I know you think this headline is clickbait, but I’m not bullshitting you. I used Balmuda The Toaster just once before I tucked my Cuisinart two-slicer under my arm, marched down the stairs of my four-floor walkup, and abandoned it on the sidewalk with a note that read ‘It works!’ It felt a little like leaving a baby on someone else’s doorstep. Okay, maybe maybe more like trading in my 2009 Honda Civic—a bumper car—for a Porsche 911 Carrera—sleek, flashy, and impeccably built.

I had my doubts: How much of a difference can a toaster really make? Just wait and see. I’ll do all the talking, but Balmuda will blow your mind as a beacon of style and design.

What Is Balmuda The Toaster?

Think toaster oven to the umpteenth degree. … Read more

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Some of my strongest memories from nearly 40 years of skiing happened at the hands of the sport’s most questionable lift. I can still clearly recall my first day ever out, four decades ago, for falling off a T-bar surface lift. I can picture my teenage best friend and I huddled together on a slow and cold double-chair plotting our future as pro skiers. And I’ll always remember riding a T-bar with a toddler, partially because of the back pain.

But a troubling trend to replace these ski hill scourges has some collateral damage: losing all those rites of passage for the next generation. And all that core character, replaced instead by a high-speed quad that plays music, a heated bubble chair, and a covered magic carpet, respectively, in one case in particular.

That latest stinging casualty is the Summit Platter, which used to pull the daring to the best … Read more

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I wish everyone would use retinol. And I’m sure your dermatologist agrees with me on this one. That’s because retinol is the agreed-upon favorite skincare ingredient when it comes to reversing signs of aging, preventing further signs, and even mitigating acne and hyperpigmentation. It’s not an exaggeration to call it a miracle ingredient, and the best news of all is that it’s extremely easy to come by.

Retinol is found in numerous over-the-counter (OTC) products, but is also frequently subscribed in higher, more directly impactful doses by your board-certified dermo. However, while I wholly endorse incorporating it into your nightly regimen, I don’t advise doing so without the prior consult of your dermatologist—because retinol can also make the skin extremely sensitive to sunlight, and prone to peeling, if used improperly or in excess.

Still, there is a lot you … Read more

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Cooking was fun when, you know, 100 percent of your meals weren’t of the at-home variety. At this point, your spatula is tired. Your trusty sauté is weary. You feel your fingers slowly curling into arthritic oblivion from stirring one too many stews. No more. It’s time to embrace the humble air fryer, a workhorse in the kitchen that “fries” up food with air instead of oil. Did you hear us? Healthy “fried” food.

Indeed, the countertop convection appliance gives your food (potatoes, zucchini, chicken, catfish, salmon, calzones, corn, pita…you name it) that crispy exterior you crave without the side order of a heart attack. Best of all, “cooking” is a breeze: You simply put your food in a fryer-style basket and press some buttons. Below, we’ve rounded up the best air fryers on the market. Ready to get non-cooking? Try our favorite air fryer recipes.

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Factories. Smog. Surveillance. Not things normally associated with backcountry sojourns. But beyond that reality, China also is home to some of the world’s most rugged mountains, vast deserts, and epic sweeps of otherworldly scenery. Five years in the making, China is launching a national parks system to rival the United States’. Or so they say…

Since 2015, the country, which is roughly the same size as the United States, has been planning a national parks system with a belated eye toward conserving its natural wonders. After COVID-19 disrupted rollout plans, the government’s ambitious scheme is back on track, with the first of 10 pilot parks to be approved by the end of 2020.

Even if a little late, China is coming big to the parks party. According to Chinese sources, the inaugural parks cover a combined 85,000 square … Read more

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Aluminum cans aren’t the only thing brewers are recycling. Increasingly, brewers are making fruit beers with previously fermented fruits such as blackberries and peaches, plus pressed grape skins and stems, turning waste into beers that you’ll want to drink again and again.

Part of the trend’s popularity can be traced to surging interest in piquette. It’s a rustic French technique of turning pomace—the skins, pulp, and stems leftover after pressing grapes for wines—into a low-alcohol, wine-like beverage that’s fizzy, fruity, and often only around 5 percent ABV. The method is favored by many natural winemakers, and “we get a lot of inspiration from what is going on in that world,” says Jake Guidry, the brand director for Hopewell Brewing.

The Chicago brewery’s Neon series of sour ales features massive amounts of fruits such as cherries, raspberries, and blueberries. At first Hopewell … Read more

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While this winter is seeing booming sales of backcountry skiing equipment, it’s also one of the deadliest avalanche seasons on record—so far, 31 backcountry travelers have been killed in nine states.

A whiskey company is doing what it can to help. Like a Saint Bernard coming to the rescue with a barrel attached to its collar, Tincup Whiskey has partnered with the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) and Weston Backcountry to increase avalanche education and backcountry safety.

Working with ski maker Weston, Tincup has created a limited number of backcountry skis and splitboards, with special graphics created by renowned mountaineer and photographer-artist Renan Ozturk. Under the program launched today (Feb. 25), everyone who takes an AIARE course this season will be registered to win a pair. Skiers and riders can also register … Read more

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It’s one thing to have a dedicated moisturizer—which is one of the essential skincare products, up there with a cleanser and exfoliator. But it’s another thing entirely to have a dedicated night cream, and to use it in place of your daytime one.

The reasoning is simple: You may not need the same defenses at night time as you would during the day (against UV rays and pollution), but moreover, your slumber is the best time to charge your skin and treat it with targeted ingredients. That’s because your body regenerates itself while you sleep, and your skin cells turn over quickly. This means that if you apply the right products for your specific needs, you’ll maximize and expedite their benefits, especially if you’re getting 7-8 hours of sleep and staying hydrated and healthy.

Night creams tend to be denser than their daytime counterparts, both physically and in terms of … Read more

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Few modern endurance athletes have traveled across wild lands by as many means of outdoor activity as Nathan Fa’avae. Credit that effective movement across various environments and sport disciplines to the home base. Fa’avae lives on the South Island of New Zealand. There, he says locals jokingly liken the area—where it seems nearly all of the island’s one million-plus residents carry kayaks, surfboards, skis, or climbing gear in their cars year-round—to one big adventure club. Fa’avae grew up connected to the outdoors: camping, fishing, diving for food, and cooking over fires on the beach with his family. By his late teens, Fa’avae knew he wanted to be an adventure professional and studied for work as an outdoor educator, learning the ropes in sports like rock climbing, kayaking, and mountain biking (the latter of which he raced semi-professionally, qualifying to represent New Zealand in the 1996 Summer Olympics, though he … Read more

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On Tuesday, I went to the butt museum. On Friday, I went to the club. And by Sunday, I was in the Caribbean. How does that work in a pandemic? I’m alone in my living room on a Peloton Bike+, and I’m having the time of my life. Desperate times, you say? In a way, yes, but saddling up on this machine—smiling at instructors’ affirmations, acquiescing to their challenges to achieve “glazed donut status” STAT, huffing in my Brooklyn walkup as passersby on the street see me maniacally spinning—has brought me a lot of joy, and kicked my ass far more than I anticipated over the last four months.

You probably clicked on this because you’re looking to invest in cardio equipment for your home gym. Stationary bikes might be firmly hedged in your mind as being both female oriented and dominated. But trust me, the newest … Read more

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Leg days are typically the most demanding for lifters—and also the most effective. Because you’re hitting some of the biggest muscles in your body, these workouts generate the greatest hormonal response, sending your testosterone levels through the roof. But if you don’t have access to a full gym—squat rack, barbell, plates, machines—you’ve got to get creative. You might not be able to build the kind of mass that, say, heavy squats and deadlifts create, but you can get some great conditioning and build muscle with at-home leg workouts.

For those reasons, it’s useful to make do with what you’ve got—even if it’s just free weights and a bench. What matters most is that you’re still training the lower body well, hard, and consistently. Try these at-home leg workouts on for size. Muster up some gumption, because these are killer.

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There are two types of desert travelers: those who appreciate its austere beauty and those who consider it a necessary evil on the drive to Vegas. Unlike most things in our increasingly binary society, the third presentation of Desert X will appeal to both. Featuring large-scale installations from a roster of international artists, the outdoor art exhibition will run from March 12 to May 16 at sites spanning 40 miles across Southern California’s Coachella Valley.

Organizers say the exhibition provides artists a rare opportunity to present work at a time when many museums are closed. Past highlights included a series of billboards displaying images by Chemehuevi Indian artist Cara Romero, whose visceral representations of Indigenous cultural memory and modern experience inspired thousands of roadside selfies. This year’s edition was curated by César García-Alvarez and Neville Wakefield, and features pieces from 13 artists.

“Projects will explore issues essential to … Read more

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