F E A T U R E S
Trouble on Fantasy Island
Before Hollywood "discovered" it, before the location shoot for the movie version of Alex Garland's dark adventure-travel novel The Beach, before Leonardo DiCaprio was photographed lounging on its silken strand, before local environmental activists got all riled up and Taiwanese tourists got in line for the official tour, it was just Phi Phi Lay, a tiny chunk of paradise floating off the coast of Thailand.
By John Tayman

Skating Home Backward
For years, an overgrown fen at the base of Black Mountain had been used as a garbage dump. Then a Montana man with some spare time and all sorts of memories got it into his head to drag the tires, tree stumps, farm implements, and carcasses from the muck and mire. And when life and health returned to the swamp, something else also appeared: perfect ice.
By Bill Vaughn

The Outside Prognosticator 2000
Can you say "Survival of the Dumbest"? Sure you can! It's our special Y2K Panic Preview: Learn not just to live through but to thrive amid the collapse of civilization.
Art and text by Bruce McCall

ADVENTURE TRAVEL 2000

• Wish You Were Here
  A much-traveled novelist and adventurer issues a challenge to seek out the wildest places imaginable.
  By Kate Wheeler
• Roughing it can be expensive—very expensive.
  A roundup of over-the-top trips.
  By Stephanie Gregory
• Land mines, volcanoes, and other dangers to watch out for while globe-trotting.
  By Kimberly Lisagor
• Travel tips, courtesy of the indestructible Göran Kropp.
  By Michael Kessler
• The Trip-Finder
  From trekking across a lava desert in Iceland to climbing the snowcapped Cordillera Blanca, we've got the scoop on the 102 finest outfitted adventures available.
  By Stephanie Gregory

D E P A R T M E N T S Dispatches Big waves, fast boats, and sheer giddy, anaerobic pain. The world of endurance sports has caught on to outrigger canoeing—a sport Hawaiians have been perfecting for 1,200 years. Will a cable-car project transform the ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu into yet another tourist trap? BASE jumper Jan Davis set out to vindicate her controversial sport, and instead lost her life. What does a top female mountain-biker do in the off-season? Storm the cyclocross circuit. Plus: Farewell to beloved wilderness educator Paul Petzoldt; breakthroughs in edible camping gear; and news about a pioneering bouldering park. P L U S : Farewell to beloved wilderness educator Paul Petzoldt; breakthroughs in edible camping gear; and news about a pioneering bouldering park. The Wild File If you're stranded in the desert, can you extract water from a cactus? Do fish sleep? What determines tree line? And how does undertow happen? By Jim Collins The Hard Way A year in Holland opened this American boy's mind to the glory of two-wheeled travel, and the shock of returning home opened his eyes to the hegemony of the car. Inspiration and tough ideas to encourage the impulse to hop on your bike and ride. By Mark Jenkins Out There When a writer's livelihood requires him to munch rooster heads and quaff snake's blood, you'd think he'd be prepared to eat anything. Think again. By Tim Cahill Bodywork In shape, in sickness and in health: Survive flu season with your fitness intact. Our Rx for under-the-weather workouts. PLUS: The truth behind herbal cold remedies; Yoga moves for faster, stronger skiing; now even the tales of your sports injuries have Web sites; how floating in the dark can make you a better athlete. Review Getups that go: Lightweight fabrics and fashion-conscious designs mean you can finally give those stiff and uncool travel clothes a decent closet burial. Snappy new adventure duds keep you in style, thanks to Cloudveil, Ex Officio, Golite, Nike, Patagonia, RLX, Royal Robbins, The North Face, and Zoic. Also, the luggage and accessories you need to get there and back. (Don't leave home without that titanium case for your Palm V.) Surf smart: We rate five of the most user-friendly gear-buying sites on the Web. PLUS: On the Rez, by Ian Frazier; Yukon Alone: The World's Toughest Adventure Race, by John Balzar; Gobi: Tracking the Desert, by John Man; and The Peter Matthiessen Reader. Letters Between the Lines Active Traveler Directory

Cover: John Callahan/Adventure Photo

©2000, Outside magazine