To borrow a climbing term, 2020 was a crux for Adventure Uncovered. We published more and better pieces than ever before, taking a major step towards realising our vision of becoming a vital space for discussions connecting adventure and social and environmental change.

There have of course been more important concerns this year than climbing rocks or riding waves. But adventure plays a meaningful role in millions of people's lives. We stand by our belief that, if pursued thoughtfully, adventure can play an important role in responding to social and environmental crises - including the pandemic.

With this in mind, we're excited to announce how we plan to build on our 2020 work through 2021. In the meantime, though, this Edition celebrates our twelve favourite Adventure Uncovered pieces from 2020, in order of publication. 

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In June, for our UK Edition, campaigner, academic and hillwalker Maxwell Ayamba questioned the inclusivity of adventure with an in-depth, timely piece on why and how we must increase black and minority ethnic (BAME) participation in the outdoors. 

In the same Edition, we published an interview with Jini Reddy, whose book Wanderland, which charts Jini's search for the Other in Britain’s landscapes, made her the first writer of colour to be shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize. Jini is a vital voice in the travel-writing landscape.

We love adventures that creatively and even literally explore social issues. When British and Polish photographer Michal Iwanowski was confronted with xenophobic graffiti and the Brexit debate, he did what only a person worth talking to would and walked from Wales to Poland armed with a camera and wicked sense of humour. We thoroughly enjoyed Michal's charming, playful approach.

Our most widely read piece of 2020 also came in June, although not in our UK Edition. Rosie Watson's rallying cry for the creation of a sustainable outdoor industry post-Covid was shared by Kílian Jornet, among others. And for good reason: Rosie outlines a number of practical steps we can take to become a better industry.

Rosie Watson, en route to Mongolia (New Story Run), searches for stories of better ways of living, working and meeting our needs in the climate crisis.

Our July Edition, on Storytellers, featured an interview with the Never Not Collective - producer of the first all-women climbing feature film, Pretty Strong. As a climbing film, Pretty Strong is progressive, but the team found the story they told about the film drew criticism from some supporters. The resulting conversation about gender, climbing and storytelling is a case study in how openness and humility can help evolve our understanding of our communities. 

Our July Edition also featured a wide-ranging conversation with traditional storyteller and travel writer Nick Hunt about his work, which revolves in interesting ways around the relationship between people and landscapes. We've followed Nick's work for some time, so it was a pleasure to sit down with him.

A highlight of this year has been our conversations with artists, who often come at adventure from novel perspectives. Simon Faithfull is a fantastic example. In August he was generous enough to discuss how his fascinating, imaginative, often preposterous body of work critiques some of the classic adventure narratives by treating the world as a sculpture.

Still from 'Going Nowhere 2', Simon Faithfull. 

Another comment on adventure narratives that stood out was academic Kristin Jacobson's piece about what her new book calls The American Adrenaline Narrative: the world’s dominant type of adventure today, with far-reaching implications. We need people like Kristin thinking deeply about how we tell adventure stories.

We also need new voices telling stories. One of the most candid pieces we published this year was filmmaker and adventurer Frit Sarita Tam's piece on the challenge of finding a foothold in the adventure world as a gay Chinese woman with few role models to look to. We're heartened to see her growing profile.

In September we turned our attention to the climate crisis. A piece that resonated for us was Em Hartova's eloquent argument that, if we are serious about responding to the climate crisis as a community, we must go beyond ‘outdoor issues’, and certainly beyond simply being ‘outdoorsy’.

The same Edition featured a long form interview with environmentalist and adventurer Kate Rawles. Her work spans many disciplines, and her thinking is full of insight and good advice. 

Finally, our October Edition, on Adventure Activism, argued that radical businesses can be powerful changemakers. A superb example is Coalition Snow: one of the world’s only female founded and owned snowsports companies, now with a supporting podcast and magazine. We really enjoyed a wide-ranging conversation with Co-Founder Jen Gurecki.

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As ever, thank you so much for reading. It's incredibly motivating to see the appetite for stories showcasing how adventure can be a force for change. 

We hope you have as wonderful a holiday period as the restrictions allow, and look forward to seeing you recharged on the other side. 

The Adventure Uncovered Team.

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