Frederick Dreier
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Ski, run, bike, read, eat, repeat. Features Editor at @OutsideMagazine. Former EIC at @VeloNews
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Articles by Frederick Dreier
Tanner Wanish and Michael Vaill Are Ready for Rock Climbing’s Limelight
My favorite scene from the new adventure film Nobody & Goliath involves cigarettes. Having completed most of the gargantuan Goliath Traverse in California’s Sierra Nevada—a 32-mile ridgeline that passes over 60 summits—rock climbers Tanner Wanish and Michael Vaill are dizzy with exhaustion. They’ve spent the past eight days climbing in the no-fall zone. They’ve gone long stretches of the trip without water or food.
The Swedish Sport of Swimrun Is Spreading Across the U.S. I Tried It and Chaos Ensued.
You no longer need to travel to Europe to participate in an Ötillö Swimrun. Our features editor recently completed the event in Colorado and gained valuable lessons in adventure, self-sufficiency, and humility. Outside features editor Frederick Dreier participated in the October 4 Ötillö Swimrun race at Horsetooth Reservoir, Colorado. Dreier has competed in triathlons, bicycle races, and other endurance sports for 25 years.
I Was Leading the Moab 240 When Extreme Weather Hit. Here’s What It Was Like.
Ultramarathon runner Aaron Kubala was leading the Moab 240 trail race in Utah on October 11 when severe weather caused flash flooding and deadly winds. Race organizer Destination Trail eventually called off the event, prompting a flurry of reactions from runners and crew on social media. After that setback, Kubala, 31, was hospitalized with Rhabdomyolysis. He told Outside what it was like to endure the ordeal.
The Identity of Lake Mead’s Infamous Barrel Cold Case Has Been Identified
One of the most grisly mysteries in the recent history of America’s national parks has finally been solved. Well, for the most part. On October 15, police in Las Vegas, Nevada, revealed the identity of human remains that were found inside of a rusting barrel on the shores of Lake Mead in 2022. The grisly discovery by boaters led to a lengthy Outside investigation into the identity of the corpse.
LISTEN: We Crashed a Steinholding Competition. Here’s What We Learned.
Raise your glasses! Now, hold them up until your arms begin to shake. That’s the challenge that athletes take on at a steinholding competition, which is the focus of this week’s Long Read on the Outside Podcast. In 2025, writer Martin Fritz Huber attended the U.S. national championships of steinholding, held during New York City’s annual Oktoberfest celebration in Central Park.
Lake Mead’s Man in a Can Has Been Identified. But Questions Still Remain.
One of the most grisly mysteries in the recent history of America’s national parks has finally been solved. Well, for the most part. On October 15, police in Las Vegas, Nevada, revealed the identity of human remains that were found inside of a rusting barrel on the shores of Lake Mead in 2022. The grisly discovery by boaters led to a lengthy Outside investigation into the identity of the corpse.
Five Climbers Died Racing to the Summit of K2. A New Film Examines Who Is at Fault.
The most gripping scene from the new mountaineering documentary K2 Winter: The Final First occurs in the deathly freezing dark of Camp 3 at 24,000 feet on the world’s second-tallest mountain. A gaggle of climbers from the Nepali guiding company Seven Summit Treks lurches into the high camp, well past nightfall, amid a violent storm. The temperature has plummeted. The climbers are exhausted. The stakes of the situation are more than evident: if they don’t seek shelter soon, some will die.
The Swedish Sport of Swimrun Is Spreading Across the U.S. I Tried It and Chaos Ensued.
Outside features editor Frederick Dreier participated in the October 4 Ötillö Swimrun race at Horsetooth Reservoir, Colorado. Dreier has competed in triathlons, bicycle races, and other endurance sports for 25 years. A few memories come to mind from my recent Ötillö Swimrun, the endurance race that combines open-water swimming with trail running.
LISTEN: What Really Happened During the Deadly Broad Peak Avalanche
In the latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast, reporter Ben Ayers recounts the deadly avalanche on Broad Peak that killed ten climbers, and the dangerous recovery mission to bring their bodies home. On July 30, a massive avalanche rumbled down the slopes of 26,414-foot Broad Peak in Pakistan, blanketing the mountain’s flanks in a cloud of snow and debris. The avalanche couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
Politicians Cry Foul Over Major League Baseball’s National Park Plan
Features editor Frederick Dreier thoroughly exhausted his knowledge of baseball idioms and cliches while writing this news story. Play ball! Just don’t do it in Grand Teton National Park. That’s the sentiment of a growing number of politicians in Wyoming amid one of the more oddball national park stories in recent memory.
Meet Brandon McNulty, the First U.S. Elite Man Since Lance Armstrong to Win the World Title
You may have seen a social media post or two celebrating an American cyclist named Brandon McNulty and his wild ride on September 27 to win the road cycling world championships in Montreal, Canada. McNulty won the elite men’s road race in dramatic, edge-of-your-seat fashion. He broke away from the pack with 19 miles remaining in the 170-mile race, and then somehow held off multiple attempts from the other cyclists to chase him down.
I Do Not Want MLB Playing in Our National Parks—Unless the Game Reflects How We’re Treating Them
Should America’s Favorite Pastime and America’s Best Idea be tossed into a blender and served to us like a bizarre cultural smoothie? It’s the question that fans of U.S. national parks and of Major League Baseball (MLB) must contemplate this week. On September 26, reporters Jake Spring and Stephanie Apstein of The Washington Post broke the news that MLB recently approached the Trump Administration about hosting a professional baseball game within the boundaries of a national park.
Deadly Avalanches and Heavy Snowfall Just Torpedoed the Climbing Season on Manaslu
Foul weather and deadly avalanches just spoiled the climbing season on one of Nepal’s most popular high peaks not named Mount Everest. And with heavy snow in the forecast, it’s doubtful that any more climbers will make it to the top of 26,781-foot Manaslu before the season ends in October. A Stepping Stone to Mount Everest Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, has in recent years become a popular destination for Everest hopefuls.
LISTEN: These Falcons Are Keeping the Beach Safe from Marauding Seagulls
The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast is set in the seaside town of Ocean City, New Jersey, where marauding seagulls were scaring off tourists. The city hired birds of prey to chase the gulls away. So far, it’s working. A few years ago Ocean City, New Jersey had a problem with seagulls. Every summer, clouds of marauding gulls would descend on the sand and boardwalk to hunt for treats. Usually this mean snatching pizza, chips, popcorn, and other goodies away from tourists.
St. Mary’s Glacier, a Beloved Colorado Landmark, Is Officially Dead
St. Mary’s Glacier, a beloved destination for summer camps and year-round skiers, melted into a puddle this month for the first time in recorded history. Our features editor explores the emotion of losing a place that kept winter going all year long. An overhead view of the gully that once held Saint Mary's Glacier (Photo: Dan McGrath, Colorado State University) I’m hiking alongside several fellow seven-year-olds up a rocky gully below a scorching summer sun.
Landowners Across Texas Are Suing Trump Over the Big Bend Border Construction
Don’t mess with Texas. That’s the thrust of a lawsuit filed on Monday, September 14, in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., by a coalition of Texas landowners who live near Big Bend National Park.
LISTEN: The 19-Year Search for Michelle Vanek, Part 2
How can a person vanish in the backcountry? For nearly two decades, this question baffled rescuers and law enforcement officials in Eagle County, Colorado. On September 24, 2005, a 35-year-old hiker named Michelle Vanek disappeared on the rocky slopes of Mount of the Holy Cross. Vanek, a mother of four from suburban Denver, had been hiking with a neighbor when the two separated. Her disappearance kicked off one of the largest search and rescue missions in state history.
Marmots Are Having a Moment and I’m Here for It
Our features editor took a deep dive into the cute and chunky critters to understand why the Internet has fallen for them. He learned six facts that every marmot fanatic should know. Marmots are having a moment (Photo: Getty Images) What’s chubby, hairy, and likes to lick rocks? No—it’s not a typical Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker. I’m of course referring to a marmot, the cute and cuddly high-alpine critter that’s currently taking the internet by storm.
I Fell 500 Feet Down the Maroon Bells Traverse and Lived. Here Is My Outlook on Risk.
Hiker Brandon Hinkle had just completed the technical traverse between Colorado’s Maroon Bells on August 16 when he lost his footing and fell. Hinkle, 28, tumbled 500 feet down a steep, rocky slope, before coming to rest in a boulder field. He suffered a long list of serious injuries, from broken bones in his face, to the rupturing of the tendons in his left knee. But he lived. Hinkle told Outside about his accident and how it has shaped his perspective on taking risks in the outdoors.
A Hiker Tried to Free Solo a Cliff in Georgia While Wearing Sneakers. Rescuers Saved Him.
Videos Wearing running shoes and a backpack, a hiker attempted an unroped ascent of Mount Yonah, a popular climbing crag in Georgia. Rescuers plucked him from a tiny ledge. A screengrab from the drone footage of a rescue on Mount Yonah (Photo: White County Public Safety) Published August 29, 2026 03:00AM Features editor Frederick Dreier called rescuers in Georgia who recently saved a hiker on Mount Yonah.
LISTEN: The 19-Year Search for Michelle Vanek, Part 1
The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast is the first half of our story on the search for Michelle Vanek, a 35-year-old mother of four who vanished in 2005 on a hiking trip. For 19 years, rescue crews in Colorado searched Vanek on the slopes of Mount of the Holy Cross. Mount of the Holy Cross in Colorado (Photo: Craig F. Walker / Getty Images) How can a person vanish in the backcountry?
A Georgia Hiker Tried to Walk Up a Climbing Route in Sneakers. Rescuers Saved His Life.
Features editor Frederick Dreier called rescuers in Georgia who recently saved a hiker on Mount Yonah. Will Roper of the local fire department talked us through the mission to bring the hiker down alive. A hiker in Georgia is lucky to be alive after he attempted to scramble up a well-known climbing route with little more than sneakers, a backpack, and his cell phone.
A Georgia Hiker Tried to Walk Up a Climbing Route in Sneakers. Rescuers Saved His Life.
Features editor Frederick Dreier called rescuers in Georgia who recently saved a hiker on Mount Yonah. Will Roper of the local fire department talked us through the mission to bring the hiker down alive. A hiker in Georgia is lucky to be alive after he attempted to scramble up a well-known climbing route with little more than sneakers, a backpack, and his cell phone.
A Report Says Trump Is Trying to Give Away Part of Yosemite. The Feds Say It’s Fake News.
A bombshell report says the Trump Administration is trying to cede a quarter-mile parcel of land inside Yosemite National Park to a private developer. But the Federal Government has pushed back on the story, calling it “simply not true.” On August 28, NOTUS published a story alleging that the National Park Service (NPS) has been quietly working to arrange a land exchange inside Yosemite National Park with a Nevada-based real estate company.
LISTEN: We Traveled to Rural Japan to Investigate the Country’s Deadly Bear Problem
In late 2025, reporter Owen Clark took a bus from Tokyo to Kazuno, a tiny town in Japan’s Akita Prefecture. Kazuno is ground zero for the country’s war against marauding bears. Throughout 2024 and 2025, aggressive bears attacked people across the country, killing more than a dozen and injuring several hundred. The situation was so bad that Japan’s military sent armed soldiers into Kazuno to protect the populace. Clarke found the town in a state of panic.
A Hiker Tried to Free Solo a Cliff in Georgia While Wearing Sneakers. Rescuers Saved Him.
Outside features editor Frederick Dreier called rescuers in Georgia who recently saved a hiker on Mount Yonah. Will Roper of the local fire department talked us through the mission to bring the hiker down alive. A hiker in Georgia is lucky to be alive after he attempted to scramble up a well-known climbing route with little more than sneakers, a backpack, and his cell phone.
American Cyclists Mourn Two Collegiate Racers Killed by a Driver in Tennessee
The tight-knit community of American bicycle racers is mourning the deaths of two collegiate athletes following a deadly collision with a driver on August 19 in rural Tennessee. According to multiple reports, 11 cyclists from the Milligan University collegiate cycling team were on a training ride in northeast Tennessee when a driver plowed his car into them. The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to an urgent call after the collision and found two of the cyclists dead and seven others injures.
LISTEN: Are Americans Ready for Stadium-Sized Health Spas?
In the latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast, Europe’s wellness giant is building Roman Bath-inspired health centers across the globe. Will its stadium-sized spas be a hit in the USA? Health spas in the United States are small, expensive, and often exclusive. In Europe, spa culture is supersized, egalitarian, and designed to accommodate the masses. Therme, a global giant in the industry of wellness, has built a handful of stadium-sized spas across Europe.
Explainer: Trump Paused the Big Bend Border Wall—For Now. Here’s What to Know.
The bulldozers and backhoes that spent the past week digging into fragile desert ecosystems across Big Bend National Park are quiet today, August 18. That’s because on late Sunday, August 16, the Trump Administration ordered a temporary halt to the construction of the highly contentious stretch of border wall through Texas’ most famous NPS site, which sits on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rescuers in Phoenix Are Using Mobile Cold Plunges to Save Overheated Hikers
Move over, Wim Hof. Rescuers in Phoenix, Arizona, are using mobile cold plunges to save overheated hikers when temperatures soar. And now, members of the Phoenix Fire Department make sure to bring the devices—which look like a cross between a plastic tarp and a sleeping bag—along to every call in the spring and summer.
LISTEN: Low Water, No Problem. We Packrafted One of the Most Remote Rivers in the West
The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast takes listeners down the Lower Owyhee, a scenic river in eastern Oregon that was too shallow for traditional whitewater rafts. Across the West, whitewater guides have had to grapple with a similar problem throughout 2026: bone-dry rivers. Last fall, writer Owen Clarke took an innovative tour down the Owyhee River in eastern Oregon during its lowest flow of the season.
LISTEN: The Freediver Who Held His Breath for 24 Minutes
The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast takes listeners inside the obsessive world of Budimir Šobat, the Serbian diver who held his breath longer than anyone in history. Earlier this year, writer Sean Williams profiled Budimir Sobat, a freediver from Croatia with a superpower straight out of the X-Men movies. Sobat, 60, can calm his body and mind to a state that resembles death—his body systems slow and use barely any oxygen.
6 Takeaways From the Slashing of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante
It’s been a month since President Donald Trump decimated two of Utah’s biggest national monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The president’s executive order on July 13 removed nearly 3 million acres from their protected borders, shrinking both monuments by a combined 91 percent. It also dissolved the Bears Ears Commission, a collaborative management agreement between the U.S. government and five Indigenous tribes.
PODCAST: What It’s Like to Crew the World’s Hottest and Hardest Ultramarathon
The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast takes listeners behind the scenes at the Badwater 135, the iconic race from Death Valley to the trailhead at Mount Whitney. In 2025, writer Devin Kelly traveled to the Mojave Desert to report on the Badwater 135, the iconic ultramarathon that starts in Death Valley and finishes at the trailhead for Mount Whitney. But rather than focus on the athletes, Kelly turned his attention to the men and women who work as support crew.
This Artist Is Painting the Pacific Crest Trail, One Gorgeous View at a Time
A California landscape artist is thru-hiking the iconic trail with his art supplies in his backpack. Every day, he stops and paints another picture of an iconic vista, breathtaking wildflower, or scenic forest. Kevin Gleason is painting the Pacific Crest Trail this summer (Photo: Kevin Gleason) Kevin Gleason, a Santa Barbara, California-based painter and former high school art teacher, is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this summer.
Temps Hit 90 Degrees at the Tour de France. One Team Found a Low-Tech Way to Cool Off.
During the opening stage, British squad Netcompany-Ineos trotted out a surprisingly analog way to beat the heat. Our cycling expert explains why the method was not exactly a marginal gain. The Tour de France started on Saturday (Photo: im de Waele/Getty Images) The 2026 Tour de France kicked off this past Saturday, July 4, with a team time trial through the streets of Barcelona—yes, that Barcelona. This year the Tour’s first three stages were held in Spain.
Tony Hawk Was Still Pushing His Limits on the Skateboard. And Then He Crashed.
It seemed like just another day at the backyard ramp. It was March of 2022, and Tony Hawk—the Michael Jordan of skateboarding—had just completed a skateboarding session at his home in Southern California, when some friends showed up. Hawk, who was 53 at the time, wanted to show that his aging body could still perform at its pinnacle. He dropped in, soared up the side, and attempted a trick called the McTwist—a 540-degree flip.
What It’s Like to Photograph SoCal’s Gnarliest Surf Break During a Monster Swell
Meet Dingo, a 60-year-old surf photographer who shoots Newport Beach’s most famous break. He recently captured a massive summer swell, and the riders who shredded it. A surfer drops in to a massive break at The Wedge (Photo: DingoSaidSo.com ) Surfers and bodyboarders in Newport Beach, California, ock to The Wedge, a shark fin-like wave that breaks near the town’s harbor.
The 2026 Outside Days Delivered More than a Few Emotional Moments
Our features editor rocked out, laughed, and yeah, cried a bit during the four-day Outside Days and Outside Summit, held in Denver, Colorado More than 40,000 people showed up to Outside Days (Photo: Brad K) It started with a tickle in my nose and a tingle in my eyes. Don’t cry, don’t cry! I repeated as I contorted my face.
What Section of the Mount Everest Route to Climbers Love and Loathe? We Asked the Experts.
The standard climb up Mount Everest from Nepal ascends more than 11,000 vertical feet and crosses 5.5 miles in total distance. Along that journey, climbers trudge through the Khumbu Icefall, along the Western Cwm, up the Lhotse Face, across the South Col, on to the Balcony, Hilary Step, and finally, the summit. It’s the same approximate route that thousands of Mount Everest climbers have taken over the decades, including Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, who first climbed the peak in 1953.
Three Climbers Are Dead in Denali National Park
Three climbers from Latvia are dead in Denali National Park and Preserve following an accident on North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley, that occurred on Thursday, May 28. The fatalities were announced on Friday, May 29, by the Latvian Mountaineering Association (LAS). According to a news release from the LAS, a fourth climber was injured in the accident, but was rescued and sent to a hospital.
Meet Greg Nance, the Politician Who Ran 2,000 Miles Along the Mississippi to Understand America Original
Greg Nance was jogging down a road in eastern Iowa when he met Carol the beekeeper, who was selling honey at a roadside stand. At least that’s how Nance, 37, remembers the start of their conversation. “It was the week after Charlie Kirk had been shot so she talked about that and how heartbroken she was,” Nance says. “She wished young people had more opportunities to connect to society.
There Were Record Crowds on Mount Everest’s Summit This Week but No Deaths
Hundreds of climbers were descending the flanks of Mount Everest on Thursday, May 21, after a historic number reached the summit earlier in the week. Taking advantage of calm and clear conditions on the peak’s upper slopes, more than 500 climbers reached the top between Monday, May 19, and Thursday, May 21. The summit bonanza peaked on Wednesday, May 20, when 274 summited, according to Nepal’s Department of Tourism. “From 3 A.M. to 2 P.M. the summit climb went on for 11 hours.
Record Crowds Reached the Summit of Mount Everest This Week
Mountaineers carry a kite bearing messages and signatures from children in Gaza to the top of the world. The hopes and dreams of Palestinian children from Gaza have reached the top of the world as a kite bearing their handwritten messages was carried to the summit of Mount Everest by a team of …
Oh No! There’s Another Cycling Controversy Involving Pee.
Professional cycling is a sport of dizzying calorie consumption. During the Tour de France or Giro d’Italia, the cyclists burn gazillions of calories and must gulp down massive quantities of pasta and rice to keep their cannon-like legs churning. They also guzzle coffee, recovery shakes, electrolyte swill, and sugary gels by the gallon.
Dean Karnazes Is Still Running Big Miles at Age 63. Here’s How He Does It.
The athletic feat seemed like something out of a science fiction novel. A guy named Dean Karnazes planned to complete 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. The year was 2006 and Karnazes, an ultramarathon runner from the Bay Area, was hardly a household name. But the 50/50/50 stunt was crazy enough to attract global media attention and berthed a New York Times bestseller, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, and a feature-length documentary that got a theatrical release.
Ultrarunning’s Original Influencer Is Still Logging Mega Miles at Age 63
This former Bay Area rail line is a biking paradise. And you don’t need a car to get there Long before E-40 and half the Golden State Warriors bought homes in San Ramon Valley, the region was known for its prunes. In the first half of the …
The Khumbu Icefall Is Open and Mount Everest Season Is On
The nightmarish delay on Mount Everest is officially over. On Tuesday, April 28, rope fixing teams finally completed a route through the Khumbu Icefall, allowing expedition operators to ascend from Base Camp at 17,500 feet up to Camp I at 19,900 feet and on to Camp II at 21,300 feet. The news means that climbing season on Mount Everest has officially begun—about two-and-a-half weeks behind schedule.
This Mount Everest Drone Video Shows the Deadly Serac in the Khumbu Icefall
The drama around deadly towers of ice on Mount Everest continues. As Outside reported last week, the climbing season on Everest is delayed by three weeks. The culprit is a massive wall of crumbling ice in the Khumbu Icefall that could collapse at any moment. The Icefall Doctors, the team that each year builds the route through the icefall, has been unable to complete the pathway. That’s because the route would need to pass directly under one of the biggest ice towers.
Inside the Audacious Plan to Kickstart Everest Season
Officials in Nepal have hatched a bold plan to kickstart the climbing season on Mount Everest and end a lengthy delay caused by dangers in the Khumbu Icefall, the cascading glacier just above Base Camp. The plan involves helicopters, ropes, and coordination among various governmental agencies and industry groups working on the mountain. “This is one of the greatest collaborations,” Thaneswar Guragai, the general manager at Nepali outfitter Seven Summits Treks, told Outside.
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