photo by Jon Elliston My first bicycle was a “girl’s bike” — 20 pounds of slanted tubes and purple-flake paint. It had a banana seat crowned with a pool of purple glitter and matching plastic tassels, which dangled limply from each handlebar, swishing side to side as I rode. The bike was a hand-me-down from […]

Drama in real life: If your young’uns’ fingers are sore from all that Xbox action, send ’em down to the river for some real-time survival training. Asheville-based Wolf Creek Adventures, Inc. is offering a one-day course in river safety and rescue on Sept. 9 at the Ledges River Park on the French Broad River. The […]

Friends in high places: The Carolina Mountain Club needs your help. This Saturday, club members are working to extend the Mountains-to-Sea trail west from Balsam Gap (near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 442) – a noble cause if ever there was one. At 9 a.m., volunteers will meet at the Moose Cafe on N.C. 191 near […]

Ice, ice baby: So it doesn’t look like much, okay? Just some dense foam panels bolted to plywood walls. But use your imagination, my friend! The new ice-climbing routes at Climbmax Climbing Center in Asheville promise a thrill for even the most jaded of mall rats. First, there are the boots you’ve got to wear […]

Get high: Every U.S. state has its highest point, from Delaware’s paltry 450 feet above sea level to Alaska’s mammoth Denali, which pierces the clouds at 20,030 feet. Falling somewhere in between is our own Mount Mitchell and its crown of blighted firs, at 6,684 feet. Well, file this one under “obsessions”: An organization called […]

That’s some mad air, brah: Remember that Jeff Foxworthy joke – something to the effect of “you might be a redneck if one or more of your family members has died after saying, ‘Hey, watch this’”? Well, add this to that burgeoning category of high-risk antics: The state is warning boaters and thrill-seekers away from […]

Katy, bar the door: Asheville wins the distinction of the nation’s number one whitewater “dream town” in the August issue of Outside magazine, on the strength of all that high-class whitewater within easy striking distance. (Any more “best of” titles and that bungalow you’ve always dreamed of will be pie in the sky. On the […]

Fight buyer’s remorse: On Tuesdays through August 29, Diamond Brand Outdoors is hosting paddling-craft demonstrations at Lake Julian in Skyland. Paddlers of all experience levels are welcome to try their hand at a variety of whitewater and flatwater boats. The sessions go from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. They are free, but pre-registration is required — […]

They’re yanking our chains: On the afternoon of Saturday, July 15, the “Anybody’s and Everybody’s Community Bike Festival” will take place at Asheville’s Aston Park, located at the intersection of French Broad and Hilliard streets south of downtown. The event, which runs from 2 to 6 p.m., is free and will include bike-repair workshops and […]

No drought about it: River levels are down in much of Western North Carolina as the region moves through what’s shaping up to be a dry year. Storms come, storms go: Boaters who want to know the minute-to-minute conditions of their favorite stretch of river can visit the Asheville Boating Beta Page (www.boatingbeta.com). The site […]

Check out my pad: After being closed for nearly 15 years, the Lake Julian Family Campground is open for business. The campground has 10 lakeside campsites, each featuring a tent pad, a picnic table, a grill and fire pit. RVs are permitted, but before you try to string those Chinese lanterns, know this: No electrical […]

Feed me (exhaust), Seymour: You’ve seen them by now — the season’s first poison-ivy victims, staggering around, scratching at blisters, begging you to hit them with calamine lotion. A misplaced step off the trail or a minute’s careless weeding in the garden is all it takes to contract an epic case of contact dermatitis. And […]