Pre-produc tion, computer-generated image shown. Available late 2020. Always consult the owner’s manual before of f-road driving, know your terrain and trail dif ficult y, and use appropriate safet y gear.
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Get outfitted for lapping endless resort runs, plus five boards that can handle any terrain.
44 Skis
In light of COVID-19, we’re in favor of insanely long lift lines (hear us out).
Five skis to elevate your turns all over the mountain, plus a full kit for backcountry adventures.
82 Workout See how getting back to your animal instincts can yield next-level fitness.
92 What Works for Me Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on how he stays at the top of his game.
20 Autos A street-legal supertruck forged in the fires of the Baja 1000.
34 Grooming Cold-weather products to soothe your hair, skin, and lips all season long.
36 We’re With Her Kate Mara on starring in FX on Hulu’s A Teacher, and how to have a political debate with your family. 004
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46 Winter Footwear Stylish, rugged boots that combine water-resistant builds and dry, warm insulation.
52 Holiday Gift Guide The best gifts for any guy, from the adventurer and athlete, to the foodie or techie.
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96 Wellness 2020 was the year of overimbibing. It’s time to rethink how you drink.
L AST WORD
104 Wesley Snipes The ’90s action icon imparts his wisdom on aging with grace and the value of money.
FROM LEFT: COURTESY OF GLICKENHAUS RACING; CHRIS WELLHAUSEN; DAN FORBES
Your new Epic or Ikon pass lets you ski or snowboard anywhere you could want. Now what?
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ULL DISCLOSURE: I
don’t generally look to celebrities for advice on grappling with huge social issues. So I give Jon Hamm credit for neatly summarizing a point of view we all could stand to keep in mind these days when he tells contributing editor Jesse Will, “There are other people who experience the world differently than you, and you have to come to some sort of understanding with that” (page 56). In June, as we covered the convulsions shaking Minneapolis, we were introduced to Anthony Taylor. In many ways, Taylor is a prototypical Men’s Journal guy; an accomplished road and mountain biker, avid snowboarder, camper, and general outdoorsman. He’s exactly the kind of guy you’d want to show you around his city. But he’s also a Black man whose experiences in the outdoors—in terms of both chilling racism and transcendent empowerment—are different from the experiences of Men’s Journal’s all-white staff. Taylor anchors our feature about the men rebuilding Minneapolis (page 70), which was brought to
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life by writer Michael Kleber-Diggs and photographer Wale Agboola. As Black journalists, and locals, in a city many of us have only visited, their lived experiences provide a crucial lens through which to document the men shaping what comes next for Minneapolis. In an email exchange after we finished the feature, Kleber-Diggs built on Hamm’s point: “These stories will add energy to the conversations and efforts underway here.” Speaking of stories and energy, both are going to be a bit different around the holiday dinner table this year. But smaller gatherings just mean more time and space to whip up a meal that will break your Instagram feed, which we explain in straightforward steps that anyone can pull off with “First, We Feast” (page 62). And look on the bright side: Having fewer people at the table should make it easier to keep your holiday pod from straying into political debate—unless your family comprises two NFL dynasties like Kate Mara’s (page 36). 2020 is a year that many have endured more than experienced, but we hope this issue gives you a few reasons to feel optimism and empathy. After all, like Hamm says, “If we’re all on the path to learning and growing, let’s all be on the path. That way, we’re contributing not only to better versions of ourselves, but hopefully our society and culture.” We’ll raise a glass to that. Happy holidays, everyone.
MICAH ABRAMS
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D I S PAT C H E S F R O M A W I L D W O R L D
Daron Rahlves finding untracked treasure on “Rolling Thunder” in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.
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TRAVEL
The Paradox of Choice The Ikon and Epic resort multi-passes provide incredible value, but create a tangled web of options. We’ve parsed the ideal destinations based on how you ski or ride. by RYAN KROG H
UE TO COVID-19, resorts are instituting reservation
systems, capping daily visitors, nixing same-day ticket sales, and abiding by local regulations (read: closed bars and limited-capacity restaurants). The good news is skiing and snowboarding are socially distant by design, and Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass and Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass are better values than ever. Epic passholders are prioritized in Vail’s reservation system and Ikon passholders are exempt from ticket-sale restrictions at Alterra resorts. That’s 76 U.S. resorts where you’ll have no trouble ripping laps this winter. Here’s how to pick which pass is right for you.
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1. STEEP AND DEEP If you want to spend your days careening down dizzying pitches, these mountains have some of the most electrifying terrain your heart could desire (and legs can handle).
IKON PASS EPIC PASS CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT, CO
The resort’s famed pitches and powder stashes are off the High Lift at Teocalli Bowl and Headwall. For an inbounds, avalanche-controlled area that feels more like a backcountry paradise (think powder pillows, cliff bands, and a few 45-degree lines that require total commitment) head to the North Face. STAY: The slope-side Elevation Hotel boasts a decked-out pool and spa to nurse sore muscles. STEVENS PASS, WA
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from the top of 7th Heaven lift to the peak of Cowboy Mountain. STAY: There’s no lodging at Stevens Pass; head to the Bavarian Lodge 35 miles east in Leavenworth.
STAY AND EAT:
PARK CITY MOUNTAIN RESORT, UT
PCMR is the largest resort in the U.S. and still somehow underrated for its double-black runs, including 10,026-foot Jupiter Peak, a hike-to-only area that’s avalanche controlled by ski patrol. On a powder day, the chutes often get packed with windblown snow, increasing its thrills. Ninety-Nine 90 is also littered with gnarly runs, like Magic Line. STAY AND EAT: Main & SKY is within walking distance to High West Distillery, which, in addition to spirits, offers exceptional food in the adjoining Nelson Cottage. MEN’S JOURNAL
STAY:
ALTA/SNOWBIRD SKI AREAS, UT
TAOS SKI VALLEY, NM
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PHOTO: CHRIS WELLHAUSEN
Despite having just 1,800 vertical feet, you still get open glades, corduroy runs, and plenty of steeps, including almost the entire Mill Valley side of the mountain (ideal early on a powder day). For a burly ride, hike 15 minutes
JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT, WY
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EPIC PASS TELLURIDE SKI RESORT, CO
Plunge Lift is full of steep glades and egg-carton runs like Kant-Mak-M, with 800 vertical feet of moguls. The hike-to terrain atop the Prospect Express lift has steep, challenging bump runs that mercifully lead into buffedout screamers. EAT: Kick off the day by wolfing down a chorizo and migas breakfast burrito at La Cocina de Luz. At night, walk to Brown Dog Pizza to carb up, then wind down with sativa chocolate from Telluride Bud Company. BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT, CO
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soft bumps, and funnels naturally into Vertigo, one of the mountain’s best steep mogul runs. EAT: At Breckenridge Distillery, sample one of their whiskeys or juniper-heavy gin alongside chef David Burke’s patented steaks, dry-aged in Himalayan pink salt. SUN VALLEY RESORT, ID
The original destination ski resort in North America still offers celebrity sightings and a rowdy nightlife (or what passes for it these days). For bump lovers, Exhibition is one of the most iconic mogul runs in the West. New this year is a high-speed quad that’ll open up 380 acres on Bald Mountain, with an open bowl up top that feeds into freshly thinned glades. EAT: Grab the best burger in town at Michel’s Christiania, where Ernest Hemingway himself ate. (Reservations are a must.) MEN’S JOURNAL
SQUAW VALLEY ALPINE MEADOWS, CA
The mountain’s name will change in 2021, but its 6,000 acres, which have long attracted some of the biggest showoffs in skiing, will remain the same. Take KT-22 Express lift for Moseley’s Run—a long, fall-line bumps run named after Olympic mogul champ Jonny Moseley. EAT: Grab après drinks at the Tram Car Bar, a restored 1970sera tram. Ikon Pass holders get deals, like a free Backscratcher, a spicy riff on the Moscow Mule. KILLINGTON SKI RESORT, VT
The “Beast of the East” boasts 3,050 vertical feet of riding— the most in New England. Test your mettle (and knees) on Bear Mountain’s Outer Limits, a half-mile of moguls careening directly down the fall line. Carve down the 6.2mile Juggernaut, the longest
trail in the East, or enjoy some cruisers on Killington Peak and Snowdon Mountain. EAT: Journey to Rutland, 15 miles away, to chow down on an ancho-pepper ribeye, then wash it down with a craft beer at Roots the Restaurant. STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT, CO
Steamboat is famous for its perfect glades, trademarked (literally) champagne powder, and crowd-free runs. The evenly spaced aspen and fir trees hold powder days after a big dump, and its two most popular glades, Shadows and Closets, are 1,900 vertical feet of branch-free fun. STAY AND EAT: The slope-side Steamboat Grand hotel has an 85,000-gallon heated outdoor pool and full-service spa. At Laundry, snack on small bites and sip a Fiery Margarita, made from pepper-infused tequila and lemongrass simple syrup.
PHOTO: RAY GADD
Breck has the highest lift-accessed terrain in the U.S., at 12,840 feet, just off the Imperial Express SuperChair. The lines up top are steep chutes or bowls, which turn into quad-burning bump runs. Whale’s Tail, between Peak 7 and 8, is usually loaded with
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EPIC PASS
IKON PASS
BEAVER CREEK RESORT, CO
ASPEN SNOWMASS, CO
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STAY AND EAT: STAY: STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT, VT
NORTHSTAR CALIFORNIA, CA
SUNDAY RIVER RESORT, ME
BIG SKY RESORT, MT
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lowing one of the resort’s deepest snowfalls in its history, visitors to Vail waited for hours in a crowd that ballooned so big you would have thought the lift operators were handing out wads of hundreds and an affordable place to live. The internet deemed it “Lift Line Apocalypse” and, at the time, I felt sorry for all those skiers and snowboarders. Now, I realize they had never been so lucky. To be clear, I hate lift lines. There are not many things in life I despise more than cow-eyed single-file standing, shuffling inches forward every five hours toward a chair, where I’ll get to sit and keep waiting. I’d rather take a Mike Tyson uppercut to my bathing-suit area than be stuck in traffic. Hell on earth, to me, is a festival ATM. I’ve done my best to avoid lines. I moved from the crowds of Chicago to the peaceful Colorado mountain communities of Telluride and Carbondale. While ski towns often offer streets with more snow than people, skiing is a sport stuffed with lanes of humans. Lift lines, especially long ones, are the necessary evil all skiers/riders tolerate. But standing within arm’s length of anyone—let
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alone a crowd of strangers—amidst COVID-19 causes more anxiety than a middle school dance your parents are chaperoning. So how exactly are we going to ski during a pandemic? At the end of August, Vail Resorts laid out a winter operating plan that includes a ticket reservation system, capacity restrictions at lodges, and socially distant chair-loading policies. This is all well and good, but what about everyone waiting at the base? According to Vail-Beaver Creek spokesman John Plack, Vail Resorts will apply learnings from its summer operating procedures: larger maze construction at lift bases, physical distancing signage, and a zero-tolerance mask and distancing requirement. Plus, said ticket reservations will redefine what “crowded” means. Even with a powder-day forecast, Plack assures the resort can “maintain a level of visitation to our mountains that encourages the physical distancing we all need to stay safe.” Needless to say, last February’s Vail-pocalypse isn’t likely to happen again this winter. But we also shouldn’t expect any kind of “normal” lift line experience, or “normal” ski experience for that matter. It’s all going to feel a little…off. We will ski, it will be different, MEN’S JOURNAL
a apoca ypt ca y o g o e.
photograph by DAVID REDDICK
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AUTOS
Baja Fresh How a monied gearhead rebel beat Ford—and will L sell you the buggy that did it.
The only differences between the consumer Boot and the race version seen here? An off-road race cage, race seats, and additional fuel tanks.
HEN THE CLOUDS of grit
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such as Manhattan Motorcars. It’s just one of an expansive list of projects from Glickenhaus, including the SCG 007, a hypercar he plans to enter in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021—with the audacious goal of gaining the first overall win for a car made in America in over 50 years. But back to Baja: Glickenhaus and his race team are preparing for another run-in with Ford during the 1000’s 2020 iteration this November (at press time, the race was still scheduled). Sure, it’s a rivalry—but it’s also R&D. Entering
COURTESY GLICKENHAUS RACING
finally settled at the 2019 Baja 1000, the grueling off-road race through the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, an unlikely star emerged: the Boot, an all-terrain vehicle from SCG, a manufacturer you’ve probably never heard of. With just 47 seconds left before the 800-mile race’s 34-hour cutoff, the fangy, bug-eyed, scarlet red Boot crossed the finish line, wearing 420 pounds of mud, and defeating the only other vehicle in its class: a prototype Bronco R from Ford. The tiny SCG—Scuderia Cameron
Glickenhaus, a low-volume manufacturer founded and run by the filmmaker and financier James Glickenhaus—had beaten one of Detroit’s Big Three. “Frankly, I think Ford was a bit shocked that we beat them by 270 miles in the class,” says Glickenhaus, speaking in cogent, animated bursts that belie the builder’s 70 years. Though based in Danbury, CT, Glickenhaus plans to scale up his California facility’s production of the $287,500 4-Door Boot. The 2-Door, currently available for $258,750, is street legal in 49 states (soon, 50, he says) and sold through specialty luxury dealers
“YOU FEEL THE GHOSTS OF THE ’60S AND STEVE (MCQUEEN) DRIVING THE THING,” SAYS GLICKENHAUS.
of Avengers-worthy battle-hardening. It’s based on Steve McQueen’s Baja Boot—the very vehicle the actor raced in the late ’60s—which Glickenhaus bought at auction in 2010. That vehicle was designed by Vic Hickey, a General Motors engineer who found success by outfitting the low, tubular-framed Boot with a robust suspension ( for its time) and a mid-mounted GM V8. Glickenhaus’ modernized stock version of the Boot also derives its power from a GM V8. Choose either an LT1 or LT4 engine—originally developed for the Z06 Corvette—mated to an automatic transmission and fed to giant 39-inch tires with a heft that ensures nearly all of its horsepower (460 for the LT1, 683 for the LT4) are applied to the ground. For the latter engine, Glickenhaus estimates a zero-to-60 time in the low three seconds, wildly impressive for a vehicle that’s nearly 5,550 pounds. Of course, the Boot wasn’t intended as a street racer. Enormous shocks and springs give it up to 23 inches of suspension travel, meaning the vehicle can float over boulders and bumps, nose-up, like a boat. The modern Boot not only outpowers McQueen’s model, it also boasts a cupholder, critical for pavement-not-required Starbucks runs. The 4-Door model features backseat suicide doors, which hinge at the rear—“because they’re cool.” The rear seats are elevated, stadium style, to give those second-row passengers a better view, and ward off carsickness, a legit problem for off-roading with friends. The Boot is a showy thing, outrageous but functional, built to be enjoyed rather than babied.
Glickenhaus watches the Boot cross the 2019 Baja 1000 finish. Drivers Darren Skilton, Viry Felix, and Jon Krellwitz finished 47 seconds before the 34-hour cutoff.
“I just got so sick of poser cars,” says Glickenhaus, referring to the recent wave of luxury and sportscar brands branching out into sport-utility vehicles, including Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce. These vehicles, Glickenhaus says, aren’t fit for anything more rugged than the driveway of a polo club. That’s a place where a Boot, you would assume, might feel out of place. “This is the real deal. If the apocalypse happened—which, it seems like it might, the way things are going—you’d want to be in this thing,” says Glickenhaus. “I think, because of COVID, the market’s changing. You’re going from people buying (an exotic car) to impress people at a cafe on South Beach, to people buying it because they are going to use the frigging thing.” Q
the Boot in one of off-roading’s most demanding and storied races isn’t just a party trick, Glickenhaus says—it’s one of the most efficient ways to suss out a vehicle’s true capabilities: “It’s like you put a hundred thousand miles in a day on it, subjecting it to forces and temperature extremes, giant boulders. You tear it down afterward and see if anything broke.” Those lessons led to material improvements for the 2020 model, from power to suspension upgrades. Essentially, the Boot is a dune buggy that has gone through some kind
The original Vic Hickey Baja Boot (1967), raced by McQueen. Glickenhaus bought it at auction in 2010.
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Notebook 2020
WINTER FASHION PREVIEW
Cool Days, Warm Nights A subdued holiday season is the
Marl Turtleneck [$530,
STYLE
2020
WINTER FASHION PREVIEW
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MEN’S JOURNAL
Golden Goose Peacoat Jacket [$1,075; goldengoose.com]; Polo Ralph Lauren Chinos and Roll-Neck Sweater [$268, $398; ralphlauren.com]; Johnston & Murphy Cody Wingtip Zip Boot [$189; johnstonmurphy.com] AKNVAS Alice Dress [$595; aknvas.com]; Mavette Boots [mavette.com]
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WINTER FASHION PREVIEW
Calvin Klein Tank Top [$32; macys.com]; Ben [$99; bensherman.com]
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GROOMING
2020
WINTER FASHION PREVIEW
Seiko Presage Sharp Edged Series SPB167 [$1,000; seikoluxe.com]; Tudor Black Bay FiftyEight Navy Blue on fabric strap [$3,375; tudorwatch.com]; Breitling Chronomat B01 42 with Stainless Steel Case, Black Dial on Stainless Steel Rouleaux Bracelet [$8,100; breitling.com]
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Tod’s Brown Polo Shirt [$545; tods.com]; AG Jeans The Tellis Jeans [$198; agjeans.com]
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MEN’S JOURNAL
2020
WINTER FASHION PREVIEW
Salvatore Ferragamo Dune Wool Sweater and Brown Pinstripe Wool Blend Pants [$760, $790; ferragamo.com]
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Whether you’re hitting the slopes or clearing a path to your car, these products have you covered when the degrees drop. BY ADAM HURLY
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HYDRATE YOUR BEARD
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USE MORE CONDITIONER
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RECOVER WITH BALM
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very dry, exceptionally cold, with 034
whipping winds and high UV exposure,” she says, resulting in wind- and sunburn, breakouts, plus an itchy and brittle beard. Those baseline winter side effects are further exacerbated if you spend the season in high altitudes, or outside for extended periods. So, whether you’re on an alpine vacation or shoveling your driveway, a few types of products can help better protect your skin, hair, and whiskers this season.
[4] [
photograph by CHRIS WELLHAUSEN
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MEN’S JOURNAL
WE’RE WITH HER
Kate Mara The star of A Teacher on the horny TV renaissance and how to have a family political disagreement when you’re part of two NFL dynasties. by AN NA PE E LE
In your new show A Teacher, even though the relationship between your character and her student is deeply screwed up, it’s also very hot. Between that and Normal People, Hulu is really leading a horny TV resurgence. I’m glad that was your comparison, because I’m with you. And obviously, the show is exploring the reaction that you had to it. [But] just because somebody seems mature, or even if a kid is 18 or whatever the legal ages are, it’s still abuse of power and it’s not an affair. There’s a lot of people who hear it and think, “Well, if it’s a young guy and it’s a hot young teacher, then what’s the big deal?” But it’s important to think deeper [about] the actual trauma that occurs. You’re very outspoken about Black Lives Matter and football players’ right to protest, especially given that one side of your family co-owns the Steelers and the other the Giants. Did you talk to them before you spoke out? My dad has always known my feelings and knew when my sister [Rooney] and I were going to say something, and we always got his blessing. I’m a massive football fan; it’s literally in my family and has been forever. I have so much passion for it, and for the
sport itself, and for not everyone’s going to THE BASICS the sacrifice that the agree. Like, [I’m] a very Age players make, to do passionate vegan, and I what they do. With did not grow up in that Hometown the NFL and Black kind of household at all. Lives Matter, I just They didn’t get you a was like, “I can’t not tofu turkey? Top 3 Instagram say any thing. It’s Absolutely not. A nd Accounts to Follow wrong to be silent.” there still isn’t [one]. Especially when you “ You can eat sides, see your own players Kate.” on your own teams I basically live on sides saying, “We need you anyway. to speak up for us and do more for You seem like a person who is very us.” [But] my dad’s one of 11 kids, contained and has a lot of control which is a lot of people and a lot over what you put out and what you of different opinions. I think that hold in. Are you that placid inside, it’s complicated for them. or are you a duck? Meaning, you A lot of people are going through this appear calm but below the surface with family now, though I guess most you’re frantically paddling. don’t own football teams. How do I do relate to that. But I wouldn’t you kindly disagree with someone consider myself a duck; I think in a way they can be receptive to? that usually [with me], it’s “what While a lot of arguments and you see is what you get.” conversations are great to have Besides a vaccine and systemic on social media, when you’re social change, what are your dreams talking about family, I think that’s for the coming year? probably the wrong route. For I hope that we can create more whatever reason, it is a lot easier things sooner than later, because to have conversations over the it’s such an emotional outlet in phone. There’s something less so many ways. And I do think intimidating about it than sitting that movies and television and across the table at Thanksgiveverything helps a lot of us get ing. I’m not saying all my family through the hard times. members have different opinions I figured it out: You and your husband than I do. But when you have a Jamie Bell and your sister Rooney massive family, the chances are, and her partner Joaquin Phoenix can do an at-home version of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Shoot it on an iPhone, Steven Soderbergh-style. That’s pretty dark! I want more uplifting stories. Q
I WOULDN’T CONSIDER MYSELF A DUCK; IT’S ‘WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.’ photograph by JOHN RUSSO
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longer trip up the coast. I had it fully redone by a French workshop called BAAK, who decked it out, gave it these beautiful leather seats and other upgrades. Getting on the road with a few guys, old college friends, breathing fresh air, and feeling the wind is just incredible. The road is a peaceful place to be, especially on a motorcycle.
Adams appears in National Geographic’s The Right Stuff on Disney+ this fall.
HOME-GYM I transformed a back corner of my yard into a workout space, which has become my favorite place at the house now. I’ve had these kettlebells from Agatsu for years, but lately they are really getting used. The company is from Canada, and I picked them up while I was filming Suits up in Toronto. Once we wrapped on the show, they spent months outside in the elements, but they stood the test of time and still do the job.
ACCORDING TO
Patrick J. Adams The former Suits star and National Geographic’s The Right Stuff actor discusses motorbikes, vintage cameras, and his other recent obsessions. — AS TOLD TO CHARLES THORP
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TV I have more time to sit down and stream, so I’ve been digging into I May Destroy You on HBO. I am deeply moved by it. It’s just brilliant, and Michaela Coel is a powerful, visionary voice. I haven’t finished it yet, so I don’t know how it wraps up, but it is one of the best things I’ve seen in a good while. The show is raw and you can tell there is a lot of real in there as well. I’ve been personally inspired by it.
CAMERA I have somewhere around 35 different cameras. Taking photographs is one of my favorite hobbies. I bought an Ansco Autoset when I got The Right Stuff, because that was the camera that John Glenn took into space. He picked it up after walking into a store in Cocoa Beach, looking for something lightweight with automatic exposure, and took some of the first photos in space with it. But my go-to camera—and my favorite to shoot with—is my Rolleiflex 2.8F. Everything is amazing about it, from how the pictures look to how it feels in my hands.
SHIRT I have been trying to get away from wearing only T-shirts and jeans constantly, because I have been stuck in that mode for a while. My friend Dan Torjman has a clothing company out of Canada called 18 Waits, which has these awesome short-sleeve button-downs. I’ve been living in them during quarantine.
photograph by ZAC DeZON
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SNOWBOARDS
Across the Board These 5 rides can handle anything the mountain throws your way. by SCOT T YORKO BEST FOR: BIG MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR: POW SURFING
BEST FOR: ALL MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR: BACKCOUNTRY FREESTYLE
The Goat
Euphoria
Straight Chuter
The Hatchet
Cardiff Snowcraft
Venture Snowboards
Burton
Weston
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SKIS
Cold Warriors Some skis feature tech for tech’s sake, but these 5 strike a balance between novel and practical improvements that will elevate your turns all over the mountain. by J E RE MY K . S PE NCE R BEST FOR: BIG MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR: ALL MOUNTAIN
BEST FOR: POWDER
BEST FOR: GROOMERS
Anima
Kore 87
The Hotshot
Disruption MTi
Black Crows
Head
J Skis
K2
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BACKCOUNTRY KIT
Boundless Winter Want to avoid resort crowds? Self-powered summit bids and backcountry powder hunts only require two things: careful preparation and the right gear. by BE RN E BROU DY
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BEST FOR: TOURING
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Transalp 90 Carbon
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Fischer
$800; fischersports.com
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Columbia The pores in this boot’s liner block bone-chilling slush, while letting out water vapor to keep dry feet cranking up hills. Unlike regular insulation that just traps air, the Rover’s has tiny reflective dots to bounce body heat inward, creating warmth without extra bulk. $140; columbia.com
These stylish, rugged boots combine water-resistant builds and insulation to keep you dry and warm during on-trail adventures through cold, dark days—or just around a bonfire at night. by SAL VAG LICA
Vans Blurring the lines between boot and high-top sneaker, the SK8-Hi takes on wet, urban missions where the weather-resistant leather upper won’t be overwhelmed by snow piles. An insulated liner keeps you warm while the toothy sole keeps you upright on morning coffee runs. $105; vans.com
ThermoBall Boot Zip-Up Outsnap CSWP
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Teva The stitching on the Ember gives off a quilted throw vibe, and they feel just as comfortable. A waterproof, moisture-wicking bootie works to keep your sweaty dogs dry while the antimicrobial treatment helps manage funk during those dreary winter commutes. It’s also tougher than your grandma’s throw, with sides made from ripstop nylon. $140; teva.com MEN’S JOURNAL
Mountain 600 Insulated Danner An iconic look gets a boost with Vibram’s Arctic Grip sole—split to flex over terrain for a tenacious grip on ice (without clunky metal components). Behind the handsome leather shell is a waterproof bootie, extra PrimaLoft insulation, and a three-layer removable footbed that feels broken-in right out of the box. $220; danner.com
COURTESY DANNER
Salomon Light and trim, these Salomons work well in town, with a build that’s almost sneaker-like, but they’ve got serious off-road chops as well. A waterproof bootie and insulation maintain comfort on technical trails where the lug pattern grips both hard and slick surfaces, like icy sidewalks or loose, gravely terrain. $130; salomon.com
The North Face Sorry laces, the side zip on the ThermoBall simplifies entry in wet weather, or while wearing gloves. These streetready boots pack PrimaLoft synthetic insulation, which, unlike natural down, retains heat even if snowmelt gets by the waterproof coating on the leather upper. Bonus: The rubber lugs harden with dropping temps for better bite on ice, then soften in warmer weather for better traction on wet terrain. $130; thenorthface.com
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Logitech Upgrade to a full-size mouse and keyboard with Logitech’s MX Master 3 and matching MX Keys, which connect to multiple devices to go from typing on the monitor to a tablet to a phone with the push of a button. $200 for the set; logitech.com
Woolsey Smart Desk Sean Woolsey Studio At the push of a button, this standing desk’s nearly silent motors crank the top from 24.5 to nearly 50 inches in less than 20 seconds, so you can go from sitting to standing the instant your watch reminds you. Manage clutter by sliding the day’s work into the three drawers and keep your phone juiced with the embedded wireless charger. From $3,000; seanwoolsey.com
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Rings of Fire This winter, the cold doesn’t need to chase you indoors. These 4 fire pits work for camping, cooking, or just staying warm after the sun sets on your backyard. by CLINT CARTE R
BEST FOR: CAMPSITE COMFORT
BEST FOR: COOKING
Portable pits can be tricky to put together and easy to knock over. The Takibi, however, opens as intuitively as a pop-up book. Even on first use, we had it assembled as quickly as we could remove it from its carry case. The 12 pounds of stainless steel felt safer and sturdier than featherweight modular pits, and the included baseplate kept the ground underneath protected from embers that fall from the bottom. $320; snowpeak.com
Quickly rack up Breeo’s modular pit with an adjustable-height grill grate and swinging kettle for simmering chili or heating coffee. We used the stainless steel outer rim to toast buns; with enough flame, it works as a seer plate for steaks and pork chops. Of the pits tested, it also put out the least smoke with an airflow designed to channel fresh O2 upward from the bottom, at the center of the inferno. $799; breeo.co
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S&S Fire Pits 42-inch Elliptical Fire Pit If you’ve got fuel, here’s the pit for your fire. The 3.5-foot mouth swallows split timber and fallen branches into a bonfire-size inferno, yet it sits low enough—about 19 inches off the ground—that friends can still sit comfortably at the perimeter. Georgia-based S&S crafts its pits from pressure-vessel heads discarded by the tank industry. So, the steel is thick, heavy (this model weighs 138 pounds), and capable of radiating massive amounts of heat. $725; ssfirepits.com
BEST FOR: CLOSE QUARTERS
Pyro Tower Metal Chiminea The downside of a chiminea is that it doesn’t provide a 360-degree view of the flame. The tradeoff is a flue that channels smoke skyward with wind protection on three sides. If safety’s a concern, rest assured: It’d take a hurricane to blow the 208-pound Pyro Tower off its 32-inch base. The Kansas-based company will also ship it with steel vent and fire screens, plus locking casters to roll it around your patio—hopefully not while it’s lit. From $449; proudpyro.com
COURTESY SNOW PEAK
Snow Peak Takibi Fire & Grill
Breeo X Series 19 Firemaster Package
BEST FOR: BACKYARD BONFIRE
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2020 HOLIDAY GIF T GUIDE
FOR THE ADVENTURER BioLite HeadLamp 750 Runners will reach for this slim-fitting, comfy headlamp with a no-bounce design, five dimmable lens modes (including a powerful, wide flood for ultimate red light/strobe. $100; bioliteenergy.com
Eddie Bauer Microtherm 1000 Jacket This suprisingly light puffy is stuffed with insulating, 1,000-fill down in discon-
side panels behind the shoulders ease movement. $399; eddiebauer.com
These burly, 1050D nylon bags come in three tote sizes, 19L, 26L, and 39L (there’s also a 35L backpack version, pictured), and include a zippered mesh lid and internal pockets. From $55; 511tactical.com
White River Firecraft FC5 Knife Campfire fanatics can appreciate the sharp and stout Firecraft, with a special notch that guides a spark rod (included), plus a stainless steel divot in the handle meant to hold a fire bow. $290; whiteriverknives.com 52
Nocs Provisions Standard Issue Binoculars Pop your smartphone up to an eyepiece on these waterproof, 8x25 binos to boost your camera lens to 400mm equivalent. They’re also nitrogen-sealed and clad in a grippy rubber. $90; nocsprovisions.com
FOR THE ATHLETE Tracksmith Run Commute Jacket Run to the office without looking like an athleisure dork in this sleek jacket—made with a proprietary nylon-wool blend that’s water-resistant, stretchy, and naturally odoradverse. $198; tracksmith.com
Garmin fēnix 6 Pro Solar Edition monitoring, access to multiple global navigation satellite systems, respiration tracking, and topo maps. From $850; garmin.com
Adidas Terrex Two Parley Trail Running Shoes Tear up the trails with the eco-conscious Parleys. The knitted, recycled ocean plastic upper is mated to a bouncy Boost midsole and grippy Continental tread. $140; adidas.com
Hyfit Gear 1 Smart Gym Compact and intelligent, this resistance band exercise system integrates a sensor to track 20-plus stats and record your workouts. A companion app offers guided workouts and a full library of exercises. $329; hyfitgear.com
UA True Wireless Flash X Headphones Engineered by JBL, these waterproof earbuds bring workout-rocking bass along with multiple ear tips to enhance fit. Two sound technologies—TalkThru and Ambient Aware—offer easy chatting with environmental alertness. $170; underarmour.com
BSG Stillwater Four Button Golf Shirt Stay cool and collected on the links with this sharp shirt made with a breathable and stretchy poly/spandex blend. An athletic fit makes dropping deep drives an unrestricted affair. $89; bostonscottgolf.com 53
2020 HOLIDAY GIF T GUIDE
FOR THE FOODIE Breville 3X Bluicer Pro This space-saving modular mashup of an appliance blends, juices, and “bluices,” the unique process of inserting fresh juice into fiber-rich blended smoothies in real-time. $400; breville.com
Skip the pods and spring for this machine, which grinds beans on demand to instantly make everything from Americanos and lattes to espressos and cappuccinos at the push of a button. $775; terrakaffe.com
Bo Jackson Signature Portable Gas Grill by Coyote Outdoor Ideal for camping, cookouts, and socially distanced picnics in the park, this 316 marine-grade stainless steel gas grill is small enough to fit on a truck bed but still heats up to 20,000 Btus. $559; amazon.com
FOR THE TECHIE Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G a smooth, flexible one, the phone of 2020 seamlessly that’s a delight for reading, working, or watching TV when unfolded. $2,000; samsung.com
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO Turntable Plug-and-play right out of the box, the iconic Debut turntable’s latest iteration features a pre-installed Sumiko Rainier phono cartridge and a choice of nine colors and finishes for any vinyl lover’s home setup. $499; project-audio.com 54
This audiophile’s triple-threat smart speaker delivers pristine sound and responds to Google Assistant voice commands—all while wirelessly charging phones on top. $300; belkin.com
CONTRIBUTORS: ADAM BIBLE, TOM SAMILJAN.
Belkin Soundform Elite Hi-Fi Smart Speaker + Wireless Charger
Next summer, Jon Hamm helps breathe new life into a classic with his star turn in Top Gun: Maverick. But, after five years of surprisingly varied roles since the end of Mad Men, that’s not even the most interesting—or unexpected—Hollywood legacy he’s about to reinvigorate. By Jesse Will
I Photographs by Carter Smith
Jon Hamm spent much of 2020 perfecting the art of “waiting it out.” Instead of touring the world to talk up Top Gun—currently slated for July 2021 after two pandemic-related premiere pushes— he took to chatting with some rabbits in his front yard. In lieu of spending long days on set, Hamm whiled away the nights catch-up Zooming with the friends he rarely saw in the Before Times. In other words: This star’s just like us!
Hamm as a high-ranking U.S. Navy officer in Top Gun: Maverick. Above: Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Chevy Chase in the 1985 flick Fletch.
/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY IMAGES
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a nesting pair of hawks that live in my backyard that I check out every day. There are these three bunnies that live in my front yard. And they’re just used to me at this point. Let’s hope they don’t meet each other. The hawks are a daytime thing, the bunnies are an evening thing. I’m glad that they haven’t met. I don’t want to wake up and see fur in my yard. One of the bigger events of 2020 for you would have been the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick, which has now been pushed to next summer. You were a teenager when the first one came out. What do you remember? I was probably 15, at the dead center of the target demographic. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking, “Yes. That looks awesome.” And it was. As an adult, I’ve seen it in the interim a couple times, and you realize that [director] Tony Scott, who came out of commercials, had an incredible sense how to tell a story, visually. That movie just looked so cool. It didn’t make sense, because every shot was at sunset or sunrise. But who cares?
BOTTOM LEFT: COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES/SKYDANCE AND JERRY BRUCKHEI
Not for long, though. By the time “normal” life returns, Hamm will be knee-deep in reviving another classic Hollywood franchise. And if he’s not the first actor you’d peg to bring Fletch back to the big screen, you must have missed the multiple Saturday Night Live and comedy film appearances that earned him the nickname “The King of Cameos.” But before all that can happen, the film business itself needs to grind back into production. We caught up with Hamm at his Los Angeles home this fall, just as he was preparing to be back on sets for the first time since March. So how are you at quarantining? Is your personality set up for this? Well, yes and no. It’s obviously been a challenge that we’ve all collectively experienced in our own particular ways. I’ve tried to focus on maintaining a sense of grace and gratitude, and tried to kind of find the good in every day. It’s been challenging. The days tend to blend. But I will say, my gym, my trainer, recently, sort of reopened, and that’s been a real plus. Not being able to work out has been a real fucking bummer. I just got back from the gym, that’s why I was a little bit late. That’s been a real game changer. I’m not the kind of guy that wakes up and does situps and pushups. Have you picked up hobbies? No is the off icial answer. I wish I could say that I learned how to play the guitar or learned Japanese. But I’ve succumbed, as I think many of us have, to inertia. I’ve been doing a lot more reading, catching up on some TV shows, and cooking a lot. But just being at home is a new thing for me. The last four or five years of my life, I’ve basically lived in hotels or Airbnbs, on set, on location. And it’s actually been kind of nice to be at home. There’s
And it was a commercial for action and adventure. Thirty years on, the new film delivers that same kind of sensibility. It’s perfectly nostalgic for the old one, but tells the next chapter of the story—how these characters have both grown and stagnated in many ways. When you were 15, did you think of yourself as more of a Maverick or a Goose? I was probably more of a Goose. I’m happy letting somebody else drive. I’m an integral part of the team, but not necessarily the guy at the wheel. Did having Tom Cruise in the lead take some of the pressure off? Or was that intimidating? Well, I’ll say this about Tom, he is 100 percent movie star and 100 percent a leader. On Mad Men, I learned that if the person at the top of the food chain behaves in a certain way, then that’s how the rest of the folks are going to behave. Tom’s always ready. He’s already prepared. He’s always on time. He’s got 900 things going on that you don’t even know about. But that never comes into the daily work. If there was any pressure to perform and be great, or uphold the legacy of this film, it didn’t show. You could tell that he was having the time of his life, and that enthusiasm completely washed over the rest of the cast. My first day
I’M PROBABLY MORE OF A GOOSE. I’M HAPPY
on set, I said to Tom, “This has to be just surreal for you. Like you’re literally in the same hangar, 30 years later. In nearly the same costume. What’s that like?” And he goes, “Man, it’s unreal. How cool is this?” What can you tell us about your character? I’ve read you’re related to Viper, but not. Yeah, it’s sort of tangentially related. It’s not so much of a father figure, the way Viper was to Tom. He’s air boss of the fighter wing. He has a lot of authority and responsibility. When that rubs up against Maverick, there’s friction, as you would guess. I provide the friction. Did you get up in the air? I did not, unfortunately. I would have loved to. There’s a lot of paperwork involved when you’re stepping into an $80 million piece of hardware that’s owned by the taxpayers of the United States of America. I was not required to fly, therefore I did not get to. Were you relieved, or bummed? I think it was about 50/50. I did recognize the tremendous amount of preparation and work that went into it, but I was glad that I didn’t have to do it.
In keeping with the ‘80s theme—you just signed on for a reboot of Fletch. What made you think there’s new life to be had in that story? Well I was a huge fan of the movie. I can literally quote it from top to bottom, because it was so funny, and again, I was dead center in that target demo. The movie inspired me to check out the 11 Gregory Mcdonald novels. Chevy had his performance and he’s so good, and physical, and funny, and it’s very specific to him in that time. We’re obviously not remaking that movie—it’s perfect. We’re just extending the story about this character, and hopefully telling a deeper, little more nuanced story about why this guy does what he does. There’s a lot of fertile ground to plow. Has a leading comedic role been a longterm goal of yours? Yeah. I’ve been very fortunate in my career that I have some credibility on both sides of the aisle, from a dramatic standpoint to a comedic standpoint. Making somebody laugh is difficult. “Dying is easy, comedy is hard,” they say. It’s always a challenge. In the middle of the Mad Men run, you were starting to do Saturday Night
Live, building your comedy chops. What did you learn from the SNL crew? You realize how uniquely gifted those people are—the cast, the writing staff, the production staff, everybody. It’s like being a part of a really good baseball team. You just don’t want to be the guy that drops the ball. You also realize that nobody bats a thousand. Sometimes the sketches fall flat—it is what it is. What was your favorite sketch that you were in? Oh boy, that’s a hard one. [Bill] Hader had a long-running bit on the show, where he did Vincent Price and I got to play James Mason; [Kristen] Wiig was Gloria Swanson. It was super funny. And then there was another sketch that Kristen and I did called “Darlique & Barney,” where we play these kind of weird lounge singers. It makes no sense. And then I did one with [Will] Forte for the Halloween show one year, where he came to my door as a registered sex offender. There’s just so many funny things that you just have to lean into and say, “Ugh, we’re doing this. Let’s make some people laugh and then we’ll go home and see what happens.”
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IT’S LIKE BEING ON A TEAM. YOU JUST DON’T
TOP RIGHT: DANA EDELSON/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY IMAGES
It seems like you’ve moved toward comedy just as it’s becoming harder to pull off—given the state of the world, it’s very easy for a joke to inadvertently feel in very poor taste. The pandemic and the movements that we’ve experienced this summer have made us all look at things that are challenging. There are other people who experience the world differently than you, and you have to come to some sort of understanding with that. That’s really what I’ve tried to do. Yes, it’s more difficult when you have to examine everything that you do, or say, or perform. But that’s not necessarily bad. If we’re all on the path of learning and growing, then let’s all be on the path. That way, we’re contributing not only to better versions of ourselves, but hopefully our society and our culture. Are you proud of the way that Mad Men went out of its way to portray misogyny and racism? Well I’ve said this before, but Mad Men is not a travelogue. It’s not meant to be, like, “Look at what happened in the ’60s.” Matthew [Weiner] did a great job of essentially writing a novel about a man and his journey—who he runs into and how he interacts with them, and how he changes. I just think it told a story very accurately about this world. How did your ambitions shift after Mad Men became a success? Early on I just hoped that I would someday be in something that was culturally relevant—maybe the third lead in a movie that won an Academy Award, or the lead in a really cool show. When that happened, I thought, well, I’m not going to squander it. So, I took opportunities like Bridesmaids, The Town, Tag, Keeping Up with The Joneses, Richard Jewell. I look back at everything I’ve done and I’m proud. Some haven’t made any money, but I don’t care. That’s neither here nor there. I had a blast working on them. You recently collaborated with Ellie Kemper in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She was your drama student back in St. Louis in the early 1990s— before you had made it yourself. How did you get that gig? Well, I went back to my high school to teach because I felt that the school’s teachers had given so much to me, but there was no way for me to endow a scholarship or anything. I was a
From left: Bill Hader as Vincent Price, Kristen Wiig as Gloria Swanson, and Hamm as James Mason on Saturday Night Live.
broke college graduate. But I very much wanted to be some version of the inspiration that my teachers had provided me. And I feel like I did that, in a certain way—not because Ellie became a famous actress or what have you. The school asked me to come back for the following year. But I thought, well, if I don’t try this once, I’ll probably regret it, so I turned down the offer and I drove out to L.A. Are you ever going to be at the front of a classroom again? That’s a good question. I certainly wouldn’t say no. I do find it incredibly worthy. I mean there’s something to be said for looking back on that time and saying, “I got it. I got the memo, I got the note.” If [my old high school] ever asked, yeah, I’d come back and teach a semester or something. Just not math. You’ve been open about your embrace of therapy and proactively dealing with mental health. Has it informed your acting at all? As an actor, you have to be aware of your emotions and where you are in the course of a day or in the course of your life. And you have to be able to let that inform whatever character you’re playing. I think keeping that side of your mind/body duality sharp is the same thing as keeping your physical side sharp. There’s a weird stigma about mental health, and there doesn’t need to be. Staying aware of where you are in that spectrum just makes good sense. Are you still playing baseball? Well, the pandemic had a little something to do with this season. No is the short answer. But I’m having fun watching it. Are you big on tradition—an ‘unwritten rules’ guy?
Unwritten rules are stupid. If they’re rules, they should be written down. If they’re not, who cares? That’s my hot take. Your team has no unwritten rules, then? No. Our team is called The California Love. We play in a wood bat league in Beverly Hills, and take an easy approach. If you strike out, if you get a hit, if you make an error—who cares, man? It’s more about the hang. The baseball is secondary to meeting up and telling stories. You’re a huge fan of your hometown St. Louis teams. If you were forced to delete one of these memories, which one would you lose: the 2011 Cardinals World Series run or the 2019 Blues Stanley Cup run? That’s a tough one. I don’t think I would be able to lose the Stanley Cup. It’s too unique, that whole experience, worst to first. I was right there with it. I had a couple pals on the team. I got to lift the Cup. If I lost the memory of the 2011 World Series, I’d still have a couple other Cardinal baseball memories that I could rely on—1982 and a couple others. So, what’s next? I’m off to Detroit next month—fingers crossed—to shoot with Steven Soderbergh. It’s a phenomenal script written by Ed Solomon called No Sudden Move. It takes place in the auto industry. It’s me and Don Cheadle and a bunch of awesome people. I’m stoked. I’ve known Steven for years, but I’ve never got to work for him. I can imagine that at this point you’d be willing to leave your house for far less. For sure. It’s been a minute.
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We might not feel like celebrating 2020, but we’ve certainly earned the best meal of the year. Here’s what to make, how to make it, and why this holiday season will still be one to remember. by ADAM ER ACE photos by THE CANAL HOUSE illustrations by K AGAN McLEOD
ad news first: Unless you’re reading from a better-prepared country, the holidays are going to be different this year. What’s off the table— individually mixed drinks, grabby bread baskets, a lot of people with whom you’d prefer to spend the holidays—is getting as much consideration as what’s on it. As for the table itself, maybe it’s outdoors if you live somewhere where winter doesn’t mean snow, or maybe it’s surrounded by the same five or six people you’ve had every meal with since March. Now the good news: Despite the new normal, a legit holiday feast is not only doable, but improvable. By stripping out the nonsense, leaning into shortcuts instead of fantasy-auditioning for Top Chef, and concentrating on bold, honest flavors that underscore the season, you can host a meal that won’t stress you out or keep you tethered to the kitchen all day. A majestic roast that needs only salt, pepper, and a good butcher. Desserts you whip up in a blender. All we want for So, whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving or Hanukkah, Christmas Eve or Kwanzaa, Festivus or just the merciful sundown of 2020, let our menu help you get there with as little trouble as possible. Family, friends, and good food and drink can transcend the moment—and damn if we all couldn’t use a little transcendence this holiday season.
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Your butcher does the bulk of the work in this old-school, impressive, and unexpected main.
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Garrett Oliver on staying warm
Our Hosts: Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton Inside the decommissioned Milford, NJ, train depot on the defunct Bel-Del line, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton run Canal House, a café and publishing boutique that’s been producing cookbooks for more than a decade. Hamilton cooked and styled and Hirsheimer photographed our holiday feast in the station’s cozy, old, wainscoting-wrapped
“I have been living and socializing distantly out in my large roof garden all spring and summer, but obviously that came to an end. I’m the family host for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I bought two large propane patio-heaters of the sort that are so popular in Europe and I plan to keep things going outside with a BYOB—bring your own blanket—policy.”
waiting rooms, taking advantage of the light that made this stretch of the Delaware River famous with American Impressionist painters in the early 1900s. The industry legends know a thing or two about catering memorable holiday meals. Their classic recipe for crown roast of pork comes from 2011’s Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 2: Fall & Holiday.
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Vanessa Price on gift giving “I’m a big fan of gifting unique bottles that people wouldn’t typically buy for themselves. One of the coolest gifts is a wine from someone’s vintage; it’s a piece of history from the year they were born. If you get away from the really famous regions like Barolo, Bordeaux, and Napa, you can usually find something that’s not as expensive as you think, and it definitely makes an impact.”
Kurt Evans on the adult table “Before she passed, holiday meetups were always at Grandma’s. After everyone was finished eating—smoked turkey, cabbage, and collards—she’d open up her china cabinet lined with sweet potato pies, and a deck of cards would magically appear. My grandma ran a gambling house back in the day, and everyone in the family learns to play cards from a young age. At home, the adults played pinochle and poker, and spades games would pop off for the younger generation since we didn’t play for money. By the time I was in ninth or 10th grade, I graduated to the adult poker table. I was good enough, but for the older people who’ve been playing forever, it’s more about the trash talk than how good your hand is. This year we’re going to convert the family gathering to a Zoom hangout.”
In this two-in-one side, flavorful, quickcooking turkey wings satisfy tradition without the time commitment of cooking a whole bird.
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No peeling, no mashing, no chopping—the orange starch of 2020 is roasted butternut with a big hit of ginger.
Edgar Rico on remaining “together” when apart
Sweet-tart citrus, peppery arugula, and sharp shallot vinaigrette form a strategic island of brightness in the midst of a rich meal.
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“As a Mexican family, we have large Christmas Eve and Christmas gatherings where everyone is put to work. I make the big meal at night—prime rib or lechon or a holiday ham—then we go to church at midnight and open presents right after; we’re impatient. In the morning, Grandma is the commander leading the charge with three kinds of tamales: pork with green chiles, chicken with guajillo and cheese, and a sweet tamale with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins that the older people love to dunk in their coffee. There won’t be a large gathering this year, so I’m keeping the family connected by mailing everyone vacuum-sealed packages of the masa we grind at Nixta. That way we can all make tamales and continue the family tradition.”
Andrae Bopp on getting away
The name sounds fancy, but clafouti (kla-FOO-tee) is a baked fruit-andcustard dessert whose batter comes together right in the blender.
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“My wife and I, our birthdays are a few days apart in November and one of them occasionally falls on Thanksgiving. To celebrate, we pack up our dogs—three Newfoundlands and my new river dog, a half-German shorthaired pointer, halfČeský Fousek—along with a smoked turkey and head to a cabin at Iron Springs Resort on the Washington coast. It’s pretty rugged, with a dense, lush rainforest that goes all the way down to the ocean. The beaches are wide, flat, and ideal for social distancing. Because there’s no easy way to get there, we can walk the dogs for miles and rarely see any people. With the turkey we have the standard sides, but also seafood. Pop open some oysters, steam some crab legs. It’s pretty low-key, but it’s one of my favorite times of year.”
Forget peeling slippery mangoes; this easy and impressive cake uses quality canned fruit.
gift giving “Growing up in Kerala, in Southern India, we were the only Christian family in our apartment building, and all our Hindu and Muslim neighbors celebrated Christmas with us. Every year, my mom would start making Christmas cookies and snacks a month in advance, and everyone in the building would get cookie tins and fruitcakes made with fruit soaked in rum from the previous year. So that tradition of giving homemade gifts really brings home the holidays for me. With travel restricted this year, we’re not having a large gathering, so my family and friends will receive my homemade sauces, jams, and chutneys—including the tomato-ginger gravy served with my butternut squash—via the mail to have at their tables no matter how far away they are.”
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How a chef, distiller, outdoorsman, and NHL player will help ensure a city wounded by injustice forges a path toward equality.
MINNEAPO
PORTRAITS BY WALE AGBOOLA ILLUSTRATION BY THE SPORTING PRESS
LIS RISING
ANTHONY TAYLOR Leading the Way to Better Outcomes Outside Minneapolis has the kind of traits that make American cities great: a diverse, hardworking community that inspires builders and entrepreneurs; sprawling urban parks and trails that breed a love of the outdoors; and an unpretentious vibe that encourages exciting arts, bars, restaurants, and craft breweries. Robust social services complement a thriving philanthropic infrastructure. But the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police highlighted deep fractures beneath the city’s progressive surface. Protests, rage, fear, and flames devastated certain neighborhoods, igniting a reckoning on race and equality that leapt first state, then national borders. The city itself sustained an estimated $500 million in property damage, all amidst a surging pandemic. For a handful of men in unexpected corners of the city, the debilitating despair required action. An outdoorsman, chef, NHL player, and distiller might seem like unlikely agents of change. But in the darkest hours of upheaval, they saw the need for something new as an opportunity to build something better. These four men prove that it’s not the what that makes America’s cities great, it’s the who.
When I arrive for the Slow Roll bicycle ride, people are already gathered in a parking lot next to a small white house along the tree-lined blocks south of downtown. DJ Walter “Q-Bear” Banks of KMOJ is playing Earth, Wind & Fire. The vibe is relaxed, with 40 or so riders gathering: women, men, boys, girls, mostly Black. It’s an eclectic mix—hipsters, cool kids, bohemians, nerds, a city councilwoman, and the chair of the Minneapolis Board of Education. The youngest rider is 9 years old; the oldest is 79. Some appear to be serious cyclists—light bikes, high-end gear, lots of miles behind them—while others seem so new, they might squeak. Some riders are lean, others less so. For those without their own bike, it’s all good. At a Slow Roll, they’ll size you for one, and you can bet it will look new and be tuned up tight. If you’re underinflated, they fill you up. If your seat is too low, they raise it. I spot Anthony Taylor, the founder of Slow Roll. We almost bro-hug but bump elbows instead. Everyone is masked up. Taylor and I talk for a bit inside the house, which is gutted and occupied by about 150 bicycles, boxes of parts, and gear. It seems impossible that Anthony and I have never met; our mothers are good friends from the city’s Cultural Wellness Center. On Facebook, we have 234 mutual friends. We both love cycling; we both love being outdoors. I meet his daughter; she answers all my questions about school with patience and poise. Anthony’s son introduces himself. He’s effervescent and sports impressive dreads and a gigantic smile. He asks me if I want to snowboard this winter. “You think I can do it?” I ask. “For sure,” he says with a confidence that makes me feel like I can. He follows that with, “Well, are you good with failure?” The Slow Roll was meant to launch at 5 p.m., but this gathering has CPT (that’s what we call “colored people’s time,” which is dictated less by the clock than by when people show up) all over it. At
5:10, Taylor says he’s waiting for a few more people. At 5:30, Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins speaks. She talks about George Floyd and the community and the plans for the future—plans in which Taylor will play a prominent role. At 5:38, Taylor takes the mic, reviews the rules of the road, and talks about the route. The Slow Roll launches at precisely 5:47 CPT. In 1995, Taylor helped create the local chapter of the Major Taylor Bicycling Club, a group for Black cyclists named after cycling’s first Black world champion. Rides with the Major Taylor club average 18 to 25 mph, so Taylor (no relation to Major) started Slow Roll as an alternative. Speeds on a Slow Roll average between 7 and 10 mph, and it’s not unusual for 100 people to join—many getting on a bike for the first time in years.
Taylor at Minneapolis’s Theodore Wirth Park, on new mountain bike trails he played a key role in creating, along with the nearby public Trailhead building.
“[THE OUTDOORS] ARE WHERE WE FIND REJUVENATION AND RENEWAL AND CHALLENGE, AND THOSE ARE THE SEEDS OF HUMANITY.” Taylor is 61 years old and lean, with muscles as defined as words in the Webster dictionary. In addition to cycling, he’s a devoted cross-country skier; he camps and paddles and snowboards with his children. In these activities, he almost always includes members of the Black community. “My instinct is to build community,” he says. Last winter, he took 56 Black people snowboarding. He also co-founded Cool Meets Cause, a program that introduces underrepresented, BIPOC youths from lower-income Minneapolis communities to snowboarding. But Taylor takes time to himself, too. Sometimes, on weekends, he rides his bike to Wisconsin and back—90 miles round trip. When I ask how he feels when he’s riding, Taylor replies: “I feel gratitude, immediately, of mobility, of healthy choices, of opportunity, and
privilege. I realize riding my bike is a statement of revolution and liberation.” The lines between all this outdoor activity and his professional life are intentionally blurry. He’s a commissioner on the influential Metropolitan Council, a regional policy and planning agency responsible for economic development in the Twin Cities. After George Floyd was killed, Taylor began consulting with the YMCA of the North on racial equity in its outdoor programming, working with it to better serve communities of color. He was already consulting with the Sanneh Foundation, founded by retired professional soccer player Tony Sanneh, a St. Paul native and one of the Twin Cities’ Black pioneers in urban youth development. With Sanneh, Taylor helps provide fresh food to those who would otherwise go without it.
Taylor says he’s “trying to mobilize and have a real impact on quality of life for [affected] communities.” Moving the needle, collectively, means operating on a lot of different stages: it’s parks, it’s outdoors, it’s bike rides, it’s food. As part of that effort, Taylor convinced Ramsey County to help 20 youths gain certifications in mountain biking, paddling, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. These kids will be paid to train, then teach these skills to others in their communities. Taylor argues that Black people will find it easier to learn if their teachers look like them. The main goal is to get them back to nature. “Our well-being is integral to how we connect to the outdoors,” Taylor says. A mile and a half south of where we launched, the Slow Roll stops at a simple one-story white house at 46th and
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AARON BLACK-SCHMIDT
Taylor, masked up (in green) to lead the Sept. 5 community Slow Roll, launching four blocks west of the George Floyd Memorial Site.
Columbus, a house you might roll right past if you didn’t know it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. On the northeast corner of the house’s lot, there is a sign labeled “South Minneapolis History: The Arthur and Edith Lee Family.” The Lee family acquired this house in 1931 and persevered while white neighbors waged a cruel campaign to drive them out. No other Black families managed to move into the neighborhood for 30 years. There’s a steel plate etched with an image of Arthur Lee and a quote: “Nobody asked me to move out when I was in France fighting in mud and water for this country. I came out here to make this house my home. I have a right to establish a home. Arthur Lee July 16, 1931.” Taylor’s voice is amplified by a speaker mounted to his bicycle. “A Black postal worker had white colleagues buy the house in his stead. He signed the paperwork and his wife did, and when they showed up as a Black family, there were riots,” Taylor explains. He adds that the Lees were protected in their home by fellow postal workers. As our annus horribilis progresses, Taylor’s work in the community has taken on more urgency and imbued his outdoor advocacy with a missionary zeal. He’s kept the Slow Rolls rolling, beginning each one with intentional messaging around what Black people have lost, how we’ve lost things before, how we responded, how resilient we are. Taylor wants to “help all people realize the outdoors as a strategy for achieving the outcomes in humanity that we want. It’s where we find rejuvenation and re-
newal and challenge, and those are the seeds of humanity. Those are the seeds of what we want for our children.” Cars take us in as they drive around us. It’s clear from their expressions that the drivers are seeing something they don’t usually see—a community ride, mostly Black, diverse in age and gender, taking its time. As a group, we also take up space. If the light changes while we’re rolling through, we keep going. We stay together. There’s music and chatter and laughter throughout. A sense of belonging arrives, followed by a sense of joy. The Slow Roll returns to the building where it began. This was meant to be a hub for Taylor’s bike-related efforts, but he has different plans for the site now: It’s going to be called Dreamland on 38th. Dreamland refers to a Black-owned restaurant called Dreamland Café, which opened in 1937 as the first integrated restaurant in Minnesota. Dreamland on 38th will be a focal point of what will become the George Floyd Memorial District, running west from 38th and Chicago, where Floyd was killed, through Dreamland on 38th, continuing to I-35W, the highway that divided the haves from the have-nots when it was installed in the 1960s. Dreamland on 38th will be an incubator for Black entrepreneurs, and the planned district an international destination for people engaged in social justice. Taylor has a plan, but he isn’t a vision guy in the way that vision guys dream big and pass the implementation on to others. Taylor is a doer, too. The plan is set. Policymakers are engaged. The funding is underway. An entire community is with him. Taylor is the ultimate multitasker; he does a lot of things. Dreamland on 38th will be one of them. Consider it done. —MICHAEL KLEBER-DIGGS
THE FARE IS NOT ENTIRELY DISSIMILAR FROM ONE OF SHERMAN’S PRE-COVID CATERED DINNERS, EXCEPT HIS TEAM MIGHT BE DELIVERING IT TO A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT.
SEAN SHERMAN Planting Native Roots for Local Needs
Ridge Oglala Lakota reservation, netted him a James Beard award in 2018. A year later, Sherman won another Beard, this time for leadership. “He’s done this remarkable thing of sharing knowledge that’s somewhat ancient and vital, and might just improve the American way of looking at food,” says Alex Roberts, chef/owner of the longtime Minneapolis fine dining spot Alma. Roberts points to Sherman’s combination of heirloom versions of foods most chefs might overlook—corn, beans, chili peppers—paired with novel (but ancient) methods, such as using rose hips instead of non-native lemons as an acid. Sherman’s experimentation extends beyond recipes to a varied slate of upcoming projects: a book, a podcast, plus a new restaurant set to open in 2021, downtown near St. Anthony Falls, close to a sacred site for native tribes. But for now, Sherman is feeding the neighbors. And while “local foods” have become something of a cliché, Sherman’s hyper-focused approach—and his love for his city—seems to give the term a new relevance. “People might look down upon everything that happened in Minneapolis this summer,” says Sherman, “but I feel like the city is really taking some big steps on trying to become a better community.” —JESSE WILL Sherman, cooking at the Indigenous Food Lab in Midtown Global Market, plans to open a new downtown restaurant, Owamni by The Sioux Chef this spring.
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MATT DUMBA Putting Change at Center Ice For Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, the killing of George Floyd hit close to home—he lives just three miles north of the murder site in downtown Minneapolis. Lake Street, a main artery through the city that pulses with dozens of businesses owned by people of color, was hit particularly hard in the weeks that followed. Fringe actors
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from extremist groups targeted the neighborhood, fomenting violence that left several blocks devasted by arson. At the time, Dumba felt helpless. He was quarantined with his teammates within the NHL’s Western Conference bubble, in Edmonton, Alberta, watching his city burn from over a thousand miles away. But the flames in Minneapolis sparked something within him. Though far from home, Dumba was just a few hundred miles from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. There, his maternal grandmother, Edna Hanson, “a little old English lady,” as he describes her, had one son, Dumba’s Uncle Bob, then adopted seven children of different races and ethnicities, including a
Filipino girl, Dumba’s mother, Treena. “I have Black, Jamaican cousins. I have Chinese cousins. I have First Nations cousins—I can’t see any of them going through this stuff,” Dumba says, refusing to allow them to be victims of racism and police violence. “I’m fighting for my family.” In the weeks that followed, Dumba and his brother Kyle started Rebuild Minnesota, specifically to help the Lake Street neighborhood recover. Dumba personally committed $100,000 to the cause. Matt and Kyle’s efforts have inspired the NHL and the Wild to contribute another $100,000. They’re also encouraging community members to give. Those funds will help recover
MAPPING A RECOVERY
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1. George Floyd Memorial Site 2. The historic Arthur and Edith Lee House
“RACISM IS A MAN-MADE CREATION AND ALL IT DOES IS DETERIORATE FROM OUR COLLECTIVE PROSPERITY.” Dumba, beside a razed building along East Lake Street, two blocks from the Minneapolis police’s Third Precinct building, torched during the unrest
DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES
last May.
them, but there are so many people in the suburbs that don’t have to deal with some of the stuff that’s going on right in the community,” he says. “It’s easy to fall into being in their bubble and just be comfy within it.” With Rebuild Minnesota, Dumba was just getting started emerging from his bubble. Coming up through the youth hockey ranks, he experienced more than a few racially motivated incidents. While Dumba’s teammates treated him well, opposing players—who couldn’t figure out his racial background—hurled every epithet in the book at him. He felt excluded at times. He had to work to see his role in a sport that is predominantly white.
3. Dreamland on 38th, the business incubator on the western end of the George Floyd Memorial District
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4. Theodore Wirth Park, home to many of Taylor’s outdoor programs 5. Sean Sherman’s Indigenous Food Lab kitchen and cooking school at Midtown Global Market 6. Chris Montana’s Du Nord Craft Spirits distillery and foundation headquarters
national anthem after his Aug. 1
players and fans.” With Rebuild Minnesota, Dumba’s making changes locally. With HDA, he’s changing professional hockey from within. And, in August, he used momentum from both efforts to propel him into the biggest spotlight yet. To kick off the NHL postseason, Dumba walked to center ice prior to the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers’ first playoff game. Wearing a black HDA hoodie, flanked by both teams, he took a deep breath and spoke haltingly but openly about systemic racism and his first-hand experience confronting the “unexplainable and difficult challenges” he faced solely due to the color of his skin. “Racism is a man-made creation,” he said, “and all it does is deteriorate from our collective prosperity.” Some words, even spoken quietly, can echo for years, and Dumba’s confident that the city of Minneapolis heard him loud and clear. “I hope all the talk progresses into action and people really step up,” he says. “People need to have those difficult conversations. They need to get out of their bubbles and be more empathetic.” After a recent visit to the site of Floyd’s death, he notes the different energy there: “When you take the time to see the devastation in the community, it’s sad. But it’s also empowering, seeing the community come together.”
playoffs speech.
—MICHAEL KLEBER-DIGGS
Now as a role model for other minority players, Dumba knows that representation means more than visibility. He talks with young players about their experiences with racism on and off the ice. “Some of these kids are so demoralized,” he says. “It’s sad, and it bothered me for so long. I always wanted to listen and hear stories and share with them mine as well. I want to let them know they’re going through something someone else has gone through. Hopefully they can find strength in that.” To that end, in June, Dumba launched the Hockey Diversity Alliance with eight other current and former NHL players. The HDA’s goal is to “eradicate systemic racism and intolerance in hockey…[and] inspire a new and diverse generation of hockey
Between Blackhawks goalie Malcolm Subban and Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse, Dumba kneels for the
CHRIS MONTANA Distilling Hope In the bleak times of the early pandemic, hearing about the desperation in his south Minneapolis neighborhood, Chris Montana set up a makeshift food bank from the warehouse of his distillery, Du Nord Craft Spirits. When George Floyd was killed by the police less than two miles from Du Nord and protests erupted, Montana set up a tent near the police department’s ill-fated Third Precinct building and handed out sanitizer that he had retrofitted his business to produce. Most of the protests were peaceful, but a small faction began trashing and looting the area surrounding Du Nord. Stores were broken into, cars were burned, and a deep unease overtook the community—including Montana, who grew up in the same neighborhood, along Lake Street. By the fourth night of protests, Montana received the phone alert that he’d been dreading, and also half-expecting: the triggered sprinkler system at the distillery. His business was on fire—years of hard work literally going up in flames. At 3 a.m., with an after-dark curfew in place, all he could do was sit and wait anxiously until daybreak. “I’m a large Black man,” says Montana, “so the last thing I’m going to do is drive out and take on the National Guard.” At dawn, he finally arrived to a few small fires still burning. Miraculously, the building was intact, even if entirely scorched and flooded by the sprinkler system. Confronted with the destruction, his first instinct was simply to cry. The cost to fix the damage to Du Nord was extensive enough that Montana figured he’d have to pull the plug on his dream—again. Montana didn’t expect the first blow that 2020 dealt. The year began on an upswing, with his distillery finally turning a decent profit. He’d started Du Nord seven years prior, after quitting his job as a corporate lawyer, managing it with his wife, Shannelle, and distilling
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“(CONVERTING THE DISTILLERY) ALLOWED ME TO HIRE BACK ALL OF THE BARTENDERS THAT I HAD LAID OFF AND GIVE THEM HAZARD PAY.” Montana, outside of Du Nord Craft Spirits on East 32nd Street.
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M E N’S J O U R N A L
THE PLAYBOOK FOR A LONGER, STRONGER LIFE
WORKOUT OF THE MONTH
Animal flow sounds strange and looks stranger, but this bodyweight routine unlocks next-level fitness. by BRIT TANY S M ITH DON’T LET THE ODD NAME DETER YOU: Animal flow offers
unique benefits you won’t get from traditional strength training. “It fundamentally brings you back to the basics,” says Nike Master Trainer Patrick Frost. “These are groundbased movements, where you create resistance by pushing and pulling your body around a fixed platform.” The trick to mastering this discipline is generating constant tension throughout your body. “There are some parts that require grace and some that require grit,” Frost says. 082
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“You could do this same workout multiple times and have a completely different experience depending on how you attack it.” While mimicking the movement patterns of a crab or an ape can seem a little goofy, animal flow workouts will challenge your strength, endurance, balance, and mobility all at once. Over time, you’ll develop better proprioception and move with greater intention, which will make your workouts more efficient and effective, and leave you feeling like an apex predator. MEN’S JOURNAL
THE WORKOUT
photograph by JAMES WOODLEY
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Dedicate 5 minutes to wrist mobilization: Get on all fours and flip your wrists around, then lean or rock back and forth. After, work through these exercises for 40 seconds each. They’ll prep your joints for the main animal flow. Perform 2 rounds.
A
C
B
1. Alternating Crab Reach Start in crab position, feet hip-distance apart, hips hovering 1 inch off ground, and arms behind back, fingers pointing away from body. Bend right arm to midline so
hand is 6 to 8 inches from face (A). Drive through heels and extend hips up into a three-point stance bridge (B). Reach your arm up and over toward opposite hand,
A
2. Beast Wave Unload
B
C
Start in loaded beast position on all fours, pushing hips back toward heels as you reach arms forward (A). Hike hips toward ceiling. Once knees are fully extended (B), tuck chin into chest and slowly roll your
D
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keeping a soft bend in elbow, eyes gazing at static hand (C). Lower, switching sides with each rep.
spine, emphasizing the curve in your back (C). When shoulders pass wrists, come into an upward-facing dog. Open your chest, pull chin to ceiling, and squeeze glutes (D). Reverse the wave and repeat.
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3. Alternating Scorpion Reach
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oppos e s de
WORKOUT
A
B
C
1. Deep Ape to Side Kick Through Start in a deep squat, with feet hip-width apart or wider for comfort, feet slightly turned out, and arms between knees, keeping a flat back and proud chest (A). Shift weight forward as you plant
A
B
C D
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right hand to the ground (B) and kick right leg through, pointing toe and pulling left elbow back, palm facing away (C). Return to deep ape position, then switch sides. Work 40 seconds on, 20 off.
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FITNESS
A
B
3. Traveling Beast Start in beast position, with hands directly below shoulders, and knees stacked over hips, hovering 1 inch off the ground. Engage your core, keep your trunk level
A
and low, then take a small step forward, moving right hand and left foot, resisting rotation through your hips (A). On the next rep, move left hand and right foot, making
sure they pick up and land simultaneously (B). Work 30 seconds on, 15 off.
C
B
4. Loaded Beast to Front Step Through
Finisher Flow
Start in loaded beast position (A), then explode through the balls of your feet (B) and jump forward with control. Forcefully drive your left leg into full extension, toes pointed, as your right arm assumes a “guard” position at your midline, elbow bent with hand in front of face (C). Reverse the motion to return to start, switching sides with each rep. Work 20 seconds on, 10 off.
Beast to left-leg underswitch to right-arm crab reach to jumping left-leg underswitch to right-leg side kick through to right-leg full scorpion to leftleg underswitch to beast. Repeat opposite side. Work 60 seconds on, 30 off. Repeat 3 times.
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WHAT WORKS FOR ME
Silver Linings Playbook Baltimore Ravens head coach JOHN HARBAUGH has clinched a playoff berth in eight of his 12 seasons—and he’s not even the most competitive member of the family.
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WELLNESS
Rethink How You Drink 2020 was the year of over-imbibing. Here’s how to adjust your consumption compunction. by R ACHAE L SCH U LTZ
HANCES ARE, BC (before
coronavirus) you drank mostly with a nice dinner alongside friends. Maybe you overdid it on game day, but taking a few days off to reset after was no biggie. AC, we’ve all had more time on our hands. We crave routine and loathe boredom, so we bookend the workday at home with a special cocktail or craft beer—a reminder of what joy tastes like. But eight months into our new normal, it’s time to ask the hard question: Do you really want to drink tonight?
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What Is Healthy Drinking?
Society has long viewed alcohol consumption in black and white, says psychologist Kevin Gilliland, an expert on addiction. At the turn of the 20th century, drinking was widely acceptable; then, it was blamed for all of America’s problems and outlawed in the ’20s. In the ’50s and ’60s, men were expected to drink Mad Men-style and those who struggled often dealt with shame—there’s a reason it was called Alcoholics “Anonymous.” Even today, we feel the need to go dry an entire month to tip the scale into “healthy” territory. 096
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While AA is proven to be effective for many people looking to abstain, it doesn’t provide tools for moderation. Meanwhile, researchers continue to debate the potential health benefits of moderate drinking— three drinks a night is almost certainly too much, but a drink or two might help us live longer. Either way, it’s intuitive that alcohol is like junk food: You know it’s not explicitly good, but imbibing provides a mental release and a flash of pleasure. When we start to ask alcohol to relieve stress, quiet anxiety, or numb the chaos, our relationship needs to be reevaluated, says Gilliland. A healthy relationship with alcohol is one where it brings positive feelings and you can respect boundaries you’ve set. If that sounds any alarms, consider pumping the breaks. The Upside of Scaling Down
A nightcap helps you fall asleep faster, but prevents you from entering a deep sleep, explains Abe Malkin, M.D., co-founder of teletherapy platform Monument. And, while alcohol helps you feel calmer in the moment, your neurochemicals swing back in the other direction as soon as you’re sober—so drinking actually creates a larger spike in anxiety, Malkin adds. Booze dehydrates and messes with your MEN’S JOURNAL
gut. Without it, you’ll have more endurance and energy for workouts, and your body will better absorb nutrients. Baby Steps to Cutting Back
“People don’t need to hit rock bottom in order to make healthier life choices,” Malkin points out. Here’s how to start. Set intentions. Limit your number of drinks per night (max 3), or the number of nights you drink by 1 or 2. Consider subbing in non-alcoholic bevs like Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA or Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher. Change your scenery. Having a few beers while you binge The Sopranos every night creates a Pavlovian response. To break the connection, have a beer on the porch, then watch TV in bed. This will make your consumption more thoughtful, Gilliland says. Tweak your hobbies. You perfected your home-bartending skills. Now, conquer mocktails. Zero-proof spirits like Rasāsvāda mimic the botanical quality of liquor and can even provide health benefits in some cases. Move more. Book your usual drinking hour with an activity that releases endorphins, like exercise. Debrief with your partner on a walk instead of over wine, and trade Zoom happy hours for group Peloton rides. Q photograph by DAN FORBES
TRAINING
Even if you log thousands of vertical feet at your local mountain beforehand, heli-skiing can wreck you after one day. Here’s how to beat the bonk.
ELI-SKIING IS THE DREAM:
ditching groomers in favor of steep lines and long descents; taking a chopper instead of a chairlift; and gorging on fresh powder or hero corn instead of icy bumps. But screaming down the 20,000 to 40,000 vertical feet you’ll average on a single day heli-skiing in Alaska is a far cry from spinning laps at a resort. Top to bottom is a whole different game, especially when it comes to the energy your legs must absorb. The best defense against fatigue? “Your training should mimic your effort on the mountain,” says Samantha Campbell, owner of Deep Relief Peak Performance Athletic Training Center in Haiku, HI. There’s a reason her studio is decorated with photos of athletes surfing massive waves and perfect powder. Snow-obsessed superhumans, like Michelle Parker and Travis Rice, decamp to this island paradise each off-season to work on their tans and quads in preparation for their next big-mountain heroics. Here, the pros share tips for how to train before and optimize during your dream adventure.
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Beat-the-Bonk Training Plan “Because you’re skiing or snowboarding hard for 6 to 10 minutes, then sitting in a helicopter and repeating for up to six runs a day,” Campbell says, “you want to focus on eccentric strength and anaerobic bursts.” For the former, add jump lunges to your training (5x16 reps per workout). For the latter, perform a workout with exercises like jump rope, stair runs, and pullup to karate kick at 90 percent of your max heart rate for 6 to 8 minutes, resting minimally. Repeat 6 to 8 times throughout the day to mimic the start and stop of heli-skiing. Jump Lunges: Start in a lunge position with both knees at 90 degrees, back knee almost touching the ground and front knee aligned over front heel. Jump up and switch legs, landing in the same position with the opposite foot forward. Pullup to Karate Kick: Hang from a bar and initiate a pullup. As you pull, lift knees as if sitting in a chair, flexing feet toward shins. Once chin clears bar and knees come to chest, twist lower body and kick heels out diagonally until legs are straight (feet over the bar). Control down and repeat. “For an added challenge, strap your snowboard or ski boots on,” Campbell says. MEN’S JOURNAL
High-Altitude Warmup “To activate my hip flexors and hamstrings, I’ll put one foot on my snowboard and slide it forward and back, in and out of a reverse lunge,” says Rice. No Fuel-ing Around “[For breakfast], savory oatmeal helps me go the distance,” Rice says. “I make a combo of tomato sauce with arugula, bell pepper, bacon, avocado, and hot sauce.” Skip a heavy lunch that diverts energy to digestion and stash a Clif Bar, Skratch Labs Sport Energy Chews, trail mix, and/or dried fruit in your pocket for quick energy throughout the day. Parker always keeps a thermos of miso soup in the heli. “It keeps me warm between runs and delivers an easy dose of carbs and protein,” she says. Cut Loose “It’s easy to tense up and use too much energy,” says two-time world-champion skier Chris Davenport. “You want to keep loose and flow down the mountain like water to be efficient. Have a light grip on your poles and, when you feel tense, exhale through a turn, then slowly inhale into the new turn.” Q
photograph by SCOTT SERFAS
For More Power, Add Jumps to Your Squats Developing muscle power and speed requires a different skill set than raw strength and endurance. A new study of competitive soccer players in the Annals of Applied Sports Science found that 40 minutes, twice weekly, of plyometric exercises was better than straight-up resistance training for improving the players’ power and speed after 12 weeks. (Resistance exercises, however, were better for improving sheer strength and endurance.) The good news: You can have the best of both worlds by combining moves. Do 2x10-rep weighted squats (resistance training), then ditch the weights and do 2x10-rep squat jumps (plyo training). Follow that with 2x12-rep weighted Bulgarian split squats, then switch to either 2x10-rep box jumps or 2x10-second bounds.
Health News
IS YOUR FAVORITE PADDLING SPOT SAFE?
WHEN FIDO HAS A WEIGHT PROBLEM
If your local lake is near a highway, think twice about paddling there. A new study at Florida State University found when asphalt, sunlight, and rainwater mix, high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), known carcinogens, are leached into the water. How worried should you be about toxic runoff water? Researchers are just beginning to draw conclusions, but suspect the picture isn’t pretty. In the meantime, go paddling on cleaner waters away from major highways.
Even your dog’s not immune to fat-shaming. Some vets look down on overweight pups, and are more likely to blame heavy owners for their pet’s pudginess, despite the fact dogs can have metabolic issues just like humans, a study published in International Journal of Obesity found. Dogs’ dietary needs change as they get older, so selecting the right food—and appropriate amount—is key. Keep Fido in shape by taking him hiking, kayaking, or swimming (check out bringfido.com for a list of dog-friendly activities by region) or alltrails.com, which lets you choose dog-friendly hiking destinations.
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The Last Word
The ’90s action icon, co-starring with Eddie Murphy in the sequel Coming 2 America, on aging with grace, the value of money, and what he learned from two years behind bars.
Who were your heroes growing up? The cats that inf luenced me were guys like Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, James Brown, Michael Jackson— all of these performers who could dance. Gene Kelly was the man, him and Douglas Fairbanks. I remember growing up in the Bronx, watching them whenever there was a chance. I would jump around the house, trying to be a swashbuckler. How should a man handle getting older? You have to realize that things are going to slow down; that even if your mind is fast, the body, the machine, will rust. And as the machine begins to rust, the ability for it to generate kinetic power begins to diminish. So the trick is to be aging gracefully and healthfully, and keep the rust out of the body. If you can keep the rust out of the body, then getting old is not a problem at all. What human quality do you most admire? The ability to survive. And what trait do you most deplore? S qu a nd e r i n g y ou r t a le nt . It ’s irresponsible. Who has been the biggest influence on your life? Women have been a ver y strong inf luence in my life. Most of my greater accomplishments have come at the advice and care and patience of females—from my grandmother, to my mom, to my teachers in high school, who really helped propel me toward the arts and, you know, expanded my consciousness. What role should vanity play in a man’s life? How you look and how you style yourself and how you smell is a reflec104
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tion, as we say on the streets, of the quality of your temple. If your temple is polished and gleaming, people are gonna come, people gonna worship. But if your temple is raggedy… no, no, no, no, no. What living person do you most admire? Not a person—a personality. I admire people who have gone through the fire and come out on the other side, in some cases rising back like the phoenix and soaring from that point forward. Those people, I dig 1,000 percent. You spent a couple of years in jail for tax problems. What did you learn most from that? The value of time. I was gone for two years and some months, and the most amazing thing was to return back to what they call the world—interesting term—and find that there were people who were doing the exact same thing, in the exact same situation. It’s almost like time stood still for two MEN’S JOURNAL
years. Now who was in jail? Who is still in jail? What’s one thing that every man should understand about money? Money is the icing on the cake, the trophy for hard work done. But the money is not really what it’s all about. It’s the knowledge of how to create the value that creates the money. What adventure most changed your life? Going to SUN Y Purchase for art school. Completely foreign territory. I was one of maybe four Black guys in the whole department. That was the most life-altering experience for me. How so? They hit me with something. They said, “You don’t know who you are. You don’t know your style. You haven’t learned enough.” Now, that was offensive, especially coming from white folks who had never experienced the world that I lived in. But they were right. —INTERVIEW BY LARRY KANTER
photograph by AUSTIN HARGRAVE
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