FEATURES
COVER STORY
The Escape Artist | 60
Ewan McGregor has a rep for being elusive, but that's because you don't know where to look. You might find him hacking his way through a jungle, staring down polar bears, or circling the globe on two wheels -- and that's when he's not working. BY DAVID HOCHMAN

How to Take a Year Off | 66
More and more men are turning their lives around by taking off to sail the Caribbean, open a bar in Brazil, or just travel the world in search of adventure. The best part? You can do it too. BY ETHAN WATTERS & DEAN LATOURRETTE

The Search for the Perfect Bar | 72
Every guy has a quest. For the author, it was a decades-long search for a place where the conversation is good, the vibe is friendly, and the beer is very, very cold. BY JONATHAN MILES

The 50 Best Beers in the World | 78
Our second annual ranking -- and this time we took the search global. BY CHRISTIAN DEBENEDETTI & SETH FLETCHER

The River Wild | 84
What do you get when two gonzo travelers try to retrace Huck Finn's Mississippi journey on Jet Skis? Broken bones, security alerts, and nonstop action. BY JONATHAN GREEN

Beach Volleyball | 92
Pro volleyball players get their moment in the sun. BY JOSH SENS

ADVENTURE
Perfect Beaches Summer's here, heat's on, and the surf's up. Welcome to the greatest strands of sand in the world, including diving paradises, camping hideaways, sexy hot spots, and the perfect place to light that bonfire. PLUS: The six best toys of summer. 22
Bodyboarding Girls With high speeds, higher waves, and some of the most eye-popping athletes on the beach, women's bodyboarding is becoming the summer's hottest spectator sport. 36
Books The true adventures of Christopher Columbus, new and old expeditions into the heart of Africa, and Paul Theroux deep in the Amazon rain forest. PLUS: A great new literary thriller from Frederick Busch. 38
Great Escapes Jackson Hole in the summer, the lowdown on bear spray, visiting a smoking Mount St. Helens, and more. 40

PEAK PERFORMANCE
The Six-Pack Workout It's the holy grail of male fitness -- defined, six-pack abs -- but the endless crunches and Roman-chair workouts it can take to get there are a real drag. Follow our program and get ripped without having to do a single sit-up. 46
Cardio In the depths of summer, the going gets tough -- and the tough get running. Here's all you need to know to stay cool and healthy while running in the heat of the sun. 48
Nutrition Train your body to burn more fat by jump-starting your metabolism. One way to fire it up is -- you'll love this -- to eat more. 52
Golf Polish your summer swing with a workout plan from fitness fanatic Vijay Singh. 54
Paging Dr. Bob The good doctor diagnoses jellyfish stings, tells you how to take a serious bike trip on a weak knee, and reveals the ultimate motion sickness remedy and the truth about DHEA. PLUS: The best fitness site in the whole wide Web. 56

STYLE
Flip-Flops Nine new variations on the quintessential summer sole. 98

GEAR GUIDE
Road Bikes Lighter, faster, carbon-fiber road bikes. 101
BBQ The perfect smoker to build your grilling game. 104
Sunglasses Polarized shades to take the glare off the water. 105
Digital Cameras The five best new models. 106

MISC.
The Record Book This month's most amazing feats include a free-climb first, a mind-boggling skydive, and the longest surfboard ever. 132
Contributors 12
Mail 16

On The Cover: Ewan McGregor, photographed by Jeff Lipsky at the Santa Monica Airport, in front of a vintage air force T-6 trainer