Happy fall! The autumnal equinox has passed, bringing along with it some gnarly mountain weather and a flurry of adventures. This edition of the newsletter is dedicated to the joyous outings in this most fleeting of seasons.

Mountain bike World Cup

Summer went out with one helluva bang as the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Finals once again descended on the rugged slopes of Snowshoe Mountain. Nikki and I were there to catch all the glory as the best downhill and cross-country cyclists on the planet duked it out on uncharacteristically dry and dusty trails.

We nabbed official UCI photo bibs from our friends at Snowshoe, allowing us unfettered access to the (sometimes way too close for comfort) action as bikes whizzed by us at speeds approaching 40 mph. This was Nikki's first action sports event, and as her photos show, she's truly arrived as a photographer. But, considering she's good at pretty much everything, I'm not surprised at all.

Enjoy these select shots, and be sure to check out the full story and the full photo collection on our website!

Frida Helena Roenning launches a road gap at the top of the downhill course. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Matt Walker eyes up a narrow move between trees. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Loic “Super” Bruni charges down to the finish line and the win at Snowshoe. Bruni’s win at Snowshoe also netted him the overall title. Photo by Nikki Forrester

Wyn Masters shows intense focus at the top of the downhill course. Photo by Dylan Jones

Jack Reading throws a steezy tail whip over the Cupp Run road gap. Photo by Dylan Jones

2019 Snowshoe Downhill winner Danny Hart leaves the dusty berms for the rooty woods. Photo by Dylan Jones

Read the Full World Cup Story Here

________________________________________________________________

Autumnal adventures

Fall is arguably our favorite season, right up there with winter, spring, and summer. Wait, that's all the seasons, right? Considering that we get to experience all four seasons in equivalent glory, it's nearly impossible to pick a favorite season in West Virginia. But, since it's officially fall, we'll go out on a denuded limb and say that it's our favorite... until winter.

Nikki and I ventured up to Bear Rocks, aka West Virginia's most photographed spot, to catch the autumnal equinox coinciding with the full harvest moon. However, in typical Dolly Sods fashion, our plans of viewing the astronomical awe were stymied by fog so thick it was hard to see the front of the car. But enjoy it we did, because the Sods - and WV - are beautiful in any weather.

A big storm front with cold temps and loads of rain swept through on the first official day of fall, bringing with it opportunities for prime multisport outings. We were fortunate to work a half-day then head out for a highwater lap on the Dry Fork River followed by a mountain bike ride in Blackwater Falls State Park.

________________________________________________________________

The fall magazine is here!

Our distribution run is officially wrapped up, meaning copies are available at all of our 100+ distribution locations. If you can't get your hands on a copy, consider subscribing below!

________________________________________________________________

Support independent adventure journalism

This magazine isn't possible without you. Seriously - we will need your support to keep the magazine going in the coming years. If you haven't yet, please consider joining our 119 subscribers and get each issue of Highland Outdoors delivered right to your doorstep.

Subscribe Here

________________________________________________________________

Have you seen these yet?

Highland Profiles: Kristen Wickert

Kristen Wickert, PhD, is a great friend of ours who has devoted her brilliant mind to studying and combating invasive species. She's also a successful science educator on Instagram.

The Joy of the Sufferfest

Nikki shares several tales of type II fun across some of our rainy misadventures in West Virginia's wet wilderness areas. This was the official reader favorite from our summer issue!

________________________________________________________________

Stay tuned for our next installment, coming straight to your inbox in mid October.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!

Dylan Jones

Editor-in-Chief

Highland-Outdoors.com