š„ Sending in spring: there are no rules
š„ A newsletter for people whoād rather be outside! š²
Waddup StokedAF friends!
Iām sure many of you caught episode 2 from the Dean Potter documentary series (HBO) last nightā¦ amiright?
If you remember the 2007 film Sharp End, then you saw Potter free solo a route high up on the Eiger with a BASE rig on his back- the first time the world was introduced to Freebase! Last night, the world also got the story about what went down a few days beforeā¦ and it is frightening!
This weekās lineup doesnāt quite go that farā¦ but it gets close. From precision-built mtn bike lines in Germany and a surf playground in Puerto Rico to Connor Herson throwing down in Norway, Alaskan lines and the flow zone, this lineup is all about movement at its sharpest.
šµ German precision on 2 wheels
š Germany
Deep in the woods, Lukas āSheeperā SchƤfer is building lines in the forest and sending them with absurd smoothness. The features are wild: perfectly shaped lips, creative transfers, and heavy woodwork, engineered like a pro! Itās freeride distilled into craft.
DonĀ“t blink or youāll miss half of the line.
š
ā±ļø 8 minutes
š A welcome to Crash Boat
š Puerto Rico
Dylan Graves brings out his fam on one of Puerto Ricoās most unique waves: Crash Boat. He calls it a ānovelty waveā but really it is a surf playground and itās full of that borricua energy. Dale brodel!
ā±ļø 3 minutes
š§ Connor Herson vs. Norway
š JĆøssingfjord, Norway
One of climbingās most incredible athletes, Connor Herson, locks into Pete Whittakerās Crown Royale (5.14c), then sets his sights on The Recovery Drinkāa 35-meter overhanging gear line established by Nico Favresse. No bolts, no shortcutsājust pure power, precision, and one of the wildest trad testpieces on the planet.
ā±ļø 14 minutes
šæ Harmony in the state of Alaska
š Valdez, Alaska, USA
Winter is all but over, so take a few minutes and watch Sammy Carlsonās HARMONY, about that feeling when everything clicks and the mountains take over. Big lines, deep exposure, and a reminder that even at the highest level, itās still about flow. This is the highlight reel that sticks.
ā±ļø 6 minutes
š Chasing the flow state
What does the perfect run actually feel like? Jazmine Lowther teams up with a performance psychologist to break down āflow stateāāthat elusive zone where movement feels effortless and fully locked in.
Short, thoughtful, and surprisingly applicable next time you go out!
ā±ļø 4 minutes
ā” Bonus News ā”
šµ A 32ā wheel just won its first downhill race. The āmega mulletā setup (32ā front, 29ā rear) took the top step at Sea Otter proving bigger wheels might not just be for XC anymore.
šļø Golf vs. water reality check in the Colorado River Basin. A new study challenges the narrative that golfās economic value outweighs its impactāespecially in arid regions like St. George, Utah where courses consume significant local water while pointing fingers at agriculture.
š§ Petzl officially stepped into the cam game, taking on legacy players in one of climbingās most dialed gear categories. Expectations are high for precision engineering and a serious shake-up in trad racks everywhere.
š Riding the Americasā25,000 km, one horse at a time. A solo rider is taking on the full length of the Pan-American route, moving north to south across continents in a months-long expedition. An equine connection to landscapes, cultures, and the rhythm of travel at animal pace.
šļø Drones are changing the game on Everest. They ferry loads through the Khumbu Icefallāone of the most dangerous sections of the climbāreducing Sherpa exposure to objective hazards like collapsing seracs.
š§ Long Reads & Opinions
Heads up, take your time with these onesā¦
šØļø One man, one cabin, decades of data
Billy Barr has been quietly recording snowfall and weather patterns from a tiny cabin in Gothic since the 1970sāno models, no satellites, just obsessive daily logs. Decades later, his handwritten data has become some of the most valuable long-term climate records in the Rockies, offering a rare ground-level view of how winters are shifting in real time. Itās part mountain story, part climate archive, and entirely one-of-a-kind.
š§ Grigri, unconfidential, an op-ed
Speaking of Petzlā¦ Andy Kirkpatrick goes deep on the GriGriāand what itās done to climbing. What starts as a breakdown of one of the sportās most iconic devices quickly spirals into how convenience shapes habits, how risk tolerance shifts, and how gear quietly rewrites culture. Itās part history, part critique, and very much a wake-up call.
š¾ Africaās most elusive predator, holding on
African wild dog numbers are still dangerously lowājust 6,000ā7,000 left across the continentābut Zambia remains one of their last strongholds. This piece dives into where and when to actually find them in the wild, unpacking a fragile comeback story shaped by conservation wins, uneven distribution, and the reality that even when populations grow, survival is never guaranteed.
šµ Burnout, bikes, and starting over
After 15 years of racing, stepping away isnāt failureāitās recalibration. This self-funded film follows two riders pulling back from the circuit to reconnect with why they started in the first place. No sponsors dictating pace, no pressure to performājust bikes, waves, friends, and the messy process of finding direction again. One of the most honest pieces in the lineup.
š Suffering the FOMO?
(Pssst, this is where you should be right now!)
š£ Skip the rafting permitsāa wild canyon is calling!
š Pilcomayo River, Bolivia
While the Colorado gets crowded, the Pilcomayo is still wide open. This 14-day, 280-mile expedition drops into a remote canyon system with whitewater, side hikes into slot canyons, and a final push deep into jungle. No dams. No permits. Just unfiltered river travelāand the kind of expedition feel thatās getting harder to find.
Timing is everything here. The window typically lines up with the late rainy season (roughly JanuaryāMay) when flows are high enough to keep things moving but not completely blown out. Go too early and itās flood-stage chaosātoo late and youāre scraping over rocks.
Hook up with river conservation organization, SierraRios for more info!
šµ Limaās desert freeride zone
š El Morro, Lima, Peru
Right on the edge of Lima, El Morro delivers something you donāt expect from a capital cityāraw desert freeride lines dropping toward the Pacific. Sculpted jumps, fast flow, and big-air features built by a dialed local scene make this one of South Americaās most underrated bike zones. Dry, dusty, and rideable year-round, itās the kind of place where urban meets wild in the best way.
š„ Stay Stoked. Stay Wild.
Before you hit āNextāā¦ Send this newsletter to your outdoor partner and even to that guy who you know shouldnāt be following you into the backcountry!!
ā¤ļøāš„ The StokedAF fam š¤