Outside Magazine and the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) recently joined forces to put together a number of lists ranking various outdoor topics. As anyone who got sucked into OLN programming after watching daily coverage of the Tour De France knows, Carl Swenson was named as the #8 'Bad Boy of the Outdoors.' But if you dropped your OLN subscription after the Tour (like I promised my wife I would do), you might not know that Jeannie Wall, 2002 American Birkebeiner Champion also claimed #8 on the 'Top Ten Adventure Goddesses' list.
On the men's side, two of the U.S. Ski Team’s most prominent and successful athletes made the list: Carl Swenson (cross country) and Bode Miller (alpine). Hosted by outdoor adventurer Tyler Harcott, the program provided the ultimate guide and gripping footage into the lives of some of the very best action and adventure athletes.
. Swenson, an obvious candidate for a top-10 bad boy of the outdoors, is known for being a “two sport maniac†and “endurance machine†through his extraordinary balance of World Cup ski racing in the winter and strenuous mountain bike racing in the summer. Outside Magazine described Swenson as being the “fittest athlete in the country†to be competing in two of the most punishing sports in the world and was called “the Deion Sanders of the outdoor world” for his two-sport prowess.</p>
<p>Swenson shrugs off the reoccurring question on how he stays motivated saying, “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. How could I not? It‘s a great thing to be doing.†It’s this outlook and drive that makes Swenson an ultimate bad boy and one of the top adventure athletes in the world.</p>
<p>Bad boy #2, 2004 World Cup giant slalom champion, Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) nears the top of the list for being the “wild child of downhill skiing… a rebel, free spirit and world champion†by pushing the edge every time he hits the slopes. </p>
<p>Outside Magazine’s “Ultimate Bad Boys of the Outdoors†aired throughout the month of July, then in August was succeeded by the “Top Ten Adventure Goddesses of the Outdoors,” which was the female equivalent of the men's ranking.<br />
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http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200312/200312_xx_11.htmlSource: US Ski Team, Outside magazine, Outdoor Life Network
Editor's Note: Having beaten both Swenson and Bode Miller at their own game at least once, the author can't figure out why he was left off the list. He expects a call from Outside anyday now…
