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Interview with Graham Averill (outdoor writer)
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Interview with Graham Averill (adventurer and outdoor writer)
By Jamie Hale
How did you become involved with Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine?
Pure luck. My wife and I bounced around the U.S. For several years. I spent some time parking cars, then graduate school, then teaching college, then writing for really bad Internet magazines and newspapers. We decided to move back to the Southeast to be closer to our families and chose Asheville, N.C. purely because it seemed like the coolest place you can live in the South. I thought I’d teach college at one of the smaller schools around town or maybe park cars again, but I came across an issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors, loved the concept, and sent a letter to the editor asking if he needed any freelance writers. Turned out, the staff writer was leaving and there was an opening. It’s a dream job, for sure. Just goes to show you that timing is everything in life.
Do you have a favorite outdoors writer? Favorite outdoor sports athlete?
I respect the hell out of Johnny Mosely, pro-skier. There he is, in the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake, and he has the gold for the freestyle moguls cinched. All he has to do is follow the outdated bylaws of the Olympic committee and do a lame trick off one of the jumps. The trouble is, Mosely as an athlete had progressed passed the tricks that the Olympic committee would recognize. He was doing incredible inversions, which the OC wouldn’t recognize. He had one trick in particular called the Dinner Roll, which was cutting edge for the time. So he had a choice: ski a ho-hum routine and give the judges what they wanted for the gold, or ski his best performance and miss the podium. He performed the Dinner Roll and lost the gold, but probably did more to progress his sport in that one decision than anyone before. You’ve got to respect someone who loves the sport more than the medals.
Typical day in the life of G.A.?
My wife just gave birth to twins, so the typical day has changed quite a bit. I’m in the office probably 75% of the time, and out in the field for stories the rest of the time. But the typical day looks like this: wake up at 6 for the early morning baby feeding. Do a half hour of yoga. Head to the office to research and write stories about all the people who have managed to turn their lives into great adventures. Eat a sandwich at my desk so I can workout or hit the climbing gym at lunch. Write more about adventurous people. Give my wife a break from the babies by taking them and my dog running (the jogging stroller is the single greatest invention ever). Dinner, followed by an hour or so of “tummy time” with the babies and dog. Pass out. Wake up and repeat. The other 25% of the time, I’m in the field doing whatever is demanded by the story I’m working on at the time.
Favorite exercise
That’s a tough one. If you’re talking about a gym-based exercise, you can’t beat the burpee. But if you’re talking about the form of exercise I love the most, for a long time, it was mountain biking. I still love it, but it’s so time intensive, I can’t squeeze it in as much any more. Right now, I’m in love with running, but I’ve been rock climbing more and more and I’m really interested in trying to blend climbing with parenting. If I have all the right accoutrements for any given baby emergency—diapers, pack n play, bug net, formula...--why can’t I take the twins bouldering with me?
Favorite Food
Easy. Sushi. There is no greater delicacy than raw fish and sticky rice.
Minimalist camping or conventional?
A year ago, I would have said minimalist. But after suffering frostbite on two toes on an overnight cross-country ski tour when I took the minimalist approach to save weight, I’ve come around to conventional. Now, I want everything I could possibly need when I go into the woods.
Kayaking or canoeing?
Canoeing. I like multi-day river adventures. You can do them in a kayak, but it’s not very comfortable. Plus, in a canoe, I can take my dog.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully, in five years, I’ll still be fit enough to introduce my kids to all the things I love about the outdoors. Not just camping and hiking, but rock climbing and mountain biking and skiing and surfing. I started my outdoor career so late in life (college), I feel like I missed out on so much as a kid. I want my kids to take full advantage of the adventurous lifestyle as early as possible. So hopefully, in five years, I’ll still be writing adventure journalism, and will have figured out a way to sneak my kids onto assignments with me.
Are you currently working on any new projects?
Constantly. Professionally, I’m working on a novel. Personally, my buddies and I are always looking for really stupid situations to get ourselves into. We’re looking into a multi-day mountain bike ride through the Adirondacks. One of my friends is trying to convince me that my wife wouldn’t leave me if I spent a week climbing in Oregon this summer. My wife and I are working up the courage to take the kids camping and surfing for a few days on the Outer Banks. And there’s a hut-to-hut trail in Pennsylvania I have my eye on for a multi-day ski touring session next winter. Assuming we get some snow.
Check out Graham’s articles at Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine http://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/
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