jilli cluff

outdoor + adventure journalist, gear tester, copywriter, and editor with 2.5 years of SEO experience and 8 years of formal legal + technical writing experience

for freelance and project inquiries, please email jilli.editorial@gmail.com

published work

GearJunkie

NY REI Workers Vote to Form First Unionized Co-op by Decisive Majority

REI’s SoHo location made history Wednesday with a historic 88-14 vote to form the co-op’s first union. In an in-person vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), workers at REI’s SoHo, N.Y., store overwhelmingly voted to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Once the vote is certified, the RWDSU will represent approximately 116 workers at the outdoor sports equipment company in contract negotiations, which will commence this year. The newly formed uni
GearJunkie

70-Year-Old Plans New Everest Route With No O2

Seasoned alpinist and mountain guide Marc Batard will attempt to climb the 29,000-foot peak that sidesteps the notorious Khumbu Icefall. With a death toll that exceeds 40 human lives, the Khumbu Icefall is one of Mount Everest’s most dangerous zones. The ever-shifting route through a glacial minefield grows more lethal as global temperatures continue to rise. But the 70-year-old Batard perceives the increasingly unstable situation as an opportunity to lay a new — and ostensibly safer — line.
GearJunkie

IFSC World Cup Climbing Rules & Scoring Explained

Perplexed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC)’s scoring system for World Cup climbing competitions? Here’s how to decrypt Boulder, Lead, and Speed stats and rankings. For anyone unfamiliar with IFSC competition scoring, decoding the climber’s scorecards is like playing chess with your eyes closed. So, we put together an earnest attempt to simplify the IFSC’s scoring process, clarify any quirks in its rulebook, and break down competition jargon. The IFSC holds World Cup eve
Explorersweb

Two Ambitious Bike-and-Climb Expeditions Officially Underway in Europe

Young British climber Anna Taylor aims to summit 100 routes all over the UK, while Germany’s Stefan Glowacz and Phillip Hanns hunt down multi-pitch first ascents in the Alps. All three climbers will access each destination by self-propelled, or “fair,” means. Last year, Lake District climber Anna Taylor made waves as the first woman to complete the UK’s 83-route Classic Rock circuit. By the end of the challenge, she had climbed more than 10,000 vertical metres and cycled more than 2,500km. Now
Explorersweb

Eight Left: Man Will Climb All 282 of Scotland's 'Munro' Peaks — in His 80s

Nick Gardner of Gairloch, Scotland, is 82 years old and nearing the end of a considerable challenge: bagging all 282 Munros. “Munro” is parlance for any Scottish mountain 3,000 feet (914m) or more high. At the time of writing, the former physics teacher is only eight peaks away from a complete ticklist. The circumstances that inspired Gardner to undertake such a massive project make his story all the more remarkable. In mid-2020, he and his children made the difficult decision to move his wife
GearJunkie

Adam Ondra's 2022 Climbing Ticklist & Accomplishments

It’s been a busy year for Mr. Adam Ondra, and we’ve consolidated his progress so far. Who else do you know that sends a new 5.14 weekly? Statistically, Ondra is the most accomplished sport climber of all time, and he remains light-years ahead of most of his peers. Enumerating his ridiculous list of lifetime climbing conquests became a clerical duty long ago. Starting in 2019 through the Olympics, Ondra limited his capacity dramatically to train indoors. He only logged 10% of his usual outdoor
GearJunkie

110 Years Later, IOC Reinstates Jim Thorpe’s Controversial Gold Medals

In 1913, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) controversially voted to strip Native American athlete Jim Thorpe of his 1912 Olympic titles. Finally, after more than a century of deliberation, officials are restoring his name to the record books. Vindication for Jim Thorpe finally arrived on July 15, 2022 — 110 years to the day that he took gold in the Olympic decathlon. Friday’s win marks the end of a successful 2-year campaign by several groups. The Doug Williams Center (DWC), which advo
GearJunkie

Sky-High Adventure Racing: Elite Paragliders Take On the Pyrenees Traverse

This weekend, one of the toughest hike-and-fly rallies on Earth returns for its fifth run. Six days, 376 miles, and a remarkably stacked field — X-Pyr 2022 is one paragliding race you won’t want to miss. On June 26 at 10 a.m. CEST, 45 seasoned paragliders will launch from Spain’s Atlantic coast for a multiday hike-and-fly race. Supported by just one personal ground operator each, the pilots will attempt to navigate 370-plus miles over the Pyrenees range. The first paraglider to pass through all
Explorersweb

Interview with Madison Eklund: 560km Into a Solo Paddle

On May 7, 26-year-old Madison Eklund left Minneapolis to kayak 2,400km alone to Hudson Bay, in the Canadian north. Her journey will cross through Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and span most of Manitoba. ExWeb caught up with the young paddler to learn what motivates her, how she prepared for what she calls Expedition Alpine, and how the trip’s going so far. To the best of Eklund’s knowledge, hers is the fourth expedition to pursue the Minneapolis to Hudson Bay line, but the first solo.
GearJunkie

Alex Megos Claims First Ascent of Chris Sharma's 'Rastaman Vibrations': 5.15b?

It took the German rock jock 9 days’ work to become the first climber to finish a route the legendary Sharma bolted 10 years ago. Pro climber Alex Megos is proving himself productive this summer, especially in France. Soon after claiming a World Cup medal in Briançon last week, Megos beelined it for Ceuse to work on his most recent project, “Rastaman Vibrations.” On Sunday, July 31 — just 2 days after his return to Ceuse — Megos cashed in. He celebrated his first ascent of the long-silent rout
Explorersweb

Police Locate Bodies of Missing Journalist and Indigenous Expert in Brazil

Late Wednesday evening, Brazilian authorities announced that they have located what they believe to be the bodies of journalist Dom Phillips (57) and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira (41). As previously reported, Phillips and Pereira went missing near the Vale do Javari region on June 5. In the press briefing, regional police chief Eduardo Fontes explained that the lead suspect, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, confessed to shooting both men and led investigators to the location of their remains.
GearJunkie

For First Time Ever, IFSC Youth World Climbing Champs Come to US

Two Texas climbing gyms will host the premier international youth climbing competition later this month. From Aug. 22 to 31, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) Youth World Championship will take over Dallas. It’s the tour’s first-ever scheduled stop for an IFSC Championship event, adult or youth, in the United States. More than 400 of today’s most promising young climbers will unleash on the “DFW” burbs to compete in bouldering, lead climbing, and speed events. The IFSC spli
GearJunkie

Crash Pads & Crack: Pete Whittaker Tries the World's Hardest Crack Boulder

In this footage, the lean and mean crack king attempts to wrangle the third ascent on a burly V13 boulder problem established by his Wide Boyz co-conspirator. At V13, the jammy test piece is the world’s hardest crack-style boulder to date. So, it should come as no surprise that Wide Boyz‘ own Tom Randall is responsible for authoring it back in 2015. Plenty of folks have tried “The Kraken,” but only Alex Waterhouse managed to repeat it. So, can good ol’ Pete pebble wrestle his way to a triumpha
Explorersweb

Chorizo Centauri? Award-Winning Physicist Trolls Media With Image of Sausage

Award-winning French physicist Etienne Klein has issued a public apology for presenting a photo of a slice of chorizo sausage as an image of Proxima Centauri taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In his retraction, Klein said that he did this as a satirical way to inspire broader, healthier skepticism over the validity of astronomical images before accepting them as fact. “I come to present my apologies to those who may have been shocked by my prank, which had nothing original about
GearJunkie

'Hog Heaven': A Gravel Cyclist, a Rancher, and Common Ground

‘The Path Less Paved’ is a brief study of neighborliness between a modern city slicker and a salt-of-the-earth ranchin’ man. In 2018, cyclist Alex Morgan and his wife left city life behind and headed for the rural town of Ocate, N.M. To a gravel rider, the area is akin to Valhalla — stretches of unpaved roads, steep climbs, rolling hills, pristine air. The open, remote landscape is also why the area’s ranching community reaches back generations. When Morgan accidentally trespassed onto ranche
GearJunkie

Steepest 5.13a in the States? Jordan Cannon Climbs ‘Countdown to Ecstasy’

In this brief, send-y footage, the accomplished big-wall climber grinds out an epic, bolted roof in the Vegas hills. Jordan Cannon is no stranger to styling some of the most heroic rock climbs in the States. Though many know him for his high-octane performances in Yosemite Valley, the truth is that JCann is one of today’s finest all-around ascensionists. In this stripped-down edit from Arc’teryx, Cannon spiders his way across “Countdown to Ecstasy,” a powerful, primarily horizontal sport route
GearJunkie

Dojo Mojo: Adam Ondra, Martin Stráník Simulate World Cup Climbing

Two of the world’s best professional climbers show us how they prepare for the highest level of competition. Pro climbers Adam Ondra and Martin Stráník have held their own in IFSC World Cup tournaments since before they could drive. Consistently shelling out strong performances on the world stage, as both athletes continue to do, requires a devout and effective training regimen. In the days leading up to a Lead World Cup, Ondra and Stráník get to work under conditions that precisely mimic IFSC
GearJunkie

Paragliding Over Switzerland With the X-Alps Academy

Need a quick pick-me-up? This edit from the POV of a Swiss paragliding master should do the trick. Christian ‘Chrigel’ Maurer may be the most decorated paragliding pilot of all time. To date, the athlete’s won seven Red Bull X-Alps events, four X-Pyr races, three Paragliding World Cup Association events, and 11 World Cups. When he isn’t busy crushing hike-and-fly races around the world, he runs paragliding clinics at the X-Alps training academy. In this short video, Maurer takes us along for
GearJunkie

Red Bull Athletes Swarm The Nines With Pops of Color

What happens when you equip some of the world’s best winter athletes with a rainbow of smoke flares? Red Bull’s creative team had to know. To find out, the team headed to Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where The Nines was in full swing. Once there, it recruited freeskiers and snowboarders to unleash a multicolored arsenal of smoke flares on the sugary white terrain. Some flares decorated ski poles and helmets; others flocked the sides of boards. A few pros even strapped extra flares to their glov
GearJunkie

Specialized GEN-S: Young MTB Crushers in Training

Meet the first class of Specialized’s exciting youth development program, a pack of super-stoked kiddos from all over the world. Launched in summer 2022, GEN-S pairs tweens and teens with some of the best mountain bikers in the biz. The goal, according to Specialized’s mission statement, is “to develop the next generation of passionate riders by merging the past with the future.” This edit introduces the program’s freshman set of young badasses and their MTB senseis, Loic Bruni, Manon Carpente
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gear reviews & guides

a collection of personally tested product reviews and buying guides

Explorersweb

MODL All-in-One Bottle: Adaptable, Packable, Indispensable

MODL (pronounced maw · dohl) is a modular all-in-one bottle that’s light, packable, exceptionally tough, airtight, and — to borrow from MODL Outdoors cofounder, Justin Guld — it isn’t simply a water bottle, hydration pack, filter bottle, etc. It’s “an entirely new category of gear: the utility bottle.” The MODL system is adaptable and grounded in the startup’s “flexible design philosophy.” What might sound like an overly ambitious product is actually an intuitive and conceptually simple multito
Explorersweb

Quick, Not Dirty: The Best Filtered Water Bottles of 2022

Water is everywhere. And it touches everything. Recent events and studies have shown us that even once-safe water sources (like your friendly municipal water treatment plant) may be harbingers of dissolved lead. I don’t care if you’re a suburban Jones or a rugged adventurer, your biological imperative for potable water is one thing you can’t change. The fastest, most cost-effective way to survive and conquer unsafe drinking water? A well-engineered filtered water bottle. Lucky us, there is a we