Winter came up short. The sends did not.
🔥 For people who’d rather be outside! 🌲
My friends,
Winter has faded… snow season is a distant memory!
Moab’s already feeling like early summer, and we’ve been chasing shade like it’s June, sneaking in climbs on cool mornings. We got on Sorcerer’s Apprentice (right side)—a proper little Navajo sandstone adventure with some magic spice!
Held this one for Sunday. Feels like the moment to flip the switch—spring is here, and it’s go time.
All heart,
Nico
🎿 Candide skis the bones of winter
📍 Tignes, France
Candide Thovex is back in Tignes, this time threading Les Tufs, terrain that to the naked eye does not look skiable. The piece leans into the starkness of a rough winter and turns thin conditions into pure style—fast, weird, creative, and very Candide.
Admit it, you always have time for a Candide video!
Length: 4 minutes
🚵 Sedona’s Hardline turns one
📍 Sedona, Arizona, USA
It’s been a year since Hardline landed in Sedona and the thing still looks outrageous: exposed slickrock, a signature 60-foot vertical drop, and almost no room for hesitation. The bigger story is that this is one of the country’s hardest Forest Service-sanctioned trails—a serious milestone for advanced riding on public land.
Length: 20 minutes
Or if you want…just skip straight to Braydon Bringhurst who makes the terrifying terrain look bouncy, loose, and almost casual.
🧗 The Quiet Crusher goes full dirtbag mode
📍 “Out West”, USA
Have you ever wondered about the dirtbags who win funds through Cedar Wright’s Dirtbag Fund?
Meet Kyle Higby, one of the 2025 Dirtbag Fund recipients, who took the support and absolutely ran with it. This short profile follows a year packed with hard sport and trad climbing across the American West, and it hits that sweet spot between humble stoke and full-blown crusher energy.
Length: 7 minutes
🤯 Biggest double backflip on a MTB bike?
This one is pure spectacle. Austrian freeride mountain bike rider, Elias Ruso, says “I went to war against every single demon inside of me & landed the biggest double flip to ever be done on a bicycle! ⚔️.” And that he dedicated it to Adolf Silva gives it an extra layer of heart beneath the insanity.
Even by modern freeride standards, it feels like one of those clips that makes you pause and immediately replay.
🎿 Massive cliff send at Crystal Mountain
📍 Crystal Mountain, Washington, USA
Inti Fernandez steps up on Silver King, one of Crystal’s most iconic zones and he goes absolutely massive. Big exposure, clean commitment, and the kind of hit that makes even seasoned locals pause.
This one’s pure energy from the Pacific Northwest.
⚡ Bonus News ⚡
🚵 A new bikepacking route cuts through the Andes, stitching together remote terrain across South America with massive elevation, weather exposure, and almost no bailout options.
🎿 Eileen Gu and Luke Harrold crowned the first-ever Snow League freeski world champions, marking a new chapter for the competition scene.
🎿 Aspen Snowmass unveils new master development plan that includes lift upgrades and potential terrain expansion across its resorts.
🐍 Mountain biker dies after rattlesnake bite in California after being bitten by a rattlesnake while riding at a local trail system, a rare but serious reminder of the risks in wild terrain.
🧗 After 240 days of effort, a potential “world’s hardest rock climb” was sent by Spanish crusher Jorge Díaz-Rullo. The route Café Colombia in Margalef might be a 5.15d. If it holds, this could push the absolute ceiling of sport climbing even higher. Here is a peak into the process:
🧠 Long Reads & Opinions
🧗 Oak Flat AZ on the edge
A mining company is moving forward with exploratory drilling at Oak Flat, a sacred Indigenous site that also happens to host thousands of world-class climbing routes. As you guessed, there is tension between land use, culture, and access—and asks what gets lost when places like this are treated as expendable.
🎿 Are “nerds” ruining backcountry skiing?
This opinion piece takes aim at the rise of hyper-optimized backcountry culture—apps, data, gear, and decision-making reduced to metrics. It’s a sharp (and controversial) take on whether we’re losing intuition, risk tolerance, and the soul of moving through the mountains.
🧭 Living the expedition life
In this interview, long distance adventurer Justin Barbour talks about building a life around long, unsupported journeys—where logistics, patience, and resilience matter more than speed. It’s a grounded look at exploration that strips away the hype and gets back to fundamentals.
🧗 What even is the next grade?
As new climbs push the grades, Chris Sharma dives into the question everyone’s quietly asking: how do you actually know when you’ve climbed a new grade like 5.16? It’s a thoughtful look at progression, ego, and the blurry line between personal achievement and consensus in climbing’s upper limits.
🌍 Suffering the FOMO?
(Pssst, this is where you should be right now!)
🧗 Steep limestone and jungle vibes in Brazil
Just outside Belo Horizonte, Serra do Cipó delivers steep limestone, tufas, and pockets in a wild, jungle-lined setting that feels far from the typical South American circuit. Even in the wetter months, the overhanging sectors stay climbable, and the whole zone has that raw, exploratory energy—fewer crowds, big potential, and the kind of place where you find your own project.
And while you’re in Brazil, hit the granite domes of Rio de Janeiro at Pão de Açúcar for the trad multipitch and ocean views!
🌊 Barrels without the crowds in Sri Lanka
March is prime on Sri Lanka’s south coast (Ahangama & Hiriketiya), consistent swell, warm water, and a mix of punchy beach breaks and clean reef setups. It’s not exactly unknown, but compared to Bali, it still feels like you’ve found something, especially if you drift between breaks and chase conditions day by day.
👉 Why it hits:
✅ Peak season (Dec–April)
✅ Variety of waves (beginner → legit barrels)
✅ Tropical, easy, and still a bit under the radar
Wait for the next newsletter… or just book the flight now.
💥 Stay Stoked. Stay Wild.
Before you hit “Next”… Send this newsletter to your outdoor partner and even to that guy who you know shouldn’t be following you into the backcountry!!
See you on the next send!
❤️🔥 The StokedAF fam 🤘