F E A T U R E S
Boarder Queen
She Can Hit Frontside 50-50s All Day Long, Snag Half-Pipe Titles with Her Eyes Closed, and Stretch Her Hang Time to the Edge of Forever, but What Will Cara-Beth Burnside Do When It's Time to Grow Up?
It's not easy being the queen of snow and skate. Still, ten years (and counting) as a board goddess makes for a very cool existence.
By Sara Corbett

FITNESS SPECIAL
No More Mind Games
We all know how--and why--we should pursue fitness, but knowledge alone won't get your body to a higher level. The fact is, when it comes to exercise and discipline, it's all in your head--and that's why motivational wizard Jim Loehr's mental toughness program is going to get you into the best shape of your life.
By Paul Keegan

	The Naked Truth: Gauge your mental stamina with this soul-baring quiz.
	The Big To-Do: Fourteen healthy habits to get you started--and keep you going.
	Let's Get Physical: Our well-rounded regimen for peak fitness and a kick-ass attitude.
	Behind the Curtain: Even the toughest heads and strongest bodies can benefit from professional help.

The Making of Fatal Death
Attention publishers, agents, and showbiz moguls! All you really need to concoct a blockbuster adventure story with maximum synergy and profitability is to make sure somebody out there--hey, how about the writer?--buys the farm.
By David Rakoff

Law and Water
Hold your breath and hold your nose: The NYPD Scuba Unit has some of the biggest, baddest, best-trained divers on the planet--and they'd better be, because their beat is the vilest, grossest, most dangerous water in the world.
By Andrew Essex

They're Not Just for Monkeys Anymore
In an age when virtually every rock, river, cave, and cliff has become an extreme-sport venue, it has finally come to this: bark-hugging men and women conquering the country's oldest, most majestic trees, with enough technical gear to make the squirrels dive for cover.
By Fred Haefele

D E P A R T M E N T S Dispatches If it's ungroomed, unpatrolled, and way out beyond the perimeter, the Skoog brothers have probably cut it. Meet the masters of "whole mountain skiing." Only one problem might prevent Clinton from becoming the greatest conservation president since Teddy Roosevelt: a messy little thing called democracy. Five long-lost shipwrecks that lie outside Robert Ballard's radar. PLUS: Elephants with paintbrushes stampede the New York art scene; Internet river data gets streamed to kayakers; a courageous female rower solos the Atlantic. The Wild File Do birds ever crash? When is a hill-climb just a ride in the park? Why are mosquitoes fussy feeders? What curves a rainbow? By Jim Collins The Hard Way Last December, eight teenagers enrolled in a Utah wilderness-therapy program, beat up their counselors, and lit out for the territory. The exclusive inside story of a manhunt—and an investigation of nature-based rehabilitation that actually works. By Mark Jenkins Field Notes While the big resorts get bigger, one Vermont ski hill proudly clings to the rough-and-tumble era before quad chairs, parking garages, and snowmaking. Visit Mad River Glen—whining not permitted. By James Traub Destinations Alps for Everyone: Peak-hopping out your back door in Northern Italy's Dolomite range, where iron ladders beckon beginners up the rock. Plus the guides, books, gear, lodging, and climbing-safety tips you need for your trip. Explore the pristine beaches and bioluminescent bays of Vieques, just off Puerto Rico, but watch out for the laser-guided bombs. PLUS: Shack up with strangers in backcountry huts; bike cheap through Tunisia. Review Sea to shining sea kayaks: The very best in expedition, sport, globetrotting, and sit-on-top crafts from Dagger, Eddyline, Feathercraft, and Heritage. And the perfect paddling gear to go with whichever model floats your boat. A scuba regulator that sucks. But trust us, you'll like it. The ideal go-anywhere bike pack and rack for midsize loads. MacGyver has nothing on this repair kit. A telemark binding that really frees your heel. PLUS: Tibet's Secret Mountain, by Chris Bonington and Charles Clarke; A Newer World: Kit Carson, John C. Frémont, and the Claiming of the American West, by David Roberts; Savage Shore, by Edward Marriott; and The Change in the Weather, by William K. Stevens. Letters Between the Lines Active Traveler Directory