Outdoor Gear Site: KirouOutdoor.com

I saw this link posted over at the Geard Up Blog as part of their Friday Link Round-up. The one that caught my eye was KirouOutdoors which bills itself as "The Outdoor Gear Blog". And while we've seen plenty of good gear blogs, it never hurts to have another one.

KirouOutdoor is pretty straight forward in it's approach. They posts some cool new gear item, along with some specs and thoughts on the items. While I haven't found what I would call reviews, but there are daily updates with all manner of different gear items. Today it's snow shoes from MSR, yesterday it was an interesting looking water filter.

Personally, I appreciate sites that keep me updated on what's new in gear and what we can expect in the the future. I like the variety of gear items, and I'll be keeping an eye on the site going into the future for new gear news and ideas.

Himalaya Update: Fall Belongs To The Girls!

The Fall climbing season is approaching rapidly and it seems like every day a new expedition is announced. MountEverest.net has the latest news on what's happening in Nepal, including reports on the top women climbers heading for 8000m peaks.

First and foremost, is a group of girls from Singapore who have already undergone the Puja Ceremony, and are in ABC on Cho Oyu. The team consists of Jane Lee, Lee Lihui, Lee Peh Gee, Sim Yi Hui, Joanne Soo and Esther Tan. The whole team is excited to be on the mountain, and having arrived early, should get a good jump on the acclimatization process.

Meanwhile, Edurne Pasaban, of Spain, has her sights set on Shisha Pangma, and if successful, she'll join Gerlinde with 10 8000m summits. Edurne will be going up the "normal" route on Shisha, so she'll be able to say hello to our friend Alan Arnette who is taking the same route. Alan departed for Kathmandu yesterday, and should be arriving sometime late today.

Not to be out doen by Edurne, Nives Meroi is going for her 11th 8000m summit on Makalu. The latest word is that she is still preparing to leave Italy for Nepal, but should be on her way soon. In the Spring, Nives knocked off Everest, sans oxygen, for her tenth. We've got quite a race going betweent these top female climbers as to who will reach 14 first.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, there are a few guys heading for the Himalaya this Fall too. An mixed Canadian/International team is in Kathmandu now, and preparing to leave for Manaslu soon, while a Dutch team gunning for Dhaulagiri is acclimatizing in the Khumbu region now.

K2 Update: Maxut and Vassily Alone Against The Mountain!

More news from K2 this morning, again courtesy of K2Climb.net. The latest update from K2 is that all the climbers have retreated from their summit bids, save for Maxut Zhumayev, Vassiliy Pivtsov.

The two Kazakh climbing legends spent another night at C4 after efforts to find a way around the snow filled upper couloir proved fruitless. Russian Serguey Bogomolov was with them up until that point, but has elected to come down the mountain, rather than risking going for the summit. But Maxut and Vassily have gone back up and are now negotiating a tricky rock wall, in high winds now less.

Reports came in throughout the day that they had reached their high camp, established at 8300m, and were resting, out of the wind, but later they updated that they were back out in the elements and were continuing to work on fixing more ropes. The pair had 450m of rope, and once it is gone, they'll be forced to free climb the rest of the wall to the summit. Part of their task today is to find a safe route to complete their climb. if that happens, they will return to high camp for one more night spent in the Death Zone, and then proceed up to the summit tomorrow.

It sounds like tough going for these two, but if anyone can face the elements and achieve their goal, it's Maxut and Vassily who have proven themselves time and again on the highest mountains on Earth. Still, they are treading into uncharted territory here, and nothing should be taken for granted. This is K2 after all, and until they're down safely, there will always be some danger. Lets wish them the best and keep our fingers crossed for them.

The Grand Teton 100 Ultra Begins Saturday

It must be the "Ultra Season" with all of these endurance events lately. Next up is the Grand Teton 100 Ultramarathon which gets underway on Saturday. As the name would imply, it's a 100 mile event through the Grand Teton Mountains in Alta, Wyoming, although if you're not feeling up to running 100 miles through the mountains, they do have a less demanding 50 mile race as well.

The course is "clover-leaf style" loop, with each loop consisting of 25 miles in length over terrain that includes single-track, service roads, bike trails and short stretches of pavement. Along the way, the competitors will be surrounded by some amazing scenery, while they take on 5000 feet of vertical gain per loop. The 50 mile event is expected to last roughly 17 hours while the 100 mile course is estimated to take 36 hours.

Endurance athlete Matt Hart is blogging the whole event, and you'll be able to read his thoughts on the course, and his performance over the next few days by clicking here. Matt has made it to event and gone on a train run, which he describes as "steep".

I went for a run last night. Three and a half-miles. It was brutal. ;)

Adventures in Death Valley

National Parks Traveler is an excellent blog to keep you up to date on everything going on in the many national parks across the United States. Some of their posts are a bit dry, such as when they go into discussions of funding and congressional oversight, but others are very interesting and informative.

Take this one for example. It's their "Essential Death Valley" guide with some good tips to think about before heading out to the dry, hot expanse that is that National Park.

The article is as much a primer for the park in general, suggesting times to visit when things are a bit more colorful (think NOT Summer!), and even some trails to consider such as Mosaic Canyon or a visit to remote and desolate Racetrack Canyon where the rocks seemingly move on their own.

While you might not have considered a visit to the hottest place on Earth as part of you adventures, this article has a good chance of changing your mind. We tend to have a view of Death Valley as being empty and, well, dead! But this piece paints a picture of a place that is filled with wonder and enchantment. Just be sure to bring plenty of water and wait until Fall.

Backpacking 101

Backpacker Magazine has long been a guide to the latest and greatest gear, trails, and techniques. The print magazine has been and remains a very good resource for beginners and experienced backpackers alike.

While perusing their website earlier I came across a section labeled Backpacking 101 and when I clicked on it, I found an excellent repository of articles specifically designed to help beginning backpackers to get started in the activity. The articles are broken down into sections with a specific focus, such as "getting in shape", "essential gear", and "staying warm and dry". Under each of those sections you'll find some excellent articles with information on how to navigate, finding the right gear for yourself, and even finding some great trails. There's a lot more on the list as well, and I'm betting that even experienced backpackers will find some things to their liking.

Personally, I liked the section on food, as it's always nice to have some new suggestions for food on the trail. The gear lists are good as well, with nice suggestions for what you should be carrying in weather conditions, terrane, and seasons. All in all, this looks to be a nice resource and hopefully they'll continue to add to it in the future.

K2: Kazakhs Taking An Alternate Route

Another update today from K2Climb.net on the progress of Kazakh climbers Maxut Zhumayev and Vassiliy Pivtsov, who are joined by Russian Serguey Bogomolov on their K2 summit bid.

The latest word is that the team is above C4 but have found the upper couloir too full of snow and prone to avalanche, forcing them off the Japanese route first taken to the top back in 1982. This minor inconvenience would mean the end of the road for most climbers, but with these men it just means they'll need to take an alternate route to the top.

Currently, they are searching for a place to make Camp 5 where they can rest up and prepare for the final assault. They're hoping to find some place around 8300-8400m where they can pitch their tents, rest, and melt snow for water. If all goes well, they could be making their final summit attempt by early this weekend.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 58

The latest episode of The Rest of Everest finally proves that Everest has indeed gone to the dogs. The episode is entitled Puppies and Lamas and opens with a scene of two pups in Base Camp at 17,000 feet. Not exactly where you would expect to see dogs, but as we've seen in the past, it's not unheard of.

Rest of Everest producer Jon Miller is joined once again by climber Ben Clark who adds his own insights on the expedition. One of the highlights of this episode is when the satellite phone is broken out and everyone lines up to call home. It's amusing to see everyone pull out their little notebooks to find the phone numbers they want to dial, as at that point of the climb, I'm sure everyone was longing to hear a familiar voice from home. Jon remarks that when he returned to Everest this past Spring, he noticed that cell phones are now very common, making communication from the mountain that much easier. Back in 2003, when this video was shot however, an Iridium phone was even more of a luxury.

On a programming note, at the beginning of this episode Jon tells us to expect a bonus episode coming this weekend. Jon had the opportunity to sit down with Alan Arnette before he left for Shisha Pangma today. Alan is taking the next step in his Road Back To Everest and he'll be discussing that, and more. It should be an interesting bonus episode and I'll be sure to post when it's available.

Nicki Branch Knocks Off Elbrus!

I've been following Nicki Branch's Seven Summits Quest since I first read about her over at Alan Arnette's website last year, when she announced her intentions to go for the summit of the tallest mountain on each continent. Back then, she was still planning her first climb, on Kilimanjaro, but it wasn't long before she completed that climb, then moved on to Aconcagua last January. From there, she went on to conquer Denali in July.

For many people, climbing three iconic mountains in eight months would be enough but not for Nicki. About a week and a half ago she topped out on Elbrus. She's now more than half-way to her goal of all Seven Summits, and has bagged the top peaks in Africa, North and South America, and now Europe.

What's left on the list? Next up, she'll head to Kosciuszko and Carstensz in October, so she can knock off both Australia and "Pacifica" and cover both Seven Summits Lists. After that, it's on to Vinson in December to claim the highest mountain in Antarctica. And finally, she'll go after Everest in the Spring season next year.

It's been fun following Nicki's climbs so far and I look forward to hearing about her climbs on the remaining mountains as well. Awesome work so far Nicki, and good luck on the remainder of the list. I'm looking forward to reading your dispatches and thoughts on all the Summits.

Going Light On Denali: Post Trip Follow-Up

A few months back I mentioned a story over at BackPackingLight.com about Matt Hage and Agnes Stowe, who attempted, and succeeded, in going up Denali using lightweight gear. Over the course of the climb they carried packs that were no more than 30 pounds each, considerably lighter than the 50-60 pounds that is typical for such a climb.

Now, Backpacking Light has posted a post trip report and gear list so we can gain even more insight into their adventure. Agnes and Matt co-wrote the piece and they discuss their thoughts on the gear they chose, their approach got "going light" and their one regret for the climb. It's a pretty interesting read, and gives some nice insights into how you can lighten up your load perhaps.

The best part for me was checking out their gear lists. All of their equipment is listed, along with it's weight, and it's pretty amazing to see which items they took with them. You may also find some great suggestions for gear to replace some aging item in your closet that weighs too much and is inefficient compared to modern equipment. Be warned though, the folks over at BPL take the "Go Light" philosophy very seriously.

K2: Kazakhs at C4

It's been a few days since we've heard anything from K2, but fortunately we've finally gotten an update courtesy of K2Climb.net.

When last we heard, Maxut and Vassily were leaving BC to make their summit bid, and there was some speculation that they might top out early in the week. Now, the word is that the two men have reached C4 and are resting before going up tomorrow to establish Camp 5 from which they'll launch their final assault on the peak. They hope to set up that camp in the 8300 to 8400m region of the mountain. They radioed BC to let them know that the weather was decent, but that they would have to watch the snow in the couloir leading to the summit, as there could be the chance of an avalanche. If the snow is too deep, or unsteady, to proceed they'll approach the summit from an alternate route.

Meanwhile, Denis Urubko and Serguey Samoilov are late to K2 this season, but still have big ambitions. The two Russians arrived in BC on the 25th and have already begun the acclimatization process, shuttling supplies up to C2 along the "normal" route on the Chinese side of the North Ridge. Once they have fully acclimatized, the two will make a bid for summit along a new route on the North Ridge itself.

Things aren't completely over on other beaks in the Karakorum either. On Broad Peak for instance, the weather continues to be bad, and there are some serious chances of avalanches at the higher elevations, but Jean Troillet's team is still holding out hope that they can make one last attempt. Time is running short however, as their flight out of Islamabad is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Soon the action will shift back to the Himalaya, and the Karakorum will go quiet for another year, but for now, there are still some very determined climbers hoping to accomplish their goals.

Cycling Centric GPS Units From Garmin

A few weeks back the Magellan faithful received some good news in the form of the Triton line of GPS units due out this Fall. Not to be out done however, the Garmin camp now have some new units to look forward to as well, although they are aimed more at the cyclist than the backpacker.

According to Engadget the new Edge 605 and 705 GPS units are both bike mountable for navigating while you ride. They'll also keep track of your distance, time, calories burned, altitude, rate and amount of climb and descent and more. They'll also allow you to collect data on your rides and track your performance over time. The high end model, the 705, also has optional add-ons such as a heart-rate sensor and cadence monitor.

One of the other cool features that both units have is the ability to race a "ghost" opponent over a set distance or time, and if the ghost isn't proving up to the task, you can also race against your previous rides on a given course, with the GPS unit keeping track of where you are in relation to your past times.

Currently the two units are set to ship in December, just in time for that cycling enthusiast on your Christmas list. Retail prices are $399 for the 605 and $499 for the 705. The 705 will also be available in packages with the optional add ons in prices ranging up to $649.

The Adventurist is a Busy Guy!

Jason over at The Adventurist has been keeping himself plenty busy lately. Besides his normal duties over at his own site, he's taken on the role of editor at for mountain climbing, extreme sports, and outdoor recreation over at Topix.com. He's also kicked off his duties with a new column on that site called Adventure-X with the first article focusing on "Defining Ourselves Through What We Do". The article takes a look at how we define "adventure" and how it shapes us as a person.

As if that weren't enough, Jason has also put together an article on adventure racing for Adventure Sports Weekly. His article on getting started in adventure racing is a glimpse into some of the things you need to think about and be aware of when jumping into the wonderful world of AR, a sport that can be a bit dizzying at first. You have to consider training, in multiple disciplines no less, all the wonderful gear you'll need, even for a Sprint race, and mix in good team dynamics, navigation, and more. It can be kind of overwhelming, but also very rewarding.

Finally, he's also put together an article entitled Skiing From The Top the World for TopiaRoad.com a relatively new site focused on skiing and snowboarding, that looks to be just getting off the ground. Jason's article discusses the prospects of skiing down Everest and other big peaks.

So there you have it. Plenty to read in those articles right there. Congratulations Jason, now I feel like a total underachiever. ;)

So Where Exactly Will Primal Quest Take Place Next Year?

A month ago I mentioned an article in the Billings Gazette that speculated that Primal Quest could possibly be coming to Montana when it returns next season.

Now, a similar article has been written, this time in the Summit Daily News from Summit County, Colorado, which also speculates that the race might be coming to that state. Their reasons for believing so? Colorado resident and adventure race veteran Danelle Ballengee has already designed a course for the area, and PQ CEO Don Mann is quoted as saying "From the very outset, Colorado's been our first choice."

But before you start booking your travel plans to The Centennial State, there are a few hurdles to over come. Namely, the U.S. Forest Service, who seem none too excited to have another adventure race, even one as big and prestigious as Primal Quest, being held on government land. PQ organizers have met with some resistance in getting the permits they'll need, despite state representatives lobbying on behalf of the race.

While neither Mann nor Balengee have given up on holding the race in Colorado, they have admitted that they have begun to look at alternative locations. Locations that are more amicable to them bringing the race, it's competitors, and all the revenue it can generate, to their neighborhood.

Race organizers are remaining tight lipped on just where the event will be held, but are expected to make the announcement in a few short weeks. Time may be running out for Colorado and AR fans who would like to see the Primal Quest take place there.

Caught On Video: Top 5 Mountain Bike Crashes

Ok, this one is certainly not for the feint of heart! At least two or three of these will make you cringe, and quite possibly cancel that mountain bike ride you had scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

The Teame Geard-Up Blog has posted a list of their picks for the Top 5 Mountain Bike Crashes that also just happen to be caught on video. And what happens in this day and age when you catch your buddy wiping out on video? Why, post it to YouTube of course!

The video I posted here is actually number five on the list, and while it looks bad, I think I've probably topped it a time or two. I've just been lucky enough to not have it caught on tape. That I'm aware of. *Gulp*

However, the severity of the crashes do increase as you go up the scale, until you reach number one, which is clearly deserving of the top spot. I won't give too much away, but I will say this. Think about what would happen if the front tire of your mountain bike were to come off at over 100 miles per hour. That's not a type. Enjoy!

AdventureBlog.Org Gets A Facelift

AdventureBlog.org has undergone a site redesign. No, I'm not referring to my humble little site, but instead the other Adventure Blog. The new design is a bit cramped for my tastes, as if the web designer needed to add more to the front page, but didn't want to stray too far from the original design. Still, they've added a "recent comments" section to keep track of ongoing discussions as well as a shopping and market section that will make them rich no doubt. There seems to be more ads on some of the pages as well.

The best part of the site redesign is that some new content has been put up as well. There is a short article with some basic information on climbing the Matterhorn, and hiking in the Alps in general, that is accompanied by some nice photos of the mountains as well. Their feature story is on the Rat Race Urban Adventure set to take place in London at the end of September. Finally, there is also a story on canyoneering with some basic information and things to think about.

I'll say one thing about that Adventure Blog. They cover a lot of ground, they just don't cover it very deeply.

The MSR Reactor Ships (Finally!)

The Trailspace Blog is reporting that the MSR Reactor is finally shipping. The award winning and revolutionary cooking system for backpackers, through hikers, and other lightweight expeditions, has been highly anticipated, but is long over due, leaving some gear heads thinking that it might be vaporware. MSR says they're shipping them as fast as they can, but demand is currently very high, and unless you've pre-ordered, it's unlikely that you'll get your hands on one soon.

The Reactor is MSR's answer to the Jetboil, which has been the lightweight cooking system to beat over the past couple of years. Early head to head tests have shown that the Reactor is actually substantially faster than the Jetboil when it comes to heating up, and boiling water, especially in windy, and more harsh conditions. However, the Jetboil system is a bit more efficient with it's use of fuel and is also lighter and cheaper too.

It's great to see that MSR is finally shipping this product that we've been hearing about for sometime. it sounds like a great system, and it'll be interesting to see how Jetboil responds, and how the two stack up in more reviews. I think it's great that the Jetboil has a little competition, and which is always a good thing for us consumers.

Fall Himalayan Season Heating Up

Now that the monsoon season is drawing to a close and the Fall climbing season in the Himalaya is closing in, we're starting to see some expeditions come to light. MountEverest.net is reporting that Fall in the Himalaya is business as usual in that we have a top female climber, and a strong Russian team leading the way.

Nives Meroi and husband Romano Benet are returning to Nepal with the intent of climbing Kangchenjunga. As of now, it looks like they'll have the mountain to themselves, as not other expeditions to Kangchenjunga have been announced yet. This would be Nives and Romano's 11th 8000m peak, with their latest conquest being a summit of Everest without 02 in the Spring.

The Russian presence in the Himalaya this Fall will be smaller than what we saw recently on K2, but no less ambitious. Valeri Babanov is joining forces with Sergey Kofanov to climb the North Face of Jannu a 7710m peak that has only been climbed once before. The North Face will be a more technical climb with a mix of rock and ice on a partially overhanging wall.

And lest I forget, we also know that Alan Arnette is also returning to the Himalaya to make a run at Shisha Pangma as he continues his Road Back to Everest. We'll be following his dispatches very closely and wishing him the best of luck on that climb as well.

Bad Water: America's Toughest Rapids!

Stephen Regenold, The Gear Junkie himself, has written a great article that he posted both to his daily dose and was picked up by MSNBC on the baddest rapids to run in the United States.

Stephen poled some of the top kayakers in the country to get their suggestion on water to avoid, or if you're a great paddler yourself, seek out. Some of the suggestions sound pretty epic, like the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, which is described in the article as starting out like a small mountain stream, but blossoms into a raging river, all in the course of a few miles.

The Grand Canyon is given it's nod for being a great place to run white water, but it's the setting itself that really strikes awe in the hearts of paddlers. Those amazing cliffs and scenery add a sense of wonder beyond just a typical white water run. Other suggestions include Upper Youghiogheny River in Maryland, the 150-mile Kennebec in Maine, and the the South Fork of the American River east of Sacramento.

To really get a good look at the rivers, checkout the accompanying slideshow for some awesome photographs and more info on each of the selections. Great stuff.

Adrian Hayes Going For His Third Pole

ThePoles.com posted a new story over the weekend that adventurer Adrian Hayes has announced his intention to seek his "third pole" by joining a guided, unsupported expedition to the South Pole during this year's Antarctic season.

In the Spring, Adrian made the trip to the North Pole from Canada on an expedition that saw one supply drop. Last year he summitted Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, which is often referred to at the "Third Pole". Now, he is hoping to complete his quest to visit the three poles by reaching the South Pole as well. He plans to begin the final expedition of his quest in November, when most of the Antarctic expeditions get underway. He'll be a part of the "ANI South Pole Quest" team.

You can learn more about Adrian at his official website including re-caps of his other polar adventures, charity work, and motivational speaking.

Alan Arnette is Shisha Pangma Bound!

Alan Arnette departs this week for Shisha Pangma, the next step in his Road Back To Everest. Alan has set out to raise money and awareness for the Cure Alzheimer's Fund by climbing Everest in the Spring of 2008, but before he returns to the highest mountain on Earth, he is conducting a series of training climbs in his home state of Colorado as well as else where.

In June Alan set out to conquer Denali only to be turned back at 17,000 feet due to illness that didn't seem to be related to altitude. Since his return, he has undergone a series of tests, regained his strength, and has climbed a number of 14-ners in Colorado in preparation for his next challenge, Shisha Pangma.

On Thursday of this week, Alan will set out for Kathmandu, where he'll join the rest of his team for the Shisha Pangma expedition. Shisha is the 14th highest peak in the world, stretching up 26,335 feet (8,027m), and is located in southern Tibet. Alan and his team will be taking the most traveled route to the summit and with a little luck, some good weather, and lots of hard work, the team is looking to top out around Oct. 8th.

Throughout his expedition, Alan intends to post dispatches to his website, and provide updates on how the climb is going. It should be a unique opportunity for us to get a great perspective on climbing an 8000m peak. Shisha will be Alan's fifth expedition to such a mountain, but his first time on this mountain. If you want to receive Alan's dispatches directly to your e-mail, go to his site and sign up. I can personally tell you that the dispatches from Denali were interesting to read and these should be even better.

Good luck Alan. Climb high and climb safe!

Atacama Crossing Results

The Atacama Crossing ended yesterday, after seven long days of competition in one of the most arid deserts on the planet. The event consisted of six stages, totaling more than 160 miles in distance, enough to cross the entire horizontal length of Chile.

After seven days of racing the front runners, Robert Jarvis, Jonathan Bailey, and Oliver Sinclair agreed to cross the finish line together. Jarvis, of New Zealand, took home the top honors, with a total time of 35 hours 12 minutes, and 9 seconds. Baily and Sinclair, both of the U.K. finished second and third respectively. Emma Dawber was the top female competitor finishing in the 14th position. In all, 70 racers began the race and 66 finished You can check out all the results on the leaderboard.

Next up in the 4 Deserts Series is the Sahara Race starting Oct. 28th.

Roz Abandons Her Trans-Pacific Row

Roz Savage has abandoned her attempt to row solo across the Pacific, just 12 days into her expedition. After months of planning and several delays, it looks like, for now anyway, her plans have been waylaid.

Roz set out on August 12th, from San Francisco, with the intention of rowing to Hawaii. Early on things were going well, and she made decent time on calm waters. But, the further out she rowed, the rougher the seas got, and at one point, it was so rough that the boat rolled completely over twice in one night. The boat is designed to roll in bad weather, but a rough night like that was enough to convince Roz that it was time to go home.

You can read a more detailed, and personal account on her website and this isn't the first time she's experienced such trying times at sea. In 2006 she rowed solo across the Atlantic, and has openly talked about how difficult it was for her to be alone for all those days, facing a daunting task.

It's unclear yet if she'll give it another go. I'm sure she'll want some time to examine her options and think about her approach before deciding what her next move is.

K2: Kazakhs and Russians Making Bid On NW Ridge

Of all the weekends for my laptop to take a dump. I don't tend to update on the weekends that often unless something major is happening, and this weekend seems to have several major stories going down. For starters, K2Climb.net is reporting that the Summit push is in full swing on the North West Face, with the Russians and Kzakhs going to the top together.

The summit team set off yesterday with the hope of reaching the top possibly as early as sometime today. Maxut and Vassiliy, the two top Kazakh climbers are joined by Russians Serguey Brodsky and Andrey Puchinin. The plan is for the teams to join forces in C4, and if the weather holds out they should stand on top of K2 today or tomorrow.

The latest word from the mountain is that high winds on the peak will make things tough going, but that they are expect to subside later today or tomorrow, which will greatly increase the chance of reaching the summit. Look for an update later tonight, or first thing tomorrow as we wait to hear about a successful summit. Considering the talent on this team though, it will take seriously bad weather to turn these guys back.

Everest 2008 - Spring Preview

The Monsoon Season isn't even officially over yet, and the Fall and Winter climbing season haven't begun, yet we already have a 2008 Spring Preview for Everest, courtesy of the Everest Is Ours Blog. Granted, there are currently no expeditions scheduled for the Fall or Winter, but Nepal is hoping to change that.

The sneak peak, accompanied with a sweet picture of the North Col Camp, takes a look at most of the major commercial expeditions work in the North Side, who all have confirmed to Everest Is Ours that they will be there, on the mountain, in force, despite the huge Chinese contingent that will rule that side of the mountain to insure that the Olympic Torch gets up and down without incident.

Rumors have been flying that the Chinese would not issue permits for the North Side so that nothing would interfere with their climb, but this report seems to squash those rumors. It's a pretty safe bet however that the Chinese will take over an even larger portion of base camp next year than they did this year, and the speculation is that no other teams will be allowed to summit before they do.

The preview is a nice piece on the what to expect in the Spring and a great look at all the elements swirling around the Torch in general. Expect to hear a whole lot more about this in the months ahead. One thing is for sure, the Chinese want to make a huge impression with the Olympics next year, and the Torch run is going to get tons of press.

New Gear From Lowe Alpine

OutdoorsMagic.com has news fresh from Summer OR on some new products coming soon from Lowe Alpine.

First up, the have some great looking shell jackets coming this Fall with all the expected amenities. The "Pro" level gear is said to be light, comfortable, and warm, while still allowing for ventilation and movement. They are also offering up some new designs for their rain shells, fleece line, and more casual hiking jackets. Judging from the pictures with the article, I'd say it all looks good and is functional too, with water proof zippers, stow away hoods, and pit vents on the higher end gear.

More interesting for me though, was the new line of Air backpacks that is set for a Spring release. The new packs look like they have been designed very well to carry all your gear comfortably, while providing good stability in an attractive package. Where the packs seem to really shine is in access and the ability to compress your load down to as small of package as possible. The trend in packs right now is to provide as much ventilation between the pack and your back, and it looks like these new packs will follow suit.

My large, multi-day pack is a Lowe Alpien and I like it quite a bit. I can stuff tons of gear into, and even though it's several years old, it's held up well and has a design that makes it comfortable to wear. Since I'm still in the market for a good 2-3 day pack, these new weekend packs might just do the trick. I've been leaning towards the GoLite Lite-Speed pack, but I'll have to give these a good look before I decide. So many packs... so little money...

Thanks to the Backcountry Goat Blog for the heads up on the new gear!

Top Ten National Parks Lodges

Since we're on the subject of weekend adventures, here's another interesting article, this time from MSNBC. It's their list of the Top 10 National Parks Lodges.

The list has some great places on them, many of which a lot of people probably don't even know exist. Some of these lodges have been around for a long time, but still offer affordable, and often luxurious places to stay in some of the most amazing locations anywhere.

For instance, The Ahwahnee is the iconic lodge in Yosemite National Park, not far from Half Dome itself. Staying at The Ahwahnee is like stepping back in time, with it's oversized fireplaces, large open areas, and vaulted ceilings. If that Yosemite doesn't fit your needs, than perhaps you would rather drop by Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons and stay at the Jenny Lake Lodge instead. It's a four-diamond rated hotel, with 37 cabins, each with a rustic feel and a great view of the surrounding mountains.

If neither of those two appeal to you, visit Utah's Zion Lodge to take in the amazing sights there, or if your idea of roughing it is closer to staying in tents, than check out the Maho Bay Camps, in the Virgin Islands National Park, which consists of 114 canvas tents. There are a number of other excellent selections here, each of which will allow you to stay in an amazing place. A place where the hotel isn't so bad either. ;)

Three Day Adventures From Outside

Next weekend we celebrate Labor Day here in the United States, which means two things. One, it's a three day weekend! But of even more importance is that it's the traditional end of Summer, even though the calendar says that won't officially come for a few weeks yet. Many of us will take the opportunity to get outside, and go on one last adventure before the carefree days of Summer are really gone.

If you're looking for some suggestions on what to do with that three day weekend, perhaps Outside Online can be of assistance. They've published five suggestions for some great 3-day adventures that each have their own unique appeal.

For instance, if mountain biking is your thing, how about riding through the Colorado backcountry from Buena Vista to Aspen? The total distance is 118 miles of challenging trail, that offers some amazing scenery. Would you rather hike than peddle? How about spending a few days on the Pacific Crest and Tahoe's Rim Trail or go trekking in Colorado's San Juan Triangle, which is 50 miles of "the lower 48's most pristine high country". Fear not Easterners, there are suggestions for you as well. Take a hike on Vermont's 39 mile Long Trail, which winds it's way through lush farm country, with picturesque mountains for a back drop. Finally, head to Kentucky where you can spend three days getting acquainted with the two things the state is best known for, namely horses and bourbon.

The short descriptions of each adventure sound wonderful, and there are even suggestions on where to stay and side activities to do in the different areas. Some of these are quite intriguing, and I'm already looking for more information on the San Juan Triangle in Colorado. It sounds like an amazing place for a short get away. Anyone been there? Any thoughts?

K2: North West Ridge Teams Still Going

The Russians on the West Face may have topped out, and by last accounts the climbers were making their way back to base camp, but not everyone is finished with K2 just yet. K2Climb.net has finally posted a fresh update on the Kazakh team still working away on the North West Face.

The Kazakh's have been lost in the shuffle a bit with the Russian West Face team making history, but they remain strong, focused and persistent. With climbing vets Maxut Zhumayev and Vasily Pivtsov leading the team, they have continued to stock high camps and fix lines over the past ten days, hoping for a weather window of their own. While the weather remains dodgy at best, it seems that everything is in place for them to a summit bid this weekend. The word is that Maxut and Vasily will take 23 year old rookie Alexander Sofrygin with them to the top.

Not all the young guys on the Kazakh team are faring as well. Aggei Skopin, who will turn 23 in September, has given up his summit ambitions after spending days shuttling supplies and helping to lay fixed lines. He also spent a night above 8000m without oxygen, which finalized his decision. Aggei continues to help supply the lower camps, but he'll not go above 5000m for the duration of the expedition.

With any luck, we'll have word of more summits on K2 by early next week. Hopefully the weather will give the Kazakh team a break, but they seem determined to go to the top regardless. You certainly have to admire the spirit of these climbers. When other teams retreated for the season, the Kazakhs and Russians stayed behind to finish what they started, and so far it's paid off for them in spades.

Atacama Crossing Update; Day 5

The leader board at the Atacama Crossing Ultramarathon hasn't changed at all in the past few days. New Zealander Robert Jarvis still leads the way with Jonathan Bailey of the U.K. and Sean Hartman of the United States in second and third respectively. Emma Dawber, also of the U.K., is the leading female in the 15th spot overall. Reports and updates have been a bit difficult to come by, as it seems that the satellite equipment has not been cooperating the way it should. Technology! It's great when it works.

What has changed is that the grueling salt flats from yesterday's stage are behind the runners, who are now enduring a two day, fifty mile stage dubbed the "March of Death". On other days of the event, the competitors would cover roughly 25 miles of trail in the Atacama Desert in Chile, and at the end of the day they would find a camp waiting for them. Today's stage will provide no such luxury, as they'll ether have to set up camp for themselves, or continue on all day and night. They'll also have to carry extra gear and water with them too, as while it gets quite hot during the day, in the evenings the temperature will drop below freezing. Needless today, Stage 5 will test these adventurers for sure.

The Atacama Crossing is part of the "4 Deserts" series of ultramarathons put on annually by RacingThePlanet.com. The other three events are The Gobi March, held in China, The Sahara Race in Egypt, and The Last Desert which is run in Antarctica. Next year, the schedule will expand to include a race held in Vietnam.

Tour du Mont Blanc Begins Tomorrow

Tomorrow the 5th Annual Tour du Mont Blanc gets underway, with the winners of the first four Tour's facing off for the first time. The ultramarathon event, sponsored by The North Face, is a non-stop race around the iconic Mont Blanc, on trails that will run more than 100 miles, and more than 8900 meters of altitude gain. There will be 2200 competitors in the event, and it is expected to take up to 46 hours to complete.

Amongst those running in this year's race are Dawa Sherpa of Nepal, Vincent Delebarre from France, Christophe Jaquerod of Switzerland and Italian Marco Olmo. These four men are the winners of the past four events, and will square off against one another for the first time. Other runners of note include American Karl Metzer, who has had an outstanding year, Hal Koerner, winner of this year's Western States 100, Scott Jurek, one of the best ultra-runners around, and of course North Face sponsored athlete Dean Karnazes.

The trail, which passes through France, Italy, and Switzerland, will offer a challenge to even the best ultra-marathoners. The vertical drops and gains alone should keep things interesting, and the field is has deep and talented as ever. It's tough to pick a favorite with all the great athletes in this race, but I'd have to think that Jurek will be tough to beat. I'd also guess that Karnazes won't finish in the top ten, but he has been reportedly training a lot for this event, so we'll see.

Everest: The State of Affairs on the World Highest Mountain

In the wake of the story about Nepal slashing climbing fees on Everest for the Fall and Winter seasons, ExWeb has posted an interesting article entitled Can reduced climbing fees save Everest?. At first glance, I was ready to dismiss the article, as I didn't think Everest really needed saving. However, once I started reading the article, I found it to be quite interesting, even if the title is a bit misleading.

The article discusses the announcement to reduce fees in order to encourage more expeditions to consider a Fall or Winter climb on Everest. In some cases, fees have been cut by as much as 75%. It notes that up until 2000, there were nearly as many summits in the Fall as there were in the Spring, but as the Spring Season has gotten more crowded, the Fall has trickled off to nearly nothing. Climbing in Winter has always been tricky due to the extreme cold and chances of heavy snow. Most of this really isn't anything new to most Everest observers.

However, ExWeb does go on to detail some of the more unscrupulous things that have been happening on Everest, particularly on the North Side, where the Chinese hold sway. Some of their examples from this past Spring are quite eye opening, such as the Chinese raising the fees of one team $3000/person while they were already on the mountain. Or the fact that the Chinese summit team for the Olympic Torch refused to lend a stove to two Kazakh climbers at C5, even though it simply meant walking it over to their nearby tent. The two climbers spent 2 days above 8000m without water. There are also reports of midnight searches by armed Chinese police officers and the turning away of one climber, the Mayor of Prague, for being too outspoken against the Chinese Government.

The article is quite an eye opener a lot of ways, and not the least of which is that it questions the growing ties between Nepal and China. Rumors are that the Chinese is are now paying the Nepalese to return refugees from Tibet that cross the border, leading some to wonder just how close the two countries will become with the new government in place in Nepal, and the Maoists playing a larger role.

Finally, the article closes with a comparison of the climate for climbing on Everest with K2 in Pakistan. The note that it costs just $1000 for a K2 climbing permit, and that the Pakistani Government is friendly and accommodating towards the expeditions coming to their country. A fact that has lead man mountaineers to leave Everest, and other Himalayan peaks behind, and head to the Karakorum instead.

There really is a lot to think about from this article. It's clear that the climate on Everest has changed with the rise of the large, commercial expeditions. Both Nepal and China see it as a natural resource that they can exploit in order to make a lot of money, and these continued fee increases (Fall and Winter not withstanding) and added taxes, are just another sign of their greed. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If the countries wanted to make Everest safer, they would reduce the number of permits issued each year, but they won't do that either. There is simply too much money to be made.

In contrast, Pakistan is quite happy with any money they can bring in from K2, but there is no way that K2 will ever become has commercialized as Everest. It's just orders of magnitude more difficult to climb, and your average mountaineer with a lot of money, still isn't going to buy his way up that mountain. Because of this, Pakistan is reluctant to raise their fees as they don't want to alienate the relatively few teams that are coming to climb in their country. Instead, they accommodate as best they can, without bilking too much, while accepting the contributions from climbers to their economy.

I'd definitely encourage you to read this article. It's a very interesting read, and gives a perspective that you don't often hear about the whole Everest experience. As for the reduced Fall and Winter fees, hopefully they'll drum up some activity on the mountain for the Fall, and perhaps even start a renaissance for Fall/Winter climbing on Everest.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 57

A new episode of The Rest of Everest is now available from iTunes on the episodes page on the website. We're up to Episode 57: Unsung Heroes.

This very special episode is dedicated to the Sherpas who work in the kitchen tent preparing the food for the team. These guys really are the "Unsung Heroes" of the climb, as they toil away in the tent, mostly in obscurity, making sure that everyone gets fed. Watching them go about their work is a lot of fun, and the food that they serve up looks amazing. It's hard to imagine eating so well while in base camp, 17,000+ feet above sea level.

This is another "slice of life" episode for The Rest of Everest, but it was great to see Dawa and Pempa, whom Jon has mentioned a number of times throughout the episodes, go about their work. He's also mentioned how good the food was on more than one occasion, and after watching this, you'll understand why. Clearly these cooks, one of whom spent lots of time cooking in the South of France, take great pride in serving up great food for their team.

So, if you've ever wondered what kind of food is served on one of these expeditions, and what it's like to prepare it, you'll really enjoy this episode. A lot of people forget about the logistics that goes into running base camp and making sure the climbers have the fuel they need to make a successful summit, but this is a good reminder that someone has to keep them going. And they aren't exactly serving up freeze dried trail meals either.

Blog Roll: OutdoorsBlogger.com

There's an interesting new blog that recently launched called OutdoorsBlogger.com. It's author is a man named Wade who describes his blog as the "Musings of a disgruntled suburbanite", but if you read his bio you'll see that he's one of us.

Wade enjoys "fly-fishing, hiking, bouldering, shooting, boating, white-water kayaking and skiing" and although his heart is in Colorado, he's recently relocated out East, and is struggling with the more urban environments there. So, he launched this promising new blog to help him stay in touch with the things he loves and is passionate about. He's already posted some great pictures, and a number of articles on all manner of outdoor related topics. It looks like he has some great things in store for us over there, but we'll have to wait for a few weeks for more. His latest post says he's off to Italy for a vacation, and the blog won't be updated much until after his return.

So, while we're all enjoying what he's posted so far, we can also be just a teensy bit jealous while he's enjoying life in Italy. You better have some great pictures and stories to tell when you get back mister!

Congratulations To Jake and Wende Norton!

I wanted to send a hearty congratulations out to Jake and Wende Norton. Jake writes the always great MountainWorld Blog and is an Everest summitteer and professional speaker. In today's entry of his blog, he announced that as of July 30th, he's a daddy! Little Lila Valentine Norton was born at 11:14 PM and weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces, and 19.5 inches in height. From the sounds of things, everyone is doing well.

Jake, how did you manage to keep this a secret for three weeks? I'm also pretty sure that The North Face has gear in Lila's size, although I think you'll have to go to Fisher Price for "Babies First Crampons". Of course, you know that this will truly be an adventure of a lifetime. Congrats again!

Nepal Cuts Everest Fees For Fall and Winter Climbs

Everest News is reporting that Nepal is planning to cut the climbing fees for Everest in the upcoming Fall and Winter season by as much as 75%. As of now, there are no planned expeditions to Everest during those two seasons, which has likely prompted the Nepalese government to take this step.

Most expeditions tackle Everest in the Spring of the year, when the mountain is most safe. The Summer is off limits due to the dangerous conditions brought on by the annual monsoon, but it is possible to climb Everest in the Fall and Winter, although it can be quite dangerous due to extreme cold and snowy conditions. In recent years, a number of experienced climbers have elected to climb Everest in one of those two seasons for several reasons. One, is that it's more of a challenge, with the elements making it that much more difficult. The other major reason is that there are no crowds on the mountain at all, making it a very different experience from the Spring.

So, if you've got some time to kill, and were looking for a great Fall getaway, now you can do Everest on a discount.

Backpackers Find Remains Of Missing WWII Airman

Backpackers in the King's Canyon National Park came across a surprise discovery recently when they discovered the remains of an airman missing since World War II.

The remains, which have yet to be identified, are believed to be one of three missing soldiers whose plane went down in a blizzard back in 1942. The remains of a fourth man, Leo Mustonen, were found a few years back. The families of the missing airmen are been alerted, while steps are taken to identify exactly which of the missing men has been found. William Gamber, John Mortenson, and Ernest Munn are three still unaccounted for.

The Rangers who first arrived on the scene said that they found the body on a remote, but fairly exposed, rock outcropping. It appears that the man sat down between two boulders, and put his head to rest on one of them. His U.S. Army parachute was still on his back, and unopened. They say the light snowfall from this past year allowed the body to be discovered after all this time.

A story like this one reminds me of just how vast and remote many backcountry wilderness areas still are. These men have been missing for 65 years, and were still only found by pure chance. Perhaps we should organize a search for D.B. Cooper next.

This came via the Outside Blog.

K2 Update: Russians Put Entire Team On Summit!

Yesterday I reported that the Russian team on the West Face of K2 had, at long last, finally conquered that unclimbed route, and put Andrew Mariev and Vadim Popovich on the summit. It was a long, hard climb for the team, who showed endurance, perseverance, and patience throughout the long Karakorum season. At the time, I noted that there were nine other climbers in C6 and 7 waiting for their chance to stand on top as well, and I hoped that they would all get to share in that experience, and now, it looks like they did!

K2Climb.net is reporting this morning that all nine climbers have now reached the top of K2. Nickolay Totmjanin, Alexey Bolotov, Gleb Sokolov, Eugeny Vinogradsky, Victor Volodin, Gennady Kirievsky, Vitaly Gorelik, Pavel Shabalin and Iljas Tukhvatullin all managed to top out at some point today, and I'm sure it was an amazing, gratifying experience to all of them. Months of preparation and weeks on the mountain finally paid off. It should be also noted that they all summitted without the use of supplemental oxygen, making their accomplishment all the more impressive.

The team is now working it's way back down the mountain, where they'll rest up in the high camps before completing their descent. Mariev and Popovich, the first two to complete the route, have already begun their descent back to BC and should be safely down soon. If the weather holds, the rest of the team should follow them over the course of the next day or two.

Congratulations to the entire team on an amazing effort. I'm so glad that they all got to share in the summit.

Atacama Crossing: Day 3

Today is Day 3 of The Atacama Crossing, which is the latest race in the 4 Desert Series from RacingThePlanet.com.

Today's stage was 25 miles in length and labeled "In The Shadow of the Incas". As of the latest reports, 50 of the 79 remaining competitors have crossed the finish line and are in camp. Through three stages, Robert Jarvis of New Zealand is the over all leader with two stage wins to his name. Jonathan Bailey of the U.K. is in second place, with Sean Hartman of the U.S. in third. Emma Dawber of the U.K. is the topped female racer, coming in at number 16 over all.

Stage 4 tomorrow will also be 25 miles in length and it's title hints at what is ahead for the racers. Tomorrow's leg is titled "Endless Salt", which means the runners will be racing across the salt flats in the area. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth. In fact, it's 50 times more arid than Death Valley, and running through the salt flats won't help that condition much. The competitors will be running their fourth marathon in as many days tomorrow, in conditions that would be trying in the best of conditions. It's a testament to how great these athletes are that to date, only one of them has pulled out of this year's race.

Double Amputee Takes On The AT

The Appalachian Trail is one of the truly epic hikes in North America. At 2175 miles, it's a challenge for any experienced backpacker, and while some people do it all in one go, others will take it in chunks at a time, but most will do it on their own two feet.

Enter Todd Murphy, a 34 year old hiker who lost both of his lower legs due to a birth defect when he was young, and now gets around on two prosthetic legs. He's currently about 600 miles into his intended AT journey and is knocking off between 12 and 19 miles per day. Murphy began his hike in Maine, and is working his way South, with the intention of eventually ending in Georgia.

The trip hasn't been an easy one already. He struggled through the rocky terrain in Maine, and only a few days in he had already damaged his prosthetic legs and was forced to leave the trail to contact his doctor. Along the way, he has also come to subscribe to the light and fast style of hiking, dumping his heavy fleece clothing and tent in favor of less bulky gear. He now carries a mere 30 pounds a day. And like all good travelers in the 21st Century, he's also blogging his journey as well.

I'd love to do the AT end to end. I think it would be great to do with a couple of close friends. It's pretty inspirational to see a guy like Todd head out on the trail, and not let a little thing like two missing legs get his way. Obviously he's got a long way to go yet, but I wish him the best of luck, and I hope he makes all the way to the end.

Thanks to the GoBlog for this one.

Kayaker Drops 100 Feet Over Waterfall

Check out this story from the Rocky Mountain Outlook if you want to read what extreme kayaking is all about.

On August 15, a 19 year old kayaker named Logan Grayling went over Upper Johnston Falls, in Banff National Park, located in Alberta Canada, a drop of nearly 30 meters! Logan decided to make the drop while the water was high from Winter run-off, so his official drop is listed as 30.15 meters, or about 99 feet. To add to the excitement, there were roughly 30-40 tourist on a nearby footbridge at the time, who had no idea what was about to happen. Upper Johnston Falls is a popular photo opportunity for many visitors to Banff National Park, and I can only imagine the looks on their faces when Logan and his kayak shot over the edge.

Grayling has only been kayaking for four years during a high school outdoor education class. He admits to taking lesson on how to perform an "eskimo roll" before hand so he could impress the girls, but once he was on the water, he found his passion. Since that time, he has paddled when ever, and where ever possible to gain experience and knowledge as a kayaker.

What an amazing drop! Something like this takes not only a lot of skill, but a fair bit of luck as well. Logan himself said that once he went over it was far more turbulent than he expected. He also loaded jugs of water into his kayak to add stability as well. While this isn't a World's Record, which happens to currently stand at 105.6 feet, it's still damn impressive and scary. I think I can feel my stomach drop jut looking at that picture.

Back From The Dead: AdventureJourney .Net

While browsing my usual list of Internet favorites for my daily fix of adventure, I dropped by AdventureJourney.net just to see if there had been any progress on the site redesigned that had been promised to occur back in January. For months the site had gone unchanged, and I very nearly dropped it from my "bookmarks". Now it seems my faith has been rewarded, as the site has returned from the dead with a fresh look, and the promise of new content, although and the moment it's all just a tease.

Adventure Journey is a great online magazine that posted excellent articles about far flung destinations and the amazing activities you could find there. Each issue had some really good travel stories and ideas, and it was clear that the authors all have a passion for adventure travel. I often enjoyed, and posted their Top 7 lists, but there were plenty of other regular columns to dig into as well.

Back when the redesign was announced AJ promised us that in addition to a revamped website, we'd also see the introduction of the "Journeypedia" which looks to have been renamed the "Journeybase". Indications are that it'll be a database of adventure travel opportunities all over the World. They also promised the an "online interactive community" and a free personal account feature. Both of these seem to be in, as their is now an option to "Get a FREE Account" right at the top of the page. Other interesting links include one labeled "Podcasts" which sounds interesting, and "Tales From The Road" that has tons of potential as well.

All of this looks great, but as I mentioned, at the moment it's just a big tease. If you click on anything, all the links re-direct you back to the starting page. My guess is that the new design is live, but not all the content is in place yet. When you read something like "Text here. Lots of it, for the general purpose of reading. >>" in one of the content boxes, you don't need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out the backend content isn't all in place yet. The issue is dated as September 2007 however, so we must be fairly close to the relaunch, and hopefully some great things to come.

For now, I just wanted to welcome the good folks over at Adventure Journey back from the dead. Glad to see you're alive and kicking and I'm looking forward to reading about all the crazy adventures you've been on while the site was being re-designed. ;)

K2: Russians On Top!!!

It's been a long time coming, and they had to claw for every inch of the mountain, especially near the end, but K2Climb.net is reporting that Andrew Mariev and Vadim Popovich have have topped out on the Western Face of K2.

The Russian team came to K2 this year to challenge the Western Face, which had never been climbed before. They set down the first direct route on that side of the mountain, and after spending weeks establishing high camps, fixing lines, and waiting out the weather, they finally made it to the top. The details are still a bit sketchy, as word of their success has just come in, but it seems that they were well positioned to make a run at the summit over the next few days.

Earlier today there were three climbers in Camp 7, which had just recently been established about 100 meters below the summit. Six more members of the team were above 8000m and safely in C6 awaiting their crack at the mountain as well. They woke up this morning to find red storm clouds around the mountain, and were skeptical of their chances. Most of the climbers were in a holding position while Popovich and Mariev set out to make a scouting run. Apparently they liked what they found, as the two just kept on going, radioing from the top at 8:15 AM EDT.

Wish so many climbers at the high camps, I would expect that a few more will make their own bids for the top in the next day or two. The team has worked long and hard for this victory, and while many purists don't like the siege style of climbing, in this case there was no other choice. The Western Face of K2, perhaps the most difficult of all the 8000m peaks, was not going to go down easily. The Russians did lay siege to the mountain, and now they've come out on top at last, with none of them using supplemental oxygen.

I offer a hearty congratulations to the entire team on a job well done. I hope the weather clears enough so that more of these amazing mountaineers can stand at the summit of K2. After that, lets keep our fingers crossed for them so that they all get down safely. The summit is only half-way home.

I'll post more details and updates as they become available.

Atacama Crossing Update

We're two days into The Atracama Crossing, the latest of the "4 Deserts" series of ultramarathons put on by RacingThePlanet.com. Yesterday, 80 competitors struck off for a week long race across the Atracama Desert in Chile, a harsh and unforgiving environment which would make running a marathon tough at any time. Let alone six of them in a row.

Stage 1 was run yesterday, and was won by Robert Jarvis of New Zealand. Robert covered the 32 mile course in 4 hours, 48 minutes, 49 seconds. Second place was claimed by Jonathan Bailey of the U.K. just 8 minutes back, and third went to Sean Hartman, who finished in 5 hours, 7 minutes, and 59 seconds. Sally Sanigar of Australia was the top female finisher, coming in 16th overall, with a time of 6 hours, 37 minutes, 53 seconds.

The leaderboard has not been updated with todays results, but the Breaking News page says that six competitors have completed today's stage, which was a mere 22 miles in length. Of course, when you're running in a desert that is 50 times more arid than Death Valley, walking would be enough to tax most people.

The race will continue throughout this week as the competitors run across the horizontal length of Chile, in a real test of strength and endurance. But on the bright side, at least it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere. :)

Nike+ Amp Still Coming!

I first mentioned this product way back in November and it looks like it's finally going to be released. It's the Nike+ Amp which is designed to compliment the Nike+ iPod training system.

For those who don't know, the Nike+ iPod system consists of a sensor that attaches to your shoe and a receiver that connects to your iPod Nano, and it records data when you walk or run. It'll keep track of your distance, time, and calories burned. It'll also store your data, including personal best distances and times, and then upload them to the Nike Plus website where you can track your progress, set goals for yourself, or even challenge friends. It's a great training system, and there is nothing like completing a run and hearing Lance Armstrong in your ears congratulating you on your best time yet.

The product has been very successful for Nike, and there have been rumors circulating for some time that we'd see more produts in the line. It looks like the Amp will be the first of those products, and as an avid Nike+ users, I can't wait to get my hands on one.

Basically, the Amp is a watch that will interface with the Nike+. It'll display information, on an LED screen no less, transmitted from the iPod, about your current workout routine. That alone is pretty cool, but even better than that, is the fact that you can actually control your iPod from the watch itself. You'll be able to wirelessly adjust volume, skip tracks, select songs, and so on. It's a bit too early to tell exactly how much control you'll have over your iPod from the Amp, but I'm hoping you'll be able to select playlists and albums from the device without ever having to take your armband off while running.

This seems like a very slick product, and for me it's a welcome addition to the Nike+ family. The rumors are that they won't be available for a couple of months yet, so expect them "just in time for the holidays". If anyone from Nike is out there reading this, feel free to send one my way so I can help you beta test it. :)

Thanks to The Goat Blog over at Backcountry.com for the latest news on this highly anticipated (at least by me!) product.

Bear Strikes Back!

We've all read about the recent dust up over Bear Grylls and the allegations that he may have exaggerated, embellished, or faked some of the things we've seen him do on his show Man vs. Wild airing on The Discovery Channel.

Well, Bear has been pretty silent about everything since the stories broke, but he did post some thoughts to his blog a couple of weeks back that were tactful, well worded, and didn't take any major swipes at media in general. He also talks about filming new episodes in the Sahara desert, and changes to the show that will be more inclusive of his crew.

But the really interesting thing is that he thanks his supporters for sending him e-mails and letters of encouragement. He even goes so far as to post a few of the letters he's received in support, including this one from Sir Ranulph Fiennes:

Dear Sir/Madam

The Daily Mail's attack on Bear Grylls mentions that he is 'the cheese soufflé' of the adventure world and, by way of pushing this assertion, suggests that he may not have been the youngest Brit to scale Everest, and implies that the T.A's/21 SAS Regiment is not as tough as the Regular 22 SAS Regiment. I would comment that he was indeed the youngest Brit because the only possible rival claimant was clearly Australian. And that 21 SAS membership requires distinctly non-cheese soufflé people. Its comparison to 22 SAS is therefore irrelevant and cheap, suggestive journalism of a misleading nature.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes
('World's greatest living explorer' Guinness book of Records)

The letter was written by Sir Ranulph to the Daily Mail, and the mere fact he would do something like that is pretty telling. Sir Ranulph's accomplishments speak for themselves, and he's a real heavyweight to have in Bear's corner. Especially in the U.K. The other two letters that he posted on his blog are from Seven Summitteers who also have some kind things to say, as you would expect.

It doesn't sound like the format of his show will change much following the recent fallout. There will be a new disclaimer at the beginning, and as I mentioned already, his crew will now take a more active roll, or more likely take the same roll, it'll just be acknowledged a bit more.

Thanks to Team Geared Up for this one.

K2: Russians Begin Summit Bid on West Face!

It was a quiet weekend as far as news from K2 went. We knew that the mountain was being pounded by a blizzard late last week, and that there were still a few teams left hoping for a weather window. Finally we get a brief update today from EverestNews.com that the Russian team on the West Face is making yet another summit attempt.

The post doesn't have much information, but does state that team members "Shabalin - Mariev - Tukhvatullin - Popovich are ascending above Camp 6" while "Volodin - Penzov and Sokolov - Vinogradsky - Gorelik are ascending to C6". Clearly the Russians have put several teams in place to make one last go at the summit along this unclimbed route. There are also three more climbers at Camp 5 that are waiting to go up should time and the weather permit.

I'll say one thing for the Russians, they're tenacious and tough as nails. While most other teams have abandoned their plans to ascend via the Abruzzi or Cesen Routes, these guys have hammered away at a direct route along the Western Face, which has never been climbed before. They've endured weeks on the mountain. Spent days at altitude, and sat out some crazy weather, all in the hopes of standing on top. It's beginning to look like they will finally accomplish their goal. This is what siege style climbing is all about, and while it's not always pretty, it can be very effective. Personally, I'm rooting for them to stand on top after all the effort they have put in.

I'll post more updates as they become available.

Update: ExWeb has now weighed in with an update of their own with news that the team climbing above C6 was forced back by poor weather conditions only an hour after setting out from camp. They experienced "deep mist, whiteout and very strong wind gusts" which made their attempt brutal from the start.

These Russians are determined however, as the word is that Pavel Shabalin, Andrew Mariev, Iljas Tukhvatullin and Vadim Popovich managed to establish a Camp 7 high up on the mountain, that would presumably be the last place of refuge before the summit. It seems these men are clawing their way up K2!


The image seen at the top of this post is suppose to be a live shot from the mountain this morning. You can see that the summit is shrouded in clouds, and you can only imagine what the conditions are like at the top. It seems hard to believe that the Russians have worked this hard, and are so close, but could still get turned back by the weather and sheer exhaustion. It seems they can't catch a break, but you have to admire their grit.

More updates to follow.

Gearbox: The Syncpack

I didn't make it to Summer OR but that doesn't mean that I don't have some cool gear to talk about myself. As a self confessed gear-nut, few things get me more excited than trying out new outdoor products. Well, unless the gear I'm trying out happens to be a pack of some kind.

I've written about my collection of packs before. They're all of various makes, models, and sizes, and I love everyone of them for a specific purpose. They do have one thing in common, they're all backpacks. By definition, they carry their load on your back, which is the traditional pack is suppose to go after all.

But the Syncpack is not your traditional pack. For starters, it's a frontpack! It's designed to compliment your backpack and be worn on your chest, with a two fold purpose in mind. First, it provides easy access to any items that you may need throughout your hike, such as snacks, a digital camera, compass, or anything else that you might want close at hand, and with 400 cubic inches of space, it can hold quite a bit. The other benefit of the Syncpack is that it helps to redistribute weight, balancing out the load on your back by putting some on your front, changing your center of gravity.

The first thing I noticed about the Syncpack when I took it out of the box was how high quality it was. Every aspect of the pack was well made, including the harness system included with it that allows the pack to interface with any other backpack. The frame on the Syncpack is made of strong, but lightweight aluminum, that holds the everything in place while you move and secures the Syncpack with what ever other pack you're using it with. The system is not complicated at all to set up, but it did take some trial and error adjustments to get everything just right. Once you have it configured though, everything fits together nicely, and you can begin to enjoy the benefits of the system.

The first thing I noticed while using the Syncpack was how great it was to have easy access to the more common items that I was always reaching for. I kept my trailmix, GPS device, and a small digital camera in the pack, along with a few other snacks, and some items I dropped in just to fill it up, like gloves (not very useful in Texas in the Summer), trail maps, a pocket knife, and more. I tend to use packs that are hydration ready, and I love the convenience of my hydration bladder, however, the Syncpack also has two water bottle holders that not only allow you to comfortably carry more water on the trail, but it also puts those bottles in within easy reach. No more asking your buddy to grab your water bottle from your pack because you can't reach it yourself without taking the pack off.



After using the Syncpack on several day hikes and putting it through it's paces, I started to notice the benefits of the counter balance effects as well. At the end of the day I didn't feel the effects of the load on my back nearly as much, and it allowed me to move over the trail for longer periods of time at a faster pace. The Syncpack website says that you should put 20-25% of your total weight into the pack to properly redistribute your load. I would say that in my case, I only redistributed about 10-15% of the total load, and I still noticed the difference. Your milage will vary however, depending on what you are carrying.

While I am very satisfied with the Syncpack as a whole, there were a couple of adjustments that needed to be made when using it. First, it took me a little while to get use to having the pack on my chest. Once it was adjusted properly, it was plenty comfortable but it still felt a little awkward wearing the pack. However, the more I used it, the less it became an issue. Especially when your gaining the convenience of having your small items close at hand.

The other thing I noticed was that the pack was rather warm while using it in Summer conditions. Have you ever worn a pack on your back when it's hot? Do you remember how great it feels to take it off at the end of the day? Yeah, the Syncpack is like that too. To be fair though, I've been using it Summer conditions in Texas. We're talking mid to upper 90's at a minimum during the heat of the day, and very humid as well. This wouldn't be a major issue in cooler conditions, but it was something I did notice while testing out the pack.

The Syncpack is a new product and isn't readily available everywhere yet. However, it can be ordered online and comes with a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee, for $159. For serious backpackers, hikers, photographers, and general outdoors enthusiasts, the Syncpack is a great addition to your gear closet. It's a unique piece of gear that will leave you wondering how you got along without it for so long and I think you'll be impressed with it's design and quality. Highly recommended.