Adventure-Crew.com

Nicholas Kristof figures he can do the most good in places other journalists typically avoid, far-flung spots like Darfur, western China, and the islands of Vanuatu, writing about topics—genocide, sex trafficking, acute poverty—most would sooner ignore. But it’s how he gets there that really sets this Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist apart: Kristof has mastered the art of no-frills, down and dirty travel—across 140 countries and six continents—which means lots of sneaking across borders and negotiating with unsmiling armed men. ADVENTURE caught up with him just after he’d returned from China, where he spent his time slipping into Tibet to report on human rights abuses.

North of Phoenix, saguaro cacti give way to evergreens. Traffic eases and the temperature drops. A silent expanse of volcanic mountains (notably the 12,000-foot San Francisco Peaks) stretches across the horizon. North America’s largest ponderosa pine forest is up here, and so is some of the best mountain biking in the country. Tony Fanelli, of Sedona Bike & Bean, chalks it up to the varied landscape. "We’ve got three stages of riding all within an hour’s drive," he says. "True desert, red rocks, and that high Rockies pine." Pedal Sedona and Prescott, paddle the Verde River, and, oh yeah, peruse that mile-deep gash in the Earth most folks call the Grand.

For more than a decade, Pacuare Lodge was mainly a springboard for rafting trips on its namesake river. That was prior to the 15-room eco-retreat’s transformation from déclassé to deluxe ($326 per person; pacuarelodge.com). The new bungalows are electricity free, but polished hardwood floors, net-draped four-poster beds, and hot showers by candlelight don’t exactly make for hardship. Right out the door is one of Costa Rica’s highest canopy rappels, plus whitewater paddling through lush canyons. The Pacuare River surges up to Class IV this time of year—and a former one-night wonder has gone high-class to match.

Most visitors to Belize head straight for Ambergris Caye, the country’s largest and most touristed island. While no one would call Ambergris frenetic, an even mellower alternative is Cayo Espanto, a private island less than three miles away, where guests can paddle from open-air bedrooms toward the Western Hemisphere’s biggest barrier reef (villas from $1,295, including meals; aprivateisland.com). Other seaside pursuits include snorkeling, sailing, bonefishing, and excursions to Ambergris, whose funky shops and eateries are within a seven-minute boat ride. But chances are Espanto’s solitude will grow on you—as will its stable of award-winning chefs, who prepare local dishes whenever and wherever you’d like. Creole lobster under the stars, anyone?

Seven Canadian snowmobilers are dead and one is missing and presumed dead after a series of avalanches hit their group in the backcountry near Fernie, British Columbia, Sunday. Also on Sunday, a snowmobiler died near Hart's Pass, Washington, and on Monday a 15-year-old Utah boy was killed snowmobiling in the Uinta Range. A Lake Tahoe skier is dead from a slide at Squaw Valley on Christmas Day. A Wilson, Wyoming, man perished in a slide in-bounds at Jackson Hole on Saturday. And Monday morning, with the resort closed for avalanche control work, an avalanche crashed into Jackson’s mid-mountain Couloir restaurant, causing severe damage and knocking workers about, including a patroller who was partially buried. There were no deaths or serious injuries in Monday's slide, but it was a gnarly punctuation to a hellacious week. The season total for North American avie fatalities stands at 18--and it isn't even New Year's.