What a week! The Southwest US got hammered by the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel. Red Bull Rampage was cut short, Moab is soaked, and nobodyās climbing anything around here. Luckily I got out on some multipitch climbs at the Ice Cream Parlor before the storm!
Now itās Time to catch up on some adventure films and we have plenty to keep us stoked! Thereās so much content out there these days that itās nearly impossible to keep up. Thatās why StokedAF is here: to sift through the noise and bring you the best of whatās happening in adventure, outdoor sports, and the natural world.
See you next week!
Nico in Moab
š¶ He walked home: 28 years & 50,000km
š United Kingdom
In 1998, British adventurer Karl Bushby set off from the southern tip of Chile with two rules: no transport to advance his journey, and no returning home until he got there on foot.
28 years later, after crossing the frozen Bering Strait, swimming the Caspian Sea, and walking through 29 countries, heās finally back on British soil. But the real story is about everything he sacrificed along the way: a son who grew up without him, a granddaughter he learned about from afar, nieces and nephews heād never met, and a mother he left at her garden gate nearly three decades ago.
This emotional interview, filmed after he swam the English Channel, is about the extraordinary price of pursuing a dream.
ā±ļø 12 min
š§ Zion: 6 big walls in sub 19 hours!
š Zion National Park, Utah
Nobody knows Zionās big walls better than Connor Baty right now. But even by his standards, this is ridiculous. Teaming up with Max Krieger, the pair tackled six of Zionās legendary walls in a single push: Monkey Finger, Lunar Ecstasy, Sheer Lunacy, Moonlight Buttress, Touchstone, and Prodigal Sun. Thatās 54 pitches, 5,920ft of climbing, and a ton of rappelling.
They stopped the clock at 18 hours and 52 minutes, claiming a new six-wall FKT, along with four- and five-wall benchmarks along the way. An absolutely massive day in one of Americaās great climbing playgrounds.
šµ Mother nature rips up the Rampage
š Virgin, Utah
Just when Red Bull Rampage seemed to have dialed in its return to big-mountain freeriding, moving away from the slopestyle features of previous editions, Mother Nature had other plans. Tropical Storm Rachel brought relentless rain and wind, forcing organizers to cancel more than half of the menās competition. A crushing disappointment for the riders, builders, and fans who had spent months preparing for the biggest event in freeride mountain biking.
And hereās our two cents: for an event this big, shouldnāt there be a backup day?
ā±ļø 20 min
šļø Trango Towersā¦ on a slackline
š Karakoram, Pakistan
German highliners, Antonia RĆ¼ede-Passul and Lukas Irmler, hauled a highline up Trango Nameless Tower in the Karakoram and rigged it at a dizzying 6,251m. The expedition, that took place a couple months back, involved acclimatizing on Great Trango Tower, climbing the legendary Eternal Flame route, and summiting twice to rig the line.
Antonia set a new womenās highline altitude record, while Lukas completed his first highline above 6,000m. Just getting up there would be a lifetime achievement for most climbers. These two decided are dedicated to slacklining.
š¹ All fire skate-stoke
š San Francisco, California
Sometimes you donāt need a world record, an expedition, or a 6,000-meter summit to get fired up. Sometimes all it takes is a good skate film. With a stacked roster and the streets of San Francisco as their playground, this full-length film delivers the ohhhs and awwws.
Watch a little now, save the rest for later. No filler, just incredible skating in one of the worldās most iconic skate cities.
ā±ļø As long as you want it to be!
š§ Ice in Australia? Gadd, Will hunting
š Australian Alps, Australia
Australia: kangaroos, beaches, scorching deserts... and ice climbing? Canadian climbing legend Will Gadd teams up with local climber Hugh Newall to find out whether thereās actually worthwhile ice to climb Down Under. With low expectations and plenty of stoke, the pair head into Australiaās snowy mountains in search of frozen waterfalls and real ice routes. Itās been a while since weāve seen Gadd swinging his tools on an adventure like this, and itās good to have him back.
ā±ļø 15 min
šŖ 465km by air; 147km by foot
š Pyrenees, Spain and France
From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the X-Pyr is one of the worldās toughest hike-and-fly paragliding races, challenging athletes to cross the Pyrenees using only their feet and their wings. This year, German flyer Elisa Deutschmann became the first woman to complete the race, covering an incredible 465 kilometers in the air and another 147 kilometers on foot. Her message to other women dreaming of taking on a challenge like this? āJust go for it and donāt be afraid.
ā±ļø 15 min
ā” Bonus News
šæ Utahās Moose Springs Ranch offers a glimpse of a different kind of ski resort: private backcountry terrain, away from the crowds and lift lines. The catch? Itās not open to the general public.
šæ Should Nature Have Legal Rights? A European Citizensā Initiative wants to give ecosystems legal rights, including the right to exist, regenerate, and be restored. The idea is to recognize nature as a legal entity, much like a corporation, rather than simply property to be owned and exploited.
š§ History livestreamed: Jakob Schubert sends second route at 9c, completing the first repeat of DNA (9c/5.15d) in Franceās Verdon Gorge. Shubert is now the first person to climb two routes graded 9c, the highest grade in sport climbing.
šµ The 2026 Arizona Trail Race delivered another dose of desert suffering, unpredictable conditions, and lessons in what happens when even the best-laid bikepacking plans fall apart. A race wrap-up about the challenges that make ultra-endurance riding so compelling.
š Hungarian Freediver ZsĆ³fia TƶrÅcsik set the World Record in the Free Immersion discipline in Cyprus. With a single breath, she spent 4 minutes pulling herself down to 108m and back up a rope (without fins), and broke her previous record. Watch this amazing dive!
š§ Long Reads & Watches
ā¦.take your time with these onesā¦
š§ 99% there: A big-wall adventure in Brazil
Four British climbers, an 800m granite wall, and one unclimbed line. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Veteran climbers Mike āTwidā Turner and Steve Long team up with younger crushers James Taylor and Angus Kille to establish a new route on Pedra Baianaās massive main face.
Between a fuel crisis, swarms of wasps, sketchy sky-hook placements, and terrifying falls, the expedition becomes a test of endurance, ingenuity, and friendship. For Twid, itās also a remarkable return to big-wall climbing after a devastating accident left him with a broken back.
After days on the wall, the team gets within 60m of the summit before running out of bolts and time. A reminder that adventure isnāt always about reaching the top.
ā±ļø 48 min
ā·ļø High-altitude ski adventure in Bolivia
Two French cousins, Valentin Gevaux and JĆ©rĆ©my Vuagnoux, head to Bolivia to discover the world of high-altitude ski mountaineering. Joined by Pierre-Louis Rey, they explore remote mountains, ski steep faces, and tackle new lines above 6,000m. Beautifully filmed, refreshingly unpretentious, and full of raw mountain adventure. Itās mostly in French, but thereās hardly any talking anyway. Just spectacular scenery, natural sounds, and three friends doing what they love with whatever gear and resources they have. Sometimes the best mountain films donāt need much explaining.
ā±ļø 30 min
š No Plastic, No Problem! A Backpacking Experiment
University of Oregon product design professor Tom Bonamici spent a year creating an almost entirely plastic-free backpacking kit using wool, silk, cotton, and other natural materials. From sewing his own merino wool underwear and commissioning hand-knitted socks to waterproofing a homemade silk tarp with linseed oil and turpentine, he went to extraordinary lengths to eliminate synthetic materials. His only concessions? Water filtration and first-aid supplies. But how does all this old-school gear actually perform in the backcountry? A fascinating experiment that challenges our dependence on plastic in the outdoors.
Try out reading, itās fun!
š https://www.backpacker.com/gear/plastic-free-backpacking-kit/
š§ Climbing through war: Ukraineās wounded vets
Russiaās war in Ukraine has left an estimated 100,000 people with amputations. But even as the fighting continues, efforts to help wounded veterans rebuild their lives are underway.
This summer, Colorado-based nonprofit Paradox Sports traveled to western Ukraine to teach adaptive climbing techniques to veterans and local instructors, using specialized prosthetics, modified belay systems, and good old-fashioned climbing camaraderie.
A powerful story about resilience and the people helping Ukraine rebuild, even before the war is over.
š Read the story here!
One last check in with Luke Stone who was seen shredding the pow in Montana, this week!