"It was right around this time last year that Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja’s photograph of a gridlocked queue of mountain climbers perched on Mt. Everest’s final ridge went viral. The picture was both surreal in its contrast — a line of ripstop color against forbidding blue and white — and alarming in its revelation of how overcrowded one of Earth’s most inhospitable places has become.
This year, thanks to the coronavirus, Everest is closed. A small number of Chinese climbers are attempting to reach its summit, but they won’t encounter any lines at the top. Because of travel limitations and efforts to prevent large groups from gathering, many other adventure destinations are closed, too, from icons like the Pacific Crest Trail to local parks and trailheads.
Where does that put elite outdoor athletes who have spent months and sometimes years planning and training for trips and expeditions that should be taking place now? We caught up with a few of them to find out how the pandemic has affected a life spent outdoors — and what gear they’re relying on around the house." TANNER BOWDEN - Gear Patrol - May 9, 2020