A reality-TV producer and a 90s sitcom star went bouldering in the Sierra Nevada, and somehow it turns into genuinely useful advice for anyone who has been putting off that first hike.
In the first episode of "Sierra in the Sierras," a new video series from retailer Sierra in partnership with Outside, Dylan Efron — Emmy-winning co-producer of Netflix's "Down to Earth with Zac Efron" — takes Danielle Fishel, best known as Topanga on "Boy Meets World" and lately a "Dancing With the Stars" contestant, into the mountains around Lake Tahoe. Fishel describes herself as an "indoor person," which is precisely the point: the series is aimed at people who assume the outdoors isn't for them.
The episode packs in a proper progression of new skills. Outside's Climbing Editor, Anthony Walsh, gives Fishel a bouldering lesson, and the pair then move on to slacklining and a highlining adventure. Along the way, three principles emerge that work whether you're on a Tahoe granite crag or a local park trail.
First: prioritise comfort and versatility in gear, especially when you're new to an activity. The goal is to feel good on day one and still have room to progress — which is also the pitch behind Sierra's model of selling top outdoor brands at discounted prices, with a rotating inventory in-store and online.
Second: bring a friend, or find a guide. A nervous beginner learns faster with someone showing them the ropes — literally, in the slacklining case — and being complete beginners together can be half the fun.
Third: don't wait for the big trip. The Tahoe terrain looks spectacular, but the series' closing argument is that there are more natural playgrounds near most people's homes than they realise. The suggested tools are practical ones: apps like Trailforks and Gaia GPS for finding and planning local outings.
There's a deliberate anti-intensity message running through it all, too. As the series puts it, go however you want — a summit push and a stroll down the block both count. The tagline "athletic or athletish" is doing some heavy lifting, but the underlying idea is sound: the barrier to trying hiking, climbing or slacklining is lower than most beginners think, and gear shouldn't be the reason you stay inside.
For travellers, the episode doubles as a soft guide to the Tahoe Sierra, one of the most accessible adventure regions in the US — year-round hiking, world-class bouldering, and a lake that needs no introduction. For everyone else, the takeaways translate anywhere: comfortable kit, good company, and an app to find the trailhead you didn't know was twenty minutes away.
Story via Outside Online.
