Category: Health & Fitness

Upsets are the essence of sports. The potential that one might happen—that an underdog team might beat the odds and win against a superior opponent—is the single greatest hook that keeps us watching sports, and the payoff when they arrive is what makes the whole enterprise worthwhile. Games played on paper wouldn’t be games at all, and we’d lose interest in watching them. Upsets are what make sports exciting.

Distilling a list of the best upsets ever is a significant task, but Men’s Journal has picked through American sports history to come up with 25 timeless classics that are always worthy of a detailed rewatch. Here they are, ordered from No. 25 (which you’ll find to be quite debatable) down to No. 1 (which you’ll find to be a little less debatable). Here’s our roundup of some of the greatest stunners in sports history.

Related: The 10 Best UFC Fights of All Time, Ranked

The Biggest Upsets in Sports History 

This was the first leg of one of the great Cinderella runs in Stanley Cup Playoff history, though not one that ended up in a team actually winning the Cup. The Oilers were the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference in 2006, the league’s first year back after an owners’ lockout canceled the prior season. Going up against the top-seeded Wings and a laundry list of future Hall of Famers (most prominently: defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Brendan Shanahan), the Oilers pulled off a six-game shocker to advance. They wound up getting all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before the Carolina Hurricanes got the better of them. 

The Sooners were riding a 47-game winning streak, the country’s longest by a mile, when they hosted a struggling Fighting Irish team that entered at just 4–2. The Irish proceeded to shut the Sooners out on their own field. It stood as OU’s only loss of the year and likely was what prevented the program from winning its third consecutive Associated Press national title. Notre Dame finished the season 7–3, underscoring what an upset the Oklahoma game was in the first place. 

No. 1 seed Baylor had Brittney Griner, one of the most dominant college basketball players ever, and was widely expected to romp to the Final Four and perhaps a national championship. No. 5 seed Louisville was a nondescript underdog. But when the two teams met, Louisville made a huge splash with a 15-for-20 three-point-shooting night to put the Bears into a blender. After leading by as much as 19, the Cardinals held on to win 82–81 against Baylor in the Sweet 16 meeting. Then they won again to get to the Final Four before falling to Geno Auriemma’s UConn dynasty. 

Entering Sunday at the 2009 PGA Championship, Woods was 14-for-14 when he held a major championship lead after 54 holes. After that Sunday, he was 14-for-15. Yang was a pro golf journeyman with just one win on the PGA Tour, but he stared down Woods and beat him by three shots at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota. Woods, in part for other reasons, was never the same again.

Strictly by the difference between the teams’ winning percentages, the White Sox’s (.616) triumph over the Cubs (.763) marks the biggest upset in World Series history. Yeah, it was nearly prehistoric, and yeah, a lack of interleague play made it hard to compare teams across leagues, but the Cubs had won 116 games (a record that would stand until the next loser on this list tied it) and looked like a good bet to win the Fall Classic. The crosstown Sox, not yet involved in game-rigging scandals, had other ideas. 

The ‘01 Mariners set a new American League record by winning 116 games, tying the all-time record set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs. They were the most dominant ballclub in several eras of Major League Baseball, and there was no reason they shouldn’t have kept winning all the way through the World Series. Most notably, the club boasted a powerful lineup (Edgar Martinez, John Olerud, Ichiro Suzuki) and a deep pitching staff.

The Patriots were 14-point underdogs in the Super Bowl that concluded the 2001 season. Tom Brady was still just a backup quarterback having a nice little playoff run for a franchise that had yet to win the Big Game, and the Rams (with quarterback Kurt Warner, running back Marshall Faulk, and receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt) were the Greatest Show on Turf.

In the Patriots’ long run of championship appearances since 2002, they have frequently been both winners and losers. In Super Bowl LII, the Patriots were just 4.5-point favorites, but the gap between them and the Eagles felt much bigger. Philly was working for its first-ever Super Bowl win against a team that had nabbed five since 2001. On top of that, the Eagles had to start a backup quarterback, Nick Foles, against Brady in this game. But the Eagles rolled out one of the best trick plays in the annals of Xs and Os and won 41–33. 

The Bruins were the NHL’s best and scariest bunch of the early ‘70s. They won Stanley Cups in 1970 and ‘72, and they had both the best defenseman ever, Bobby Orr, and one of the sport’s greatest and toughest scorers, Phil Esposito. They were supposed to beat up on the Flyers, who’d only joined the league in its 1967 expansion and lacked both the Bruins’ impressive talent and legendary history.

The 2004 Olympics, like every Summer Olympics, were supposed to be a coronation for the American men’s basketball program. But 2004’s loaded U.S. team (featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, and Allen Iverson), lost 89–81 to the Argentine team led by Luis Scola and Manu Ginobili. The loss was a serious blow to the U.S. team’s prestige—and the pain didn’t start to fade until 2008’s “Redeem Team” got back over the hump to win a gold medal in Beijing. 

The Bulldogs became the most improbable College World Series winners ever when the little WAC program ran through a postseason gauntlet of Long Beach State, San Diego, Arizona State, Rice, North Carolina, and Georgia to win the national title. The conference they played in essentially ceased to exist after conference realignment swept it away a few years later, though it’s since been reconstituted. But Fresno’s national title banner flies forever, and it stands as the biggest college baseball upset ever.

Many say this was the greatest game in college football history, and they have a point. In the 2005 season’s national championship game, unstoppable dual-threat quarterback Vince Young (above) led Texas against a USC team that had not lost a single game in two seasons. USC, the favorite, led in the fourth quarter and tried to clinch the game on a fourth-and-one carry with power tailback LenDale White. The Longhorns stacked him up and got the ball back to Young, who went right to work. Young’s winning touchdown run on fourth-and-five is an all-time memory, as is broadcaster Keith Jackson’s call: “He’s going for the corner…. He’s got it.” 

There’s nothing like the first time. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament went from 1939 through 2017 without a single No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed. That’s overstating things a bit—the tournament didn’t even have 16th seeds until 1985—but still: The Maryland–Baltimore County Retrievers did something that had never been done before when they dispatched the Cavaliers, 74–54, to open 2018’s tournament. UVA couldn’t stop UMBC guard Jairus Lyles (pictured above) and couldn’t get out of neutral all night on offense. Meanwhile, UMBC made history. 

The women’s tournament got a 16-over-1 upset 20 years before the men’s event did, when Harvard took advantage of some Stanford injuries and managed a 71–67 win in the first round. Harvard had the country’s top scorer, forward Allison Feaster (pictured above), and she picked the Cardinal apart before going on to an extensive and successful WNBA career. Every huge upset in NCAA tourney history followed in Harvard’s footsteps.

There are different ways to make an incredible upset, and not all of them have to come in high-profile moments with postseason glory on the line. In this case, Howard was a 45-point underdog to a lousy UNLV team on the road in the first week of the 2017 season. The Bison won, 43–40, and etched themselves into history as the biggest point-spread underdog winner in American football history—and that includes both the college and pro levels.

The Wildcats, led by head coach Rollie Massimino (pictured), won their first national championship when they beat the John Thompson-coached, Patrick Ewing-led Hoyas in the title game. Georgetown carried a 35–2 record into the game and was aiming for a repeat after winning its first title in 1984. Most analysts expected the Hoyas to win as a No. 1 seed going up against No. 8 Nova. But Villanova managed a close 66–64 victory, paced by 17 points from Dwayne McClain and another 14 from Harold Jensen off the bench. Thompson’s Hoyas remained excellent for years, but they never won another title after Villanova snatched away this golden repeat opportunity. 

Few upsets rival the magnitude and the local significance of the 1960 World Series, and even today it stands as a testament to the unpredictable nature of America’s pastime. Against all odds, the underdog Pirates emerged victorious, toppling the mighty Yankee empire on maybe the most famous home run in baseball history: the Game 7 walk-off by light-hitting Pittsburgh second baseman Bill Mazeroski (pictured above). That dramatic ending solidified the ‘60 Series as one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

This upset is a recent entry to this list, but it’s a critical one. The Bruins ended the 2022-23 season with the best record in NHL history by both wins (65) and total points (135). In addition, they had a 3–1 series lead against a Panthers team that only snuck into the playoffs when the Pittsburgh Penguins imploded in the season’s final days.

The A’s were heavy favorites in the 1988 World Series. They had won 104 games that season, and their lineup was headlined by comically powerful hitters Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. The Dodgers had a good team, but they weren’t as dominant, and they had to pull off an upset over the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series to even reach the Fall Classic. Once there, however, they blitzed the A’s—after an injured Kirk Gibson hit a walk-off home run in Game 1 (photo above), the Boys in Blue never looked back. 

Ouimet (that’s him above), a 20-year-old amateur with a 10-year-old caddy on his bag, was not even supposed to be near contention at the Country Club, site of the national championship in 1913. But he stitched together golf’s ultimate underdog story and managed a playoff victory over Vardon and Ray, two of the greatest professionals of the era. Ouimet became the first amateur to win the U.S. Open, and though there were a few more amateur winners in the ensuing 20 years, there’ll never be a story like his again. 

Super Bowl III had all the ingredients for a dramatic storyline. The Colts were the dominant team of the moment in professional football, with a 13–1 record and Johnny Unitas at quarterback. The Jets represented the upstart American Football League, which would later merge with the National Football League in 1970 to form the modern NFL. The Jets had a brash young QB named Joe Namath who guaranteed victory in the press before the game. Namath (and the Jets’ defense especially) backed up that talk and won 16-7, solidifying the AFL as a serious presence in the new NFL and anointing Namath as a major figure in American football history. 

By a whole wide range of metrics, the loss the No. 1 seed Boilermakers took to the No. 16 Knights in 2023’s March Madness was the worst in college hoops history. The Knights weren’t just a 16-seed—they were a 16-seed that only made it into the tournament on a technicality (the best team in their conference wasn’t eligible for postseason play). They were also the smallest team in Division I, and yet they managed to beat one of the tallest, led by Purdue’s towering 7’4” center Zach Edey. We may never see an upset of this magnitude again. 

This is the archetypal college football upset in a sport built on upsets. The Mountaineers were an excellent team, having won the Football Championship Subdivision national championship in 2005 and 2006. In fact, when this game happened, they were a few months away from three-peating in 2007.

At the start of this game, the Patriots had everything going for them, or seemed to. After a 16–0 regular season, New England cruised through the AFC playoffs and only had to beat the Giants, a wild card team, to become the only 19–0 champion in NFL history. The Patriots led at the end of the fourth quarter, but Eli Manning engineered a stunning comeback drive to send the Lombardi Trophy to New York. The drive’s key play was a chaotic, scrambling heave that led to David Tyree’s famed “helmet catch,” and then Plaxico Burress caught the winning score with 35 seconds left. 

In 1980, the Soviets had the best hockey team in the world, and everyone knew it. The Americans had a scrappy bunch of kids with a bit of talent and a good motivator, Herb Brooks, as head coach. On paper, the U.S. Hockey Team didn’t seem to have a chance.

Certain airline passengers will soon be asked to step on a scale in addition to their usual security procedures. 

Air New Zealand is starting to weigh its passengers as part of the boarding process for international flights, by order of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. The program runs from now through July 2, and only affects international flights.

For now, the effort is simply a passenger weight survey meant to collect data on load distributions for aircrafts. Passengers will be directed to step on a digital scale, which will record their weight, but won’t show it to the gate agent or passengers themselves. They’ll weigh their luggage on a separate, identical scale at the same time.

“We weigh everything that goes on the aircraft—from the cargo to the meals onboard, to the luggage in the hold,” Air New Zealand’s load control improvement specialist Alastair James said in a press statement. “For customers, crew and cabin bags, we use average weights, which we get from doing this survey.” 

The airline previously went through a similar process with domestic flights in 2021, but delayed its international survey due to pandemic-era travel restrictions. 

There are no current plans to introduce weigh-ins as a standard part of the check-in process once the survey is completed, but the subject of weight and air travel has grown increasingly contentious lately. A recent petition urging airlines to make planes more accessible to plus-sized travelers grabbed headlines and drew divided reactions online. While it’s a widespread myth that airlines seats themselves have shrunk, legroom has gotten tighter as airlines seek to squeeze more rows of seats into airplanes. 

A Nepalese Sherpa is calling out Mount Everest hikers and trekking companies after encountering what he’s calling the “dirtiest camp” he’s ever seen.

While making the climb up the mountain during this year’s season, Tenzi Sherpa encountered piles of garbage and abandoned tents at Camp IV—which is typically the final base camp on the South Col for climbers who attempt the trek from the southeast ridge in Nepal.

“The dirtiest camp I have ever seen,” Tenzi captioned an Instagram video, which pans across the trash-covered camp. “We can see the lots of tents, empty oxygen bottles, steel bowls, spoons, sanitation pads, paper.” He explained that the cleanup job is unfortunately often left to those who are there to responsibly climb Everest.

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“I feel so sad every time,” Tenzi continued, noting that expedition groups and companies cut their companies logos off their tents before leaving them behind. He added that a clean mountain campaign was enacted several years ago, but it doesn’t do much good if the trekking companies won’t do their part.

It’s mandatory for Everest climbers to bring their waste down from the mountain, and in doing so, they claim back a garbage deposit of $4,000 from the government. However, enforcing the rules can be difficult at camps above 25,000 feet high.

“Liaison officers [are] just getting paid for nothing,” Tenzi wrote. “I would like to request to the government to punish that companies who leave their trash on mountain. It’s a huge problem we [are] all facing.”

Unfortunately, trash left on Mount Everest is hardly a new problem, as rising tourism is creating more than just long lines and overcrowding. Volunteers with the Everest Cleaning Campaign, which was likely what Tenzi was referring to, removed 10 metric tons of trash (as well as four dead bodies) in just 45 days back in 2019. However, clearly there is still a lot of work to be done.

And yet, in 2023 the Nepalese government issued a record 467 permits to trekkers climbing Everest.

A trio of teenagers in upstate New York have been arrested after they allegedly kidnapped a family of local swans and gave the mother to a family member to cook and eat. 

As CBS News reports, police in Manlius, NY arrested the three teenagers—ages 18, 17, and 16 from Syracuse, NY—this week after they allegedly killed a female swan named Faye in a nearby pond and kidnapped her four babies (called cygnets) around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 27.

“The swan was killed at the pond, and subsequently consumed by family and friends,” said Kenneth L. Hatter of the Manlius Police Department’s community support unit to CBS News. “This was not done because the family was lacking food. It was done because they wanted to hunt what they thought was a large duck.”

Authorities say the mother swan was given to one of the teen’s aunts, who cooked and ate it.

Two of the cygnets were found at a shopping plaza in Salina, NY, where one of the teens worked, while the other two were rescued from a home in Syracuse. All four are now being cared for by a local biologist.

The teens were arrested on charges including grand larceny and criminal mischief, The Associated Press reports. Although swan hunting is legal in several states, New York is not one of them. Manlius, NY, is known for its swans, with the animal adorning local merchandise as well as the town’s website. 

A Hawai’i man who visited Yellowstone National Park last month just got an expensive lesson in keeping a safe distance from wildlife, after park officials were forced to euthanize a baby bison as a result of his actions.

On May 20, Clifford Walters witnessed a baby bison become separated from its mother while the herd was crossing the Lamar River near the confluence of Soda Butte Creek. Walters then pushed the calf up from the river bed onto the road, where it began approaching cars and people.

After repeated unsuccessful attempts to reunite the calf with its herd, park rangers had to make the difficult decision to euthanize it, as it was causing a hazard to itself on the roadway.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Wyoming, Walters pled guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife on May 31. He was charged a $500 fine, a $500 community service payment to Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund, a $30 special assessment, and a $10 processing fee.

However, the office did note that nothing in the incident report stated that Walters had acted maliciously.

Park officials also said that the incident should serve as a reminder to the public that approaching wild animals can drastically affect their wellbeing and survival, as was the case here. As with most national parks, Yellowstone regulations require that visitors stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, such as bison, elk and deer; and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. 

“Disregarding these regulations can result in fines, injury and even death,” the statement added. “The safety of these animals, as well as human safety, depends on everyone using good judgment and following these simple rules.”

The south of France—and, specifically, the Mediterranean coast—is one of the world’s most coveted vacation spots. English speakers know this area as the French Riviera. The French call it Côte d’Azur, a name derived from the distinct color of the Mediterranean Sea.

While parts of this region have shifted from Italy to France over the centuries (and a small section is under the rulership of the Principality of Monaco), the coastline has been inhabited for thousands of years. The geography is spectacular—a stunning stretch of shore where the rocky foothills of the Alps drop straight into the sea. There are rugged cliffs, sandy bays, and impossibly narrow inlets, all accessed by steep switchbacked roads that seem to be suspended above the sea. The climate is temperate. The food is divine. There’s every bit as much to love about the area these days as when early tourists (mainly 17th-century British aristocrats) flocked here for its healthy atmosphere and lifestyle.

Related: 4-Day Weekend in the Italian Riviera

Côte d’Azur has a well-deserved reputation for luxury—Cannes, Saint-Tropez, and Monaco especially, with their yachting set and upscale hotels and restaurants—but that doesn’t mean the entire area is expensive. Dozens of off-the-beaten-track villages and sublime beaches are tucked into the jagged coastline, furnished with quality hotels, excellent restaurants, and outdoor gear rentals that remain a bargain compared to U.S. rates. Here’s how to have a phenomenal, adventurous four-day weekend on the famous French Riviera without breaking the bank.

Where Is the French Riviera?

The French Riviera—aka Côte d’Azur—stretches from its western point in Toulon (some say St. Tropez) along the Mediterranean coastline of southeastern France to Menton at the Italian border. Hemmed between mountains and sea, its officially part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Lined with palms, pines, and the Mediterranean’s ubiquitously fragrant and floral maquis, the winding coastline stretches for miles across sunny beaches, picturesque promontories, charming towns, and famed French cities.

Best Time to Visit the French Riviera

Depending on what you’re looking for, Côte d’Azur is a wonderful place to visit year-round. Tourism, temperatures, and prices spike during the area’s high season throughout the summer. The weather is milder and crowds are thinner during the pleasant spring, with some sizeable tourist swings around happenings like the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco’s Grand Prix. Crowds also disperse by mid-September during the cooler autumn season, the rainiest time of year here. Winter temperatures hang in the 50s and low 60s when prices drop and the area feels wonderfully quiet between the busy Christmas holidays and Carnaval de Nice (February).

How to Get to the French Riviera

The closest and most central airport is in Nice. United Airlines offers direct flights from Newark from May through September, and Delta flies direct from New York’s JFK between March and October. You can also fly into Lyon, France, or Turin, Italy, then take a train (about five to seven hours respectively). France and most of the EU (and UK) are well-served with trains and local busses, and the entire coastline is connected with local bus service. Uber is also available in most of the larger towns.

What to Do in the French Riviera

In addition to just sitting at a café or beach chair and taking in the fresh sea air, magnificent views, and relaxed vibe, there’s plenty to do in the area. You can visit Roman ruins and medieval villages or explore some of the area’s several protected nature parks—both on land and sea. There’s world-class mountain biking, hiking, paragliding, caving, canyoneering, climbing, snorkeling, surfing, and swimming here—plus enough restaurants, bakeries, wineries, and cheese shops to keep you sated alongside your daily adventures.

In Côte d’Azur, you’ll experience what the French call joie-de-vivre—a state of unadulterated joy that French locals have not only perfected but are happy to share with guests.

Whether you’re driving, café lounging, or exploring the countryside of Côte d’Azur on foot or bicycle, an exotic blend of sport, food, scenery and ideal climate greets you constantly, adding a certain zest to life. Check out more than 300 fun sports and sight-seeing opportunities here—and read on for our four-day weekend guide to the French Riviera.

Day 1: Drive Grand Corniche From Nice Into the Hills

One of the three main “cliff” roads in Côte d’Azur, Grande Corniche is a spectacular stretch of road you’ve likely experienced vicariously in dozens of classic films—e.g. 1955’s Hitchcock favorite To Catch a Thief and the 1995 James Bond film Golden Eye. Built by Napoleon I and following an ancient Roman road that was known as Via Julia Augusta, the road traverses cliff bands that rise 500 meters above the sea—with vistas that are that much more dramatic in person than on a screen.

For the true Riviera experience, consider renting a sports car. Nice-based Rent A Classic Car specializes in the premium rental car experience. For about $500 a day, you can get the keys to anything from a Lotus Super Seven, AC Cobra, Ferrari 308 GTS, or Ford Mustang to a Porsche 356 Speedster, Jaguar E-Type, Mercedes 190 SL, or Austin-Healey. There’s little in this world as fun as mashing the pedal on the straightaways, then downshifting to take in the sweeping curves and hairpin corners that characterize this stretch of the Mediterranean coast. Rent a Classic Car will deliver your ride to the airport or directly to your hotel, although car buffs will want to visit the company’s headquarters and check out their museum-caliber collection of vehicles.

No matter what horsepower you have under the hood, the views are incredible—straddling the Mercantour (or Maritime Alps) on one side and the azure Mediterranean on the other. Plenty of pullouts allow you to stretch your legs and take in the gorgeous views from San Remo to Saint-Tropez. Plan to stop in some of the medieval villages along the way. Highlights include Eze, La Turbie with its spectacular Roman-era Trophée d’Auguste, and Roquebrune Cap Martin, where a 1,000-year-old castle and 2,000-plus-year-old olive tree (possibly France’s oldest tree) greets guests. 

After touring the Grand Corniche (or any of the region’s classic drives) head to Monaco to check out the Grand Prix route, or north to Grasse to smell-test its abundant perfumes. In the evening, you can cruise along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice or Croissette in Cannes to show off your ride.

Stay just northeast of Nice along the coast at Plage Baia Bella—home to France’s first carbon-neutral beach—in Beaulieu-sur-Mer. Owner Agathe Vanini created this paradise on the sublime Petite Afrique beach, complete with eco-friendly initiatives that include solar panels for water heating, European-made wooden furniture, returnable glassware, and plant watering using recycled shower water, with most of the cooking done over charcoal.

Day 2: Explore Nice

Côte d’Azur’s largest city, Nice is very much worth exploring. Its history alone could occupy visitors for days, with its archeological site dating some 380,000 years, Greek settlements from 350 BC, and the city’s unmissable Old Town (Vielle Ville). Stroll the famous Promenade des Anglais paralleling the Mediterranean, lined with boutique hotels, top restaurants, and long expanses of flat-pebbled beach.

One of the best ways to explore the coastline is to rent a paddle board. From the main beach of the Promenade, paddle east toward Castel Beach to cliffs where you can dock your board, scramble up the rocks, and leap into the sea. Then head to Vieux Nice for a salad Niçoise and vin. Nice is a great walking city, with dozens of private and public beaches and a vast stretch of boardwalks, urban parks, and cobble stone streets.

Related: Italy’s Amalfi Coast: 4-Day Weekend Travel Guide

Cover more miles by renting an e-bike and make sure you stop at Colline du Chateau (Castle Hill) and the traditional flower market (Marche aux Fleurs at Course Saleya) along the way. Then, head over to the Port district to ogle those super yachts and, of course, swing past the French Foreign Legion Office (even if you’re not signing up today).

Stay at the 5-star Victoria-Maison Albar, just 300 yards from the Promenade des Anglais, appointed with 132 rooms and suites imagined by the dynamic duo of architects Marc Hertrich and Nicolas Adnet (Studio MHNA) that overlook the Bay of Angels and mountains of Nice hinterland. Behind the preserved facade of the ancient Park Hôtel, the site also has a huge spa, rooftop restaurant, bar, and pool facing the sea. The ground floor houses a dozen luxury boutiques set along the Park Avenue Nice gallery, opening late 2023.

Day 3: Rock Climb in Saint-Jeannet

The limestone cliffs along Côte d’Azure are spectacular to look at and magnificent to climb. It’s no wonder why France is often referred to as the birthplace of sport climbing. In some places along the Mediterranean coastline, you can reach climbs by boats, such as the rocky cliffs of Calanques near Marseilles (not officially part of the French Riviera, but well worth a visit). Not only is the rock in southern France generally very good for climbing, but limestone lends itself to the sport with abundant holds for the hands and feet. Due to sunny weather, mild temperatures, and walls with a variety of exposures that get varying degrees of sun and shade, you can climb year-round here and choose between an assortment of scrambles, sport climbs, traditional climbs, and via ferratas. 

While there are a handful of established climbing areas, including La Turbie near Monaco and Gorges du Loup southwest of Nice, the best day is spent in Saint-Jeannet, a hill-top village with narrow cobblestone streets dating back to medieval times. Just 30 miles inland from Nice, Saint-Jeannet has more than 460 climbing routes covering the Baou, a provincial word meaning “steep rock.” The cliffs rise up hundreds of meters above the village, with a trail extending from town. For first half-mile, you’ll follow narrow cobblestone paths before ascending a well-kept dirt trail with lots of switchbacking and scrambling. You can walk to the top of the cliffs in about 90 minutes each way.

From the cliffs, you can see the Mediterranean, the Esterel mountains, the Alps, and the island of Corsica on a clear day. Although there’s some trad climbing, most of the routes are pre-protected with bolts. There’s been a big emphasis on safety with the local Nice Cote d’Azur council working with climbers to place nearly 2,000 bolts (and anchors) to support climbing and protect the rock from erosion. You can climb or hike year-round and hire a solid guide at the mountain shop in the village.

Related: 4-Day Weekend Travel Guide to Marseille, France

After climbing, eat at Maï Pizza in the old town of Saint-Jeannette, and check into the Avocado Hotel—a boutique property just a few minutes drive down the hill from the old village. The surprisingly affordable hotel has beautiful gardens and outdoor patios, an excellent restaurant and bar that specializes in rum cocktails, and cozy rooms with sweet views of the surrounding hills and rocks. Check the website for live music. Across the street is a great bakery (Moulin de Floor) where you can pick up snacks for a day of hiking and climbing.

Day 4: Surf and Snorkel the Beaches of Cannes

Not surprisingly, Côte d’Azur offers an abundance of watersports with plenty of rental shops to equip you with whatever you need for a fun day on the water. You can hop on a day cruise, rent a boat or paddleboard, snorkel, and catch some quality waves in Cannes— recognized as a “Ville de Surf” city by the French Surfing Federation. Island hoppers can head offshore to Île Sainte-Marguerite and the Lérins Islands, just off the Cannes coast.

Another not-to-be-missed adventure is snorkeling along the underwater discovery trail at Pointe de l’Aiguille about a half hour south of Cannes. The 600-foot swim trail consists of four white buoys that make different underwater environments—the Posidonia Meadows, Rocky Screes, Vertical Walls, and the Pinnacle. Then head to the Underwater Eco-Museum, the first eco-museum in France and the Mediterranean that can be visited while snorkeling. Bring your snorkel, mask, and fins, as you’ll be able to dive down to see six monumental statues by renowned artist Jason deCaires Taylor.

Several quality hotels in Cannes cover all price ranges. The Hôtel Splendid is a top choice as the building is gorgeous, the rooms are well-lit with sublime balcony views overlooking the harbor. Cap off your four perfect days along the French Riviera with an afternoon Kir royale, a classic French cocktail made with Champagne and creme de cassis. 

Let’s clear this up right away. The Land Rover Defender 130 is an epic exception to the three-row SUV rule. Those large, lumbering hulks lurching around the suburbs are mostly just minivans in all-wheel-drive disguise, making for the totally joyless driving experience you expect. Cut a couple inches from the ride height, replace a rear door with a sliding one, and you’re back in your parent’s Previa, Aerostar, or Caravan. For the most part, three-row vehicles are a compromise made “necessary” by certain life choices (aka children). I own one and speak from 50,000 miles of experience. They suck. Big SUVs—not kids.

The Land Rover Defender 130, on the other hand, is not your dad’s Chevy Astro van. Sure, it will haul your kids, their friends, the dogs, and a coach’s bag of soccer balls—but the Defender can trace its lineage back to some of the most iconic off-roaders ever built. In its current form, it both looks and feels unlike anything else on the road today.

Gitty Up and Go

For the moment, the 2023 Defender 130 comes win two mild hybrid 3.0 liter turbocharged in-line six-cylinder powertrains. The P300 version gives the throttle command of 296 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque, while the P400 commands 395 hp/406 lb-ft. The pair gets from 0 to 60 mph in 7.5 and 6.3 seconds, respectively. Both come mated to an eight-speed, ZF automatic transmission and an electrically driven supercharger to mitigate turbo lag.

The 2024 model year offers the option of a V8 with 493 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque and snap off to 60 almost a second faster (5.4 seconds.)

Behind the Wheel

There are no bells and whistles that would make the Defender 130 feel less gargantuan. It’s a big, boxy bus. But that’s the point. Land Rover added more than a full foot over the four-door 110 version (13.4 inches,) all of it behind the rear wheels for the sake of the back row passengers.

Adding length equals more metal and more weight. The 130 is beefed up roughly 600 lbs compared to the 110—to a total curb weight of 5,600 lbs.

Related: Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Pickup Is a Desert Monster

That said, it’s rather satisfying in its own way. The size, height, and build quality make it feel nearly indestructible. You get the sense that it’s sort of a rolling Chuck Norris joke. The Defender doesn’t dodge potholes. Potholes duck at the sight of the Defender.

Hyperbole aside, all but the most massive bumps you hit in the Defender get smoothed out by the standard air suspension and adaptive dynamics. The steering feels sharp and offers plenty of feedback for an off-road specialist—but with all that girth, you don’t want to come into corners super hot. The brakes don’t grab quite as aggressively as they do in the 110, so better to get on them a bit early and manage it through the bends.

The P400 I tested generally offered plenty of power, though it was a bit sluggish when winding up on the highway. The V8 in the smaller Defender 110 I drove last summer felt much more capable and appropriate for a road-going schooner. Of course, it’s a bit pricier. The V8 model costs nearly 50 percent more than the sticker of the well-equipped P400 SE I drove. Land Rover hasn’t released fuel economy estimates for the V8, but it’s certainly thirstier than P400’s unleaded-chugging V6 that manages a mere 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway (19 mpg combined.)

While all of the Defender’s powertrains are rated to tow up to 8200 lbs, if you’re frequently hauling a small boat or trailer around, the V8 might be worth the upgrade.

Just like the other variants, the 130 comes with a full-sized spare tire hitched to its side-hinged tailgate, which blocks a good bit of rear visibility. But with a flip of a switch the rearview mirror displays the camera view from the back, so you don’t have to worry about what you can’t see when you’re backing out of the driveway.

After a week behind the wheel, my only substantial gripe comes on the highway. At speeds over 60 mph, the air seems to scream off the big, honking side mirrors. Thankfully, the test model came outfitted with the 700-watt Meridian sound system to drown out wind noise.

On the Inside

It’s sort of an odd straddle, but Defender manages to feel both utilitarian and luxurious at the same time. Rather than burled wood or carbon fiber, the trim is mainly durable plastic accented with visible bolts and rivets. It’s a treatment that cleverly contrasts the well-padded, supple leather seating and accents.

Related: GM’s Hummer EV Is Its Most Monstrous Electric Flex Yet

The massive center console, door nooks, and dashboard cubby all ensure tons of storage for passenger phones, drinks, or other gear, while the PiviPro infotainment system seamlessly manages Defender’s nav and settings. For those who would prefer their phone to drive the music or maps, Defender also offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

With all three rows up and ready to ride, the cargo area is only big enough to accommodate a pair of carry-ons, but with all the rear seats stowed, there’s 81 cubic feet of cargo space. Not bad, but weirdly the Land Rover’s storage floor isn’t flat. The third row juts up a bit creating a sort of a plateau, which can make it tough to slide your gear into the back.

The Way Back

Getting into the third row, as in most vehicles of this ilk, requires a bit of flexibility. But once ensconced, it’s not a terrible place to sit even for a six-foot-tall human. I managed to slink into the back without hurting myself (impressive, I know) and was pleasantly surprised with the experience. There’s ample space overhead as well as an extra moonroof that gives the third row an airy quality. The leg room was acceptable—plenty for an hour-long ride, though I wouldn’t want to be stuck there much longer. There are even USB-C chargers to keep the iPads gassed up and the kids quiet.

Hit the Trails

If you, unlike most of the folks who will buy one, do have the inkling to head off-road, the 130 lives up to the Defender legacy. When it’s time to hit the dirt, ground clearance can be increased from the normal 8.5-inch to 11.4 inches and the Defender can ford nearly three feet (35.4 inches) of water—in case you find yourself on the wrong side of a Hudson River tributary or an incredibly soggy steeplechase.

The 38-degree approach angle is the same as the others in the Defender line, but due to the increase in length in the rear, the departure angle is diminished from the Defender 110’s 40.0 degrees to 28.5 degrees for the 130.

The standard all-wheel-drive system includes a two-speed transfer case with a locking front differential. For those who need one, a locking rear diff comes as an optional extra. Off-roading enthusiasts should also consider swapping out the Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires for some rubber better suited for mud and rocks.

Three rows and Land Rover heritage is a compelling argument for the Defender. It’s a real off-roader, and not just a minivan doing a bit of cosplay. Of course, few who decide to put one in the garage will dare to take their adventures off the tarmac. But luxury isn’t all leather and hand finished wood. It’s also knowing that if you want to, you can.

[From $69,100; landroverusa.com]

Judging by the sheer number of new releases we’ve seen over the past several years, cristalino has to be hottest style of tequila on the market these days. George Clooney and Rande Gerber are the latest to buy into the boom with Casamigos Cristalino.

It consists of aged agave spirit, which is charcoal filtered to remove color extracted from the barrel during the maturation process. The Tequila Regulatory Council (yes, that’s a real thing) has yet to officially recognize it as a distinct category, but that hasn’t stopped cristalino from blossoming into a global phenomenon. 

As with all top-shelf tequilas, Casamigos is distilled from 100 percent blue weber agave. But unlike most other cristalinos, which typically are built off añejos, this one began its life as a reposado—meaning the liquid was aged between two months to a year in oak casks before it underwent the hue-hiding filtration process. 

According to its celebrity founders, this point of separation enables a tequila with full flavor, bereft of any burn.

Related: Dwayne Johnson on Cracking 1 Million Cases in Teremana Sales

“Our Casamigos Cristalino is incredibly complex and full of character,” Clooney and Gerber said in a joint statement. “It took many samples for us to create the perfect flavor. We wanted to create something that we were proud of, something that we would drink.”

To their credit, it does demonstrate value as a separate style of spirit, turning toward the caramel and vanilla overtones of an extra-aged tequila, while firmly maintaining the crisp, bright vegetal notes of a proper blanco. Gerber actually enjoys subbing it for gin or vodka in a martini. “I avoid too many ingredients,” he tells Men’s Journal. “Keep it simple to preserve the integrity of the Cristalino.”

We shouldn’t be too surprised by the admirable outcome here. After all, Casamigos’ sister brand Don Julio helped pioneer cristalino back in 2011 with the release of Don Julio 70. Parent company Diageo, it seems, has got the process pretty dialed in by now. Despite selling to the booze behemoth 6 years ago, Gerber insists the ethos of the brand has remained the same.

Related: Patrón’s New El Cielo Tequila Aims for the Super-luxury Market

“Part of the deal was that I would stay on as chairman, as well as George and [third co-founder] Mike Meldman,” he adds. “We don’t work with any outside agencies; everything is done in-house. We continue to control the brand. Diageo’s role is to help with the manufacturing of the product and everything else is left to us and our team.”

The arrangement seems to be working swimmingly. The Casamigos portfolio, which also includes three other expressions of tequila along with a mezcal, has already sold more than three million cases in 2023 alone. And that’s before one single bottle of Cristalino even came to market. Is it a good time to be in the tequila business? Clearly so. 

[$61; casamigos.com]

Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. We update when possible, but deals expire and prices can change. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Questions? Reach us at [email protected].

Whether you’re going on a trip or just want a backup for your home, having a compact yet powerful power station can be super helpful. This way if you experience a power outage or need to power a device when off the grid, you have the hardware to make it happen. Something like the BLUETTI Portable Power Station, Which Amazon is discounting right now by 40% to just $209.

The 268Wh battery cells allow you to keep a bevy of devices fueled up for quite a bit of time. One of our favorite features is that it boasts nine outlets to let you charge items like a phone, a computer, and a fridge. To be specific, you get 2 standard AC outlets, 1 USB-C, 2 USB-A, a Qi-enabled wireless charger, a car charger, and 2 DC5521 ports. It pushes up to 600 watts in total, though this can vary depending on what you have plugged in.

With a full charge, this BLUETTI Portable Power Station can go for a while. For instance, A phone can be fully recharged 20 times, a heated blanket can go for 1.9 hours, a mini fridge for 3 hours, and a router can go for 20 hours. Better yet, it has a built-in handle and weighs just 10.14 pounds, so you can easily bring it with you.

Maybe the best thing about the BLUETTI Portable Power Station, beyond the convenience of charging things up on the go, is that a car can give it some juice if you don’t have a wall outlet nearby.

Having all that power in this convenient package makes life so much easier, whether you’re out of the house or dealing with a power outage at home. On Amazon, it has a 4.3 out of 5-star rating from over 2,500 customers, with over 1,700 of those being 5 stars. Some of the reviews say things like “This is the one. This brand is top of the pack.”

Everyone should consider the BLUETTI Portable Power Station in their lives, as it can provide power when you might need it most. Furthermore, with the 40% discount it won’t break the bank. 

Pick up the BLUETTI Portable Power Station ($209; was $349) at Amazon

Men’s Journal aims to feature only the best products and services. We update when possible, but deals expire and prices can change. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission. Questions? Reach us at [email protected].

Dental hygiene is of utmost importance in our day-to-day lives, and a good toothbrush is one to keep your teeth healthy and shining. This Bitvae Ultrasonic Electric Toothbrush boasts over 3,800 five-star ratings on Amazon and is 55% off at $18.

The Bitvae Ultrasonic Electric Toothbrush is better than an old-fashioned analog toothbrush in many ways. The first way is that its motor can pulse at 40,000 strokes per minute at its highest setting. With that kind of power and the soft, W-shaped bristles on the nine heads it comes with, it can remove up to 7x more stains than an old-fashioned toothbrush.

You get five power settings depending on your wants and needs with the Bitvae Ultrasonic Electric Toothbrush. By picking the right mode, you can work toward removing stains, polishing your teeth, and even using it for your daily cleanings. Plus, with a 4-hour runtime via the rechargeable battery, you can use this for 30 days without needing to dock it. Throw in the 8 replaceable heads that come with it, you get a value that’s hard to beat.

With an overall 4.4 out of 5-star rating from over 5,200 ratings, 71% of which are 5 stars, a lot of folks have left reviews. Here you can find people stating that it is “better than expensive brands” and that it offers “great value.”

Even at the regular $40 price, you can’t go wrong with the Bitvae Ultrasonic Electric Toothbrush, but at a 55% discount, it makes this a steal. If you feel like improving your dental hygiene routine, pick one of these up right now.

Pick up the Bitvae Ultrasonic Electric Toothbrush ($18; was $40) at Amazon