Everest Trek 2009: Registration Opens Tomorrow!

Way back in April I posted about the Everest Base Camp Trek and Workshop that was being hosted by Jon Miller of The Rest of Everest fame and Chris Marquardt whose Tips From the Top Floor is amongst the best photography podcasts on the Internet. At the time I made that posting, details on the trek were few, but a recent e-mail update to those who registered on the site has revealed the plan.

Those of us interested in going on the trek already knew that this was much more than a simple hike up the Khumbu Valley. Jon is an accomplished videographer and Chris's photography skills are well known as well. The two took their strengths and combined them with the trek to make the whole experience into a workshop for others to improve their video and photography skills, while having an adventure in one of the most exotic locations on Earth.

On May 4th of 2009, ten very lucky people will arrive in Kathmandu, and their journey will begin. Over the course of the next 19 days, they'll have the opportunity to explore Nepal, including Kathmandu and the Khumbu Valley, all the way up to Everest Base Camp as part of this once in a lifetime adventure. The cost for the trip will be $6500 and is all inclusive upon your arrival to Kathmandu. International airfare is not included, but internal flights to Lukla are part of the package. While this is a bit more expensive than a typical trek to Everest BC, keep in mind that you'll have the opportunity to really hone your skills at a photographer and videographer along the way from two guys that really know their stuff. In addition, Jon hasn't been Nepal in the past, and I'm sure he's put together an excellent itinerary and his knowledge of Kathmandu will insure a great experience for the entire group. The trek will be conducted by Mountain Tribes, an excellent and highly reputable guide service. Fans of The Rest of Everest are more than aware of the level of service that they provide.

Registration for the trek opens tomorrow at 9 AM MDT and will be on a first come, first serve basis. Once the top ten slots are filled, the remaining registrants will go on a waiting list, and should those above them not be able to join the trek, they'll move up the list. The registration page can be found here.

So, if you've got the urge to explore Nepal, and see Everest Base Camp, this is your chance to do so, and have an amazing learning experience along the way. This really will be a once in a lifetime experience.

UNESCO and World Air League Join Forces For Global Blimp Race!

Now here's a cool event scheduled to take place in 2010. It seems that UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the World Air League have come together to create the World Sky Race, an around the world event that will pit dirigibles against one another.

The event will actually be 16 back-to-back races, covering more than 30,000 miles around the globe, with each stop coinciding with a World Heritage Site, such as the Colosseum in Rome, the Great Pyramids at Giza, or the Taj Mahal in India. The race is designed to not only promote these amazing places, and world heritage in general, but also sustainable travel and the use of zeppelins for tourism.

The article says that skyships like those that will be used in the race can reduce energy consumption by as much as 75% over road travel, and consume 89% less fuel than a long haul aircraft. In addition, they require fewer ground resources as well, being able to land on smaller fields and having a much less of an impact on the surrounding environment than an airfield would. Of course, that all comes at the expense of speed however, as it will take much longer for these aircraft to reach their destination.

It would seem that in 2010 we'll have a very cool event to look forward to, as the World Sky Race begins to ramp up. It should be cool to see what kind of designs we see on these blimps and who their sponsors will be, but it sounds like a really cool race. I'd love to be able to come along for the ride for an around the world by blimp trip!

Thanks to the Wend Blog for tipping me off on this one.

Himalaya Update: What A Difference A Day Makes!

Today's update from the Himalaya demonstrates the old adage of "what a difference a day makes". Yesterday it was all doom and gloom, with bad weather all over the region, and teams confined to base camp waiting for their opportunity. Today, weather windows have opened up, and those same teams are taking advantage of their good fortune.

We'll start on Baruntse, where both the Alpine Ascents and Adventure Consultants Teams have summitted amidst a 36 hour weather window that offered them a perfect opportunity to climb. The teams topped out between 11 and 11:30 AM on Saturday, but word of their success is just reaching us now. The 7220 meter (23,688 ft) Baruntse has proven to be a good alternative for teams not allowed into Tibet for a crack at Shisha and Cho Oyu.

The word from Manaslu is that teams are in the midst of their own summit pushes on that mountain as well. After establishing their high camps, and spending time acclimatizing, most of the climbers were in ABC waiting out the storms, which now seem to have moved on. Teams have begun moving up the mountain, although there are preliminary reports that C2 has been destroyed by an avalanche. Looks like they'll be digging out when they reach that point on the mountain.

On Cho Oyu they remain in a holding pattern thanks to high winds that swept through the area. Climbers were as high as C2 last Friday, but elected to descend to ABC to wait out the winds, which haven't cleared yet. There are reports that tents at the high camps were damaged as well and will be in need of repairs when teams finally make their push.

Congrats to everyone who summitted Baruntse, and good luck to the teams on Manaslu. Climb safe!

Subterranean Water Discovered In The Atacama Desert

There is an interesting post in the Hardwear Sessions Blog today about a team of scientists who have discovered water inside a cave in the Atacama Desert in South America, widely considered the driest place on Earth.

The team, led by Dr. J. Judson Wynne, who is a cave research scientist, was actually in the Atacama to simulate the exploration of caves on Mars for future expeditions to the Red Planet. Many people believe that if life exists on Mars, it's likely underground, and the Atacama was selected because it has many characteristics similar to that planet, including high UV levels, hyper arid conditions, and so on.

While exploring one of those caves, Wynne realized that he was walking on a muddy path, with his foot sunk to his ankle. Upon further investigation, they discovered a salt stream flow right through the cave itself. The scientist tells LiveScience.com that they are still working to discovering how the water was deposited there.

That wasn't the only discovery the team made in the cave either. They also came across a small cavern filled with decaying bones and skulls that have been there for hundreds of years. They're still not sure how those bones became deposited in that cave either, with the possibilities being that the creatures were swept in by a flood or driven in by pre-historic hunters.

The discovery of water in the Atacama comes as quite a surprise. There are regions of that place where it has not rained at any time in recorded history, so you can imagine the surprise of these explorers to come across something they never thought they would see. Perhaps a scientist 50 years in the future will come across a similar discovery on Mars, and they'll link it back to this very story.

Appalachian Assault: Where's Karl? At The Finish Line!

Karl Meltzer has completed his Appalachian Assault, finishing up in the wee hours this morning, and officially reaching the end of the Appalachian Trail at 4:20 AM EDT this morning.

Officially, it took Karl 54 days, 21 hours, and 12 minutes to complete the AT, which was good enough to earn him the fourth fastest time ever. When he set out back on August 5th, Karl's intention was to set a new record by completing the entire length of the 2,174 long trail in 47 days, which would have been good enough for the fastest time ever. He got off to a good start and was meeting his daily goals, but injuries caught up to him about two weeks in. Severe tendentious and trench foot landed Karl in the hospital, and ultimately slowed down his pace.

While others would have abandoned their pursuit of the record right there, Karl never gave up, and was soon back on the trail and putting in huge mileage. Many days he as doing 50-60+ miles as he continued toward the finish line, even though he knew that claiming the record was now out of reach. Reading the daily updates on WheresKarl.com showed that he was getting strong as he approached the end.

Karl is one of the best ultrarunners in the world and can do amazing things on a trail over vast distances. But his determination and gutsy performance over the past month and a half has been quite an inspiration. Great work Karl, and congratulations on reaching the end. Amazing!

Men's Journal Examines K2, 'The Killing Peak'

Men's Journal Magazine has become the latest to weigh in on the K2 tragedy from the beginning of August. In their latest issue they published a story entitled The Killing Peak that takes another look at the events that occurred on the mountain that lead to 11 deaths.

Much of what is revealed in this article comes from interviewing Wilco Van Rooijen and Marco Confortola, two of the survivors. The tale is a harrowing one, almost from the beginning, as the climbers go from enjoying a beautiful sunset on the mountain, to fighting for their lives not long afterwards. The rest of the story is about their harrowing descent and the aftermath of their climb.

The article does a good job of explaining the situation and the lure of K2 for mountaineers. They discuss how dangerous it is in reference to Everest, with the usual statistics of how relatively few summits there have been in proportion to the number of deaths.

For the most part, the story doesn't break a lot of new ground, although it does continue the trend we've seen in recent articles to fill in some of the details that have been missing in the story before this. The inevitable comparisons to Everest 1996 are also made, although the situations seem increasingly difficult to connect. Aside from the staggering number of deaths in both events, there seems to be little else they have in common.

That said, this is still a good read. It's hard to believe it's been nearly 2 months already since the horrible news first broke. It seems like it's been much less than that to me, and yet with that passage of time, we've been able to get articles like this one that help to fill in the gaps.

Himalaya Update: Bad Weather Continues

Now that the Free Dream Team has officially given up on Trango Towers, the climbing season in the Karakorum is officially over for another year. But teams in the Himalaya are hoping to get their chance on the mountain of their choice soon, although the weather in that region has not been cooperative yet.

According to the latest update from ExWeb, the monsoon refuses to give up it's hold on the HImalaya, and it's making life difficult all over Nepal and Tibet. There are even some indications that a few teams have already given up and are heading home.

On Manaslu, there are three new teams in camp according to Edurne Pasaban, but BC isn't becoming too crowded, as other teams will soon be departing. She notes that some climbers have been there since August 20th, and still haven't had a chance at the summit, so they've elected to go home instead. Amongst the newcomers are Nives Meroi and husband Romano Benet, who are hoping to add another 8000m peak to their resume. An American team headed up by Tom McMillan has also hit base camp. They had originally intended to climb Cho Oyu, but due to the Chinese restrictions on that mountain, they were forced to make a quick change of plans.

Speaking of Cho Oyu, there are a few teams on that mountain who are preparing to make their summit bids. The Field Touring Team has reportedly finished up their acclimatization process and are now resting in ABC before making the first attempt on the top this season. Reportedly the large team of chinese climbers that are on the Cho Oyu have been fixing the lines, and with that work done, other teams will soon get their shot on the summit as well. All of these pushes are labeled as "weather permitting" however, as conditions are not good here either.

Fredrik Ericsson is also making dispatches for his expedition on Kangchenjunga as well, and from the sounds of things, he can't wait to get to the mountain. He first noted that life in Kathmandu was a bit too hectic for him, being use to a more serene and quiet life in Northern Sweden, and now that the team is trekking to the mountain, he's not finding the rainforest to be that much more comfortable. I'm sure the colder, and snowier, regions higher on the mountain will be more to his liking.

On Baruntse a similar story is being told, as the Alpine Ascents Team waits out the weather as well. The forecast has a weather window opening today, and if that proved to be true, the team will be making their way up as a write this. With all of the snow on the mountain of late though, they are a bit wary of the conditions. The Adventure Consultants Team is in C2 on Baruntse as well, and the have decided to wait an extra day to let the conditions settle, even if the improved weather hits as expected.

Finally, sad news from Ambulapcha La, where two Sherpas have fallen while climbing the mountain. One died in the fall while the other was rescued, but now has to be evacuated from BC. Bad weather there is preventing that from happening at the moment. Everyone has their fingers crossed that the weather will improve there soon as well.

So, how was your weekend?

Ever have one of those cool weekends where everything sort of comes together well for you and makes for a fun and interesting experience? I just had one of those, with a few really great moments, and I thought I'd share.

My weekend actually started a bit early, kicking into gear on Thursday night. After making this post on the new REI store in Round Rock, TX on Wednesday, I managed to score an invite to the closed door ceremony, the night before official grand opening on Friday. Of course, I was excited to get the opportunity to check out this cool new store before the general public, and see what all the excitement as all about. The new outlet is REI's second "prototype" store, designed from the ground up to meet the highest standards for energy efficiency and reducing the overall impact on the planet. The building uses solar panels on the roof to supply 13% of the overall energy used by the building, and there are numerous portals in the ceiling that let an ample amount of light into the building, reducing the need for lighting through much of the day. On top of that, much of the store is built with recycled materials and during the construction process, 75% of the waste was recycled or reused in some capacity. Furthermore, REI encourages staff to run, walk, or ride their bikes to work, and offers showers and lockers for their use. The company has always been on the forefront of being ecologically aware, but these new store designs are taking it even further.

All of this was highlighted on Thursday night by REI CEO Sally Jewel, who was on hand to kick off the weekend's activities and meet and greet with a variety of local outdoor association

s. She discussed the challenges of creating an environmentally conscious retail outlet as well as REI's commitment to being good stewards on the environment. Listening to her talk, you got the impression that the companies leadership are outdoor

 adventurers themselves and that helps govern their choices about how the company is ru

n. Sally also noted that they don't see the other great gear stores as their competition, but instead see the couch, and the sedentary lifestyle, as their real competition. In that spirit, there were several people from other local gear stores on hand to check out the new digs too.

After Sally's presentation, we were introduced to the store manager and some of the staff, who talked a bit about how challenging it was to get the store open on time, but that everything came together quite nicely in the end. After that, we were set free again to wander the store, and drool over all the cool products. The new Round Rock store is one of the biggest in the country, so there was a lot to look at and it's two level design is laid out very well. Unlike other REI stores however, the "Community Center" is not relegated to some back room. In this store, it's a center piece, suspended halfway between the two floors. This meeting space/learning center has a number of seats for the audience arranged in front of a large screen with a podium, mic, and a projector. This makes for a great multimedia environment for the guest speakers, training sessions, and outdoor group meetings. I left that night very impressed, and happy to have the new store literally just minutes away from my home.

Friday I had to go to my day job of course, but much of my free time during the week was spent preparing for a major announcement with my part-time gig with a little adventure race called Primal Quest. Although the cat was left out of the bag a bit early, at 4 PM Mountain Tim

e, a press conference was held, and a press release sent out, announcing that Primal Quest Badlands would be taking place in South Dakota next August. The race will be 600 miles in length and will run across the diverse terrain of the Black Hills and Badlands. The initial response has been very positive, with the teams already weighing in on the location and course.

I didn't stay away for long however, as I returned on Friday night to attend a presentation by "Mr. Everest" himself, Pete Athans. At one point, Pete held the record for the most summits on Everest by a non-Sherpa at 7, and his wealth of climbing experience and knowledge have made him a legend in the mountaineering community. Pete talked about how he first became interested in the mountains, and Everest specifically, as a child, reading about far off places and the adventures that mountaineers went on. Later he would have the opportunity to go to Everest and make his own mark on the mountain, but it took him three attempts before he finally made it up the

 mountain. He even went into the disaster of 1996, touching very briefly on his own role in the rescue attempts.

As the presentation went on, the discussion moved away from mountaineering and more into his philanthropic endeavors in the Himalaya. He helped to launch The Magic Yeti libraries and worked closely with doctors conducting clinics to repair damaged eyes for the Sherpa people who suffered from cataracts and other vision problems.

Finally, Pete showed us a sneak preview of an archeological expedition that he was a 

part of that journey to the Mustang region of the Nepal/Tibet border. The area has been off limits to outsiders for years, but has recently begun opening up to a limited number of visitors. Pete and a team went to a remote area of this region to explore cave systems where the Mustang people use to live, and they discovered some amazing things. Inside the caves, which were fashioned into a community living center with meeting rooms, kitchens, temples and more. They also found amazing paintings on the wall and an astonishing number of documents dating back to the 12th century. Efforts are now being made to preserve the area and the findings there, and a documentary of the expedition will be released in 2009.

After the presentation I got to shake hands with Pete and say hello as well as get an autograph. He was a very cordial and pleasant guy, with a zen like calm about himself that is a result, I'd guess, of spending a lot of time in Nepal and Tibet. It was a great experience, and I feel lucky to have now met Pete, Ed Viesturs and Conrad Anker, three of the greatest American mountaineers around.

You would think after going to the new REI store two days in a row, I'd have had my fill, but you'd be wrong. On Saturday night I returned one more time to attend another presentation, this time by National Geographic explorer Jon Bowermaster. Jon's presentation was focused on his Ocean's 8 project which has been the focus of his exploration over the past ten years. Jon and his team recently completed the project with a kayaking expedition to Antarctica, where they measured the health of the ice there and the impact of global climate change there.

The early part of the presentation gave us an introduction to the project and some of the past expeditions that have been a part of the Ocean's 8. Jon and his crew have explored the planet by kayak in such far flung locations as Tasmania, Croatia, and even the altiplano of South America, one of the driest places on Earth. But Antarctica was the culmination of the project, and the photos and video he had to share were stunning. He also talked about the difficulties of navigating in the Antarctic region, with ice that can tear a ship apart, referencing the sinking of the Explorer last November as an example. Jon was aboard the ship that was fist on the scene to help in the rescue efforts.

As you would probably expect, Jon's presentation was another fascinating one. He touched on a variety of topics from expedition logistics, adventure tourism, global climate change, and much more. To wrap up his presentation, Jon showed us a preview of the film that will be releasing soon documenting the Antarctic expedition. Shot entirely in HD, the preview had a number of amazing shots, including the collapse of an ice arch right before or eyes. The short teaser helped to underscore the message that climate change is having a direct impact on parts of Antarctica and at an alarming rate.

After the presentation concluded, a few of us approached Jon to ask a few questions and get our books signed. I brought a copy of his new book Descending The Dragon, which recounts Jon's experiences paddling through Vietnam. When I handed the book over to get is signed, I was surprised to find that Jon not only knew who I was, but also about this blog. He asked me a bit about it, and had some kind words to say. It was a bit of a surreal moment for me, as I've written about Jon and his expeditions on a number of occasions, but I had no expectations that he would have a clue who I was. Like Pete Athans the night before, Jon was very approachable and easy to chat with, and as youd expect, an incredibly interesting guy.

So, that's what I did with my weekend. Hung out with a couple of legends while enjoying a new REI store, and helping to make a major announcement about the next Primal Quest. Just another couple of days in the life of an adventure blogger. :) I also managed to mix in a couple of runs and a very nice long bike ride this morning as well, so the weekend wasn't completely spent indoors. All in all, a rather busy and fun weekend.

But enough about me, what did you do?

Simon and Ueli Win The Prix Award

A few weeks back I posted a story about Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck being nominated for the Prix Courage Award for their efforts in trying to save Spanish climber Iñaki Ochoa on Annapurna back in May. Earlier tonight I received notice that they have indeed one this prestigious award.

Jo Adams, reporter on the scene in in Zurich, has written an excellent story on the proceedings that can be read here. Simon was on hand to accept the award in person, while Ueli was off on, what else, a climbing expedition in Chamoinx. The Jury noted the the two Swiss climbers "did not hesitate to put themselves in danger to save these lives" in referring to their efforts on Annapurna.

By now, the story of what happened high on Annapurana is well known. Iñaki was descending the mountain after turning back just below the summit. Upon reaching high camp, he collapsed and immediately took ill. Later we would learn that he suffered a pulmonary aneurysm, which left him stranded in his tent, unable to continue his descent.

Simon and Ueli were in base camp at the time, waiting for their opportunity to climb the mountain. As soon as they heard about the trouble that Iñaki was in, the immediately gathered up their gear and went up the mountain, climbing as fast as they could. In fact, they were in such a hurry to leave, the left most of their cold weather gear behind, including their high altitude climbing boots. At 6800m, Ueli had to gone alone, after switching boots with Serguey Bogomolov, the Russian climber who has been with Iñaki.

Ueli continued up the mountain and arrived to find the Spaniard, alive but gravely ill. He helped to make him comfortable and brought him food and water. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the most he could do was make Iñaki comfortable before he passed on.

Simon and Ueli's response to the situation shows how tightly knit the climbing community really is. The two men knew the situation and how grave it was, and didn't hesitate to go up and attempt a rescue. For that, this Courage award is well deserved, and I salute the both Simon and Ueli for their amazing efforts.

Thanks for the follow up on this story Jo. Keep up the great work. I always enjoy your articles.

LeMond vs. Lance: Round 50?

I hesitate to post yet another cycling story, as it seems to have dominated this blog of late, but I've posted on Greg LeMond several times recently, and his issues with Lance Armstrong and Trek bikes, so I thought this was yet another odd follow-up to that continued animosity.

It seems that while at Interbike, Lance was holding a press conference to give more details on his return to competitive cycling. He was also there to discuss his plans to have Don Catlin, a specialist in anti-doping procedures, test him as his comeback commences and he continues to race. The idea being that Lance will prove to all of his doubter that he is riding clean.

So, who do you think was sitting in the front row for this press conference? If you guess Greg LeMond, you win a prize! Lance acknowledged the three time Tour de France winner by saying: "I see Mr. Greg LeMond is here" without a lot of surprise in his voice, and he then went on to give LeMond the first question when he opened it up to the floor.

According to this story LeMond grilled both Lance and Catlin about the testing procedures they would use, before calling into question their techniques, and calling it not comprehensive enough. When the discussion ran too long, Lance thanked LeMond for being there, and moved on to other questions regarding his comeback and other topics.

The Outside Blog later quotes LeMond as saying: "His return is not good news. It's like a nightmare, that we have lived through all these years, returning." in reference to Lance's comeback. Sheesh Greg! Don't mince words. Tell us what you really think!

In the article I posted earlier today about Contador's role on Team Astana with Lance added to the mix, I called the whole story a big soap opera. When I wrote that, I had no idea how accurate it really was. As a fan of the sport, it's tough watching two guys I admire, jab at each other so publicly.

Mountain Hardwear Wants To Fund Your Expedition!

I saw this short but sweet post over on the Hardwear Sessions Blog today. Seems that gear manufacturer Mountain Hardwear is looking for worthy expeditions to fund. Here's the full post:

Mountain Hardwear sponsors a wide range of expeditions. If you have an original project that you believe deserves sponsorship, we'd like to hear from you.

Applications for the 2009 Expedition season are due on November 15, 2008.

It then links to the Application Form, which is available as a Microsoft Word document. The application itself is pretty straight forward, with basic questions about you, your intended expedition, and what is to be gained from it, as well as a request for your proposed budget and any other sponsorships you might have.

Perhaps it's time to start planning an "Adventure Blog Expedition". Maybe Mountain Hardwear will see fit to send me some place really great. Of course, I'll need a good, dedicated support team to come along with me. Who wants to join me on a trip somewhere? I'm sure we can fill in the important details, like "where", later.

The Myth of Cheap Adventure Travel

I subscribe to a number of adventure travel newsletters as I'm always keeping my eyes peeled for interesting new opportunities to visit far off places. They also are sources of good information and stories from time to time as well. Take this one from Adventures Within Reach entitled Debunking the $1000 Kilimanjaro Trek which was recently published in their blog.

The article takes to task the notion of paying $1000 for a Kili climb by running the numbers and showing that if a traveler actually did pay that little, that meant that the porters and guides were severely underpaid. The article reasons that for a group of four climbers, traditionally there are roughly a staff of 22, including a guide, cook, and 20 porters carrying gear. (From my own Kili experience these numbers are not out of bounds at all) The entrance fees for the entire expedition would come to about $3930, leaving just $70 from the total of $4000 paid by the trekkers, to cover the expenses of the climb.

The article goes on to link to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project which is designed to make sure that the guides and porters are well taken care of and receive adequate pay and good gear for their efforts on the mountain. Unlike their Himalayan counterparts, the Kili porters are not yet as well organized and connected.

This article does make you stop and think about our economic impact on the places we visit. When I went to Tanzania, I selected a locally owned guide service that was well known for taking care of it's guides and porters. I knew that my money was staying in Tanzania and directly helping people there. I also payed considerably more than $1000 even after a discount for going in the off season. One thing the article doesn't mention however, is that we give our guides and porters excellent tips at the end of the climb, which definitely went a long way for making their pay much more attractive. Over the course of the climb, they more than earned the tips. We also donated extra gear to the porters as well, as good quality items are not always easy to find.

So the next time you think about taking a trip like this one, to some far flung corner of the globe, think about the impact your dollars or euros will have there. Perhaps it's not always best to find the cheapest trip, but instead go with a reputable service. After all, sustainable travel can have more than one meaning.

Outside Examines K2 Two Months After The Tragedy

Outside Magazine has put together the most comprehensive look at the August 1st K2 tragedy that I've seen yet. They uncover more details on what happened on the slopes of the second highest mountain in the world and compare it to the events of Everest 1996, finding some similarities and major differences as well.

Back on August 1st, a number of teams were making their way to the summit of K2. Some of the climbers would ultimately stand on the summit while others would turn back, fatigue and altitude taking it's toll. The first problems they ran into were on the way up in a relatively steep and narrow climbing section called the Bottleneck. When they reached this part of the climb they discovered that the fixed ropes were not properly secured and this caused lead teams to slow down considerable while they set more ropes.

Although they were behind schedule, the climbers continued going up, and, as I mentioned, some reached the summit while others turned back. Later, a completely unforeseen disaster truck when a large serac broke off from the mountain and crashed down through the bottleneck taking out the fixed lines and sweeping a number of climbers off the mountain. With the ropes gone, the descent would be a harrowing challenge to say the least.

The Outside article goes much more into detail on these events, and supplies more details that weren't known until now. For instance, before making the climb, the teams all got together and pooled their resources to fix the ropes through the Bottleneck. The strongest climbers from all the teams would work together to accomplish this task, and they would be led by Pakistani Shaheen Baig, who had experience on that portion of the mountain. Unfortunately, Baig took ill and was forced to turn back, so he wasn't part of the team that fixed the ropes, resulting in a less than satisfactory placement of the fixed lines.

There is a lot more information like this in the story, with experienced climbers weighing in on the conditions on K2. It definitely helps to fill in some blanks as to what happened and what it was like up their on the mountain. As I've said before, there doesn't really seem to be anyone to blame for this horrible accident. It was just a series of unfortunate circumstances that led to 11 people dying on the "Savage Mountain", and while this article doesn't look to place any blame, it does go a long way to clearing up the lingering doubts.

Primal Quest Badlands Announced!

Well, the official press conference is still several hours away, but the Primal Quest website has been updated, so it looks like the word is out. Primal Quest 2009 will be held in South Dakota and is officially called Primal Quest Badlands.

Brian over at OutdoorType.org has already posted on the subject as well, and as he notes, many of the rumors on PQ's next location were proven false. Speculation has been running rampant since PQ Montana as to where we would be headed next, and I can tell you that it was not an easy decision. For the first time ever, we had states, and countries, actively seeking us, rather than the other way around, with South Dakota being the most persistent.

More details will be fourth coming, but I can tell you that the race will be 600 miles in length, the longest ever for Primal Quest, and the dates for the race will be August 15-24, 2009. Obviously the teams can expect the usual adventure racing disciplines like trail running, mountain biking, and paddling, but I'm also told that navigation will play a much bigger role than ever before, and teams that are good with a compass will be amply rewarded.

Oh, and for those of you who are scratching your heads over South Dakota being selected as the host location should check your pre-conceived notions at the door. The race will run through the Black Hills and Badlands, which offer extremely remote locations, desolate backcountry, and more varied terrain than has ever been seen in any of the previous PQ events. I'm told that the climbing course is amazing, and far more challenging than in Montana, and that there will be some breathtaking scenery along the way, including even more wildlife than we saw in Montana as well.

More updates will come later, but for now, there is your announcement. In 2009, Primal Quest is putting the Bad back in the Badlands! :)

Contador Says He Leads Astana or He Leaves

In the already on going soap opera that is the Astana cycling team, Alberto Contador has said that if he's not the leader of Team Astana, that he'll leave the team. Cycling's best young rider was reacting to the news that Lance Armstrong would be joining his team upon his return to competitive cycling when he made those remarks.

Contador says that he has already spoken with Johan Bruyneel, the team's manager, and has been assured that his leadership role is not in question, however he also notes that "Lance Armstrong is a champion and I think he will want to race to win, I am sure that he also wants to be the leader of the team."

It should also be noted that Bruyneel and Armstrong are friends and have worked together in the past. Johan was the manager of the team when Lance won all seven of his previous Tour de France championships. I'm sure this is on Contador's mind when he sees Bruyneel bringing in a close friend to the team, and that close friend happens to be one of the living legends of cycling.

Contador, who is well on his way to legendary status himself despite being just 25 years old, has said that he has already received offers from other teams inquiring about his services. He says that if he is not happy, he'll leave the team and seek his fortunes elsewhere.

So? What's a safe bet on how long it'll be before Contador moves on? I'm not sure how he and Lance can co-exist on a team together any more, and Astana seems to have charted a path with Lance. The problem is, from a management point of view, you could have many years of production out of Contador, while Lance is a splashy headline for now, but he's likely to retire again in a year or two at most. It's a bit like the New England Patriots getting rid of Tom Brady to bring in Brett Favre.

More On REI Prototype Store

Yesterday I mentioned a new REI being built very close to where I live and how it was one of only two "prototype stores" that they had built so far, the other being in Boulder, Colorado. Well, not long after I made that post, I received an invitation to attend a special pre-opening ceremony tonight at the new store. Being a bit of a gear hound, I said "yes" of course! So tonight, I'm going to get to check out the new store first hand, while hobnobbing with REI CEO Sally Jewell. The first thing I'm going to ask her is when can I start as REI's official blogger. ;)

I also noted yesterday that I had originally planned to swing by the store on Friday evening to catch seven time Everest summitteer Pete Athans, who'll be in the house doing a Q&A and slide presentation. Turns out they've got a whole host of adventurers coming through this weekend, and I might end up just staying in the store for the entire time. Do you think they'd mind if I slept in one of those tents they have on display?

In addition to "Mr. Everest" showing up tomorrow night, on Saturday they've got Royal Robbins coming by to talk about his long and storied climbing career as well as to hawk his line of clothing. Then, later in the evening, Jon Bowermaster will be on hand with a presentation of his own. I've got a copy of his new book Descending The Dragon (review coming soon!) that I'd love to have him sign, and after writing about him on this blog many times, it should be interesting to hear him in person. Finally, on Sunday, triathlete Jessi Stensland will be in the store discussing training for and competing in triathlons, which I've started to do myself.

You can learn more about the events going on this weekend at the new Round Rock, Texas store here, and learn what makes these newly designed REI stores special on this page. In a nutshell though, the store is designed from the ground up to be highly sustainable and to go light on the environment. It's design is very "green" and is setting a standard for future retail stores to follow.

In my day job I work with a lot of architects, and my company publishes an architectural magazine, so I'm bringing my camera along tonight to get some shots of the place for possible inclusion into the magazine as well as for posting on here. It won't be all work though. You turn me loose in a store of mostly untouched gear, and I'm apt to fondle some of it. Should be a fun evening.

Is Chris Sharma's Jumbo Love The Hardest Route In The World?

A few weeks back there was a lot of buzz on the Internet regarding the latest climb by rock star Chris Sharma. The route was dubbed Jumbo Love and Sharma rated it a 5.15b after completing it. If that rating stands, it'll be one of only four in the world, and the only one in the United States.

The 250-foot route is on The Monastery on Clark Mountain in California. The face is mostly limestone and offered some unique problems, even for a climber of Sharma's skill level. But, on September 11th he managed to best the rock face at last and topped out on what has been called his "hardest, proudest route".

Today, Stewart's Climbing Blog over at About.com wonders if this new route is quite possibly the toughest in the world. The latest entry offers some more insight into the climb as well with the following description:

This monster enduro-climb begins with 60 feet of warm-up climbing (5.12d), then heads up an overhanging face with sustained bouldery moves (5.14c) for 100 feet to a severe crux at 160 feet. Above is more hard climbing (5.13c/d) to the cliff-top anchors. Sharma, who worked for months on the project, regularly took 100-foot falls since it was too hard to clip all the bolts. The route also has only one jug handhold—all the rest are crimps, pockets, and edges. Very impressive—a monumental achievement.

Sounds amazing, and there may only be a handful of climbers in the world that can duplicate this route. It may be some time before the rating can be confirmed, although I suspect there will be some top climbers giving it a go soon. One thing is for sure though, the Legend of Chris Sharma continues to grow.

Two Knobby Tires!

Colorado residents will like this one in particular. Yesterday I was sent the link for the Two Knobby Tires Blog which has some really great first hand trail knowledge for hiking, biking, and camping in Colorado. The blog entries offer some excellent information on the highlighted trail, along with Google Maps to help find your way, with some nice photos from the locations as well. It seems the blog just kicked off this summer, but already their is a wealth of information on some excellent trails from all over the state. Just reading about them and looking at the photos makes me wonder why I live in Texas. Quick, someone remind me!

On top of the excellent blog, Two Knobby Tires is a great online gear store as well. The site is well designed, without having overbearing graphics and images, and it's laid out in a manner that makes it easy to find what you're looking for. On top of that, the prices are solid as well with some good deals on cycling gear, both road and trail, as well as a nice selection of hiking gear too.

Check out both the blog and online store. There is plenty of good stuff on both pages. Besides, you have to love the name! :)

Climbing The Via Ferrata in Peille, France

Rick, over at the Best Hike Blog, posted this cool video from the Via Ferrata in Peille, France, proving he's more of a climber/mountaineer than he likes to let on. ;)

A Via Ferrata is a climbing route that comes with fixed ropes, ladders, pitons, and bridges already in place. The term literally means "iron road" in Italian, and the technique is used to link up routes that might not otherwise be accessible to climbers as a single climb. You'll see what I mean in the video. Cool stuff.

New REI Store Opens In My Backyard!!

The Gear Junkie has a cool article up about the new REI store that opened today in Round Rock, TX. The new store is only the second of what is being billed as their "prototype stores" in the entire country, the other being in Boulder, Colorado.

The focus of the design of this new retail outlet is to be as "Green" as possible. It adheres to the LEED standard of architectural design, and is expected to consume 48% less energy than a typical store of it's size. The store uses recycled materials when ever possible, and uses innovative designs, such as automated lighting that dims and brightens as necessary to help offset energy costs and usage. Of course, the interior will still contain all the REI goodness that we've all come to know and love.

The grand opening celebration isn't until this weekend, and I plan to swing by on Friday night when Pete Athans will be on hand to open the doors. Nothing like having a seven time Everest summitteer hanging out in the store. They're also giving away all kinds of gear and other swag all weekend long too. The store opening is a bit of a good news bad news thing for me though. The good news is, I will now have one of the premiere REI stores in the entire country just five minutes from my place. The bad new is that my wallet may suffer the consequences.

Charlie Engle: Off and Running America

A few weeks back I posted about Charlie Engle, who was in the process of getting ready to run more than3100 miles, over the course of 45 days, to cross the United States. Well, Charlie is off and running, and is about 12 days into his journey, and despite a few early issues, he seems to be doing well.

The actual run got underway on the 13th of September, with Charlie and his support crew setting out from San Francisco. The first week and a half have had it's ups and downs while Charlie adjust to the rigors of running extreme mileage each day. In his blog posts he discusses balancing his nutrition and going through the process of getting his body to adjust to the routine. He's also been dealing with some nagging injuries, such as sore Achilles that seems to be quite painful, as well as the usual blisters and rashes you would expect on a long distance endurance run like this one. Still, from reading his posts, it seems that he is in good spirits, feeling fine, and motivated to keep running.

You can follow Charlie's run over at the Running America 08 website , where you'll find daily blogs from both Charlie and the crew. You'll also b able to track his progress, as he is using a SPOT Satellite Messenger to relay his position out on the course. (Currently he's in Utah and enjoying the canyon country!) Obviously, he's got a long way to go, but he seems to be really hitting his groove now.

I should mention that Charlie is one of the founders of Mission Products a company that specializes in a line of skin care items for extreme athletes, such as sun block, foot care, and so on. A few weeks back I was sent some samples of their products, which I admittedly hadn't heard of before, and after using them for a short time, I have to say, I'm quite impressed. I'll probably post more on them in the near future, but lets just say they've already done wonders on my traditionally beat up feet. Great stuff so far, and definitely recommended to trail runners, hikers, backpackers, and climbers for sure.

All National Parks Are Free This Weekend!

In a press release sent out yesterday, the National Park Service has announced that all 147 national parks the usually charge an entry fee will waive that fee this weekend.

The entry-fee free weekend will celebrate National Public Lands Day on Sept. 27th, and will honor all new U.S. citizens on the 28th. Furthermore, on Saturday, there will be special events and volunteer projects to further commemorate the 15th annual National Public Lands day.

In all, there are 391 National Park Services sites, but not all of the charge entry fees. These 147 parks that do range in price from $3 to $25 depending on the location.

This makes for an excellent opportunity to get off the couch this weekend and get outside. It's now officially autumn, and while the days are still warm, they are still comfortable and perfect for hitting a trail. Take advantage of this free weekend to visit your favorite park and take in the scenic wonders there. Or, better yet, visit some place new, and explore some new trails. Seems like the perfect time.

Karakorum and Himalaya Update: It's Over On Nameless Tower

The action in the mountains continues unabated, with another update today courtesy of ExWeb with news from both the Himalaya and the Karakorum.

We'll start with news from Pakistan, where we learn that the Free Dream Team has left Trango Towers after poor weather forced them off the Nameless Tower. It seems the team had an incredibly bad last few days on the mountain, battling altitude sickness, extreme cold, and frozen ropes. In the end, they realized that a summit was just not going to happen, and elected to return to Islamabad, where they faced an entirely different obstacle. It seems that all flights in and out of the capital have been suspended indefinitely following the terrorist attack on the Marriott Hotel there a few days back. The team was flying British Airlines, and officials have told them that it could be as long as the end of the year before flights resume. They now face the unenviable task of finding a way home from Pakistan. Yikes!

Over in the Himalaya, things are starting to look a bit better, with climbers expected to begin moving up to C2 on Cho Oyu, with the Summit Cilimb and IMG teams leading the way. There are also reports of a large Chinese team in ABC preparing to make their assault on the mountain.

On Manaslu, the teams are still digging out from the big snowstorm that hit the mountain over the weekend. The tents at C1 are still being dug out, and now that camp will have to be re-established before they can go any higher. Edurne Pasaban reports in her dispatches that going higher than "Campo Uno" is a bit dangerous at this point. The heavy snow has made the trail to C2 very unstable, and it's much worse higher up on the mountain. Climbers will wait for things to settle down before going higher.

Finally, over on Baruntse, the summit push has been postponed due to bad weather that only continued to get worse over the past few days. Things are expected to improve heading into the weekend however, so the Alpine Ascents Team will look to give it another go then.

The article also notes that the heavy restrictions that China has placed on travel in Tibet is really having an impact on the economy in the region and the lives of the Sherpas. Normally there would be a steady stream of climbers headed to Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma this time of year, but due to the Chinese crackdown in Tibet, many have shied away. This has left a lot of Sherpas without work, and struggling to find someone to hire them. The fear is that this will continue on into the spring, when the vast majority of the Everest climbers arrive. If the North Side is shut down for another season, it could be disastrous.

Shocking News: Lance To Ride For Astana

Lance Armstrong made an appearance today at the Clinton Global Initiative where, as promised, he filled us in on more details on his return to cycling. Armstrong re-affirmed his commitment to racing again in 2009, and announced that he would be joining Team Astana, just as Velonews reported several weeks back and was later denied by Astana themselves.

Most fans of the sport believed if Lance was going to come back, Astana was where he would end up. The team is managed by Johan Bruyneel, with whom Lance has had a long working relationship. Johan helped Armstrong to win his Yellow Jerseys, and it seemed that the two joining forces again would be a natural fit. Astana also rides Trek bikes, who Armstrong has had a long relationship with as well.

Lance is coming back to raise awareness of cancer on a more global level. His Livestrong campaign has been an enormous success here in the United States, and now he wants to make it even bigger. The question is, how will he do that? Lance is a fan favorite here in the States, where most people adore him, but he's not as looked upon as favorably abroad, where he may meet resistance to his Livestrong message.

Of course, there is also the question of Alberto Contador, the best rider in the world, who I posted on a few days back. Contador has now won the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España, becoming just the fifth rider in history to do so, something Lance hasn't done. Contador also rides for Astana, and is currently the unquestioned leader of that team. With Armstrong joining the ranks, will they be competing against one another for that leadership role? Who will be the one that gets pushed at the top rider? Will Contador even stay with the team?

Lance says that he'll begin his comeback by competing in the Tour Down Under, which takes place January 18-25 in Australia. He'll also be riding in the Tour de France of course, and possibly the Giro as well, setting himself up for an ambitious schedule.

Finally, Lance has hired Don Catlin, an anti-doping researcher, who will head up Armstrong's independent testing to prove that he is riding clean. There have been doping rumors about Lance since his retirement, and he wants to prove to the world that he is not taking any performance enhancing drugs in his comeback.

Should be interesting to say the least. Lance is off to Interbike in Vegas today and is expected to announce more details tomorrow. There are also rumors that he'll compete in the Cross Vegas race if he arrives in time today. Cross Vegas is a cyclocross race that is part of the Interbike activities.

Bandit's Kidnap Tourists in Egypt

I caught this scary story earlier today while browsing the Guardian's website. It seems a group of masked bandits have grabbed a group of tourist that were visiting a remote area of the desert in southern Egypt yesterday. They then moved across the border into the Sudan and notified the Egyptian authorities that they would release the prisoners for $6 million.

In all, 11 tourists were snatched, five Italians, five Germans and a Romanian. Their guides and guards, another eight Egyptians, were also kidnapped, in what is being called "an act of banditry not of terrorism". There have also been conflicting reports on the ransom, with Al-Arabiya TV claiming the bandits are actually demanding $15 million.

The Egyptian military is searching the area for any signs of the missing tourists and their guides. Egypt's economy revolves around their tourism, and any type of threat to visitors can do major harm to that trade. More than a decade ago, 62 people were killed in a terrorist attack, 58 of those being foreign tourists, near Luxor, causing the tourist traffic to dry up for a time, and causing major damage to Egypt's economy. The Ministry of Tourism took steps to make the country safer for tourists by hiring more police to give armed escorts and making it mandatory for armed guards to go with all tourist groups. Since that time, there have been few incidences directed at foreign visitors.

When I was in Egypt a few years back, we had two very well armed guards with us at all times, and they didn't let us stray too far out of sight. At night, two police cars would escort our vehicles through Cairo, and most of the major monuments, such as the pyramids and sphinx, were patrolled by guards as well. They made it clear that while things were very safe, there were still people in the country that might want to do harm to westerners. I didn't have any major issues (with the exception of a scary incident in the Khan El-Khalili Bizaar where I got lost), and everyone I met there was very accommodating.

Lets hope these kidnapped tourists make it home safe and sound.

Bike Mag Want's Your Best Trails!

Bike magazine is asking readers to nominate their favorite trails as part of their Best Trails 2009 which will be published in their annual trail guide issue scheduled to hit newsstands next March.

Readers and riders will get to vote on their favorite rides in the following 15 categories: Best Epic , Best Singletrack, Best Lift-Accessed Trail, Best Descent, Hardest Technical Trail (XC), Hardest Technical Trail (DH), Best Tight and Twisty trail, Best Flow, Best Climb, Best Dirt Jumps, Best Hometown Trail System, Best Fully Committed/No Turning Back Trail, Best Shuttle Service, Favorite. Mountain Bike Destination, Trail you've never ridden that you'd most like to, Best All-Day-Suffer-Fest Trail, and Trail of the Year.

The official rules from the Bike mag website say this:

Readers can nominate as many trails as they like, in as many categories as they want. Trails can also be nominated in different categories, if applicable. Nominations should include a brief 200- to 300-word description of the trail and why it deserves recognition. We also encourage nominations to include photos, videos, GPS data and anything else that shows why that particular trail rocks. Hell, draw on a napkin if you have to. The more creative, informative and fitting the nomination is, the better chance it has of winning.

So, if you have a great trail you want to nominate for one (or all!) of the above categories, e-mail it to: btrails@bikemag.com before October 7th to have it eligible to win.

Short List Announced For Shackleton Centenary Expedition

A month back I posted about the Shackleton Centenary Expedition, the team headed to the South Pole to follow in the footsteps of legendary arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, 100 years after his famed Nimrod expedition. Shackleton's great grandson, Patrick Bergel, is part of the team, that also currently includes four others.

At the time that I posted, the team was in search of a sixth member, and went to the Internet to find that person. They were looking for someone with an adventurous spirit who could work within the confines of a team, carry their own load, and withstand the rigors of life in the Antarctic for weeks. According to their website, the team had nearly 3000 applicants (including yours truly), which they have now narrowed down to 20 finalist. (yours truly not included!)

The list has now been released for everyone to read, and these candidates will now take part in a round of physicals and interviews, from which the field will be further cut down to just five or six more that will be put through a battery of test designed to test their stamina and will power. Eventually we'll have a winner, who will get to accompany the team in October as they head South.

I have to say, I'm a bit jealous. I'd have loved to have been a part of this expedition. It's going to be great fun following it from a far of course, but nothing like actually being there. They didn't give me a reason for rejecting my application, but I suspect it was due to the fact that I sent the application reviewers my underwear. That didn't go over so well. ;)

Ultralight Day Hikes

Backpacker has posted a few simple tips to help us go fast and light even on our day hikes. I tend to generally go light when I day hike regardless, but it never hurts to have some new ideas on how to cut weight.

Their tips most involve new, lighter gear. For instance, they recommend the GoLight Wisp pullover jacket, which weights just 3 oz and packs down incredibly small. It'll protect you well from the wind and sun, and even light rain, and doesn't take up too much space in your backpack when you're not wearing it.

Next the attention turns to our feet, where heavy boots can really put a crimp in your all day hikes. Sometimes even light hikers are too much if the trail is well defined and smooth, which is why Backpacker recommends the Hi-Tec V-Lite Trail Eruption trail running shoes. Light weight and breathable, the Trail Eruptions still offer plenty of support for your feet and tip the scales at about 1 pound 10 oz for a pair. That's considerably less than my serious hiking boots.

Finally, they offer a solution for an ultralight backpack in the form of the Outdoor Research Dry Peak Bagger, which offers 1650 cubic inches of storage, while weighing just 9.6 oz. The pack will keep all your gear dry and will go light on your wallet as well, as it serves as a dry sack for your sleeping back too. At $49 it's kind of a steal.

Great gear tips for helping us shed weight on the trail. Of course, there is always new gear just around the corner that's going to be lighter ad offer more features, but that's just the way things operate in the world of outdoor products.

Xtreme Everest Team Looking For Volunteers

The Caudwell Xtreme Everest Team is looking for 112 volunteers to trek to Everest Base Camp next spring as part of a research program designed to test their reaction to altitude as they make the trek from Lukla to Everest BC.

Volunteers will first have to under go a baseline examination to take place at one of several locations in the U.K. Those tests will be used to compare later examinations at altitude to track changes. Then, on April 12th of 2009, the first trekkers will meet up in Kathmandu, with more joining the team every Sunday and Thursday, through the spring. They'll make the classic trek to base camp, while undergoing testing each morning to track the effects of altitude on their bodies. Once in BC, they'll spend two nights there before making the return trip. In all, they'll spend 23 days on the trek.

The cost of joining the expedition is £2,635 (roughly $4900). The money helps to go to fund the Caudwell Xtreme Everest research that continues to explore the strange effects of altitude on our systems. Back in 2007, the team successfully put several climbers on the summit, and recorded medical conditions of those climbers up and down the mountain.

If you're interested in joining the trek, go to this webpage for more information.

Thanks to Grough for tipping me off to this story.

Karakorum and Himalaya Update: Bad Weather Everywhere!

Explorers Web has another update from this weekend's activities in the Karakorum and Himalaya. It seems it's bad weather all around causing issues in the mountains and delaying climbs across the entire region.

In Pakistan, the lone remaining expedition is the Free Dream Team, who continues to struggle on Trango Towers. The last update from their blog is entitled "Last Chance" which pretty much says it all. The window in the Karakorum has all but closed, and yet this team continues on, despite the bad weather. According to the blog however, they are giving it one more go, no matter what the weather. Since we haven't had an update since Friday, my guess is that they are still plugging away on Nameless Tower, hoping to summit at last. More when finally get an update.

Jumping over to the Himalaya, the Fall Season has kicked into full gear now, but bad weather is not helping the teams. The Altitude Junkies are reporting that conditions on Manaslu are not great following a major storm there. In fact, their tents at C1 collapsed under heavy snow and were buried, along with about 60 others. The team estimates that more than 4 feet of snow has fallen in just two days time, making the arduous task of breaking trail, that much more challenging. That said, the teams seem to have come up with a plan for fixing the ropes and despite the weather conditions, they are proceeding with the acclimatization process.

On Cho Oyu a similar story is told, with high winds blasting the mountain over the weekend, destroying tents and forcing teams to descend to ABC. Members of the IMG Team were expecting to move up to C2 and C3 Saturday and Sunday, but conditions were bad enough that they elected to stay put and wait out the storm as well. Sherpas from various teams had to go to C1 to take down tents there and make repairs to the camps that were already in place. The Summit Climb Team estimates the winds were in excess of 100 miles per hour, and their tents were damaged enough that they had to have more sent in to replace them.

The American Dare To Dream Team have made it to base camp on Annapurna IV, but the conditions have been less than ideal there as well. White out conditions on the mountain have made it impossible for them to climb any higher for now, although the weather is expected to break in a day or two. Another team on the South Face of Annapurna has also been confined to BC thanks to the nasty conditions there.

Finally, a team on Baruntse, a 7,220 meter peak in eastern Nepal, is reportedly set to make their summit bid. Today is a rest day, and the plan is to go up tomorrow, but they're also keeping an eye on the weather. Snow has hit that region as well, which may alter their plans. Guided by Alpine Ascents the team hopes to go to C1 tomorrow, followed by C2 on Wednesday, making the final summit bid later in the day. Good luck team!

Contador Wins Vuelta, Place In History

In Spain yesterday, the Vuelta a España concluded with Spanish rider Alberto Contador claiming the top of the podium. Sunday's ride was mostly ceremonial, as the race was all wrapped up, as the peloton turned toward Madrid, and the finish line. Second place went to American Levi Leipheimer, with Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre claiming third.

With this win, Contador has become cycling's brightest star. He has now won all three of the sports Grand Tours, having knocked off the Tour last year and winning the Giro d'Italia in May, all the more remarkable because his team wasn't invited to the event until just 8 days before it started. He becomes just the fifth person in history to win all three Grand Tours over the course of their careers, joining the likes of Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, all of whom are considered legends of cycling.

As if this amazing success wasn't impressive enough, Contador has yet to celebrate his 26th birthday, meaning he's likely to leave his mark on the sport over the next ten years or more. He's already proven to be a remarkable athlete and tough competitor, but he probably hasn't entered his prime yet, meaning that he should be the favorite in these Tours for some years to come.

This sets up a remarkable showdown with Lance Armstrong next year at the Tour. We should learn more about Lance's comeback later this week, but fans of the sport can't help but to look ahead towards next year. This should be a colossal match-up, with the King of the Tour facing off with the best young rider in a generation. Should make for remarkable drama. The question will be if Lance has enough in the tank to shake off three years in retirement to compete with a rider more than ten years his junior.

The Rest of Everest: Episode 93

Over the weekend, the latest episode of The Rest of Everest slipped out, and while I had the chance to watch this super-sized show, I didn't get a chance to post about it.

This is the final episode of Jon and Scott's 2007 Tibetan Trek, and they end it in grand style. This show is 40+ minutes in length, roughly twice the length of a typical episode. Jon notes at the beginning that he has gotten 10 1/2 months of shows from their 17 day journey, giving us a complete picture of what it's like to travel in the region.

Episode 93: The End Of The Tibet 2007 Trek continues the tradition of past episodes that we've come to expect in showing us aspects of Buddhist culture. Early scenes give us a peek at monks during their prayer sessions, as they chanted and played instruments. The amazing scene is like nothing we've seen so far on the trip, and indicates that there is still so much to learn about the region.

Next we're treated to some scenes of the fabled Tibetan Tonka paintings. We see a number of apprentice artists working at their craft as they put together these beautiful works of art, as Jon and Scott explain the process. It's amazing to see the detail that is woven into these works, with vibrant colors and super intricate patterns, and while we get a good look at the paintings, I'm sure the video doesn't do them complete justice.

Before long, we're back at the hotel, and the guys are packing up to head home. As they are doing so, Scott shares with us all of the treasures he has purchased along the way as gifts for friends and family and remembrances for himself. Part of the fun of travel is collecting new and unique things from the places you visit, and judging from this footage, it seems that they were successful in this regard, right down to the inexpensive North Face knockoff.

The last few scenes of the episode are wrapping up and finishing off the trip before the guys head home. As a big fan of the show, it's been a privilege to follow along with Jon and Scott on their adventures and to get such a detailed, inside look at life in Nepal and Tibet. It has been an amazing experience.

However, it's not over yet!! The Rest of Everest is going to take a little break, and then return with new episodes and getting back to it's roots with mountaineering. Big things are in the works, so stay tuned. There will be more soon.

Thanks Jon and Scott!

2009 Primal Quest Sprint Series Dates Announced!

I posted this story over on the PQSS website earlier, but thought I'd post it here as well. After canceling the two races we had scheduled for September and October in the Primal Quest Sprint Series, we're happy to announce that 2009 will bring a full schedule of races to the Northeast and Southeast regions of the U.S. The schedule looks like this:

Northeast PQSS Series:

Event #1 - Richmond, VA (April 18, 2009)
Event #2 - Detroit, Michigan (June 13, 2009)
Event #3 - New York/New Jersey (August 8, 2009)
Event #4 - Pittsburgh, PA (October 10, 2009)

Southeast PQSS Series:

Event #1 - Miami, Florida (March 14, 2009)
Event #2 - Charlotte, NC (May 16, 2009)
Event #3 - Nashville/Chattanooga, TN (July 11, 2009)
Event #4 - Atlanta, Georgia (September 12, 2009)

Remember, these are shorter, faster races, with teams of two racing for six to eight hours in length. They're designed for experienced adventure athletes and beginners alike, and there will be a running total of points for the season, wit the top team gaining a free entry into Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race for 2010. It looks like the series will be off and running in earnest next year, with plenty of opportunities for racers to get in on the action.

Photo by Jason Perreira

Castelli Insolito Radiation Cycling Jacket

Both the Feed The Habit and Outside Blog had blurbs about the new Catelli Insolito Radiation Cycling Jacket today, the latter in the form of a Gear Junkie Scoop.

This very cool looking and high tech jacket is designed to be a three season, jack-of-all-trades for cyclists that includes "a stretchy, fluorescent-yellow face fabric, zip-off sleeves, vents, and a liner of metalized polyester". The jacket is designed to be modular, allowing you to add or subtract sleeves, a hood, and the liner as needed. The jacket is rated for use from 25 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit and is breathable as well as water resistant, although it's better used against snow and sleet than rain.

With Hurricane Ike passing through my area recently, temperatures have dropped quite nicely, and while we're enjoying 80 degree days, my evening rides have actually become a bit cool. I actually decided a few nights ago that I should be in the market for a new cycling jacket before Fall really sets in, as I'm sure it'll be necessary once Winter hits. Reading the previews on this piece of gear made it sound like it would be the perfect companion for cool weather rides. Than I found the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, which clocks in at an eye-popping $499. While I'm sure it's worth the price, that's more than I want to pay, so unless someone sends me one to review, I think I'll be dropping by REI for a more affordable option. ;)

Top 10 U.S. Hikes

The Best Hike Blog posted a link to this story over at TrailsTV.com that lists the Top 10 Hikes in the U.S.

These treks are not listed in any particular order, so don't expect it to end with a drumroll, fireworks, and the announcement of the definitive number one hike. The article notes that with the very diverse terrain, climates, and topography found in the States, that it's not easy to boil it down to just ten hikes, but they gave it their best shot and came up with a very good list.

Amongst the trails making the cut are Bright Angel Trail, in the Grand Canyon, which is pretty much the trail to hike on your first visit to that place, and Half Dome which tops the list in Yosemite.

There are a few pleasant surprises to be found amongst the classic hikes on the list as well. For example, I was happy to see that Glacier Gorge in Estes Park, Colorado got a mention. TrailsTV calls it the most beautiful location in Rocky Mountain National Park, and I'm inclined to agree. Breakneck Ridge Trail in New York also makes the cut, and although I've never hiked it, I hear good things.

Another very good list, and a great resource for the coming Fall. When the leaves start to change, it'll be a perfect time to hit the trail and take in the autumn colors.

Why Is Lance Returning To Cycling?

OutDoorzy is conducting a poll to find out why it's members believe Lance Armstrong is getting back into cycling after three years on the couch.

There are ten choices to choose from, ranging from "To Win the Tour de France... again!" and "To Raise Awareness for Cancer" to "World Domination" and "To Meet Hot Chicks". (Lord knows Lance sure needs help in that deparment) Judging from the responses of the Outdoorzy Members who have voted so far, there could be any number of reasons why he's decided to come out of retirement.

Personally, I chose the "He's Bored" option. I know that Lance has kept himself busy with his various causes, running in marathons, and dating celebrities, but until he got on the bike to compete at Leadville, he hadn't really found something to throw his competitive spirit into. Lance claims that Leadville fired up his will to compete again, and that was ultimately what pushed him over the top. Besides, he came in second in that 100 mile mountain bike race, and we all know how much Lance hates coming in second.

Head on over and weigh in with your thoughts on why you believe Lance is coming back. Then stayed tuned for next week, when he intends to give us the details on his return. Should be interesting.