pack to foot in an instant; Bad Land: An American Romance, by Jonathan Raban; and more.

Between the Lines

Letters