Fresh stoke has arrived
A newsletter for people who’d rather be outside! 🌴 🧉
Welcome back to another dose of adventure from around the world. This week we've got eclipse skateboarding, an ambitious human-powered traverse in Alaska, wing foiling that looks like something from the future, sport climbing at 13,500 feet, and a 90-year-old who's still chasing records on the Appalachian Trail.
Throw in some thought-provoking long reads and a handful of stories you probably missed, and you've got everything you need to procrastinate productively.
But first, my new friend from the north coast of Spain wants to say hello!
See you next week!
Nico from Moab
🛹 Eclipse-flip
📍 Spain 🇪🇸
A total solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes, so you better get the shot! Danny Leon used those minutes to create one of the coolest skate shots ever, perfectly timing a trick as the eclipsed sun hangs behind him. Sometimes patience and planning pay off spectacularly… and of course, Michael Jackson.
Special shoutout to Chris Burkard and Chris Sharma for a close second!
🌊 Surfing on steroids
📍 Hawaii
If you still think wing foiling is just slow cruising with a sail, Cash Berzolla is about to change your mind. This five-minute edit showcases the explosive future of the sport, with huge airs, wave riding, and control that barely seems possible
⏱️ 5 mins
🏔️ A new take on the Denali traverse
📍 Alaska, USA
Four friends. One outrageous objective. Sam, Jack, Nicole, and Charles climb, ski, and packraft their way across Denali in a refreshingly homegrown expedition that feels like the adventure of a lifetime. And don’t miss the photo montage at the end—it’s pure gold
⏱️ 9 mins
🧗 America’s highest 5.14
📍 Mt. Blue Sky, Colorado, USA
To give you a better idea, watch Tanner Bauer and Chris Deuto battle with altitude, weather, and the breathtaking golden arete high above the Colorado alpine.
⏱️ 16 mins
🥾 Greybeard’s final record?
📍 Appalachian Trail, USA
At 90 years old, legendary adventurer Dale “Greybeard” Sanders is attempting to reclaim the record as the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. A short but inspiring NYT documentary about grit, aging, and refusing to slow down
⏱️ 4 mins
⚡ Bonus News
🐅 After disappearing from Kazakhstan more than 70 years ago, tigers are officially back. The release is part of an ambitious effort to restore the species to Central Asia, with hopes of establishing a self-sustaining population in the coming decades.
🧗 Pete Whittaker has completed the first free ascent of Dzikie Historie, an 800-meter big wall on Norway’s iconic Kjerag massif. After soloing much of the route, he returned to free every pitch.
🚵 Why would anyone Everest a bike ride in the dead of winter? Aedan Skinner needed 27 laps, 126 kilometers, 31 hours, freezing rain, fresh snow, and 17 hours of darkness to climb the height of Everest.
🛶 After spending decades publishing canoe guidebooks, one author asks an uncomfortable question: Did I help love these places to death? Inspiring people to care about wild places is ultimately a conservation success—not a failure.
🚵 Matt Annabel didn’t just finish the legendary Colorado Trail Race—he finished fifth overall on a singlespeed. Covering nearly 500 miles of rugged Colorado backcountry in just 4 days, 21 hours, his minimalist setup is a reminder that sometimes one gear is all you need.
🧠 Long Reads & Watches
….take your time with these ones…
🚵 The story of Slickrock
Did you know that long before mountain bikes and motorbikes arrived, local mechanic Andy Anderson was exploring Moab’s “slickrock” on a homemade scooter powered by Maytag washing machine motors—one driving each wheel. “It’ll go anywhere on the slickrock,” he claimed.
That quirky machine helped reveal the incredible traction of the sandstone, setting the stage for what would eventually become the world’s most famous mountain bike trail and forever change the future of Moab.
⏱️ 37 min
🧗 Remembering Jake Whisenant
An obituary written by the person who knew him best.
Emma London remembers her partner Jake Whisenant through the life they built together. It’s a deeply personal tribute about love, adventure, grief, and what it means to lose someone whose greatest joy was exploring the mountains.
⛰️ The route of a lifetime
Swiss-based German alpinist Michi Wohlleben returns again and again to the limestone walls of the Alpstein, dreaming of opening a bold new route from the ground up. What follows is a years-long struggle against blank rock, failed attempts, and doubt—culminating in Bodhichitta, a beautiful contribution to Switzerland’s alpine climbing.
⏱️ 24 min
💥 Stay Stoked. Stay Wild. See you on the next send!
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❤️🔥 Your StokedAF fam 🤘