The Red Bulletin US 04/20 by Red Bull Media House

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

U.S. EDITION APRIL 2020, $5.99

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

BEAT POET THE RED BULLETIN 04/2020

NOW D E TA I L S

INSIDE

CHAMPION STREET DANCER ANGYIL SHARES HOW HER ART SAVED HER LIFE

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E P I C PA S S .C O M / R E D B U L L

EDITOR’S NOTE

A CULTURE OF UNDERSTANDING Within the Red Bull universe, folks use the term “culture” a lot—a word (derived from a Latin root that means to inhabit, cultivate or honor) that embodies music, art, dance and film. This issue contains several stories that profile people who express creativity in ways that honor or cultivate something bigger than themselves. Like our cover story, “Flipping the Script” (page 26), which explores how champion street dancer Angyil overcame adversity and found meaning (and success) through her art.

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE

RAWIYA KAMEIR

“It’s pretty rare to get to watch in real time as an artist takes years of ideas and makes them tangible,” says the Brooklyn-based writer, editor and producer about noted stylist, artist and creative director Akeem Smith’s upcoming solo exhibition on Jamaican dancehall and personal memory. “So getting a peek into Smith’s process was a welcome thrill.” Kameir’s work has appeared in The Fader and Vogue. Page 38

With gifted skate and basketball photographer Atiba Jefferson in tow, Angyil revisited her high school in the Kansas City community where she grew up.

Another side of culture emerges in “The Art of Jamaican Dancehall” (page 38), which previews a new exhibition by iconoclastic stylist Akeem Smith, who seeks to honestly portray a legendary but often misrepresented scene and to explore the nature of memory. These stories highlight what culture can do best—make people think and feel and question, to truly inhabit the world around them. 04

“It was my first time in Kansas City, and it was a real honor to see some of its original neighborhoods with Angyil, who is a proud native,” says the Brooklyn-based writer, about her profile of champion street dancer Angela “Angyil” McNeal. “Watching her dance on set was amazing—I felt lucky to share space with such a gifted and warm-hearted being.” Starling’s work has appeared in The Fader, Esquire and Vulture. Page 26

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ATIBA JEFFERSON (COVER)

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CONTENTS April

FEATURES

2 6 Flipping the Script

Growing up, Angela “Angyil” McNeal escaped adversity through ballet, but street dancing is where she found her voice.

3 8 No Gyal Can Test

Fashion impresario Akeem Smith reveals the inspiration for his upcoming exhibit about the Jamaican dancehall scene.

5 0 The Free One

For the fast-rising pro surfer (and Olympic medal contender) Kanoa Igarashi, home is where the waves are.

6 4 Greenland on the Rocks

Ice climber Will Gadd once again scales the walls to uncharted territory—this time in a glacial cave deep in Greenland’s belly.

64 FRIGID FIELDWORK

Gadd and USF professor Jason Gulley explore the bottom of a glacier cave in Greenland.

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EARTH ANGYIL The globe-trotting champion dancer shows The Red Bulletin her Kansas City roots, from the high school where she learned her art to a local mural painted in her honor.

THE

DEPARTURE

Taking You to New Heights

09 After an ACL injury, BMX pro Broc Raiford is back 12 Dancer Toyin Sogunro

finds serenity and success

14 Two brothers conquer

races for a good cause

16 Zeppelin-skiing in Austria 18 Finding balance in L.A. 20 Promoting hope after surviving civil war

2 2 An apocalyptic wetsuit that’s safe for toxic waters 23 Tame Impala’s chill playlist

GUIDE

Get it. Do it. See it. 77 Travel: Party down or loosen up in South Florida 82 Fitness tips from motocross legend Tarah Gieger 84 Dates for your calendar 85 This month on Red Bull TV 88 The best new hiking gear; plus: furry friend essentials 96 The Red Bulletin worldwide

ATIBA JEFFERSON, CHRISTIAN PONDELLA, JASON HALAYKO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

98 Kayaking in Patagonia

50 SWELL GUY

An ascendant Igarashi finished the 2019 season ranked sixth overall on the Championship Tour. Next up: Tokyo 2020.

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Visit Redbullshopus.com and check out merchandise from the world of Red Bull

LIFE

STYLE

BEYOND

THE

ORDINARY

THE

THE KING OF GRATITUDE

ROBBY KLEIN

After a tough ACL injury, BMX pro Broc Raiford is healed—and happy to be on the bike again.

After a tough “recovery year,” Raiford is poised for big things in 2020. THE RED BULLETIN

roc Raiford is filled with gratitude. He’s grateful to be living out his lifelong dream as a professional freestyle BMX rider, balancing between street competitions and video shoots. He’s grateful that he’s recovered from a torn ACL in 2018 that forced him off the bike for eight months. He’s grateful for that and more. Right now, Broc Raiford is grateful to be a Red Bull athlete. His sponsorship was made official in September; he was informed by friend and BMX mentor Terry Adams, a surprise moment captured on video. Handed a team hat, Raiford broke down in tears, saying, “This is the best day of my life.” He would later call it a “dream come true.” In terms of pathways to a BMX career, Raiford, 26, has led a charmed life. Growing up in Destrehan, Louisiana, near New Orleans, he was encouraged to pursue action sports. His father, Ryan, was heavily into motocross, and thus, so was young Broc. By the time he was 12, Broc had gravitated toward BMX, and then so did Ryan. When Broc was 16, Ryan bought an indoor skatepark where Broc rode frequently. Father-son freestyle sessions followed, and Broc signed his first pro contract before graduating high school.

Three years later, Ryan loaded up the family van and drove Broc from Louisiana to California; Broc spent a year in Huntington Beach before settling in Long Beach. From there, it’s been a mostly upward career trajectory. In June 2016 he took a bronze medal at the Austin X Games and won the Vans BMX Street Invitational. He was sixth at the Minneapolis X Games in 2017 and third at the 2018 Simple Session, a marquee BMX event held in Estonia. Then came the injury in March 2018. While filming a jump over a stair set, Raiford pulled a flawless 360 over the stairs. The videographer requested a second shot from a different angle, to illustrate how tall the stair set was. Raiford did the jump, lost his balance in the air and put a leg down, tearing the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. It was “just a dab,” Raiford says. “It would be like tearing your ACL going around a turn on a sidewalk and just putting your foot out to keep yourself from falling over.” For a month after surgery, he couldn’t walk at all. The injury temporarily neutralized a key strength: his power. At 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds, Raiford is larger than the average BMX pro. His strength lets him hop higher than his competitors, allowing him to reach obstacles that others can’t. But the muscular atrophy that resulted from his surgery took that away. He underwent “grueling” physical therapy, often five days a week, for eight months. Though he was back at it in 2019, finishing fourth at Simple Session and sixth at X Games Minneapolis, Raiford looks at the past season as a “recovery year”—which made the Red Bull contract even more gratifying. Throughout his career, Raiford had held out for Red Bull, turning away offers from other brands. “Growing up in Louisiana, being close friends with Terry [Adams], he was the dude from my area who had made it as a BMX rider,” Raiford

Raiford has the size and strength to execute moves that other BMX competitors can’t pull off.

MARV WATSON, ROBBY KLEIN

T H E D E PA RT U R E

“WHEN I’M OUT FILMING, THE CREATIVITY IS FLOWING.”

explains. “It was cool to see Terry make a name for himself and do all these great things. He really inspired me to follow a similar path. I saw that he was with Red Bull, how they treated him, and I just knew that was something I wanted for myself. That was a motivator for me to become the best BMX rider I could be.” It might be natural to assume that a guy like Raiford—an accomplished artist who’s covered in tattoos—would gravitate toward the more expressive side of freestyle BMX, not the more structured world of competition, where subjective judging determines podium placings. But when asked which he prefers, the intensity of competition or the improvisation of filming, Raiford says they are two sides of the same coin: “It’s hard to compare, because they’re so different. When I’m out filming, the creativity is flowing. It’s just whatever you feel like doing that day. You can do that and film that and be stoked and feel the success of that.” But he likes the challenges of contests, too. “At a contest, there’s obviously a bit of pressure, but it’s a feeling that I’ve come to enjoy,” he says. “I enjoy the challenge of having to work through what’s going to score highly, what’s not— can I land these two tricks in the same run together and still have the stamina to land other tricks? I love how it’s two totally different mental processes, and they are both an acquired skill.” The Red Bull deal wasn’t the only major change for Raiford heading into 2020. At the end of 2019 he parted ways with his longtime bike sponsor, Volume, to join Sunday Bikes. He rewarded his new partners with his first overall victory since his injury, winning the Joyride Street Invitational in January. And in February he finished second at Simple Session. And for that, Broc Raiford was grateful.—Neal Rogers 11

Urban Dance

IAN WITLEN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

LIKE A DREAM

Tapping into her passion for dance, Toyin Sogunro has battled cancer and other struggles to find success and community. 12 â&#x20AC;&#x2030;

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“I HAVE A GUMBO POT OF MOVEMENT.”

hen asked to put into words what it feels like when she is dancing at her best, Toyin Sogunro describes pure happiness. “It’s blissful,” the 33-yearold dancer says. “You don’t see anyone there, but you feel them. It’s like a dream. You’re not in control in a way, and so you don’t know what’s next.” It’s a chilly day in early January, but Sogunro looks peaceful as she sips coconut soup at a tea house across the street from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. She also looks ready for a dance battle at any moment. As a sought-after dancer and teacher of house, hip-hop and other forms of urban dance, she is away from her hometown roughly eight months out of the year and happy to be back on a break. For anyone who has witnessed her dancing live or on YouTube, her movement is both otherworldly and yet completely down-to-earth; possessed yet in control. You want to bottle the look of joy on her face. She’s dancing in front of an audience, sure, but she’s not dancing for them. Her dreamlike state is guided by something deeper: her ancestors, her heart, her feet. “I have that kind of gumbo pot of movement—a little bit of that homegrown gospel country mixed with an African foundation—along with a city hip-hop girl,” she says after explaining that her father is Nigerian and her late mother was “country” from Southern Maryland. But she wasn’t always this comfortable with improvised dance. As a preteen, she once

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made it to the final round of auditions for a Debbie Allen production. By then, she had been studying ballet, modern and jazz for years, but when asked to improvise something, Sogunro was stuck. “You had some kids doing backflips,” she remembers. “Everybody had their own little thing. And I just felt like I don’t know what else to do.” Years later, when she was taking community college classes and living at home with her parents, she got another invitation to improvise, this time while auditioning to become a mentee of Junious L. Brickhouse, founder of the D.C.-area dance company Urban Artistry. Brickhouse randomly threw on an Anita Baker track. “She killed it,” Brickhouse recalls. “She was in her own element. Her level of talent and understanding of music and movement isn’t normal. She has a connection not only to the movement but to herself.” Sogunro is now a co-artistic director at Urban Artistry. Sogunro’s breakout moment came in March 2011, when she and her dance partner, LaTasha Barnes, won the Juste Debout competition in Paris. It was their first time competing in a major international dance contest. All of a sudden, the women found themselves in the housedance final, battling a pair of dancers, UK and P-Jay, whom they’d long admired from afar. “It was a weird moment,” Sogunro remembers. “People knew our names. It made us feel valid in what we were doing.” After Debout, offers to teach house dance started coming in from around the

world. She also became a regular at global competitions such as Red Bull Dance Your Style and many others. On the circuit, she has seen firsthand how women are sometimes pigeonholed and tokenized within the housedance scene. Often the more aggressive styles of house are viewed as more difficult or impressive, while techniques that are more subtle—and often evoke the feminine—are downplayed or simply overlooked. “It’s not that you have to be aggressive,” she says. “It’s just being assertive in any movement. And if you’re assertive, then you’re there to battle as well.” Last year was another turning point for her career: She finally felt comfortable leaving her longtime survival job, working at daycare centers. “It was really weird to come back to regular life,” she says. “To keep going back and forth mentally, it was like, ‘I can’t continue like that.’ ” For now, Sogunro focuses on living in the moment and remembering not to take life for granted—and for good reason: Six years ago she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent multiple radiation treatments. Her cancer didn’t respond much to treatment, but thankfully, it hasn’t gotten worse. In the meantime, she says, her doctors are keeping a close eye on it. “Luckily for me, I’m able to still dance,” she says. “I still travel. It’s stressful and then it’s also weird, because I’m able to forget it in a way.” Later this year, Sogunro plans to relocate to Los Angeles with the hope of growing the Nefer Movement, an all-womenof-color dance collective she co-founded in 2018. It’s time to do for others what Brickhouse did for her, she says. “I think as women, we really have to support each other,” she says. “And knowing that I have the opportunity to inspire somebody else helps me push myself. I tell everyone: ‘Be fearless. Do your thing.’ ” —Beandrea July 13

Pease Brothers

STAYING POWER

Together, two siblings have conquered endurance races to promote greater awareness for disabled athletes. This April, they’re taking on the Boston Marathon.

rent and Kyle Pease aren’t afraid of huge challenges. In fact, they pay and travel long distances to pursue them. As a push-assist racing team that has competed together for nearly a decade, the brothers have learned how to keep each other going strong while overcoming obstacles including monsoon-like conditions, pothole-riddled roads and the sheer fatigue that accompanies longdistance races. Kyle, who was born with cerebral palsy and rides in a specially designed wheelchair pushed by his brother, has developed a keen sense of when Brent needs encouragement. Sometimes he’ll recite the uplifting mantra from The Little Engine That Could to boost their spirits: I think I can, I think you can, I think we can, I think we can . . . Other times, stronger language is necessary: “In Hawaii [at the Ironman World Championship race], I needed to utter a few things not suitable for print,” Kyle jokes. “We call those the brotherly moments that you don’t always hear about.” The unwavering support of the Pease brothers extends beyond their team of two. Since the day Kyle and Brent completed their first triathlon together in 2011, their mission has been to support other athletes in the disabled community. “After we crossed the finish line, Kyle said to me, ‘I want others to be able to experience this as well,’ ” Brent recounts. “And that was the

catalyst for the Kyle Pease Foundation.” Kyle and Brent founded KPF hoping to improve the lives of disabled men and women of all ages by helping them compete in endurance-sports events. The Atlanta-based nonprofit has since supported 85 unique athletes across more than 400 finish lines, raising nearly $3 million for their cause. Kathy Labus, a mother of twin boys with cerebral palsy, felt the positive effect of the foundation firsthand when she and her son Andrew were invited to participate with the KPF Team in the 2019 Publix Half Marathon. They were overwhelmed by the encouragement they received. “Kyle and Brent were so open and warm, we immediately felt welcome—like we were part of something,” says Labus. “My son was just completely in awe of Kyle, and I’m in awe of both of them.” Plus, the race itself was a pleasant surprise for the

mother-son duo. “So many times, in special-needs events, it can be awkward, disorganized and uncomfortable,” Labus shares. “You often feel like you don’t belong.” Too many endurance races are plagued by a lack of organization and universal inclusion—a problem the Kyle Pease Foundation seeks to resolve. Greater inclusivity is needed in sporting events where the space for disabled athletes to compete is limited, or even nonexistent. “The biggest thing is really the amount of opportunities there are,” says Brent, noting that most major U.S. road races offer only a few slots for disabled athletes. “I hope the disability category in competitive sports continues to organize and be recognized for what it is—and for the opportunities it provides somebody like Kyle and the other athletes that we serve.” For the Boston Marathon, which typically has around

Brent and Kyle Pease competing during the 2018 Ironman World Championship.

Left: In 2018, Brent and Kyle Pease became the first push-assisted team of brothers to finish the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Right: The brothers at a 2012 triathlon in Georgia. THE RED BULLETIN

J.D. JOHNSON (2), GETTY IMAGES

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30,000 runners toeing the starting line, the maximum field size for push-assist athletes is 10 teams. Last spring Kyle and Brent qualified for the iconic race and will be among those few competitors. For the “Boston Pease Party,” what’s the game plan? Brent says they’ll aim for speed but also to enjoy every moment of the unique experience. And, of course, to use the race as a platform for disability advocacy. To help accomplish this part of their mission, KPF is THE RED BULLETIN

partnering with the Hoyt Foundation, a revered, Bostonbased nonprofit that has been building awareness for pushassist athletes for more than 30 years, the work of the original push-assist duo, father and son Dick and Rick Hoyt. “The Hoyts blazed a trail that so many of us now follow,” Brent says. “We will support their local efforts in the New England area in addition to sharing our work with their network.” With the common goal of empowering disabled athletes, the two nonprofits

will be placing a total of eight teams in the race. As they embark on their second decade of competing in endurance events, Kyle and Brent have found that racing together has fortified their relationship. “We’ve always had a strong bond, but racing has allowed us to continue to strengthen that bond at a time when many families naturally drift to follow their own paths,” says Brent. “We are incredibly fortunate to be able to continue to share a path together.” —Paige Triola

“WE’VE ALWAYS HAD A STRONG BOND.” 15

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Kleiner Valkastiel, Austria

SKY FALL

Freerider Fabrian Lentsch and alpinists Stefan Ager and Andreas Gumpenberger made history in March 2019 when they did the first-ever ski run from a Zeppelin. The trio rappelled 165 feet from the airship onto the 7,326-foot summit of Kleiner Valkastiel in the Eastern Alps, then descended down the untouched slope to a car that was waiting for them at the bottom. “We thought it was weird,” Ager told Red Bull at the time, “but it was more than that. It was totally surreal. It felt like rappelling out of a cloud.”

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MIRJAGEH.COM

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Los Angeles, California

A PERFECT BALANCE

Photographer Dan Krauss has a talent for conveying motion, movement and emotion that the audience not only sees but feels. “I had worked with Joel a few times before and knew he had an incredible gift for fearless hand balancing and hucking back flips off of just about anything,” says Krauss about parkour athlete Joel FridmanRojas, his subject here. “Joel didn’t seem nervous at all and actually followed up this image later that day with another handstand three stories above the street on the edge of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. We were asked to leave shortly after.” Instagram: @dankrauss

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From surviving the civil war in Sudan as children to performing for Nelson Mandela, these Afropop siblings are committed to promoting hope.

hen Sudanese musician Emmanuel Jal performs, he expresses joy with his whole body: flailing limbs, whipping hair, bouncing on the spot. His sister and creative collaborator, Nyaruach—she goes by only a single name— has more poise, but is just as animated. On “Gatlauk,” a song from the duo’s 2018 album, Naath, she sings in her mother tongue, Nuer, castigating a shifty potential lover over an irresistible dance beat. This uplifting experience seems at odds with the siblings’ stories. In the early ’80s, as small children, they were separated from their family during the second Sudanese civil war, which killed an estimated 2 million people. By 7, Emmanuel was in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, as detailed in his memoir, War Child: A Child Soldier’s Story. Nyaruach endured rape by government officials, and both lost countless loved ones, some killed in front of their eyes. Ultimately, both were able to escape to Kenya, where they were reunited, and in 2005 they sang together on Emmanuel’s breakout hit, “Gua” (“Peace”). Since then, Emmanuel has performed at a Live 8: Africa Calling concert in the U.K.; co-starred in a

movie with Reese Witherspoon (2014’s The Good Lie) and founded an NGO. While her brother is now based in Toronto, Nyaruach has been living in a Kenyan refugee camp with her two kids. The contrast between the trauma of their lives and the buoyancy of their music is striking, but, as they explain from a north London Airbnb the afternoon before a packed gig nearby, it makes sense. “We want to lift people,” Emmanuel says. “We want them to walk home light.” the red bulletin: Nyaruach, you had to leave Kenya recently—why was that? nyaruach: When I came here [to the U.K. on a 2018 tour] and then went back to Nairobi, government agents were trying to call me on a private number. If they can call you, they can kidnap you and kill you, so you have to run. So I don’t sleep in the house where my children are. I have to sleep in different houses and switch off my phone. I was scared. It’s like the government of South Sudan [are in contact] with the government of Nairobi. I got involved in politics because of what I’ve seen. If you lose your father, mother or sister, you cannot keep quiet, even if you will be killed; I have to say it is wrong. This is not the way women talk in South Sudan, because they don’t have a voice. Now there’s nowhere to live. I ran away from South Sudan, then from Nairobi. I need to continue my music.

What are your hopes for the future? n: To be like [Emmanuel]. I want to help people who need it. In South Sudan, women are bowing down to men. They don’t allow women to have jobs. I want to fight for women and teach them through my music. Are there other messages you’re communicating with your songs? ej: The coolest thing with music—and sport—is that tribes fade away. When I was a child soldier, I hated Muslims and my desire was to kill as many as possible. I don’t feel like that now, but at the time I was confused when they brought a Muslim singer to do a show for us. I couldn’t understand. Everyone was [fighting] to be at the front [of the audience]: soldiers, children, refugees. It was amazing! Music has no boundaries. It’s like the wind. It’s like love. Instagram: @ nyaruachmusic; emmanueljal.com

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JESS HOLLAND

LOVE CONQUERS ALL

I’m now trying to get asylum here. I’ve been in Liverpool for two months, but I’m homeless. We sleep in a big hall, like soldiers, waiting for the home office to give us housing. ej: In the area we come from, 60 people close to our family got killed. Our brother was shot on the phone as he talked to our younger brother. People are being targeted, especially where we come from. So now I talk about it, she talks about it. The issues that are hard to communicate are rape, kidnapping and mass killing. If [Nyaruach] goes into a refugee camp now, she’s visible; she’s famous, so she can’t hide. And there are spies there who could get you kidnapped.

IAN VOGLER/DAILY MIRROR

Emmanuel Jal and Nyaruach

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“MUSIC HAS NO BOUNDARIES. IT’S LIKE THE WIND. IT’S LIKE LOVE.”

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Rising Seas Wetsuit

TOXIC WAVES

Two marine specialists have teamed up to envision a future of surfing that’s terrifying and amazing at the same time.

places in the world today,” says Vince De La Pena, Vissla’s vice president of global marketing. “There are places where the water pollution is already that bad.” 1. LED DISPLAY MASK Presents data from the control center in a visual form 2. GRIP PADS Located on the torso, shoulders, elbows, knees and feet, to ensure adhesion in oily conditions 3. SMART SEAMS Built-in iron-oxide nanorods track bacteria levels, water toxicity and air quality; seams light up to indicate dangerously high radiation levels

4. CONTROL CENTER Raw data from the smart seams is processed here; the data is accessed via the touchscreen and sent to the mask

5. ANTI-R JERSEY Woven from polyester threads, nanoparticles of lead and anti-algal substances to inhibit radiation and pollutants

LOU BOYD

VISSLA

magine the scene: The waves are pumping, so you head down to the beach for an early morning surf session. On the sand, you pull on your wetsuit, gloves, booties and full-face mask, then switch on your respirator and look at the glowing dashboard on your arm to check the current bacteria levels, water toxicity, radiation and air quality. And off you run toward the infected water, safely protected by your suit’s toxin-and-radiation-absorbing bio-defense system. This is the terrifying image that surf brand Vissla and the environmental nonprofit Surfrider Foundation have created with their conceptual Rising Seas wetsuit—a futuristic bio-defense suit designed to enable surfers to “face the emerging ecological crisis” while in the water. The suit will tell you when solar radiation is dangerously high, protect your body from toxins and send messages of caution through an LED display mask. “We wanted to design something high-tech that people would really want, like when the newest iPhone comes out,” says Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation. “Hopefully they’d then be hit with the reality of how sad and scary it is that we might need something like this in the future.” As yet, this suit is only a concept, engineered by the two companies to make the public sit up and take notice, but they claim we’re not far away from it becoming the new reality if we don’t change our ways. “You could really wear this wetsuit in certain

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Playlist

HOW TO BE CHILL

The Australian psychedelic rock project Tame Impala creates music to escape from reality. Here are four tunes that help its creator switch off and relax.

ver since the release of his third album, The Current, in 2015, Tame Impala mastermind Kevin Parker has been hailed as the new messiah of rock music by the media as well as by prominent fans such as Kanye West and Rihanna. Which is surprising in a way, because the millennial hippie from Perth, Australia, with hundreds of millions of streams and a Coachella headline slot under his belt, doesn’t write obvious anthems but strange, psychedelic songs. His latest album, The Slow Rush (out now), was five years in the making and took the recording-studio nerd to the brink of exhaustion. Here are the songs that helped the 34-yearold to calm down, relax—and have a good night’s dream. tameimpala.com

NEIL KRUG

MARCEL ANDERS

BEE GEES “EVERY CHRISTIAN LIONHEARTED MAN” (1967) “Let’s start with early, early Bee Gees. This is such a beautiful tune, like super ’60s, kind of psychedelic ’60s. It’s Bee Gees before their disco era! Mark Ronson showed me this song, actually. It’s groovy but it’s dreamy. It’s perfect music to escape to—which is all I’m trying to achieve in my own music, too.” THE RED BULLETIN

SUPERTRAMP “GOODBYE STRANGER” (1979)

AIR “RUN” (2004)

NEU! “HALLOGALLO” (1972)

For me this song works just like cannons and lasers. Anyone who’s been showered in confetti or experienced a laser show understands the value of them: It’s a way of giving people an experience that they don’t have every day. This song does that for me. At the same time, it’s the song that I would want to fall asleep to most.”

“This is incredibly beautiful and serene music. I’d say that’s the song I really want to take me off to the clouds. But I would also equally use Air to wake up to. Because it gets you inspired for the day. Guess what: I’ve put it on repeat and gone to sleep in the same room and woke up in the morning and it was still playing. Made me feel really good.”

“That’s one of our favorites from back in the day. We put that song on a lot when we were touring in the early days, like driving through Australia. We’d listened to the whole first Neu! album, but this one’s my favorite. It’s repetitive, hypnotic; it’s perfect if I’m in my head too much. If you don’t know that song, give it a shot.” 23

“I think the arts can ignite a global change,” says McNeal, who was photographed in Kansas City on January 13.

Flipping the Script

Growing up in the hood in Kansas City, Angela “Angyil” McNeal escaped adversity through years of ballet training, but street dancing was where she finally expressed her voice. Words LAKIN STARLING Photography ATIBA JEFFERSON

I 28

Inside her high school alma mater, the Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, Angyil resembles a heroine in Fame.

n the lobby of Kansas City’s Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts on a cold Monday afternoon, the smell of used textbooks and cafeteria lunches delivers a rush of high school nostalgia, while the sound of a band rehearsal rattles off nearby. Lining the walls are photos of the mostly black alumni— musicians, painters and thespians. Farther down, through a winding corridor and double doors that lead into the school’s auditorium, worldrenowned street dancer Angyil McNeal, Paseo Class of 2010, is having a real fullcircle moment. Today, her formative alma mater is one of the locations for our Red Bulletin photo shoot. Behind the auditorium’s show curtain, Angyil is in her element, slinking through nimble moves as she performs for the camera. It’s instantly evident why she flourishes as a battle dancer around the globe. Full of warm energy, she flows through each flash like an exotic bird. Her arms are contorted behind her back like wings,

and within seconds she’s in an upsidedown backbend with the crown of her head on the ground, looking straight back into the lens. She’s mesmerizing. And when it comes to her body, Angyil knows what to do to make each pose count. Her burgundy-quilted Nike jogger pants swish as she pop-locks and works the red backdrop. “That wasn’t good; I felt it,” she says after ending a jump with a twirl. Without seeing the frame, she selfcorrects the misstep and lands perfectly on the mark. This precision is a result of the ballet classes Angyil began taking at the age of 10. Her years of discipline are apparent in the poise and posture that she weaves into her hip-hop technique. “I started dancing with ballet, modern and jazz when I was selected to be in an Alvin Ailey dance camp,” she says. “At the time, there was a lot going on around me in my environment that I didn’t want to be a part of. I was dancing to stay out of trouble.” THE RED BULLETIN

“I was dancing to stay out of trouble.”

Behind the curtain of Paseo’s auditorium, Angyil hits her marks with the precision of a trained ballerina.

ngela “Angyil” McNeal was born in the late spring of 1992 in Kansas City, Missouri. Raised by her single mom, Angyil is the youngest of eight siblings, whom she says sometimes felt like “five mothers and three fathers.” They all did their best to protect Angyil from the harsh conditions of the struggling neighborhoods they lived in throughout Kansas City. Although her family was able to help give Angyil structure and steer her in a more promising direction, she still has clear memories of some of the pain she saw and felt around her growing up. “We moved around a lot,” she says. “Living in a house for less than a year was normal.” Out of the many neighborhoods where Angyil’s family relocated, Troost and Prospect are the places she stayed the longest. “Prospect was actually one of the worst neighborhoods back then, so I saw a lot of destruction. There would be drive-by shootings, people would get hit by cars,” she says, revealing a nervous smile. She knows it’s not a joking matter and explains that laughing at the trauma sometimes is a way for her to cope. She recalls the cautionary instructions her mother wanted her to follow while walking home from school. It wasn’t safe to take certain streets, and it was crucial to keep walking ahead as she passed corners packed with drug activity. “I remember seeing that when I was a little girl, but I really didn’t think anything of it because I thought it was normal,” she says. “Until I realized that it’s not.” Once she got to high school at Paseo Academy, Angyil was able to push through a lot of the turmoil that continued to crowd her adolescence. As we revisit her school dance studio for the shoot, I notice that all the walls are covered with mirrors, seemingly increasing the space in the light-filled enclave tucked away from the busy hallway. It was here that Angyil’s love for dance grew into the one thing she’d rather do more than anything else. Angyil recently bought a house in Prospect, so we find retreat there after the photo shoot. It’s a humble but spacious bungalow that sits at the top of a block, not far from her old high school. These days, Angyil is dancing with Red Bull, Cirque du Soleil and World of Dance, so it’s not outlandish for her to travel to three countries in one week. When she’s not on the road, it’s important for her to feel at home back in her community. There’s a basement that she wants to turn into a gym and dance 30

studio. In the living room, there are tape outlines on the floor for the furniture she hasn’t had the time to buy yet, so we sit on quilts that make the room feel like a meditation lair. At 27, Angyil has reclaimed some of the security and peace she craved as a youth. Early on, she learned that in order to be a dancer and find success beyond her hometown, she would have to be fearless. As we discuss her childhood, it becomes clear that the seeds of Angyil’s greatness were planted in her backyard, during summer parties with her family. Young Angyil would get in the middle of the yard and show off her dance moves, but at first, her older sisters teased her. “They would be like, ‘Oh, my God, you can’t dance! What is wrong with you?’ ” she laughs. But that didn’t stop Angyil. Soon after those early ribbings, she’d improved so much that her mother and sisters realized she had a real gift. To most technical dancers, beginning the craft in middle school, as Angyil did, would be considered a very late start. But her countless hours of practice at family functions, combined with her hunger and natural talent, helped get her up to speed. “I have this belief that when you are passionate about something, it doesn’t matter what time you start, because your passion will help you catch up,” she says. “You’ll stay up in the middle of the night, like playing catch-up for all the years lost.” This pursuit of dance heightened when, at age 16, she could no longer ignore the way that ballet’s strict structure had been stifling

Angyil shares a hug with her former dance teacher, Paula Lang.

It was here, inside Paseo Academy’s mirrored studio, that dance became the passion of her life.

“It doesn’t matter what time you start, because your passion will help you catch up.”

With ballet, Angyil’s soul said, “This is not who we are.”

TOMISLAV MOZE/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GETTY IMAGES

As a contestant on NBC’s World of Dance, Angyil surprised judges with her improvised routines.

her free spirit and expression. It had become too rigid for the bursting teen, who felt like she had more to say with her body than ballet could ever allow. “For a moment ballet was cool, because I was ignoring a large portion of my life that consisted of pain,” she says. “But then as I got older, I’m like, You can’t run away from this—this trauma. You can’t run away from reality. I wanted to embrace it.” “I felt like in ballet I had to pretend to be something that I wasn’t all the time,” she continues. “I had to put my hair in a bun, put on makeup and pretend that everything was OK. My hair is an Afro, and I got tired of slicking it down with gel just to make sure it didn’t fizzle. My soul said, This is not who we are. We’re raw and we want to express how we feel in the most authentic way and not have to edit it. That life wasn’t for me anymore.” After graduating early from Paseo Academy, Angyil hung up her pointe shoes and followed her heart to do hiphop—specifically popping—full-time. A lot of people were disappointed with her for leaving behind what they thought was a ticket to stardom. After being in the elite Alvin Ailey Camp in Kansas City, she appeared well on her way to New York to work with the company following high school graduation. There were high hopes for Angyil to flourish in the ballet world, but when she had a change of heart, it shocked her supporters. “Everyone was like, ‘We’re emotionally invested in this. We’re living vicariously through you.’ Maybe I would have stopped sooner, but I didn’t want to let them down,” she says. For Angyil, there was no turning back, and if she was going to step out, she had to take chances. At 16 she moved to the Bronx, New York, with the guts to make it all worth something. At first her family was skeptical of her moving so far away at such a young age, but they were also THE RED BULLETIN

proud. “I was hungry,” she remembers. “Figuratively and literally.” Hardened by growing up in Prospect and Troost, Angyil had some wisdom about how to maneuver through life, and she quickly adapted to the big city. She made friends and started putting on subway and street shows with other female dancers. One time, her crew was arrested for profiting from a train performance, but she boasts about their mugshots, where they all vogued for the camera. “I was like, if I’m going to get taken to jail, this is how I want to go,” she laughs. New York’s tough crowds didn’t deter Angyil from dancing either. As she established herself in the city, she continued to do street shows for four years. Most of the time she went home with a profit, and similar to her backyard sets, the setting offered free practice space for her to sharpen her moves. “It taught me to believe in myself,” she says. “It was really tough some days. It gave me a lot of character.” At 18 she got an even clearer vision of what her future in dance could look like when she signed up for a battle back in her hometown. Brimming with ambition, Angyil returned to Kansas City to compete, but there she says she lost due to shady politics and biased judges who assumed she was a New Yorker on the opponent’s turf and not a KC native. The frustrating loss became a turning point in her journey, and it lit a fire for her to study and work hard enough to eventually make battling her bread and butter.

t’s been a long day, so Angyil pauses to pour herself a glass of white wine. She doesn’t have many chances to unwind, and even in moments of rest or stillness, she makes sure to take the time to warm up her muscles and get in a few push-ups and squats to stay in shape. Because she often lives in hotel rooms across the world, it’s not uncommon for her to assemble a makeshift gym out of chairs and tables. After our day together and a big meal full of Asian food, Angyil mentions that she wants to squeeze in a cardio session and run the stairs. It makes sense. For someone who’s known for her ability to freestyle through most of her performances, she makes it a point to stay battle ready. In 2017, after eight years of living in New York, Angyil dared herself to take another leap: move to Europe and get in the ring. With just $90 in her bank account, she first headed to Amsterdam and spent months couch-surfing with friends across Berlin, Paris and Denmark for competitions. “I was winning all the battles,” she says. “People eventually were like, ‘Who is this girl?’ ” Angyil was already known in the U.S., but her reputation—along with viral videos of her dominating her opponents—were spreading fast. When the jokey and easygoing Angyil switches into battle mode, it’s riveting to watch; she becomes laser-focused on taking her challenger out of the running. Last October, at the Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in Paris, a mixedgender competition featuring different

At the 2019 Red Bull Dance Your Style World Finals in Paris, Angyil finished second.

street styles, she annihilated another dancer during one battle with a dizzying solo to Missy Elliot’s “Get Ur Freak On.” All of her moves are unplanned yet totally seamless, and packed with sparks of energy. (At the World Finals, which were the culmination of more than 50 events in 30 different countries, Angyil finished as the first runner-up.) Like a true Gemini, she accesses other parts of her persona with ease. “I can relate to and tap into different characters from movies,” she explains. Maybe that character can do supernatural things, like climb walls. Or be a little sinister. “I also 34

have a side that’s similar to the Joker,” she adds. “It just depends on the song.” As bizarre as some of her contortions look to the audience, I ask if making these powerful shapes with her limbs feels surreal for her, too. “I’ve had moments of looking at myself and thinking, that’s not me,” she admits. “It’s a possession. There are times when things take over and I’m not in control anymore. At this point, this feeling is definitely in control and controlling me.” There’s a real sense of spirit in Angyil when she dances. Earlier in the afternoon,

the crew stopped to capture video footage of her dancing out on the street, and it was as if she commanded the sunlight to shine over her as she lightly glided through puddles of melting snow. These higher commands are able to speak through her because she works hard to stay open. “When you allow yourself and make yourself vulnerable— I don’t know what’s going to happen either. As the artist, I try to be vulnerable and try to feel as much as I can,” she says with humility. But once she leaves a performance, Angyil doesn’t linger in those moments THE RED BULLETIN

“It’s a possession. There are times when things take over and I’m not in control.”

When Angyil creates shapes with her limbs, it can feel a bit surreal for her, too: “I’ve had moments of looking at myself and thinking, that’s not me.”

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for long. To her there are always improvements and progress to make, so she takes her wins in stride and remains humble. A few years ago she got an invitation from NBC’s hit competition show World of Dance, with an offer to bypass auditions for a guaranteed spot to compete. This was after she was honored as Freestyler of the Year at the World of Dance Awards the year before. Although Angyil was eliminated early on in the second season, her audacious style made an impact. For one of her solos on the reality show, Angyil smoothly entered the stage in front of celebrity judges Ne-Yo, Derek Hough and Jennifer Lopez. To C2C’s quirky sampled blues track “Down the Road,” she wowed the crowd with her pulsing pops. The kicker? She freestyled the entire piece. “They’d asked me not to freestyle,” she explains. “I’m like, Oh, absolutely. I’m not gonna freestyle. Are you kidding me? I wasn’t going to say it, but I was definitely going to freestyle,” she laughs. To Angyil, creating choreography is a bigger gamble than getting out there and feeding off of all the energies in the space. Angyil has gained a lot of wisdom through these opportunities, and she doesn’t take them for granted. For the past seven years she’s been teaching classes around the world. At first she wasn’t sure if she felt ready to take on the role, but she knew what it felt like to need a leader or someone to look up to. “It helped to have people who taught me,” she says. “It’d be selfish of me to rob people of that same experience—to deny them just because I felt a certain way in my own personal life or felt like I didn’t want to teach.” This dedication to spreading her craft leaves an authentic impression on the beings and spaces that surround her. There’s even tangible proof. In her old neighborhood, there’s a spray-painted mural of Angyil by the Kansas City artist collective IT-RA, which we visited earlier in the day. On a wall at 31st and Troost, we see Angyil as a black angel, dancing atop a rough cityscape. It’s life affirming to witness her dancing in front of it. She coasts in her ankle-length mudcloth coat, embodying the triumph and resilience that’s been immortalized in the portrait behind her. “Dancing has helped me work out trauma and through a lot of craziness,” she says. “I’m pretty sure it can do that for many other people. I think the arts, period, can ignite a global change.” 36

“Dancing has helped me work out trauma and through a lot of craziness.”

At 31st Street and Troost Avenue in Kansas City, a mural by the artist collective IT-RA depicts Angyil dancing through the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape.

THE ART OF JAMAICAN DANCEHALL 38 â&#x20AC;&#x2030;

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Video still of Paula Ouch at the dance from Akeem Smith, Untitled, 2020. Multichannel video installation with sound.

COURTESY OF AKEEM SMITH

An upcoming solo exhibit by stylist and multidisciplinary artist Akeem Smith uses personal history to offer an intimate and nostalgic window into the heart and soul of Jamaica’s dancehall culture. Words RAWIYA KAMEIR THE RED BULLETIN

SMITH IDENTIFIES SQUARELY AS AN INSIDER.

“My own family, this is my source,” says Smith of the inspiration for key elements of his upcoming show.

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PAUL SEPUYA, OUCH ARCHIVE/BEQUEATHED TO AKEEM SMITH

ne day, when he was 6 years old, Akeem Smith brought a dose of chaos to his primary school in Kingston, Jamaica. He had popped a pair of colored contact lenses into his eyes and strolled into class like it was no big deal. Except, of course, that it kind of was. “It was havoc. Everyone wanted to see,” he remembers, a smile stretching across his warm pillow of a face. The contacts, given to him by an aunt, weren’t in themselves outrageous. They were a fairly standard green or hazel, the kind that were trendy in the late ’90s and early 2000s. But at an age when many children are just mastering the dexterous art of tying their shoes, Smith had already planted himself in some far-off, fashionable future. In a life peppered with evidence of what he calls eccentricities, this was an early confirmation to Smith of what he’d come to suspect about himself: that he was a little bit different than many people around him and a lot more willing to announce it. As a child, Smith registered contacts-gate as permission from his family to honor and pursue self-expression through style. It was something cornily like destiny, then, that he would go on to establish himself as a quietly radical figure in New York’s fashion world, planting left-of-center ideas that would trickle into the mainstream. His CV includes work with the avantgarde, post-identity brand Hood By Air, the legacy

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Paula and Debbie Ouch. Photographer and date unknown.

Note from Photo Morris to Sandra Lee on the back of a photo. Chromogenic print, 1999.

house Helmut Lang and resourced, cool-obsessed newcomers like Yeezy and V-Files. But from the vantage point of time, Smith, now 28, can identify another, more complex motivator underlying his experimentation. Born in the U.S. but raised in Jamaica, he was acutely aware that the gulf that separated him from his schoolmates and neighbors in Kingston wasn’t just stylistic. It was also structural. The ability to travel and to make a life beyond the island offered access to a whole new world. For the less fortunate, limited global mobility often meant limited possibilities. “I think I was doing things to show that I was a foreigner,” he says. Even as its cultural production has for decades been a galvanizing global force in the worlds of music, fashion and dance, Jamaica sits at a complex 41

SMITH ISN’T PRECIOUS WITH THE MATERIAL BECAUSE HE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE; HE’S LIVED IT. intersection governed in part by the legacies of colonialism, imperialism, capital and extractive globalization. One unfortunate result: The nuanced experiences of the real people creating the culture are flattened to suit external narratives, beholden to exploitative gazes and power-mitigated portrayals. This intuitive understanding has long informed Smith’s work as a stylist and creative director. But it coalesces more obviously in a new creative endeavor he is diligently embarking on: a major entry into the formal art world, where sculpture, video and installation offer new avenues to explore the layered ideas and experiences that have shaped his worldview. This spring, he’ll open his first solo gallery show in collaboration with Red Bull Arts. The exhibition, a multidisciplinary exploration of dancehall fashion and culture called Akeem Smith: No Gyal Can Test, is a bold step in manifesting his life’s work.

Photo of the Ouch Crew at the dance. Photographer and date unknown.

n a frigid afternoon in January, Smith has commandeered a darkened corner in the rear of Red Bull Arts’ West Chelsea location. He’s wearing a tofu-colored T-shirt, a blue velour Fubu zip-up with patriotic red and white accents and slim navy pants that evoke something between school uniform and contemporary athleisure. Triangulated in a plush love seat, he dangles his feet a few inches off the floor. A pair of brown snakeskin square-toe mules from Martine Rose, adorned with a gold chain, fits snugly over white athletic socks. What would, frankly, register as a bizarre outfit on anyone else looks perfectly chic on Smith. In a few months, this space will be transformed to host No Gyal Can Test. But for now, there’s much work to complete. A collaborator is sloped over a computer screen nearby, logging hundreds—maybe even thousands, says Smith—of hours of ’90s dancehall-party footage that will anchor the show’s thematic, multichannel videos. He intermittently drops out of this interview to call out directions to his editor: This clip, of a woman in a transcendent red leather outfit, should be filed under “Memory”; that one, of a zebra-print-clad dancer writhing in shallow water, belongs under “Reconstruction.” Smith speaks slowly and deliberately, almost Obama-like, as the proverbial wheels in his head turn. And then he picks up where he left off, midsentence, laser-focused on the thread of our conversation long after I’ve lost it. On a back wall, a generously sized whiteboard keeps track of his ideas and progress. He’s only about a third of the way through, he admits. But if he’s expressing little of the panic you’d expect of a first-time artist pushing up against a deadline, he says coolly, that’s because he’s uniquely positioned to pull this show off. “I know I have a certain eye. I know no one’s ever going to see it [the same] way, so I’m not precious with the material. There’s a bunch of dancehall videos on YouTube. A bunch of people have tried to do [similar] shit,” he says, a glint in his eye suggesting he’s enjoying being shady. “But it’s just not going to land because it feels like the intention is, ‘Look what I’ve rediscovered!’ I’ve seen people try to act like they’re some insiders or something because they got a couple of clips.” Smith, on the other hand, identifies squarely as an insider. He grew up under the shadow of Ouch, a custom tailoring shop owned and run by his godmother. Ouch was home to designers who shaped the look of ’90s Jamaican dancehall, dressing both civilians and icons like Beenie Man, Patra and Lady Saw, whose music and personal style established them as some of the genre’s most visible artists. Smith has since been passed the baton of its legacy. Meanwhile, his grandmother co-owned a club that incubated some of the fashion, culture and music that defines dancehall. He’s not precious with the material because he’s lived it. “The dancehall community is not that big for it to have had [such a significant] cultural impact on the world. And it’s kind of even shunned upon in Jamaica,” Smith says. The scene’s influence, which spread globally through informal networks of party videos, is indelible. Aesthetics like gravity-defying hairstyles, THE RED BULLETIN

N/A, OUCH ARCHIVE, BEQUEATHED TO AKEEM SMITH

Four stills from Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new video work capture his memory of intimate moments that flowed between public and private events. Clockwise from top left: a spread of refreshments from a dance; a candid still of Photo Morris documenting a bashment; being seen was sought after and celebrated in these spaces, THE RED BULLETIN

allowing room for creative expression and freedom to be as you choose; a frozen moment at a funeral reveals the intimacy of this community, from dancehall to real life; multichannel video installation with sound, 2020. Bottom: a candid photo taken outside a party illustrates the glitz that went into these affairs.

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Video still of dancehall queen Carlene from Akeem Smith, Untitled, 2020. Multichannel video installation with sound.

colorful, couture-style fashions and gymnastic dances lent it an almost renegade cultural status. And Smith was right in the middle of its boom. Accordingly, No Gyal Can Test is informed by Smith’s experience of being brought up between Jamaica and New York. The show’s conceptual goals are buoyed by his painstakingly collected archive of images and videos of the dancehall scene at its peak. It will also feature structures built out of material sourced in the Kingston neighborhood he grew up in. “My own family, this is my real source,” he says. “Like, I don’t need to go far to find the inspo.”

fter spending his first 11 years in Kingston, Smith traversed a literal and figurative ocean to resettle in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Under the watchful eyes of his grandma and his 44

young mother, he quickly grew accustomed to life in the U.S. The precocious kid skipped fifth grade— he’d sidestepped third grade back in Jamaica—and leaned into the unique nature of children who spend a lot of time in the company of adults. Already a clever student, he learned a slippery, intangible skill that would help him navigate this new culture. “Coming [to America], I realized I had a lot of opportunity and I was going to take advantage of that in any shape,” he says. “I realized pretty quickly that there are a lot of shortcuts in America.” Like many young New Yorkers, often grown beyond their years and almost preternaturally disposed to excel at one hustle or another, Smith ventured into the real world early. His childhood ambitions of being a broadcast journalist were supplanted with plans to be a writer; in high school, THE RED BULLETIN

NO GYAL CAN TEST ARCHIVE, BEQUEATHED TO AKEEM SMITH

Portraits by Photo Morris taken at dancehall bashments. Chromogenic prints, dates unknown.

he attended the famed Iowa Writers’ Summer Workshop. In time, that too was supplanted by a whole new interest: fashion. “I knew I wanted a career that would align with my social life. And the writing that I was trying to do was political writing. I don’t think that would’ve worked,” he remembers. “I was like, ‘Should I do fashion journalism?’ And then I read fashion stories and I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I going to write reviews on cuffs and shit?’ ” A chance encounter with a stylist offered a natural entry point to the fashion world. Smith wasn’t writing about cuffs, but he was considering them. By the time he went to college and worked jobs in art and PR, Smith had accumulated another decade’s worth of experiences that would sharpen his perspective: A brief period of attending a PanAfrican Saturday school shaped his racial identity; THE RED BULLETIN

enrolling in a predominantly white Manhattan arts high school opened all kinds of doors and opportunities; being young and openly gay in the city granted yet another set of experiences. His life spanned so many seemingly disparate corners that it necessitated a kind of self-awareness and facility with fluid identity that would quietly steer his work. “I wanted to create people, scenarios, themes that covered all socioeconomic [classes]. Like, to create a girl that cannot necessarily blend in, but could be in any situation,” he remembers of his point-of-view as a young stylist. “She can be in the fucking hood, and be OK, and look great. And she can be wherever else she’s at and look great, and feel great, and just not be a weirdo. Because I think that’s sort of what I was always looking for in a friend, or I felt maybe that’s what I represented.” 45

OUCH ARCHIVE, BEQUEATHED TO AKEEM SMITH

Photo of the Ouch Crew. Photographer and date unknown.

46 â&#x20AC;&#x2030;

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Fashion made it possible to do that. “The fashion world is corporate. But I think why I like fashion people is they definitely set the tone,” he points out. “Fashion has the people with the open minds, and I knew I wanted to be around open-minded people.” And yet while fashion offered Smith room to wiggle within an expanded worldview, it also presented clear problems. The seeds of No Gyal Can Test were planted a decade ago, when he saw an editorial in a fashion magazine that made him bristle. The story was intended as a reflection on dancehall style and culture. But to Smith’s expert eyes, the inaccuracies were clear, and dangerous. They posed a problem for posterity, and for the broader culture the piece incorrectly invoked. “If someone gets that magazine in 10 years, it’s far gone from what dancehall is. People are going to think this is what it is,” says Smith. “And it got to that whole erasure of culture. It struck that chord, so I was like, I was destined to do something to represent it accurately.”

ust outside Smith’s makeshift workspace is an ad-hoc Kingston cityscape. The bright, whitewalled space has been conquered by a newly arrived shipment of materials he hand-selected on a recent trip to Jamaica. Faded doors, corrugated tin, scraps of all kinds lie in piles. Some, he says, are from the remnants of his grandmother’s club. Others were sourced in and around his childhood neighborhood, objects that resonated with him for one reason or another and that he is tasked with turning into the structures that will anchor the show. “I want to confront how people view images. Some people do need to see certain things like a frame in order to give it [meaning]. But I’m somewhat challenging that. I’m so into deprogramming people. Like, why do I think this is cool? Because it’s in this frame on this wall?” He’s careful to point out that he didn’t simply take the items. He is concerned with ethically procuring materials. That exchange is as much a part of the piece as the objects themselves, a corrective in the balance of power that often characterizes projects of this nature. A similar ethos guided his acquisition of a growing dancehall archive, including a trove bequeathed from the Ouch family. A few years after he decided to help archive and preserve the history of his childhood, Smith went to Jamaica to link up with a family friend, Photo Morris, who had been tasked with documenting his grandmother’s parties in their heyday. “He’s the one that used to take most of the photos,” recalls Smith. He was heartbroken to discover that Photo Morris had been in a car crash that left him disabled from the waist down and living in “squalor.” Smith began to help out financially, eventually buying negatives of Photo Morris’s work. “I was like, ‘Forget the prints. Let me rescue the negatives.’ ” Soon he connected with other family friends—photographers and videographers who had between them amassed years’ worth of dancehall documentation—and began accumulating material. “They didn’t understand [what I was doing] but they definitely trusted me. They led on blind faith,” says Smith. THE RED BULLETIN

Akeem Smith, Untitled, 2020 (still). Multichannel video installation with sound.

People have tried to get video footage over the years, and as a result, people like Photo Morris are protective of their work. “They don’t let just anyone in, especially if they feel they’re being lowballed or something like that. And with me, I would just never lowball anyone that looks like me. I made sure they got how much I would’ve paid an American person.” It was an investment. “I really used all my money to do it because I just feel like it’s how you start something,” he says. “I know what money equals in a third-world place. It’s not just a financial thing. It’s a domino effect. It’s just going to open more doors.” The art world has long obsessed over identity, but in recent years, the bounds of that identity have expanded. As the author and cultural theorist Kevin Quashie wrote, there has been lately, when it comes to art made by black people, a will “to move beyond the emphasis on resistance, and to suggest that concepts like surrender, dreaming, and waiting can remind us of the wealth of black humanity.” When I mention this to Smith, pointing out connections in black cultural expression between Lagos and Kingston and Atlanta, he rejects the conceit. “Is it black culture just because a black person is doing it?” he asks. “With the show, I’m not addressing anything that is obviously black.” Still, No Gyal Can Test is at once a study and repudiation of identity. “People always reference black women in hiding. I wanted it to be obvious 48

Akeem Smith, Untitled, 2020 (still). Multichannel video installation with sound.

this is the source of everything that I know and like and want,” he says. “It has an element of black portraiture, giving name to unknown subjects of history, shit like that. We go to museums all the time and we see people on the walls that we don’t fucking know what they fucking contributed. It’s like, why can’t other communities, of any color, have the same?”

Akeem Smith: No Gyal Can Test runs April 9 to June 28 at Red Bull Arts New York before traveling to Red Bull Arts Detroit in the fall. THE RED BULLETIN

PAUL SEPUYA

“I WANT TO CONFRONT HOW PEOPLE VIEW IMAGES.”

“I’m so into deprogrammng people,” says Smith.

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“I have a relationship with the ocean,” says Igarashi, who was photographed at Sunset Beach, Oahu, on December 18.

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THE FREE ONE For fast-rising pro surfer Kanoa Igarashi, home is where the waves are. Words PETER FLAX Photography JUSTIN JAY THE RED BULLETIN

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A N OA M E A N S F R E E D O M .

It’s a Hawaiian name that literally translates to “the free one,” which is a fitting way to characterize the barefooted 22-year-old watching waves roll onto Oahu’s North Shore. It’s the morning after a contest at Sunset Beach and Kanoa Igarashi is enjoying a rare rest day, lounging on the deck of an oceanfront rental house that’s got a panoramic view of the beach and the break. The ocean is an undulating patchwork of turquoise and white froth, and he’s sitting close enough to the water’s edge to hear the thrum of the surf, to smell and taste the salty mist. Kanoa likes to talk about the physics and the metaphysics of the water. “I have a relationship with the ocean,” he says. “I spend four to six hours a day in the water. I feel like I get to go out there and play games with the ocean. I have this spiritual connection, which might sound like ridiculous craziness to an outsider, but I really do.” This is not the usual blather of a professional athlete, but the lean surfer with the beach-blond highlights has a candid side that hasn’t been washed away by his considerable fame. Kanoa has been foreshadowing and showcasing elite talent for more than a decade. His story line—a lifelong march to the top of his sport—sounds like something out of the Tiger Woods or Serena Williams mold. He learned how to surf as a toddler; had sponsors by the time he was in second grade; won more scholastic surf contests than anyone in history; and captured his first pro contest when he was only 15. And now he’s a top-ranked competitor on the WSL’s Championship Tour, the top league in his sport, and a leading contender for an Olympic medal. When he attacks a wave, even the uninitiated can appreciate the extraordinary precision and improvisation of his movements. 52

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“I’ve been coming here since I pretty much started surfing,” says Igarashi of Oahu’s North Shore.

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Even the uninitiated can see the precision and improvisation of his movements. Normally, successful athletes this brilliant are cagier about their feelings. “Like a pro tennis player is not going to talk about caressing the net, you know?” Igarashi says. “But when you’re in the ocean, you’re surrounded by it—you feel it inside your fingers. The waves are crashing at you and it’s like this force of nature. So it might sound pretty weird, but there are days where I get out of the water and just tell the ocean how grateful I am to have it in my life.” He spends big chunks of time feeling the love here on Oahu every year. Truth be told, he spends big chunks of time in lots of surf spots—in Portugal, in Bali, in Australia, in other beautiful places with big-ass waves. Here on the North Shore, Kanoa has a predictable routine: He surfs at Sunset Beach and legendary local breaks like Pipeline and Backdoor; he hits a local gym and goes on a long hike two or three times a week “up into the hills, where I can look over the whole North Shore and have some time for myself.” And, of course, he centers his day on the ocean. “The first thing I do when I wake up every morning is to go for a swim right in front of the house here,” he says, talking about his morning rituals and also his life. “I always just jump in and let the water go over me—at that point, it’s just me and the ocean. No matter what’s going on, as soon as my feet touch the water, I know I’m good.”

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he island of Oahu, which sits in the Pacific amid the expanse between Los Angeles and Tokyo, is the perfect place to trace Kanoa’s journey to this point in his life. If traffic is light, Sunset Beach is only an hour or so from the gleaming resort community of Waikiki, where he got his first surfboard on his 3rd birthday. His family, on vacation from L.A., went into a surf shop

Igarashi says he typically spends four hours a day surfing.

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An ascendant Igarashi finished the 2019 season ranked sixth overall on the Championship Tour.

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“When you’re in the ocean you’re surrounded by it—you feel it between your fingers.” 56

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Igarashi, shown here ripping at age 5, has been on an upward trajectory since he learned to surf when he was 3.

and a neon-yellow board caught the youngster’s eye. “The board was $720—a lot of money for a family that was barely getting by on a Hawaiian vacation,” he recalls. “I had no idea how much it cost, but I loved yellow at the time.” Kanoa’s parents said no at the shop but went back the next day and bought the board. It would hardly be the last time they’d take a leap on the kid and his interest in the sport. And that afternoon, Tsutomu Igarashi, a devoted surfer himself, took his 3-year-old son and that neon-yellow board out on the predictably placid surf on Waikiki Beach. “It was like a beautiful crystal-blue swimming pool with tiny waves, and I loved it,” Kanoa says. “It was like the best place to learn surfing ever.” Kanoa feels at home here on Oahu. But as you talk with him, you see why asking him where he’s from is so complicated. Just before he was born in 1997, his parents immigrated to California from Japan, so not surprisingly he’s always had a strong Japanese identity and an intense connection to his family’s homeland. But he also has deep roots in Southern California. Kanoa was born in Santa Monica, and after a stint in Hollywood (where he says he attended preschool with the son of Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith), the Igarashi family settled in the Orange County surf mecca of Huntington Beach. On paper, Huntington could have been a difficult place for a Japanese American kid in an immigrant family to grow up—after all, the community is THE RED BULLETIN

roughly 80 percent white—but surfing gave the youngster a community and a pathway to success. “Growing up in Huntington, I always stood out, because I was Japanese—I was different,” he says. “But surfing was the thing that put that racism aside and brought my world together. And because I grew up in a surf city, where surfing was a really cool thing, me being successful meant that instead of being an outsider, people treated me like a cool kid who could surf. So it definitely helped me fit in.” Kanoa’s school in Huntington was extremely close to the beach—close enough that his mom could pick him up after class with his wetsuit and board in the trunk and he could be in the water with his friends in five minutes. “Surfing was like my playtime, my recess back then,” he says. But before long, his playtime seemed to have serious potential. He was featured on a local newscast when he was 6. Educated admirers began calling him “the next Kelly Slater,” referencing the legendary pro (who clinched his fifth world championship in the year Kanoa was born). Sponsors came. Wins at local youth tournaments came. Flights to faraway places came. By the time Kanoa was in high school, surfing was a way of life. He was traveling nine months a year, and the pressure of balancing that with his schoolwork was getting rough. His mother, who had always prioritized his academic performance, wanted him to finish high school, but Kanoa felt he was ready to join the Qualifying Series Tour, a pro circuit that’s the pathway to the CT. When he was 17, he convinced his mother to let him take the high school equivalency exam. “That was crazy,” he says, recalling what happened after he passed. “I was 17. One minute I was traveling and surfing with friends, and bang, the next minute I’m on tour. My mom was just kind of dumbfounded. My dad was like, whoa. And I was like, this is sick. Suddenly I was on a roll, and it really hasn’t stopped since then.”

garashi says he’s come to the North Shore every year since he was 9, and you can trace his rise in competitive surfing over those years. “I’ve been coming here since I pretty much started surfing, and every year I come here I’m catching bigger waves,” he says. Fittingly, the iconic Pipeline break sits less than a mile away. He caught a wave at Pipeline when he was 9, caught a “proper barrel” when he was 13 and paddled out for “bigger days” when he was 16. If anything, his progression just accelerated from there. In 2016, when he was just 19, Kanoa was back at Pipeline, now as a pro on the Championship Tour, and made the finals—beating his former idol Kelly Slater in the semifinals along the way. 57

”I feel like I’m maturing— I’m professionalizing myself. Like I’m going to go all in.”

As Kanoa’s consistency and explosiveness in the water improved, so did his rankings on the Championship Tour. In 2017 he finished as the world’s 17th-ranked surfer, and the following year he concluded the season in 10th overall. Last year was yet another breakthrough, as he finished the season ranked sixth, along the way notching his first CT event win—a victory in Bali where he once again beat Slater in the semis and then outsurfed Jeremy Flores in the final. Talk of his success on the circuit reveals a sharper edge beyond his Zen-like, love-the-water mindset— the instinct that many champions possess. “I love that feeling of wanting to rip that guy’s head off,” he says. “I love that feeling of wanting to just be better than my opponent that day. I love walking away knowing, like, yeah, I outsurfed him. And that’s that competitive side of me that just becomes this animal that shines on contest days.” Nestled somewhere in between his mentality as a trained killer and his emotional connection to the ocean lies an increasingly methodical athlete realizing that it will take more than natural talent, tens of thousands of lifetime hours in the water and conspicuous stoke to reach the very top of his sport. “I feel like I’m maturing—I’m professionalizing myself,” he says. “Like I’m going to go all in. If I’m going to be completely honest, I probably put in 60 or 70 percent effort this year. And in the years prior, I was probably putting in about 20 or 30 percent. I think slowly I’m getting closer to sacrificing and giving it my all.” To that end, Kanoa is focusing on lots of the granular details that will bump his effort ever closer to perfection. For starters, he’s working on getting more regular sleep. (“I normally get around seven hours, but I think eight is closer to optimal. I just spent a week sleeping nine hours a night and I didn’t really like it.”) Kanoa says that he had eaten meat every day of his life until he recently underwent a two-week experiment with veganism. (“It felt amazing and I woke up feeling sharper, but I had to come out of the water earlier every day because I felt so hungry.”) Through nutrition and weight training, he’s worked hard to bulk up a little on his 5-foot-11 frame. (“I just got over 170 pounds for the first time in my life and think that something around 173 will be ideal.”) Kanoa now has the maturity to understand that he can’t just flip a switch to become the ultimate professional who tackles every detail perfectly. “It’s going to be a gradual pace up,” he says. “It’s not possible to instantly go to 100 percent. But I’m committed to all the little things that I think will make a huge difference.” 58

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Igarashi says he’s “committed to all the little things” to reach the top of his sport.

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“I love going out into heats with no plan. You know, I just let it flow.” 60

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“I love that feeling of wanting to be better than my opponent,” says Igarashi of competition.

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ow Tokyo beckons. From July 24 to August 9, all eyes in the surf world—and a far larger audience that does not normally watch the sport—will be on Tsurigasaki Beach in Chiba, Japan. “It’s a huge opportunity for surfers to showcase our sport on a different level,” Kanoa says. “It’s a whole new audience. It’s the Olympics! Obviously, surfers will be out there trying to represent their country and win a medal, but I really hope we all we go out there and represent as surfers. We have a chance to put on a show for everybody and show the world how unique our sport is.” In October 2019, Igarashi was formally named to the Japanese Olympic team, but the die had been cast about 18 months earlier, when he announced that he would become the first surfer to represent Japan on the Championship Tour. These decisions attracted a lot of attention—sometimes for the wrong reasons. Some even speculated, incorrectly, that he was seeking a shortcut to the Games; in the end, with his year-ending CT ranking, Kanoa would have unquestionably qualified for the U.S. team. When asked about the decision and the ensuing controversy, Kanoa answers with calm, deeply felt certainty. “I love Huntington Beach—it’s always going to be home in my heart because I grew up there,” he says. “But if people ask me where I’m from it gets more complicated. I’ve grown up with a lifestyle and in a generation where things can seem a bit borderless. And so representing Japan felt like a solid, comfortable decision. My blood is 100 percent Japanese. That’s something that you don’t change.” Family is important to Kanoa. And he understands how much this opportunity means to his extended family, especially his grandparents— who have a calendar on which they are counting the days until the first day of his Olympic competition. They are among many of his relatives in Japan who get up in the middle of the night to watch him compete online but who have never seen him surf in person. “I was just in Japan,” he continues. “And my grandma told me, ‘All I want to do is stay alive until the Olympics, and after that I don’t care if I die.’ And I was like, ‘What? Don’t say that.’ But she said, ‘I’ve gone through a lot in my life. I’ve done everything that I wanted to do. But once the Olympics were announced and you told me that you were going to be in it, that’s the last thing on my bucket list. Then my life will be complete.’ ” Kanoa admits that such talk, even if intended with some humor, stirs a deep sense of Japanese 61

“I feel most free when I surf, and I’ve felt this freedom since I was young.” pride within him. “I feel very privileged and honored to just have them be so proud of me,” he says. “It makes me want to do my best.” Americans and other foreigners might have trouble understanding just how popular Igarashi is in Japan. He’s the centerpiece of a reality show that’s been on TV for years. He’s got major sponsorships outside the surfing realm. He’s the first Japanese to surf in the Championship Tour, and he’s become a breakout star in a surf-crazy country where the sport is more popular per capita than it is in the U.S. After one big tournament result in 2018, Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, asked to meet with Igarashi, and the surfer still has trouble getting his head around that encounter—on a skyscraper rooftop with helicopter blades thwacking and bodyguards patting him down and the best wishes and expectations of a nation being delivered quite officially. “I still have sleepless nights about it,” Kanoa admits. But beyond the sleepless nights, Kanoa is enjoying his newfound fame. Like other professional athletes at the very top of their game, he is realizing that he can enjoy two public-facing identities—one as a contest-winning competitor and another as an outsized individualist, a stylish celebrity who can live exactly as he wants. That’s a kind of freedom, too. “It’s crazy when you realize that your fans are so true that no matter what you do, they’re going to love you,” says Kanoa, who cites David Beckham and LeBron James as role models in that regard. “It’s made me realize I can really be myself. All of sudden all of my insecurities just fly out the window. I feel like I can really wear whatever I want, be whoever I want, say whatever I want—just be myself on some profound level—and everyone’s going to be, like, ‘Oh, that’s cool, he’s being himself.’ ” But as much as he loves the fame and the personal freedom, Kanoa knows how important it will be to make the most of his Olympic opportunity. There will never be another surf competition in his life quite like this one. Kanoa is the kind of guy for whom every break and every contest and every stop on his fast-moving globetrotting life has meaning. But the break in Chiba is not like any other break: Kanoa’s father, Tsutomu, and his surf buddies were the ones who discovered that spot decades ago. “Yeah, it’s true,” Kanoa says. “He and his friends discovered that wave. They climbed through fences and hiked through the grass to find this wave, and they called it the Dojo, and it was their little secret spot. And it’s definitely a very emotional, special connection for him—a wave that he discovered is where his son 62

will compete at the Olympics for the first time. It’s such a crazy, full circle.” Only a week earlier, in fact, Kanoa and his dad were out in the water in Chiba, sharing a moment in different ways. “I could tell that he was getting emotional,” Kanoa recalls. “Meanwhile, in my head, I was just looking at the waves thinking this is where the Olympics are going to be.” When asked to assess the Olympic break, Kanoa smiles. “It’s definitely a wave that suits my surfing,” he says. “It’s technical and precise. It’s just in my blood, being Japanese, to be precise and technically sound. Every little arm movement and movement will make a big difference and there will be little room for error. And the break is really close to the beach, close to the fans. I’ve always been kind of a show-off. I want people to be close. I want people to feel it. I want to see people’s faces and that’s when I shine.”

anoa means “freedom.” It’s not just the etymology of his name; it’s the story of how he lives his life. When asked if he paddles out into competition visualizing what he wants to accomplish, he shakes his head. That’s not it at all. “I love going into the ocean and going into heats with no plan,” he admits. “I take my heats and competitions these days as if they’re just another day of surfing with my friends. I go out there and everything’s just on the fly. You know, I just let it flow.” As our interview winds down, the conversation turns to questions of identity. Because of his choice to represent Japan in international competition, Kanoa has been asked far more than most to explain what or where home really is for him. He’s got Japanese blood; he was born and raised in SoCal; he spends months at a time immersed in cultures around the world. Kanoa says he doesn’t have a conventional homeland like most people do. But he also says he has a real home: in the water. “People come up to me and tell me how they can just see that I naturally look like I’m really calm in the ocean,” he says. “And it’s true. I’m at home in the ocean—free and open. No doubt the truest form of myself is when I’m in the water.” The ascendant surfer whose name literally means “the free one” stares out into the Pacific, where waves tumble toward the shore, and ponders the way he has inhabited the word “Kanoa.” “I feel most free when I surf, and I’ve felt this freedom since I was young,” he says. “Being in the ocean is where I feel free.” THE RED BULLETIN

“It’s a huge opportunity for surfers to showcase our sport on a different level,” says Igarashi of the Tokyo Games.

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GREENLAND ON THE ROCKS

Canadian ice climber WILL GADD has scaled the walls to a place that nobody before him has ventured—a glacial cave deep in Greenland’s belly. Words ANDREAS WOLLINGER Photography CHRISTIAN PONDELLA

Ice Cathedral For adventure sports photographer Christian Pondella, this evocative image embodies the surreal qualities of descending into an ice sheet in Greenland.

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“After a half-hour flight, the chopper dropped us off. It was ice as far as the eye could see.“

White Desert A moulin, or glacial mill, is created when meltwater seeps from a glacierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface into the depths below. Studying how they form can help scientists understand the rise in sea level.

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Ice King As an ice climber, Gadd, 52, has mastered almost every known challenge in his

discipline, including being the first person to scale a frozen Niagara Falls in 2015. But climbing inside a moulin is something no one had ever done before, a bucket-list item for the record-holding Canadian.

Ilulissat

This village sits at the end of the world. Located in Western Greenland, Ilulissat (it means â&#x20AC;&#x153;icebergsâ&#x20AC;? in Greenlandic) was the starting point of the expedition. The nearby Ilulissat Icefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage site, drawing tourists from all over the globe.

Into the Unknown For the expedition team, the moulins turned out to be significantly larger and more dangerous than expected, especially when ice is constantly breaking off and plummeting into uncharted territory.

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A Vertical Ice Rink The bottom can be reached after a steep descent of approximately 300 feet. There, pools of water have formed. Gadd entertained the idea of going diving but ultimately deemed it too dangerous.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I celebrate every moment I can live intensely.â&#x20AC;?

In His Element Gadd makes climbing out of the abyss look easy, but the poor quality of the ice genuinely scared the seasoned explorer.

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Shedding Light Gadd and Jason Gulley, aÂ professor at the University of South Florida, explore the bottom of the glacier cave. The expedition yielded new findings that will have an impact on how researchers study ice melt.

Practice Makes Perfect Before going deep into the ice sheet, Gadd climbed on some icebergs off the coast of Greenland. Photographer Christian Pondella was able to capture these practice runs and produce some of the most striking images of the trip.

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HANG LOOSE

Whether you want to chill out, dine out, slow down, party down—or just soak up the sun— South Florida delivers the goods. Words DAVID HOWARD

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Rush hour in the Florida Keys.

G U I D E

Do it

here’s an old saying that Florida isn’t really the South—it’s too culturally distinct, too apart, just too . . . Florida. To take that bromide a step further, South Florida isn’t really Florida. Down in the funkier nether regions of the archipelago, you hear Cuban-tinged Spanish way more than “y’all,” and theme parks and orange groves give way to gleaming skylines and the likes of the American Sand Sculpting Championship (Fort Myers Beach) and the Conch Shell Blowing Contest (Key West, for 58 years and running).

The area is more fun to circumnavigate, too: The Brightline high-speed rail line runs from Miami up through Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach (and will soon extend to Orlando). And from Fort Myers, you can halve the six-hour drive to and from the Keys with a ride on the Key West Express. Instead of sitting in traffic, you can lounge on the upper deck of a big catamaran, watching dolphins and pelicans while sipping a cold beer from the bar. Here are some choice ideas to experience a region where vast labyrinths of water, coral and mangrove swamp increasingly exert their influence, and where the land gradually but inevitably tapers into sea.

Graffiti is always in the picture at the Wynwood Walls.

Miami’s Perez Museum has a thoughtful collection of contemporary art.

The city is huge, so the wise strategy is to dial in one neighborhood at a time. The most iconic is Little Havana, a fiercely Cuban outpost since before the days of Castro. Make an obligatory pilgrimage to the Ball & Chain bar and lounge, an 85-year-old landmark where Billie Holiday and Chet Baker once roamed the stage. Be sure to order a mojito criollo: the old-world rendition has extra sugar and undefiled mint leaves, to amp up the cocktail’s fragrance. From there, head to the rising, hipstery Wynwood District, where the defining trait is the mass of converted warehouses. For Tony Goldman, the late visionary behind the Wynwood Walls, these windowless monoliths were the perfect canvas for vast and elaborate displays of graffiti (official tours run daily). Other entrepreneurs have converted warehouses into an aesthetically appealing array of funky art galleries, craft breweries, boutiques, bistros and bars. Shoehorned

amid the street art is Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, which sports a strong selection of lambic and fruit beers and pitchers of sangria, and the duck empanada comes with flavor-boosting roasted tomatillos. Over by the airport, the Doral neighborhood is newly home to the Doral Yard, comprised of an everchanging roster of pop-up culinary and other businesses that set up for months-long residencies. A food hall is the first component to open— don’t miss the handcrafted dumplings from Yip—and

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NIKA KRAMER, ORIOL TARRIDAS, COURTESY OF RELATED COMPANIES

Miami

South Florida

a live-entertainment stage and bar area is forthcoming later this year. And you may have heard of an area called South Beach? Turns out it harbors a nightspot or two. Not necessarily unrelated, escape the heat with a visit to the World Erotic Art Museum, home to historical artifacts (like dominatrix Barbies) and downloads on ancient practices, the role of sex in different cultures and other stimulating takeaways. For a gallery experience that’s probably better suited for water-cooler conversation

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back at the office, patronize the trailblazing Perez Art Museum Miami, which is running an exhibit on contemporary Caribbean art this year into June. For outdoor adventure, pull on some flippers and a mask and troop to Emerald Reef, one of the city’s largest natural marine bars; various colorful swimmers, including lobsters during certain times of year, flit about its folds. For a deeper dive, visit the Wreck Trek, a series of sunken vessels off Miami Beach including the 85-foot steel fishing boat Miss Karline.

West Palm Beach

For an unexpected cultural experience, head to Clematis Street, a downtown area undergoing a transformation. First on the list: the massive 110,000-square-foot building, formerly a Macy’s, that has morphed into Culture Lab, a freewheeling experimental space. You’ll find multisensory art experiences, including a sound-art installation called “You Are the Magic” that fills the entire second floor. If you decide to hit one theme park during your Florida holiday, aim for Lion Country Safari, which

Inhabiting an old Macy’s, the Culture Lab is an immersive arts center.

Clematis Street is a downtown area undergoing a cultural transformation. 79

G U I D E

Do it The SunFest music festival begins on April 30 in West Palm.

Steel Tie Spirits distills three different hand-infused rums.

sounds cheesy but takes conservation seriously. It’s an active participant in a species-survival program that seeks to maintain genetic diversity in threatened and endangered animals. More tangible to your visit, you can roll through open spaces and experience ostriches and other wildlife peeking in your window. The Grandview Public Market describes itself as a 13,000-square-foot “epicureal playground.” For an enginerevving breakfast there, try the chicken and waffle bits at Clare’s—they’re deep fried and slathered in Thai blueberry maple syrup. And if you can time it right, don’t miss Dim Sum Sundays, a new concept from Ramen Lab that involves heartbreakingly awesome buns.

Fort Myers has plenty going for it—wild nature, tropical beaches, fresh seafood and authentic local culture. 80

Evenings, head to the Canopy, West Palm’s newest hotel; even if you’re not staying there, it’s worth getting a meal or cocktail at the Treehouse, a rooftop edifice with walls made of coral limestone. The views from the hotel’s 13th floor— the highest in the city— deliver vivid panoramas of the water and downtown. Or stop by Steel Tie Spirits, in the newly invigorated Warehouse District; the largest distillery in the Southeast is run by a fatherson team who ardently believe in creative facial hair and sourcing ingredients from local farms. (Motto: “If it doesn’t grow in the ground, it’s not in our bottles.”) The operation is now open for guided tours with complimentary tastings, and if you can maintain your balance afterward, you can join in on one of the distillery’s yoga classes. Another event to time your visit around: Late April and early May is when you can catch the SunFest Music Festival, a four-day blowout perched on the Intracoastal Waterway, where you can patronize a floating bar between shows.

Fort Myers

Although it tends to get overshadowed by Miami, Fort Myers has plenty going for it. For starters, more than 100 subtropical islands and 50 miles of Gulf Coast beaches. To cozy up to the slithering, splashing, flittering collection of wild things, make your way to the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, where the boardwalk provides views of otters, alligators, turtles and wading birds. The City of Palms is also the main

jumping-off point for visits to Everglades National Park. Sign up for Dragonfly Expeditions’ Backwater Tour; field biologists and naturalist guides literally wade through the water to point out intricacies of the vastly complex ecosystem. For supremely fresh seafood, head north of town to the Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant, where the menu features the catch of the day— and that could mean your catch, if you happen to have

Get waist-deep in adventure in the Everglades on a tour guided by biologists.

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South Florida

You’ll glide through mangrove creeks and along “blue holes”—underwater caverns or sinkholes that run as deep as 30 feet. Back in civilization, head straight to the raw bar at the Thirsty Mermaid for freshly shucked oysters; the chef is also a local fisherman who often hefts the catch from the docks. After dark, Key West Smuggler Co. recently opened a tasting room, where it serves samples of its line of grain-tobottle bourbons. A stellar place to crash is the Perry Hotel, a boutique property with fire pits and water views from every room (either a saltwater lagoon or the marina and pool).

SUNFEST FESTIVAL, STEEL TIE SPIRITS CO, GETTY IMAGES, MARC NOUS

If you really want to get away, pitch a tent at Cayo Costa State Park.

hooked something earlier. Bring your cleaned fish to the restaurant and you’ll get it back on a plate, either grilled, blackened, bronzed or sauteed. Fort Myers is buzzing about the downtown Luminary Hotel, which opens this summer overlooking the Caloosahatchee River and has entwined its narrative around local history. For more rustic accommodations, bring gear to camp at Cayo Costa State Park, accessible only by boat, where you’re as likely to see birds, dolphins and manatees as you are other humans.

The Keys

The 110-mile chain of islands is packed with adventure— and naturally, it revolves around the tropical blue-green water. Heading south, stop at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the nation’s first underwater park, covering 178 nautical square miles of reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove swamps. Rent a kayak or paddleboard and then strike out on a self-

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guided adventure on and under the surface of the absurdly vivid seas. For even more compelling underwater views, explore the wrecks and 25-mile reef line from Key Largo to Islamorada with Tavernier-based Conch Republic Divers; it’s like swimming in an aquarium among blue tangs, parrotfish and other tropical species. The shop’s Discover Scuba program lets noncertified divers take the plunge. Geeks of the series Deadliest Catch can check in for a night at the newly rebranded Conch Key Fishing Lodge & Marina. One of the show’s stars, Erik James (known as James Brown on the program), is now an owner, and the stay includes a saltwater pool, tiki hut and a chance to extract some insider anecdotes about the show. Still thirsty for saltwater fun? Skip out on the masses assembled on Key West’s Duval Street and in Mallory Square in favor of Lazy Dog Kayak’s four-hour backcountry paddle and snorkel adventure.

The magic of the Keys is best absorbed on—or under—the surface of the sea.

Laze in maritime splendor at the Perry Hotel in Key West.

G U I D E

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GET FIT LIKE A PRO:

“I BELONG ON THE BIKE” Motocross legend Tarah Gieger explains how she trains for speed and durability.

Eight-time X Games medalist Tarah Gieger is one of the most decorated women in motocross. She started racing at age 10 after she became bored with surfing. “I just wanted to go fast,” she says. After turning pro in 2003, she rocketed up the ranks. In 2007 she was the AMA female rider of the year, and in 2008 she won the first-ever women’s supercross X Games race. Controlling a 220-pound motorcycle is a full-body workout, so Gieger trains hard to ensure that her compact frame can handle it. Noted for her versatility on the motorcycle, Gieger has moved seamlessly among disciplines; her current passion is off-road racing. She also views training as an insurance policy against injuries. In 2005 she shattered her pelvis. Shortly after recovering from that injury she broke her neck. “That was the first time I thought maybe I don’t want to race dirtbikes anymore,” she says. “But that didn’t last long.”

While Gieger enjoys dabbling in multiple disciples, she still makes time for her original love. “It’s still fun to go and bang bars on a motocross course,” she says.

THE RED BULLETIN

Fitness

STR E N GTH

“I need to be really strong—especially my core.” “Core strength is really important when you’re trying to hold a 220-pound motorcycle between your legs. It will do whatever it wants. When I do my workouts, I pick exercises where I need to engage my core and balance. So when I’m doing legs, I’ll do one-legged squats on a Bosu ball. I do stuff like that, where I have to engage my core to stay balanced while I’m lifting. I really like slowtempo work. You don’t have to do a lot of weight, but you have to engage pretty much every muscle to do it right.”

S KI LL S

GARTH MILAN/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

JEN SEE

“I can make a ride as crazy as I want.” “Usually I’ll ride four days a week for a couple hours at a time. Today I’m doing sprints on rough sand tracks. I’ll ride for 10 minutes as hard as I can, take a five-minute break and do it again. I’ll do that for 90 minutes. Other days I go trail riding. That’s where my reactions get tuned in. I try to put myself in a race mindset and ask myself, ‘If I encountered something like this, what would I do?’ Then when I get on the race track, I feel like I’ve already experienced it and have the confidence to handle it.”

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CAR D I O

“In motocross my heart rate is maxed out the whole time.” “For motocross, cardio is super important. When I do an off-road race, which is like 90 minutes, my heart rate will be above 170 beats per minute for about 85 minutes of that. In the gym I’ll do 5,000 meters and then 1,000-meter intervals on a SkiErg machine. That thing is pretty gnarly. When the weather is nice, I’ll go road cycling three days a week—nothing too crazy, maybe 20 miles. Sometimes I’ll go mountain biking; that definitely gets the cardio going. Sometimes I get on a swim kick and I’ll go swim 2,000 meters.”

“I WORK OUT FOR INJURY PREVENTION.” It’s not an easy sport. There’s no way to prevent crashes. That’s just going to happen. So I try to make my body strong enough and limber enough so that when I do crash, the injuries aren’t as bad or I can recover faster from them. The goal is to keep with it, because I really love it.”

N UTR ITI O N

“I just try not to get too depleted.” “I try to keep food in me, because if I don’t, I get fatigued. For the amount of calories I burn during a serious training block, I definitely try to eat good food, but mostly it’s whatever I can find. I definitely eat real food. I’d probably rather eat McDonald’s than substitute with a protein shake. It just doesn’t seem like liquid is a replacement for actual food; I’ve seen that and I’ve tried that stuff. When I’m traveling, I try to drink plenty of water, and lately I’ve been taking vitamin C and zinc, which seems to fight off a lot of colds.”

G U I D E

Do it Since 1897, runners have gathered in the small town of Hopkinton for the world’s oldest annual marathon. Today the race attracts around 30,000 participants and half a million spectators. Among the racers will be a select handful of push-assist and wheelchair teams, such as brothers Brent and Kyle Pease. To read more about their inspiring story, see page 14. baa.org

April Something in the Water Created by Pharrell Williams as a nod to his hometown, this 2-year-old music fest in Virginia Beach delivers a week of A-list performances by A$AP Rocky, Beck, Chance the Rapper, Meraba and more. Thru April 26; somethinginthewater.com

April Stagecoach If you’re a little more country than rock ’n’ roll (but still want to enjoy the scene at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California), then don your dusty boots and head to Coachella’s sister event, Stagecoach, which takes place the weekend after. This year’s headliners include Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church. Thru April 26; stagecoachfestival.com

April

100 GECS

Last year, the first full-length album from this flaxen-haired duo— composed of Dylan Brady and Laura Les—started popping up on artiststo-watch lists, launching a slew of profile pieces from the likes of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and MTV News about their head-spinning combo of pop-punk and emo-rap. In just 23 minutes, their eponymous debut packs in 10 songs of frantic, experimental fun that quickly racked up millions of streams. Catch them now, at the relatively intimate Music Hall of Williamsburg, before they explode. Their two nights of performances are part of Red Bull Music Festival New York. Tickets go on sale March 18. redbull.com

April Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas

REMIX TRACK ART, GOLD&GOOSE/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

April Boston Marathon

April

At the state-of-the-art Circuit of the Americas speedway in Austin, Texas, the world’s best riders gather for this year’s only MotoGP contest in America. Watch them cheat death with gravity-defying moves while accelerating to more than 150 mph in a race to the finish line. Last year, Suzuki’s Álex Rins beat Valentino Rossi to win his first-ever MotoGP race. Could he do it again? Thru April 5; circuitoftheamericas.com

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See it

AGAINST THE WIND TAKU NAGAMI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, UCI, ADAM KLINGETEG/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Experience the need for speed in Japan, the rugged beauty of the Swiss Alps and the downhill obstacles of Portugal—all from the comfort of your home. Find these highlights and more this month on Red Bull TV.

March/April

Catch wheel-towheel racing from Japan with some of the top talent in motorsport.

April LIVE

SUPER FORMULA 2020

Super Formula is the fastest formula-car series outside of F1, and Red Bull TV will be bringing you the excitement live from Japan in 2020. The season has seven stops, including the Fuji Speedway and the Twin Ring Motegi, but here’s where it all starts: at the popular Suzuka International Racing Course. This year comes with a new set of rules, where the top 10 winners will now earn points instead of only the top eight.

March LIVE

UCI PORTUGAL

WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE

Red Bull TV is a global digital entertainment destination featuring programming that is beyond the ordinary and is available anytime, anywhere. Go online at redbull.tv, download the app or connect via your Smart TV. To find out more, visit redbull.tv

THE RED BULLETIN

For 2020, the World Cup for downhill riders has a brand-new opening venue. Used in the past by teams and suspension firms for testing, Lousã in Portugal is a beast of a track that’s sure to be a popular first stop.

28 March LIVE

FREERIDE WORLD TOUR

The jagged face of Bec des Rosses in Verbier, Switzerland, is legendary among freeriders, which makes it perfect for the finale of the Freeride World Tour. Always a highlight, this is a course that separates the best from the rest.

G U I D E

Get it

A TIMEPIECE TO DIE FOR

There’s a moment in Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond—the 2006 film Casino Royale—when British Treasury agent Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, attempts to get a read on 007. “Rolex?” she inquires of the inscrutable secret agent’s taste in watches. “Omega,” he corrects her. This is a defining moment that sets apart Craig’s fresh take on the famous spy from earlier, stuffier incarnations. In truth, 007 has worn an Omega ever since Pierce Brosnan’s Bond debut in 1995’s GoldenEye, though his

connection with the Swiss watch manufacturer—and specifically the Seamaster line—goes back further. When author Ian Fleming created the suave secret agent, he drew inspiration from real commandos he’d met during his WWII posting with the British Naval Intelligence Division, making Bond a Royal Naval Reserve Commander. In 1957, when Omega released the first Seamaster 300, it was based on the waterproof wristwatches worn by the British military in WWII; the rubber

omegawatches.com

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TIM KENT

Craig in 2006’s Casino Royale, sporting an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m.

O-ring gasket was even inspired by submarines of the time. The timepiece proved a hit with British Navy divers, and by 1967 the Ministry of Defense had commissioned Omega to produce a “mil-spec” (military specification) version, engraved “055” on the back to designate it the property of the Royal Navy. Come 1995, when 007 costume designer Lindy Hemming was fitting Brosnan for GoldenEye, she decided that “Commander Bond, a naval man, diver and a discreet gentleman of the world, would wear the Seamaster with the blue dial.” There has been a Seamaster 300 on Bond’s wrist ever since. To celebrate Craig’s final outing as the stylish spy—this year’s No Time to Die—Omega created this 42 mm Seamaster Diver 300 “007 Edition,” constructed from Grade 2 titanium, in collaboration with the actor himself. “I had some suggestions and they ran with it,” says Craig. “When Omega showed me titanium watches in the past, I always thought, ‘Wow, it’s like you’re not even wearing a watch.’ They said, ‘Let’s make it.’ We’re talking about a difference of grams, but it’s incredibly comfortable.” Craig’s influence also extended to its alternative NATO strap— “I’ve been doing that for years, sticking them on NATO straps”—and ensuring military authenticity: “You have that heritage with Omega and the British army watches of the Second World War,” he says. “All those things I wanted to connect through, they’ve done it.” Most telling is the serial number on the caseback, which features an “A” (denoting a screw-in crown); the selfexplanatory “007”; “62” (the year of the first Bond film, Dr. No); “923 7697” (which identifies it as a diver’s watch); and “0552,” the mark of a true naval commander’s timepiece.

TOM GUISE

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m “007 Edition”

Watches Craig was given his first Omega watch by his dad on his 18th birthday. It took 34 years—and him becoming 007— before he got the chance to design his own.

Omega created the new watch to celebrate Craig’s final outing as Bond. THE RED BULLETIN

Designed to be light and fast on technical terrain, the Mission LT has an extrasticky sole and a socklike fit.

TRAIL MIX

Hiking is one of summer’s sweetest pleasures, and the right gear makes the miles fly by. Here’s the footwear, packs and apparel you’ll want for summit bids and seaside rambles. Words KELLY BASTONE

G U I D E

F O O T W E A R

HOKA ONE ONE STINSON MID GORE-TEX

Heavy backpacks and rocky trails can punish feet, but not if they’re cradled by the super-plush cushioning of the Stinson Mid. A fat plank of compression-molded EVA foam buffers shocks, while deep, 4 mm lugs bite into muddy trail. The waterproof Nubuck fends off a days-long deluge, and a soft, anatomically-shaped cuff supports your ankle without throttling it. Women’s from size 5; men’s to 15. $180; hokaoneone.com

SCARPA RUSH

Marry the lightweight agility of a running shoe with a hiking boot’s underfoot shielding and you get the Rush. The stretchy Sock Fit upper is more breathable and less bulky than a traditional tongue. Heel stabilizers built into the midsole provide security on uneven terrain, and Scarpa’s new Interactive Kinetic System outsole, with two layers of lugs, improves traction in rocky conditions. Men’s and women’s fits from Euro size 36. $139; scarpa.com

DANNER RIVERCOMBER

Famous for supportive, sticky-soled mountaineering boots, Danner put its know-how into a new amphibious shoe with a knitted Cordura upper that resists abrasion and dries superfast. Vibram’s water-specific Wavegrip outsole grips slick rock, and a ported midsole drains water. Yet the heel stability is just as solid as in Danner’s peak-ready models. Men’s sizes (and EE widths) to 14; women’s from 5. $140; danner.com

Ocean trash gets repurposed in this shoe’s breathable, knitted upper.

BLACK DIAMOND MISSION LT APPROACH SHOES

Using BD’s proprietary rubber, this sticky-soled shoe is a scrambling ace that feels sure-footed on slickrock slabs and talus piles. A nylon rock plate and stiff midsole create a secure platform, and a breezy knitted upper vents sweat on scorching days. Equally cool is the styling, which looks good on the trail and great at the pub. Men’s sizes 6-14; women’s from 5.5. $140; blackdiamondequipment.com THE RED BULLETIN

ADIDAS OUTDOOR TERREX FREE HIKER PARLEY

Ocean trash gets repurposed in this breathable knitted upper, which conforms to various foot widths to eliminate hot spots and blisters. Underfoot, Adidas’ Boost midsole provides outstanding cushioning and rebound to keep feet feeling sprightly, and the Continental rubber outsole grips wet and dry trails. An anklehugging cuff seals out debris. Men’s sizes to 13; women’s from 5. $200; adidasoutdoor.com

OBOZ ARETE MID WATERPROOF

This Bozeman-based company geeked out on foot shapes (analyzing thousands of feet to develop its lasts) to make sure this lightweight hiking boot is comfy and blister free. Its cushioned, heel-cupping insole is leagues better than the pancakes you find from most brands. A plate under the forefront shields against sharp rocks, and a sculpted cuff allows the Achilles tendon free flexion while scrambling. Men’s 8-14; women’s 6-11. $160; obozfootwear.com 89

G U I D E

PAC KS

GREGORY CITRO 30 H2O

An ultrabreathable back panel invites crossbreezes and makes this daypack tolerable in the hottest climates. The hydration bladder is easier to use than most; keep the drink tube in place, and detach the hose inside to refill the reservoir. Plus, smart storage on the shoulder straps and hip belt secure snacks, a smartphone, even sunglasses—eliminating the need to remove the pack for pit stops. The women’s version is the Juno. $150; gregorypacks.com

OSPREY ARCHEON 45

An urban aesthetic and recycled nylon make this pack hip, but technical construction makes it ready for any adventure—on trails or off. A tough frame sheet and aluminum alloy stays support heavy loads during multinight hikes. A padded, ergonomic hip belt provides all-day comfort. And at 4.4 lbs. (for S/M size) it’s light enough to let you bring some splurges (camp slippers, anyone?). For men and women, in two sizes and multiple colors each. $290; osprey.com 90

CAMELBAK ZEPHYR VEST

Not even a long, hot summer packed with running and hiking can stink up this hydration vest: Its mesh is treated with a Polygiene antimicrobial finish that keeps odors from taking hold. Body-mapped ventilation dumps sweat, and streamlined storage holds a smartphone, trekking poles, snacks, rain jacket and conformable flasks that keep water (and everything else) within easy reach. In men’s and women’s fits. $150; camelbak.com

THE NORTH FACE NORTH DOME PACK

Here’s the one pack you need for commutes to work, the climbing gym and the crag. Store a laptop or a hydration bladder in the padded sleeve. Open the U-shaped zipper to display your climbing hardware, or exploit the separate compartments for clean and dirty gear. Outer pockets hold a water bottle or coffee mug, and 100 percent recycled fabric scores major sustainability points. $129; thenorthface.com

MOUNTAINSMITH 2020 DRIFT

When a backpack seems like overkill, reach for this streamlined waist pack: The 5-liter main compartment holds just enough supplies for an hour-long hike, beach-cruiser ride or bouldering session. Collapsible holsters on both sides secure two water bottles, and compression straps snug up the load to keep contents from bouncing. Inside, a bright yellow lining makes it easy to spot your stuff. One unisex size. $50; mountainsmith.com THE RED BULLETIN

With vest-inspired suspension, the Distance 8 pack is built to move fastâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; but it still hold tons of gear.

BLACK DIAMOND DISTANCE 8

Blending features of vests and backpacks, this ultralight (12.5 oz.) option is optimized for skyrunning: Its body-hugging suspension keeps the pack from bouncing when speedhiking, and taped seams minimize chafing. A stretchy pocket on a shoulder strap holds a windshell, collapsible poles tuck into the sides, and the 8-liter main compartment is made of Dynex fibers that are 10 times stronger than steel by weight. Unisex fit in three sizes. $140; blackdiamondequipment.com

RHONE RODE JACKET

Proving that an adventure-ready shell needn’t look out of place on city sidewalks, this jacket pairs an urban silhouette with Polartec Neoshell fabric that’s ultrabreathable and weatherproof. A stretchy internal gaiter at the wrists keeps rain from dripping inside if your arm is raised to grab a handhold or hail a taxi. The adjustable hood stays put in high winds. And the chest pocket serves as a stay-dry bunker for your passport or phone. Men’s only. $298; rhone.com

The Rode jacket has technical chops as well as urban style.

G U I D E

A P PA R E L

BUFF TREK CAP

Featherweight and unoppressive on scorching days, this sweat-mopping cap shields your eyes without hemming you in. The four-waystretch fabric accommodates all hair styles, the laser-cut perforations let sweat and heat dissipate and the adjustable strap lets you cinch it tight against hat-snatching wind gusts. And the side panels provide UPF 50 protection. Two unisex sizes, available in four colors. $36; buffusa.com

OISELLE FLYOUT WOOL SHORT-SLEEVE SHIRT

The fabric makes the tee—and this short-sleeve crewneck gets its magic from a unique merino/ synthetic blend: The wool is next to skin, where it feels soft and comfortable in all but the hottest temps. And the outer polyester layer dissipates sweat for faster dry times and tougher durability (pack straps won’t abrade it). With clean, simple seam lines, the Flyout fits in at work and on the trail. Women’s only. $64; oiselle.com THE RED BULLETIN

This cap is breathable, stretchy, moisturewicking and offers UV protection.

ELEVENATE MOTION DOWN JACKET

OUTDOOR RESEARCH EQUINOX CONVERTIBLE PANTS

SAXX NEW FRONTIER 2N1 SHORT

For summer 2020, O.R. overhauled its zippy pants to remove the dork factor. An angled zipper avoids the dreaded “hoop” effect when worn as shorts. Streamlined cargo pockets secure a smartphone and other necessities. And the stretchy, bluesign-approved nylon is tough enough for continuous wear: It repels stains, dries fast and moves wherever you do. For men and women. $99; outdoorresearch.com

Attractively wavy baffles define this summerweight puffy, which uses synthetic insulation in the high-compression zones (across the shoulders and elbows) but 750-fill goose down everywhere else. Add in silky-soft shell fabric and you’ve got a supremely comforting warm layer that looks great, too: The striped trim at the hem and cuffs lend it subtle style. For men and women. $250; elevenateusa.com

Yes, you can hike commando. Because after designing what might be the best-performing men’s underwear (with a sweat-wicking “ballpark pouch” that’s supportive during sports), Saxx advanced to outerwear: Its first hiking short combines the skivvies’ best properties with a rugged, stretch-woven fabric that stands tough against granite boulders and untamed scrub. Available in three colors and five sizes from 30 to 38. $95; saxxunderwear.com 93

BEAST MODE

For hikes, car rides and fun at home, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the coolest new stuff to keep your dog happy, comfy and safe. Words JOE LINDSEY

RUFFWEAR GRIP TREX BOOTIES

Protect your pupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paws from sharp rocks and other hazards with these sturdy booties. The grippy Vibram rubber outsoles offer sure-footed traction on natural surfaces and resistance to cuts and abrasion. The mesh upper breathes for air circulation, and the hook-and-loop closure keeps out debris and fastens tight so the boots stay put even during the fastest zoomies. Available in eight sizes. $75; ruffwear.com

G U I D E

SLEEPYPOD CLICKIT SPORT CAR HARNESS

Keep things safe on the drive to the trailhead with the Clickit Sport, one of the only harnesses that’s crash-tested and approved by the Center for Pet Safety. The automotive-grade straps and padded vest distribute forces in a crash, and the Clickit Sport’s trim profile is perfect for walks and hikes, even on warm days. Quick-connect buckles make attachment or removal easy. Available in four sizes. $75-$90; sleepypod.com

NITE IZE RADDOG COLLAPSIBLE BOWL

When your pooch wants a drink or snack on an adventure, just pull out this ultralight foldable bowl for a trailside refreshment. It’s made out of waterproof coated nylon, holds up to 16 ounces of water (or treats) and then packs down to the size of a pack of gum to fit in a pocket or pack. Or you can clip it to a backpack or belt loop with the included carabiner. $10; niteize.com

I AND LOVE AND YOU NICE JERKY! TREATS

Did someone say treats?! I and Love and You’s line is made of whole-food ingredients, without weird additives. This jerky is nothing but highquality meat, a little brown sugar and smoke flavor, all made in the USA. Three flavors (chicken/duck, beef/lamb, chicken/salmon) provide tasty options for the pickiest pup, and you can break or cut them into smaller sizes for training. $6 (4 oz. bag); iandloveandyou.com

This puzzle toy will challenge your dog’s brain to steer them from harmful behavior.

BLUE DOG DESIGNS HELP ’EM UP HARNESS

Why should puppies have all the fun? This harness assists senior dogs with strength or mobility issues so they can join on walks. Handles on the chest and hip segments let you safely and securely lift your pooch into and out of vehicles, or offer steady support when navigating steps or uneven terrain. The harness is comfortable for sitting, lying down and even for potty time. Available in five sizes. $75-$125; helpemup.com THE RED BULLETIN

FILSON LARGE DOG BED

After a full day of adventures, let your best friend stretch out in luxury on this premium dog bed. At 43 inches long and 29 wide, it’s a spacious suite for quality snoozing. The 5-inchthick polyester fiberfill is soft and supportive, with a baffle construction that will prevent shifting and collapse with use. The quilted Tin Cloth cotton cover is water and stain resistant and removable for machine washing. $295; filson.com

OUTWARD HOUND/NINA OTTOSSON DOG TORNADO TOY

Dogs need more than just exercise. This puzzle toy challenges their brains, directing their energy away from destructive or harmful behavior. (It also helps slow down fast eaters at mealtime.) Put treats or kibble inside, close the toy and watch Boomer figure out how to spin each level to “unlock” his reward. Removable bone blocks add difficulty when your dog masters the basics. $25; outwardhound.com 95

GLOBAL TEAM

THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE

The Red Bulletin is published in six countries. This month’s Swiss edition features conservationist and shark activist Madison Stewart. For more stories beyond the ordinary, go to redbulletin.com.

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The next issue of THE RED BULLETIN is out on April 14. 98

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ERIK BOOMER/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Rapids response Riding the world’s wildest rivers is what extreme-kayak world champion Nouria Newman (pictured) is all about. So last year, the French multiple medal winner joined fellow kayakers Erik Boomer and Ben Stookesberry on a trip to Chilean Patagonia to tackle the region’s three most notoriously fierce waterways—a challenge known as the Patagonia Triple Crown. To watch Newman and her team face the surge and spray, go to redbull.com.

ALPHATAURI.COM

APRIL 2020

JA M E S B O N D â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S CHOICE SEAMASTER DIVER 300M 007 EDITION SHOP AT OMEGAWATCHES.COM