I taught my wife, a blonde Midwest beauty, to ski when she was 20 — or rather, she allowed me to teach her. We always joke we don’t need any marriage counseling after those tear-filled seasons on the blue ice runs of Vermont — no appearances for us on Dr. Phil’s couches.

It is arguably the most dangerous climbing on the planet, conducted in the harshest, most brutal conditions and in the death zone of elevation where the margin for error if infinitely small, and yet the mountaineering world in the midst of a renaissance of high-altitude winter climbing.

If experience has taught us one thing, it's that sun and adventure make you thirsty. But where to "rehydrate"? We asked our writers, athletes, friends, spouses, and readers—all of whom were quite eager to help us research our first-ever roundup of the best places for people like us to relax and refuel.

Ramping up for a live stage tour in May, the star of Discovery Channel’s “Man vs. Wild” sat down with BACKPACKER's Anthony Cerretani to discuss what it takes to design durable gear, his favorite luxury item and the survival advice he gives his kids.

Emotions are always high at X Games, but this year’s competition was more powerful than others. Still in shock from the loss of defending halfpipe champion and industry icon Sarah Burke, skiers paid homage to Burke by dedicating their runs to her, flying pieces of “believe in Sarah” flair and speaking to how she would have wanted.

The story on ski area growth in North America is simple: It’s slowed way down. Skier numbers are flat, real estate has gone bust, and the only place skiing and snowboarding are seeing participation numbers rise significantly is in the sidecountry and backcountry. And that really doesn’t mean there are more skiers, it just means there are more folks who can’t afford in-bounds or are looking for an experience beyond the pistes.

At only 25, the young engineer John Horn discovered an essential design flaw in construction of the famed Diablo Canyon Power Plant near Santa Barbara, California. In his next career, at LucasFilm, he worked on films such as Forrest Gump and Star Wars, and contributed to systems for two films that won Academy Awards for technical achievement. He was also a dedicated and joyous sport climber, whose death of a stroke last year at 55 was a complete surprise.

Some people like to head to the tropics in the winter. I like to bask in the snow and cold. What are your favorite winter carnivals in North America?

It’s a shame that Boulder rarely holds enough winter snow to break out the snowshoes on a regular basis. On those occasions when we get significant snowfall, Boulder’s forested trails are a wonderful place to spend a powder day tromping through the woods.

I received a zero-degree down sleeping bag over the holidays and I'm eager to do some winter camping in Colorado later this month. I've been on plenty of warm-weather trips, but this will be my first winter camp. What else do I need to stay warm?