Clubs are cool—especially those that get you outside. Outdoor clubs have a long history of bringing people together, handing off skills, and providing excellent opportunities for trips, lodging and even equipment. Plus, many outdoor activities are safer and more fun if you enjoy them with others.
Whether you’re just getting into outdoor sports or are a seasoned veteran, clubs are a great way to meet people, get motivated, stay in shape, and improve your craft. Plus, many clubs offer deals on lodging, discounts on gear, outdoor skill clinics, and opportunities for international travel. Here are some of our favorite adventure orgs that provide affordable outdoor trips of all kinds if you’re not sure where to go next—or with whom.
Joining the group in Chamonix, France.Roberto Caucino / Shutterstock
1. ADL Ski Club
This Seattle based group is reinventing the ski club experience with small pro-style trips, huge gear discounts, and retro-style fun. They arrange small group trips (no more than 12 to 13 people at a time) to bucket list destinations like Wengen, Switzerland, Kitzbuhel and Innsbruck, Austria, Chamonix and La Grave, France, Chile, and Japan. Some of the trips are in conjunction with World Cup Ski Races, with special access to the U.S. Ski Team athletes. Others focus on powder and big mountains where there are no lift lines. The group offers an adult summer race camp on Oregon’s Mt. Hood every June where your coaches are Olympic legends Phil and Steve Mahre.
In 1902, adventurers and environmental conservationists banded together to support climbers, land preservation and the quest for adventure. John Muir, known for his efforts to protect Yosemite as a national park, was the AAC’s second president. The club still works to support the climbing way of life and has broadened its scope to become more diverse and inclusive (you no longer need to provide a climbing resume with the membership application). The headquarters (and impressive library) are in Golden, CO, but there are AAC chapters all over the U.S. Membership benefits include access to events, discounts on lodges and bunk-houses all over the globe, and great travel insurance. The annual Craggin’ Classics, which are held at prime climbing destinations like Bishop, CA, Moab, UT, and Mt. Rumney, NH are great opportunities to meet other climbers and up your skill level.
Gorman Chairback Lodge & Cabins in MaineCourtesy Image
3. Appalachian Mountain Club
Dating back to 1876, the AMC is the oldest outdoor club in the U.S. The group’s original focus was on protecting public lands in New England. Today, the AAC spearheads education, exploration, and outdoor community building throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The AAC is famous for its lodges and campgrounds that include the White Mountain Hut System, Pinkam Notch and Crawford Lodges, and the Bear Mountain/Harriman Lodges and Fire Island Cabin in New York. There’s also the Mohican Outdoor Center in New Jersey in the Delaware National Recreation Area that offers a multitude of outdoor education opportunities. One long-time AAC tradition is its “August Camp,” held annually with 64 campers per week. There’s a different location each year, with past camps being held in New England, Wyoming, the Pacific Northwest, and Canada.
Peak bagging a Colorado 14er.Nat Chittamai / Shutterstock
4. Colorado Mountain Club
If you live in the Colorado Rockies and are interested in hiking and climbing, this is the club for you. Based in Golden, Colorado, the club offers more than a dozen monthly activities in the surrounding forests and mountains, plus well-priced guided trips all over the world. The group is designed to support mountain education, adventure, and conversation, plus it’s a fun group of dedicated enthusiasts. You can start out with easy day hikes near Denver, progress to Colorado 14ers, or go peakbagging in the Himalayas, Andes, and Alps. Activities include hiking, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, and lots of skills clinics. Groups are kept small and activities are available for everyone from novices to experts.
This is the premier international club dedicated to outdoor exploration and scientific study. The clubhouse, on the east side of New York’s Central Park, has been a meeting place for adventurers and explorers for nearly 200 years. President Theodore Roosevelt, aviator Charles Lindbergh, deep sea diver Jacques Cousteau, astronaut Neil Armstrong, and Sir Edmund Hillary were all members. Current members include the world’s top divers, astronauts, alpinists, and climate scientists. The EC hosts film screenings and lectures, many of which are open to the public. You don’t have to forge a first ascent on Everest, circumnavigate Antarctica, or walk on the moon to join—but it doesn’t hurt.
If you’ve ever dreamed of climbing Mt. Hood, consider joining the Mazamas. Based in Portland, Oregon, this club (founded in 1894 on the summit of Mt. Hood) is dedicated to mountaineering, conservation, and outdoor education in the Pacific Northwest. The Mazamas conduct more than 700 hikes and 350 climbs every year, plus tons of skills courses. You have to have summited a glaciated peak to join—but that’s a great objective for everyone. A highlight of club membership is the Mazama Lodge at the base of Mount Hood near Government Camp. There are bunks and private rooms with food prepared by the staff, plus easy access to Mt. Hood and the surrounding forest for skiing, hiking, and climbing.
Based in Seattle, the Mountaineers is a nonprofit outdoor community with about 13,000 members and 2,000 skilled volunteers. It hosts more than 100 monthly activities and courses. You can learn to hike, rock climb, sail, move through avalanche terrain, and read a map and compass. The organization has been around since 1906 and is responsible for introducing thousands of people to outdoor activities. There are clubhouses in Seattle and Tacoma, WA and five lodges scattered through the state’s western peaks where members can stay, ski, hike, and even enjoy outdoor theater productions.
Muir Woods National Monument, just north of San Francisco.Robert Schlie / Shutterstock
8. Outdoor Adventure Club
While most clubs offer trips led by volunteers or paid experts, this San Francisco-based club is a professional guide service (insured and accredited) that’s designed to make it easier for people to get outdoors in a safe and social environment. They offer lots of hiking in the greater San Francisco area, as well as cool climbing, skiing, rafting, and even mountain bike trips. Your membership fee (levels vary but standard is $199) includes things like “free” rental equipment and discounts on hikes and skills clinics. At $3,000 per year, the club’s “Ultimate” membership includes free weekend trips to some of California’s choicest outdoor destinations. Non-members can pay as they go.
This decade-old national organization is dedicated to connecting people with nature. The group focuses on furthering the Black outdoor experience, but anyone can join in on the outings. Plus there’s no charge. Outdoor Afro operates in more than 56 cities across the U.S., from NYC to Hawaii. Over 100 volunteers organize and lead activities that include hiking, kayaking, fishing, swimming, and even gardening. This year, the organization is dedicated to increasing access to swimming lessons. Outdoor Afro has a MeetUp site where you can find events in your local area.
Single Divers is not a dating site, but a group dedicated to arranging group dive trips and helping you find a dive partner. Plus, they offer well-priced trips to some of the sweetest dive spots on the planet, including Roatan, Cozumel, and the Red Sea.
There’s no doubt when the weather turns colder as we settle into winter, stouts take center stage. And while we enjoy all its iterations: standard stout, imperial stout, and robust barrel-aged stouts, we think this malty, chocolate-filled beer’s close cousin deserves a little respect as well. Of course, we’re talking about the oft-overlooked porter. And the best porters, oh buddy, they’ll have you rethinking your seasonal bevvie of choice.
For those uninitiated, the porter style had its genesis in England like many other iconic beer styles. It first appeared in the 1700s and is (you guessed it) named after porters—individuals tasked with transporting luggage.
A confusing origin story
“Stout is the direct descendant of porter. In the 1700s, it was common to use the word ‘stout’ to refer to a bolder, higher-alcohol version of any beer style, much in the same way we use the word ‘imperial’ today,” says Zach Fowle, advanced cicerone and head of marketing for Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Phoenix, AZ. “Porter was the most popular beer of the day, and over time, “stout porter” became a popular variant. But by the late 1800s, demand for regular porters evaporated, and stout porter shortened simply to stout.”
But more has changed between the 1800s and today than just our penchant for wearing top hats. “Today, most brewers seem to market beers as either stout or porter based on vibes, rather than on any notable stylistic differences,” he says.
Specifically, porters are known for their dark, almost pitch-black color and rich, sweet flavor profile. If you were to drink a porter and a stout side by side, you might even have difficulty discerning the differences between the two.
Stout versus porter is an enduring topic of discussion in the brewing industry. “While there’s no debating the porter came first—and stout used to be called stout porter, so it was a stronger version of a porter—the lines have become very blurred over the years,” says Rob Lightner, co-founder of East Brother Brewing in Richmond, CA.
“I would venture that even among professionals, a blind taste test would often yield inconclusive results,” says Lightner.
The difference between porters and stouts
Porters tend to be on the milder, more chocolatey end of the spectrum, Lightner says, whereas stouts are typically a little stronger and more roasty. Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule
Fowle agrees, “Porters tend to be fruitier, sweeter, and less bitter than stouts, with cocoa and caramel flavors in balance with dark malt bitterness. And stouts are usually hoppier, drier, maltier, and more coffee-forward—and may even have a touch of acidity.”
Whether or not they fit neatly into boxes, one thing’s for sure: both make for incredible cold-weather brews.
“As the nights grow longer, drinking a light, summery beer just doesn’t seem right,” says Fowle. “Porter is the perfect style for the transition to winter: warming and toasty yet not too heavy, with flavors of coffee, chocolate, and pie crust that correspond with autumn weather and holidays.”
It’s the perfect time to broaden your repretoire. Sweet, robust, warming, and well-suited to the season, here are the best porters to drink now.
Courtesy image
1. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
There are few porters more well-respected than Deschutes’ iconic Black Butte Porter. It’s brewed with Cascade and Tettnang hops as well as 2-row, Chocolate, Crystal, and Carapils malts as well as wheat. This 5.5% ABV year-round offering is great for cold-weather drinking because of its mix of roasted malts, coffee, and chocolate. It’s a robust, subtly sweet beer perfect for imbibing on a crisp fall night.
The key to 360-degree muscle: 90-degree eccentric isometrics. It might seem like we’re throwing a lot of geometry at you, but the concept behind time under tension (TUT) is simple, says Joel Seedman, PhD, owner of Advanced Human Performance: “Perform the lowering phase of a movement in a slow, controlled fashion, usually 3 to 5 seconds; pause in the stretched position, typically around 90 degrees; then perform the lifting phase in a powerful yet controlled fashion.” Believe us, a time-under-tension workout can humble even seasoned lifters…Eccentric isometrics are like the pressure cooker of training.
“Rather than mindlessly performing slow-tempo reps, you’re using the increased time under tension as a means to fine-tune your body mechanics and alignment, which requires more mental engagement and focus,” Seedman adds.
If you want to forge functional muscle mass and strength while simultaneously bulletproofing the joints and connective tissue, give this 10-move, full-body eccentric isometrics workout a go.
Directions
Perform the following moves as 90-degree eccentric isometrics following the above protocol. Use heavy weight, but not at the detriment of proper form. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets and 2 minutes between circuits. Perform once every 2 to 4 days for optimal results.
Best Time-Under-Tension Workout for Total-Body Strength
Circuit 1
Marius Bugge
A. Barbell Back Squat
Set a squat rack up with heavy weight, then grasp bar and step under it. Squeeze shoulder blades together, then stand to unrack bar and step back with feet shoulder-width apart. Inhale, hinge at hips and slowly bend knees to 90 degrees. Pause, keeping natural arch in low back, then extend through hips to powerfully stand. 3 x 4-6 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Renegade Row
Start in the top position of a pushup with hands shoulder-width apart on moderate-to-heavy dumbbells (shown). Explosively drive right elbow back to row dumbbell toward ribs while balancing on opposite hand and feet. Pause, then slowly lower weight, stopping a few inches above floor. Switch sides after all reps are done. 3 x 5 reps each side
Circuit 2
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bentover Row
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in front of thighs, palms facing you. Push hips back and hinge torso forward so it’s nearly parallel to floor, soft bend in knees. Dumbbells should be near shins. Drive elbows back to row weights toward ribs. Pause, then slowly lower down for 3 to 5 seconds. 3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Incline Dumbbell Chest Press with Legs Raised
Set an adjustable bench to a 30- to 45-degree angle and lie back with dumbbells in either hand. Engage core and lift legs off floor, flexing feet. Press weights overhead, palms in. Slowly lower to 90 degrees, staying tight and compact. Pause, then drive weights up directly over chest. 3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 3
Marius Bugge
A. Dumbbell Bulgarian Squat
Stand lunge-length in front of a flat bench, holding heavy dumbbells in each hand by your sides, palms facing in. Rest the ball on top (shoe’s laces) of your right foot behind you on the bench. Slowly lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor. Pause, then drive through your heel to stand. Switch sides after all reps are complete. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Marius Bugge
B. Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Drive right leg up, foot flexed, knee aligned with hip, making a 90-degree angle. Hinge at hips as you slowly lever your torso toward floor, lowering weights and driving right leg back for counterbalance. Hold, then squeeze glutes to reverse. 2 x 3-4 reps each side
Circuit 4
Marius Bugge
A. Pullup
Hang from a pullup bar using an overhand grip with legs extended and feet flexed. Engage lats and draw shoulders down your back, then pull yourself up until chin is higher than hands. Pause at the top, then slowly lower. Pause at bottom, then reset before your next rep. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Marius Bugge
B. Kneeling Overhead Barbell Press
Hold a bar with moderate-to-heavy load at shoulder level with forearms perpendicular to floor. Kneel at end of bench with feet flexed to grip edge for support. Inhale, engage your core and glutes, then press the bar overhead, pushing your head forward so it passes your face, exhaling at the top. Slowly lower until elbows are at 90 degrees, then hold to maintain tension. Begin your next rep from here. 2-3 x 4-5 reps
Circuit 5
A. Dumbbell Pushup
Place hands on dumbbells (this provides greater range of motion) at shoulder width and feet wider than shoulder width with just toes touching the ground. Keep head neutral and hips high to increase tension on core, chest and tris and reduce stress on spine. Slowly lower to the floor. Stop once elbows hit 90 degrees, pause, then push up to start. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
B. Biceps Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart with moderate-to-heavy dumbbells in each hand hanging by sides. Engage biceps to curl the weights up, keeping upper arms still. Pause at the top, then lower slowly. Don’t let arms drop all the way down to keep greater time under tension on biceps. 1-2 x 6-8 reps
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If you haven’t picked up a jump rope since elementary school, you’re missing out on a fantastic cardio workout. Not only will you burn a ton of calories in a short amount of time—200 to 300 calories in 15 minutes—but jump ropes can also improve your coordination and agility. Better yet, jumping rope doesn’t require much space, so it’s easy to do at home, and it’s often more mentally stimulating than jogging or swimming.
Choosing a Jump Rope
When deciding which jump rope is best for you, it’s important to determine what your goals are. While lightweight speed ropes are popular for cardio-focused training, weighted or drag ropes will be best for those focused on strength training.
No matter what your training goals are, we’ve got you covered with this roundup of 10 jump ropes from top brands including Crossrope, TRX, Rogue, and more.
The Best Jump Ropes of 2022
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