Subscribe to Outside Magazine
advertisement
Survival Guru

Today's Question
How do you make primitive snowshoes? answer

What should you do if you get lost driving in a snow storm? answer

Eco Adventurer

Today's Question
What is the greenest ski and snowboard on the market? answer

Can I really damage a coral reef with sunscreen while snorkeling? answer

Videos Ask Dave
  • What kind of dog will make me look manlier? answer
  • Is there a sport that safely combines my twin passions for guns and kayaks? answer
  • How come most of the world's cultures enjoy eating goat, but Americans don't? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries
save this page print this page email this page
  • share this page

Outside Magazine January 2005

Dispatches: Driver’s Seat
Current Attractions

By Grayson Schaffer


brad ludden
IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING: Ludden holds court near Vail, Colorado (Grayson Schaffer)
When kayaking wunderkind Brad Ludden made the cover of Outside in August 2000, the 19-year-old Montanan was having a dream summer—winning free- style events while Kerouacking across the country in a flame- emblazoned Subaru, courtesy of kayak maker Dagger. It was as good as it got in a niche sport that paid its pros in burritos. Fast-forward to 2005: Whitewater paddling has blossomed into a mainstream sport, and Ludden is its most beloved advocate, successfully selling himself through a combination of folksy charisma and savvy self-promotion. Along the way, he's bumped his salary to six figures, bought a half-million-dollar home near Vail, and paddled in some 40 countries, notching first descents on more than 100 rivers, including four gems in Madagascar during a pioneering expedition this past August. (See "Red Island Revival," page 32.) Ludden still gets a free Subaru every year but now prefers to travel in his single- engine Cessna 182, which will play a key role in his spring project: a barnstorming hunt for huckable waterfalls in the Midwest. Says Ludden, "I'll take turbulence over traffic any day."



• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!
• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!
• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.