Known for its deep artistic and intersectional roots, this 413-year-old city is famous for incubating creative greats, yes including Georgia O’Keeffe, and inspiring artists and outdoor lovers of all ilks with awe-inducing canyons, national forests, protected Native lands, and monuments at its perimeter. You can feel the ghosts here in the same way you can feel the vortexes in Sedona. It’s sacred, special.

Santa Fe’s historic plaza and downtown please with many walkable streets (try Burro Alley for eateries and art) and easy access to the outdoors — Ski Santa Fe is only 16 miles from downtown, lending it legit ski town status, to many outsiders surprise.

And in line with Santa Fe’s curious motto, “The City Different,” you can’t help but feel the pull of deep historical roots, grounded in Pueblo tradition with Mexican, Spanish, and anglo influence. It was an epicenter of Western expansion. The hanging chiles or “Ristras” on front porches tie back to 1598 when Conquistador Don Juan Onate introduced chiles from Mexico, and the crop was adopted by the ancestral Puebloans. At the same time you can head to the Five & Dime General Store for a Frito Pie, all the cliches are true and not true at the same time.

Whatever your heart desires, Santa Fe keeps evolving with a fiery spirituality, creativity and adventure at its core.

Imbibe

Yes — the margaritas are really good in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Margarita Trail is a testament to that. The city has put together a custom passport for a total of 45 bars and restaurants. Once you try a bar’s signature Margarita you get a stamp. Better yet, the more stamps you collect the more prizes. After 15 stamps you are inducted into the official Margarita Society. After 5, you earn a T-shirt. If you complete the trail, you earn the elusive VIP Margarita package.

If you fancy a wider variety of libations, attend New Mexico Cocktail Week. The event, which takes place June 2-10, will see Santa Fe bars and restaurants host high-quality cocktail experiences, educational seminars, and signature events about the fine art of mixology.

And for those who want to sling mud and knock back a few, the Tumbleroot Pottery Pub is Santa Fe’s first “Art Bar.” Conceived by the owners of Paseo Pottery and Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery (who are also husband and wife), Tumbleroot Pottery Pub is a new experience where cocktails and clay coexist. The location offers a full bar, tasting room/bottle shop, ceramic gallery and pottery studio in one space. The bar features Tumbleroot’s locally brewed and distilled products served in Paseo Pottery made vessels specifically designed to complement each beverage. Patrons of the pottery pub will be invited to embrace their creative side and get their hands dirty forming their own works of art using communal workshop tables, raw clay, and tools provided.

Explore

The dry climate and high desert vistas are one of a kind in Santa Fe. The city’s health-centric, natural mindset and access to the outdoors put visitors at ease. Just this month, a New Soaking Pool and Sun/Moon Deck opened at the Inn of the Five Graces Spa. The sparkling, turquoise waters of the soaking pool provide a refreshing oasis in the midst of Santa Fe’s high-desert landscape, while plush lounge chairs and shaded cabanas invite guests to relax and soak up the sun at this luxury inn. At night, the deck comes alive with the glow of stars in Santa Fe’s dark sky above, creating a romantic and tranquil atmosphere perfect for unwinding after a day of exploring.

Lace your hiking boots and trail running shoes to run, play and camp in the Santa Fe National Forest. Boasting 1.6 million acres of mountains and mesas, the Santa Fe National Forest has activities for every outdoor lover. Car camp or backpack in the Pecos Las Vegas Ranger District, where some of the most backpacking and hiking trails lie, or head over to the Diablo Canyon Recreation Area for some climbing and camping. History buffs will also enjoy the Pecos National Historic Park to see pueblos and a Spanish church from 1717.

A 30-minute drive or bus ride will take you to Ski Santa Fe. The ski area is located in the Santa Fe National Forest and is a small but mighty mountain with advanced, intermediate, and beginner terrain to boot. Plus the blue bus is a public transit option that runs daily to and from the city to the mountain and is free to ride.

Experience

Santa Fe’s roots run deep and the city’s traditions will pull you in. On September 1, 2023, Santa Fe will celebrate the 99th Burning of Zozobra. The Burning of Zozobra is one of Santa Fe’s most iconic and beloved traditions. Each year, a 50-foot-tall marionette named Zozobra (Spanish for “the gloomy one”) is constructed and stuffed with the glooms of Santa Feans and visitors. All are welcome to attend, chant “burn him” with the crowd of 70,000, and watch the pageantry as torch bearers and a fire dancer ignite Zozobra’s skirt to send the woes of the past year up in flames.

Visiting Santa Fe also wouldn’t be complete without honoring the state’s arguably most famous artist. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is in its 25th Anniversary Year. The museum, which opened in July 1997, has been sharing the paintings, creative process, and personal effects of Georgia O’Keeffe with visitors to Santa Fe for 25 years. The exhibit Radical Abstraction, running through October 30, 2023, explores many of O’Keeffe’s favorite subjects to paint that she returned to repeatedly over many years. The exhibit brings together abstract paintings from all periods of her career showing themes she returned to and refined over time. Georgia O’Keeffe: Making a Life, on view through March 2024, explores the artist’s identity as a “Maker” in the mid-20th century in rural Northern New Mexico and includes vignettes of her world from handmade clothing, furniture gifted from designer friends Ray and Charles Eames, items purchased on her foreign travels to beloved cooking and garden tools.

Attend

There’s no more authentic way to explore Santa Fe’s neighborhoods and culture than to visit in the throngs of summer with long days and cool nights. The plaza bursts with energy, tourists, artisans and events through July and August.

The International Folk Art Market [July 5-9] celebrates traditional artisans who use handmade practices and honor timeless, generational artistic endeavors.

The Traditional Spanish Market [July 29-30] takes place on the legendary Santa Fe plaza — where you can support local Hispanic artists and enjoy live music at this almost 100-year-old event. The Contemporary Hispanic Market will also take place on the plaza at this time and is the world’s largest contemporary Hispanic market.

The 101st Santa Fe Indian Market [August 19-20] will take place on and around the Santa Fe central plaza, with artists from over one-hundred tribal communities in North America and Canada.

Expand

Santa Fe is the biggest art market in the U.S. behind only LA and New York City. The art districts are extensive, but a visit to Canyon Road is a must-see and a great start (it hosts over 80 galleries).

The plaza too is home to numerous markets and events throughout the year. Make sure to catch Santa Fe Art Week [July 7-16], which is a great way to explore the city and its creative enclaves. After a long day honing your skills at workshops or attending openings and shows, tag along on a neighborhood gallery stroll in the evening to explore the city and unwind and socialize.

Writers and readers unite at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival [May 19–21] — attend lunches, lectures, and morning meditations from esteemed authors like John Irving and Gillian Flynn.

One of only a few locations to see this massive installation, buck tradition and swing by Meow Wolf. The famed art installations are fully immersive, colorful, and utilize multimedia to its full power. There’s an enthralling installation by contemporary Native American Artist Virgil Ortiz. Virgil Ortiz, of Cochiti Pueblo, is known as one of the most avant-garde artists of his time, fusing his Pueblo culture with sci-fi, fantasy, and apocalyptic themes that yield provocative and futuristic imagery. Ortiz considers it his mission to create global awareness that Pueblo communities are very much alive and vital. Ortiz’s installation titled, Sirens: Secret Passkeys & Portals features a cast of characters from his Revolt 1680/2180 saga—an ongoing project Ortiz has been working on for the past two decades. Revolt 1680/2180 presents a dystopian future 500 years after the Pueblo Revolt in which time-travelers return to the era to aid their ancestors. The installation features an eight-foot resin head embedded with neon, a video installation filmed at the Bisti Badlands in northwestern New Mexico, and an activated light wall.

— Aaron H. Bible is an award-winning writer, photographer, and multimedia producer with three decades of experience working as a journalist and creative director. Follow him at @definitelywild.

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Arc’teryx Equipment, the global design company specializing in technical high-performance apparel and equipment, today announced a commitment of $5 million CAD over the next five years to community leaders and organizations who are advancing equitable access in climbing, as well as those who support the highest level of the sport.

Founded by climbers in 1989, Arc’teryx design legacy began in climb with its first product: the innovative three-dimensional, form-moulded climbing harness. Anchored in climbing since inception, Arc’teryx is proud to be supporting both new and experienced climbers with this programmatic investment in the sport.

The Arc’teryx NextGen Climb Commitment will continue the organization’s existing work funding organizations who are leading the way in creating access for those new to the sport, as well as those who are elite or semi-pro, across North America.

These funds are given to organizations to determine tactical investment. In the past, organizations and leaders have used these investments to provide access to indoor climbing gyms via day passes, hosting climb nights for marginalized communities, providing individuals monthly and annual memberships to climbing gyms, transportation to outdoor climbing areas and crags, belay tests and certifications, mountaineering courses, and hosting Arc’teryx climbing ambassador events.

“Over the past five years Arc’teryx has invested over $600,000 CAD in community-based, community-led climbing organizations, as well as elite, professional-adjacent climbing and training clubs,” said Jurgen Watts, Senior Director of Brand Experience at Arc’teryx. “Our origins in climbing are at the heart of what the brand is about. We are committed to supporting ways for new and elite climbers to experience the sport.”  

Through the Arc’teryx NextGen Climb Commitment, Arc’teryx has and will continue to support organizations such as Flash Foxy, Colour The Trails & Brown Girl Outdoor World, whose work aims to promote access for new climbers.

“Flash Foxy is an organization whose mission is to provide accessible resources, opportunities and welcoming spaces for women and gender non-conforming folks in the climbing community through events and education programs. The climbing community is not static, and Flash Foxy has adapted over the years to meet the needs of its membership as we grow, change, and continue to self-actualize. By partnering with Arc’teryx we have been able to expand our capacity and our reach, and with continued support like that which we receive from Arc’teryx, we will be able to continue to do so over the next five years,” said Shelma Jun, Founder of Flash Foxy.

“Climbing has always been core to who we are. We firmly believe that the mountains are a special place, and that they make you better. If we can open doors or provide support for more people to get inside a climbing gym, or even better, ultimately get to a rock face, we’ve done our job,” said Karl Aarker, VP Brand.

On the elite spectrum, Arc’teryx sponsors Climbing Escalade Canada (CEC), investments that will continue, aimed at enabling CEC to invest in the next generation of climbers who will are aiming to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

When considering funding, Arc’teryx will prioritize organizations committed to delivering equitable access to climb, and in areas where we have an existing community base. This includes established climbing communities such Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, as well as San Francisco, Chicago, and New York in the US.

Arc’teryx is a Canadian company based in the Coast Mountains. Our design process is connected to the real world, focused on delivering durable, unrivaled performance. Our products are distributed through more than 2,400 retail locations worldwide, including over 160 branded stores. We are problem solvers, always evolving and searching for a better way to deliver resolved, minimalist designs. Good design that matters makes lives better.

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That’s wherePhysiVāntage offers a refreshing perspective. This team — led by world-class climber, trusted coach, and sports science researcher Eric Hörst — knows that hard work is what gets you 99% of the way to where you want to be. If you’re an athlete who loves what you do, not just the reward of having done it, chances are pretty good that you’re already putting in that quantity and quality of effort. PhysiVāntage doesn’t want to take the value of that time away from you. The process is worth at least as much as the end result. Quick fixes (if they even have a smidge of merit) rob you of the growth you gain along the way.

To that end, PhysiVāntage isn’t here to make up for gaps in your training. These supplements are meant for the climber that’s giving their all to get to 99% on their own and need a hand making the final push. Sometimes that 1% does make a difference between snagging the send and punting off on the final move with the chains so close you could cry. That’s especially common as athletes start to reach the upper echelons of their sport, when progress starts to slow down and come in bite-sized pieces rather than giant gulps. Every little optimization adds up to bring you closer to your full potential.

So if you’re looking for an easy out, keep searching. Physivantage supplements won’t work miracles, which is the only hope you’d ever have for bypassing plain ol’ hard work. But that’s for your own good. This company cares about helping you dial in the details to be your best self, and shortcuts aren’t the way. If you’re ready to raise the ceiling on how far your best efforts can take you, on the other hand, then PhysiVāntage could very well put a little extra wind in your sails.

Hörst and his team don’t take the easy way either. Extensive research goes into the making of each product to make sure that each ingredient serves an actual purpose, no fluff or fillers to be found. And you don’t have to just take their word for it; every product description includes multiple paragraphs on the science behind the supplement, citations and all. Everything you need, nothing you don’t — because PhysiVāntage doesn’t have anything to prove here. They just do the hard work of figuring out what works so that you don’t have to. You have your own hard work to focus on.

The current lineup includes supplements for both rounding up your reserves pre-activity and refilling your tank in the aftermath. Check out some of the newest additions as well as the old reliables that have been lining the shelves of climbers’ pantries (or gear boxes on the go) for years already.

The New Kids

Mag-ATP

It’s hard enough for non-athletes to get enough magnesium thanks to most agricultural practices these days. Then add on how much magnesium athletes lose in the process of heavy training, and there’s very little chance that you’re meeting your needs. That’s important because Hörst notes that, “for individuals who participate in a strength training program, a suboptimal or even deficient magnesium status may lead to inefficient energy metabolism and decreased endurance.” On the other hand, “higher intake of magnesium has been shown to be associated with less oxygen needs and better cardiorespiratory indices.” In other words, meeting your magnesium needs leads to less strain on your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Mag-ATP offers 1000mg of magnesium malate per serving to help you get there.

Redux HP

How often do you pop a few ibuprofen to get through leftover soreness, mitigate a headache mid-session, or quiet a nagging injury? While there’s nothing wrong with a dose of Vitamin I every once in a while, chronic use of painkillers does a number on your insides. There’s a better way to aid recovery on a regular basis or find a little extra relief when you feel a niggle coming on. The holy supplement triumvirate of tart cherry, ginger, and turmeric come together in Redux HP to keep you from reaching for traditional painkillers all the time. Tart cherry is linked to “attenuated muscle catabolism, reduced immune and inflammatory stress, better maintained redox balance, and increased performance in aerobically trained individuals.” Ginger then takes a hard swing at inflammation, and turmeric battles stiff joints and muscle soreness.

The Old Reliables

Supercharged Collagen

Collagen’s been a bit of a buzzword in the health sphere lately, but there’s a big difference between the beauty industry supplements you’ll find at the grocery store and PhysiVāntage’s take on collagen. Their Supercharged Collagen supplement targets joints and connective tissues with animo acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline to strengthen them against cumulative stress or rehab them in the aftermath of injury. Each serving includes 50mg of Vitamin C, which “doubles the markers of collagen synthesis” so nothing’s going to waste. I like to mix in the vanilla or chocolate flavors into my morning oatmeal before big climbing days for a breakfast that tastes like dessert and preps me for the day ahead.

Weapons-Grade Whey

If you don’t already know how big a role protein supplements play in recouping your muscles after a hard workout, you’ve been living under a rock. Nothing new there. The difference here is that Weapons-Grade Whey goes straight to the source: just whey protein isolates and micellar casein. They’re designed to piggy back off of one another in two stages: “Phase One is a swift initial spike of amino acids into the blood stream as whey protein isolate rapidly digests. A more protracted second-phase release of amino acids results from more slowly digesting micellar casein protein.” Minimal ingredients means you can add it to almost anything for a delish post-workout snack to get to immediate work on your tired muscles or a bedtime munch for sounder sleep. My new favorite to bring to the crag and shovel down right after the last pitch: protein cereal. Just dump a scoop into a Tupperware with your favorite cereal (Cheerios are the OG) then add water when you’re ready to chow down. It hits the spot with barely any effort.

Powerplex Plant-Based Protein Complex

Not to fear, plant-based posse, you’re welcome here too. Pea and rice protein take the place of whey in Powerplex for 20g of plant-based protein. I’m all for inclusivity, but the real kicker is the that Powerplex is the first of its kind to try and replicate natural collagen. Two specific amino acids — Glycine & Proline — serve the same purpose minus the animal source. Vitamin C boosts the collagen response, alongside Creatine Monohydrate “to support recycling of ATP during powerful exercise” and Beta Alanine “to boast muscle carnosine content: the first line of defense against intracellular acidosis during sustained high-power exercise”.

Crush Pre-Workout

Yeah, you can drink a liter of coffee before hopping on your project. But ten bucks says that the jitters will shake you off before you make much progress. Crush keeps the energy but leaves the Elvis leg. L-theanine, L-taurine, and L-tyrosine take the sharp edge off caffeine so that it’s all focus and no restlessness. L-theanine “improves attention span, enhances the ability to process visual information, and increases accuracy when switching from one task to another”, while L-tyrosine counters blood flow restriction caused by caffeine. Hörst then added L-tyrosine on the basis that when “compared to placebo, it was found to improve cognitive flexibility and working memory during mentally demanding tasks, as well as help sleep-deprived individuals stay alert longer.” Not saying you should try and skimp on sleep the night before, but Crush has your back in case things get a little wild.

Endure X

There’s nothing like a flash-pump to put a quick damper on the rest of your big plans for the day. The beets in Endure X work to improve blood flow for better power-endurance on a long route or a stacked day. Beet supplements are hot right now for good reason: they increase nitric oxide in the body, which “improves body flow via vasodilation, most importantly in poorly perfused fast-twitch muscle fibers, elevates muscle oxygenation, and improves endothelia function”. But that’s only if your body can absorb all those nutrients in the first place. Beets and their juices are tough to digest, especially during exercise, because of their high fiber and fructans content, so PhysiVāntage whittles it down to pure Beetroot extract for an effective supplement. Citrulline Malate then hops on board for faster ATP reproduction between hard bouts based on studies all across the athletic spectrum.

Flow Electrolytes and BCAAs

Climbers don’t sweat the same as endurance athletes, but that doesn’t mean you’re not losing electrolytes. Sodium’s not the only thing you need to replenish, either. Potassium, magnesium, and calcium also run low during exercise but are needed to prevent cramping and premature muscle fatigue. Flow features a lower amount of sodium compared to other electrolyte supplements for sport but higher levels of the others based on climbing’s unique tax on the body, plus BCAAS to initiate recovery before you even stop.

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If you’re reading this, one thing’s for sure: you’re far more than just a bag of bones. Your body’s on display, but your brain makes it all possible from behind the scenes. There’s no making anything happen on the outside if everything on the inside’s not on board with the plan. In fact, there’d be no plan at all.

For athletes whose bodies take center stage, or even pay the bills, it’s easy to forget that both parts have to work in tandem. Just because the body puts on the show doesn’t mean that the mind can simply sit pretty. And if an athlete does decide to go that route, focusing entirely on the external, there’s very little chance they’ll ever reach their full potential.

There’s a cap on what physical training can produce by itself. There’s only so much that the body can handle, and that limit varies from person to person. Crossing that barrier leads straight down the road to overtraining, energy deficiency, and the exact opposite of what you’re aiming for: poorer performance than you started out with in the first place. While frustrating, that’s something we should ultimately be grateful for; the body knows its limits and protects itself from permanent damage by shutting down everything it regards as “extra”… no matter your opinion on the matter.

Not only that, but athletes who funnel all their energy into physical training never get the chance to deploy one of their greatest strengths: individuality. Yeah, no two competitors look or move the exact same (especially as body diversity in sports is finally on the rise). But there comes a point when everyone’s been through the same rigamarole. For every degree of physical difference between one athlete and the next, there’s only more where that came from on the mental side. Tapping into their brainwaves helps athletes find their unique edge within a stacked field.

A new speciality has arrived on the scene to help athletes get in better touch with their brains. I say new, but sports psychology has been around for decades. Rather, it’s the public eye that’s finally opening up to the idea. With the barrage of mental health issues arising in the wake of the COVID crisis, people are finally starting to understand that the mind deserves just as much respect as the body.

Lucie, sports psychology consultant with Inside Out Athlete, takes a holistic approach to mental strength training for that very reason. Just like the consequences of overtraining don’t disappear the second an athlete wraps up a training session, neither do the benefits of learning new mental skills. The end goal might be to improve performance, but that’s far from the only outcome. Optimal athletic performance requires motivation, focus, confidence, and resilience… but so do the ins and outs of daily life. It all feeds into the same river.

Lucie primarily works with outdoor athletes, who don’t get as much professional attention as those in more traditional sports. Climbers, runners, bikers, and skiers often find themselves out on their own when it comes to athletic development. That go-it-alone mindset is a product of both the independent nature of these sports and the general lack of available support.

But she’s gone that route herself, and it’s only led to unnecessary struggles and missed opportunities. There’s a reason that most athletes in organized sports don’t coach themselves in any capacity — they’re in too deep to get a healthy perspective.

A combination of education and experience puts Lucie in a position of expertise here. She’s felt the pain of pushing her body past its limits in a desperate effort to stand out, and the limitations of boiling her identity down to just one label. For better or for worse, the repercussions have completely changed her athletic trajectory. These days, she knows how to take back her power by spreading out the load. Now it’s your turn. Reach out to learn more about the mental strength training process and how a closer relationship between body and mind can raise the ceiling on your potential.

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