North Pole 2009: Navigating By The Seat of Your Pants

It's been a few days since I posted an update on the arctic teams, but they continue to make progress and receive attention from a variety of outlets, especially the Catlin Arctic Survey Team, which made headlines when they announced they use a pair of lacy underwear to help navigate. Apparently, when the compass doesn't work, thanks to the close proximity to the magnetic North Pole, they'll navigate by the sun, and when that fails, due to clouds or darkness, they'll break out a tiny thong and use it to catch the wind. Thank goodness someone thought ahead enough to bring sexy underwear on the trip! This unconventional navigation system seems to working though, as the team passed a milestone today, reaching 83º N.

The Victorinox North Pole Team continues to move ahead, crossing 85º N a few days back, and averaging more than 8 nautical miles per day this past week. For the most part, the ice continues to be smooth and easily navigable for them, but in their last dispatch they reported large blocks of rubble once again, with some pieces the size of cars. This impeded their progress dramatically and has been a source of frustration at times, but hasn't seemed to impacted John or Tyler's demeanor at this point.

The Peary Centennial Expedition is also past 85º N and is making even better time than Victorinox, notching closer to 10 nautical miles per day in their recent activity. The team feels that they are about half done, in terms of time, although they still have a long way to go. They do expect their speed to continue to increase in speed as they get closer to the Pole. In the latest audio dispatch, Lonnie Dupre talks about the hardships of crawling out of a warm sleeping bag in the morning when it is -30º outside. He also notes that the bags have doubled in weight since they set off thanks to the fact that they have frozen. They do their best to try to thaw them, but such is the life of an arctic explorer.

Finally, the Baffin Babes haven't put out a lot of dispatches on their journey, but they continue to press ahead on their exploration of Baffin Island. They did mention awhile back that they had met an Austrian hunter who had come to Canada to hunt polar bears, and the girls found that to be very odd, since the bears are protected pretty much everywhere else, except in Canada. The threesome will become a foursome soon as well, as Ingebjoerg Tollefsen reports that she'll be off to Clyde River to join her friends in ten days. You may recall that Ingebjoerg was forced to stay behind due to illness, but she is now healthy and ready to go, and will be soon out on the ice too.

That's all for now. Remember, if you ever get lost, you've always got your underwear to help you navigate! ;)

Top Ten Best Waterfall Kayak Runs in the U.S.

Inspired by the recent 127-foot record kayak drop, the National Geographic Adventure Blog brings us another great top ten list today, this time giving us the 10 best waterfall kayaking runs in the U.S.

The list has some excellent, and big, drops from all over the country, ranging from North Carolina to California. There's even one on the Potomac in Washington D.C. Best of all, each of the runs in the top is accompanied by an excellent video to truly demonstrate why it belongs on the list. For example, check out the clip below of a crazy drop over the Mesa Falls, on the Henry's Fork portion of the Snake River in Idaho, which comes in at #5 on the list. And when you're done here, head over to check out the rest of the drops.

Everest 2009: First Ascent Team YouTube Channel

The First Ascent Team, which consists of a few climbers you might have heard of, guys like Ed Viesturs and Dave Hahn, are posting daily video dispatches to their very own YouTube channel which you can find by clicking here.

There are already four videos on the site, and it's clear the team is making good progress. They arrived in Lukla two days ago and you can checkout that arrival in the video below.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Lhotse-Everest Traverse, Tibet To Reopen?

It was a busy weekend in Kathmandu, as the major teams are now arriving on the scene. Alan Arnette is reporting that the IMG Team has landed, while Billi Bierling reports that Himex is in Nepal as well. Billi will be climbing with Himex on the South Side of Everest this spring, and quite naturally, she was happy to see her team. Billi says that there are 28 clients on the climbing permit, along with 7 guides, 30 Sherpas, 10 base camp staff, a doctor, and two cooks. They're not staying long in the capital however, as they're leaving tomorrow for Lukla, where they'll begin the ten day trek to BC. Billi, being a native to Nepal, will follow them on the 8th of April.

In other news, Alan also reports on his Everest 2009 page that a Kazakh team has set off for Nepal with the intention of completing a Lhotse-Everest traverse. The plan will be to climb Lhotse, then proceed down the connecting ridge between it and Everest, cross over to the South Col route, summit the Big Hill, then go back down from there. It's never been done before, and who is leading the team? Well, none other than Maxut Zhumayev, and Vassily Pivtsov, two names well known in the HImalaya for their bold, and fast climbing. They'll be joined by Serguey Samoilv and Eugeny Shutov, two very strong and accomplished climbers in their own right.

Also, word has begun to leak out that China is preparing to re-open the borders of Tibet, allowing foreigners in once again. I've heard the date ranging from anywhere from the 1st of April to the 5th (Alan reports the 4th), but no matter what the date, it's good news for the teams that have been hoping to go to the North Side. It's still going to be pretty quiet up there, but it's good to see their patience possibly rewarded. It seems that March was quiet, as far as we can tell, in Tibet, which is helping to speed up the lifting of the travel bans.

More soon from the HImalaya I'm sure.

Update on the Chocolate Sherpa Project

A couple of months back I posted a story on the Chocolate Sherpa Project, in which Belgian adventurer Louis-Philippe Loncke would be trekking to Everest Base Camp, along with some others, carrying more than 100kg (220 pounds) of chocolate to distribute there. The plan is to also distribute chocolate en route, pushing the total distribution to over 400 pounds when all is said and done. The entire expedition is for a good cause as well, as the plan is to raise money to fund the Nepal mobile hospital, a medical station easily transported by chopper or truck to access remote regions of the country where many people have never received medial attention before. Donations can be made via the website after the 7th of April. All funds go to the Nepal mobile hospital project in Nepal.

It seems that the project is proceeding on schedule, and the team will be heading to Nepal in just a few weeks time. Louis-Philippe is now joined by Joseph de Mahieu and Norbert Eggermont on the trek, while Jeremy Roumian will serve as the support crew, handling logistics and expedition planning. The team has gained some sponsors, who have sent them some excellent gear to use on their journey, but they are still looking for more, so if any companies would like to lend a hand, and see your logo on a banner unveiled at 5350m (17,552 feet), then be sure to contact the team to let them know you want to help out.

The chocolate that the team will be distributing is rich in Acticoa, providing healthy benefits to those who eat it. Acticoa is rich in anti-oxidants and studies have shown that it provides a number of health benefits, including helping with circulation and heart conditions, maintaining low blood pressure, and increasing brain activity, while enhancing the mood of those who eat it. This means that climbers and sherpas can look forward to enjoying excellent Belgian Chocolate in Base Camp this year, while also receiving these benefits. You can find out more about the chocolate and these benefits at Acticoa.com.

I expect that we'll hear more about the project once it gets underway. It seems like the team is dedicated and looking forward to the adventure, but also having some fun along the way.

A View From The Summit of Everest

Check out this amazing panoramic photograph taken from summit of Everest found at Panoramas.dk. The stunning 360º photo rotates around giving us a great view in all directions from the top of the highest mountain on Earth, a view that few of us will ever have the opportunity to see in person.

I sat and watched this panoramic shot rotate around for quite awhile. It was fascinating to me to see just how far your view extends when you're at the top of the world on a clear day, and it was great to look back down the Khumbu Valley and see the ice falls far below. I also had no trouble identifying Everest's next door neighbor, Lhotse, but when I clicked on the "i" icon on the photo, it also identified Changtse, Makalu, and Nuptse as well. Also, you can score bonus points if you can spot the climber in the photo. You have to look pretty close, but he's there.

This is a perfect photo to start off your week with, and something to keep your mind occupied on a Monday morning, when you'd rather be outside yourself. Keep in mind, that at this very moment, there are hundreds of climbers in Kathmandu preparing to take on this mountain, and about six to eight weeks, this is the very view that they'll hopefully have the opportunity to experience.

Thanks to Richard for sending this my way!

Book Review: Two Climbing Books For Your Collection

Okay, I'm incredibly far behind on writing some book reviews, and I'm going to try to do some catching up as soon as I can. I'll take a couple of books with me when I head out of the country at the end of the week, but I wanted to post a couple of reviews before hand, and these two books go together very well for a number of reasons. Both books come from the same author, Clyde Soles, and both are part of the Mountaineers Outdoor Expert Series from The Mountaineers Books.

Climbing: Training for Peak Performance by Clude Soles
Let me start off by saying unequivocally that this is the best book I've seen in regards to fitness for climbers. The book covers everything you could ever want to know about training for climbing, including diet, aerobic workout, resistance training, flexibility and so much more, and the chapters are filled with so much good information, that you'll constantly be finding new things to add to your preparation for the mountains.

The book begins with a great introduction on the fundamentals of exercise in the general sense, and it's application to climbing specifically. It also touches on a number of other topics, such as how important conditioning can be to the aging climber and the importance of getting everything to work together for you for higher performance on the mountain. The intro sets up a number of themes that run throughout the book, not the least of which is to always have fun in both your training and your climbing. Something we probably all agree with.

The chapters on the workout routines are comprehensive, to say the least, and geared toward climbers of all styles and skill levels. Whether you're a weekend warrior or heading to the Himalaya, you'll find some things in this book that will be of help. Clyde does an excellent job of breaking down the things that work and don't work, and streamlining it for the rest of us. For instance, in the chapter on aerobic exercise, he looks at all the options available to us, including trail running, road running, cycling, and so on, and quickly and easily lays out the pros and cons of each of them. It's a great reference even if you're a non-climber.

While the exercise focused chapters are excellent, there were two others that really caught my attention. The second chapter of the book is focused on nutrition and it's importance to your over all conditioning, and it has some incredibly helpful information on planning for your dietary needs. Many climbers don't make a plan when it comes to their diet, as conventional wisdom has always said that it's important to have plenty of calories, but Clyde notes that it's not just how much you eat, but what you eat as well, and paying attention to those needs can improve performance in a lot of ways. This is a chapter that I highly recommend for anyone who is already a climber, but is looking for ways to improve endurance and performance. Of particular interest would be the section on "fueling the climb".

The other chapter that I found particularly interesting was the third, which focuses on the mental aspects of preparing for a climb. By focusing on mental conditioning, you see the holistic approach that the author is a proponent of, bringing all aspects of body and mind together to make us better prepared for all of our athletic endeavors. Clyde mentions that some of these mental conditioning techniques come from martial arts and yoga, and perhaps that's why I related so well to this chapter. My years of martial arts training made it easy for me to understand what he was trying to achieve. It's another chapter that will likely have something to offer even those that are already in terrific shape.

Other valuable information in the book include the chapter on climbing at altitude, which offers some great advice on helping to improve the acclimatization process, and the chapter on rest and recovery is excellent as well, reminding us why we need to take some time off on occasion as well. The final chapter brings everything together, building synergy on everything we've learned in the previous chapters.

In case you couldn't tell, I was very impressed with this book. Exercise manuals don't tend to be highly interesting to me, but this one is so much more than that. I really enjoyed the whole approach to preparing for climbing, and found valuable information on nearly every page. If you're a climber, and haven't read this book, then I suggest you order it. NOW! Here, I'll even make it simple for you. Click here to go to the Amazon page.

Climbing: Expedition PLanning by Clyde Soles and Phil Powers
Clyde teams up with Phil Powers on this second book that I personally found simply fascinating in so many ways. This book takes a look at every aspect of preparing for an expedition, from the early stages when it is just a dream, to planning and preparing, putting the right team together, researching the mountain, and so much more. No part of an expedition is left undiscussed, and once again we get invaluable information that for many of us, we'd only have considered after years of experience.

Of course, the book doesn't just focus on the preparation for the climb and all the aspects that go into planning the expedition. Several of the most valuable chapters also look at what it's like once you depart on the trip, taking a nicely detailed look at the logistics that go into getting all your gear to the country of your destination, and then on to base camp. The authors look at all manner of important topics, including trekking to BC, communications in the field, and even how to set up the latrine.

As if that wasn't enough, the book then takes a look at the last stage of the expedition, namely getting to the summit, and even what comes afterwards, with some insights on giving post climb speeches and slide shows, ending it all with thoughts of starting it all over again for that next expedition.

Much like Climbing: Training for Peak Performance, this book is also packed cover to cover with really great information, but unlike that book, I think this one will appeal to an even larger audience. There are so many wonderful sidebars and charts that offer up great insights, that even the arm chair mountaineer will be fascinated by the wealth of knowledge contained in the book. And for those planning an expedition of their own, this guide serves as a great resource, whether you're planning your first expedition or your tenth.

Once again, if you read and enjoy mountaineering books, than you should have this one in your collection. While it might not be as action packed as something like Into Thin Air, it will give you a behind the scenes look at what happens before, during, and after a major expedition. Clyde and Phil make the book and its subject matter very interesting, and you'll learn more than you ever thought you would about the logistics of high altitude mountaineering.

Grab this book by clicking here.

On a final note, thanks to Clyde for being patient and understanding with how long it took to get these books read and reviewed. I appreciate you sending these my way and learned a ton from both of them. Great work!

Paul Ridley Completes Solo Atlantic Row

According to CNN.com, 25-year old Paul Ridley has completed his solo row across the Atlantic, taking 88 days to make the journey.

According to the story Ridely would row as much as 12 hours per day, as he made his 2950 mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Even more amazing, the young man crossed the pond without a support vessel following in his wake, and in the process he became the youngest American to make that journey, and just the third person from the U.S. to do so at all.

Paul rowed in a custom made boat that he and his sister spent $60,000 having built. Back in 2001 their mother passed away from skin cancer, and Ridley dedicated this row to her and to raising funds for cancer research. His website, RowForHope.com, has more information about Paul, his cause, and ways that we can all help out.

Ridley says that he is happy to be home and off the water, and will now take some time to rest up and regain his strength. But he also says that there is a lot to be accomplished yet, and that he'll soon be back to work trying to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.

Congrats Paul! Awesome work. Glad you're home safe and sound.

Patagonia Wants Your Classic Climbs

The spring catalog from gear maker Patagonia has a theme that focuses on classic climbs, which they define as "a handful of routes that consistently capture the minds and hearts of climbers from around the world."

The Cleanest Line, the official blog of Patagonia, has posted their very select list and it's tough to argue with any of them. Each of the climbs also comes with a link to a field report with more information as well. The routes that they chose are as follows:

The Nose. High Exposure. Pinch Overhang
Aguja Guillaumet, Chalten
Hotline, Yosemite
Vandals, Shawangunks
Ahab, Yosemite
Zap Crack, Squamish

There you have it. Six great climbs that are hard to argue with. Would you add anything to the list? Anything they missed? How about The Eiger Direct? It seems to meet the category for me. Great list though.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Kathmandu Crowded,

The word from Kathmandu is that the streets are teeming with visitors as climbers, trekkers, and other tourist pour into the area with the start of the spring season. Journalist Billi Bierling reports that the city has come alive in the past week. She is busy tracking down many of the expeditions who are currently in town so she can report back to Miss Hawley on their intentions. Of course, she's also busily preparing for her own expedition to the mountain, as she'll be tackling the South Side of Everest as part of the HiMex team.

Meanwhile, ExWeb has more news from the Himalaya for us today. They are reporting that Joao Garcia has arrived in base camp on Manaslu and is now settling in on the mountain. His team is the first to get there so far, and Joao reports that a major snow storm is hitting the area at the moment.

Valeri Babanov and Victor Afanasief are en route to Annapurna, but have run into a snag of their own. It seems that about 20 of their 30 porters abandoned ship and returned to Kathmandu, refusing to carry their gear higher than 3600m. The weather has not been great on Annapurna either, with snow and rain falling in the region, at the team believes that the porters didn't expect to work so hard for their pay. With few porters in the area, it seems that Valeri and Victor will have to hire some porters from a Korean team that is also on its way to the mountain. It could be another three days or so before they arrive however.

Finally, Edurne Pasaban is making her way to Kangchenjunga, where she'll make an attempt on one of the three remaining 8000m mountains she has yet to climb. She's locked in a competition between herself, Nives Meroi, and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner to become the first woman to accomplish that feat. Nives is currently headed for Annapurna while Gerlinde has her sights set on Lhotse this spring. Yesterday ExWeb published a solid interview with Edurne on her expectations Kangchenjunga and going after the goal of grabbing all 14 of the big mountains.

North Pole 2009: Cold Temps Return and Positive Drift?!?

Clear skies are both a welcome sight and a scary one in the Arctic, where the Catlin Arctic Team are reporting that the have nothing but blue skies overhead, but that means the temperatures have plummeted back to the -40º range. Those cold temps were especially troublesome for Martin Hartley, who had to have a needle removed from his bum. Apparently the needle was left behind following some mending done to clothing, and it became embedded in his backside, requiring a pliers to remove it. (Ouch!) The team continues to be happy with their progress otherwise, and their mission to gauge the health of the Arctic ice seems to be going quite well. Team members Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels, and Martin are using a special ground penetrating radar to examine the age and thickness of the ice to determine the effects of global warming on the region. These readings take time, so they are not expecting to reach the North Pole for more than two months yet.

The Victorinox North Pole Team are reporting that they got some "free mileage" thanks to positive drift while they slept. When they checked their position this morning using their GPS, they found that over night they had drifted both north and west, although mostly north. The boys picked up half a nautical mile while resting, which is certainly good for the moral. They also report clear conditions and very low winds, making for great skiing conditions and an over all great day out on the ice. Progress is slow, but solid. The team members, John Huston and Tyler Fish, are hoping to become the first American team to go unsupported to the Pole.

Finally, the Peary Centennial Expedition continues their journey to the Pole as well, and also had a bit of positive drift, gaining 3/4 of mile while they slept a few days back. They're also happy to see the clear skies and low winds, but say the temperatures have dropped for them as well. In the latest audio update, released a few days back, Lonnie Dupre calls in to give an update and discuss the Arctic Treaty situation, discussing the challenges of establishing and maintaining a treaty that really only covers a patch of water that just so happens to have a large platform of ice over it. Quite an interesting discussion.

Stay warm up there everyone, and keep your eyes peeled for the polar bears. :)

Lance Updates Us on His Status

Lance Armstrong released a video earlier this evening giving cycling fans an update on his progress. He underwent surgery yesterday to repair his collarbone, which he broke a few days back racing in the Vuelta in Spain.

In the video below, Lance indicates that the collarbone was more damaged than was first thought, and that he's in a bit of uncharted territory here. He's never really suffered a major injury in his career, so at this point, it's unclear when he'll be back. How soon, and how well, the bone heals will determine how quickly he can get back on the bike, and get ready for his next race. The Giro is now in doubt, and his preparations for Le Tour will also be effected.

Exclusive Post-Op Interview with Lance -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Shane McConkey Killed in BASE Jumping Accident

There is breaking news tonight, as it is being reported that skier Shane McConkey, age 39, was killed today in a ski-BASE accident in Italy. Ski-Basing is an offshoot of BASE Jumping that has the skier jumping off high cliffs, opening his or her parachute and gliding down to snow below. McConkey was very experienced at the sport, and had been doing it for a number of years.

Shane was in Italy filming an upcoming ski movie, along with his friend J.T. Holmes and a film crew. The plan was to hit a jump, go over a cliff, release both of his skis, and glide to the ground below in a wing suit. Unfortunately, that's not what happened, and he ended up spiraling out of control to the ground below.

You can read a lot more of the details on Shane and what exactly happened, in this article over at The Adventure Life. It's a sad story and my thoughts are with his friends and family. Shane is survived by a wife and three-year old daughter.

Kilimanjaro Climbing Video - Part II

U.K. outdoor magazine Trail has released the second video of their recent climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro. I posted on their first video a few weeks back, and that video showed the prep for the climb and the first few days.

This new video, found below, begins on Day 3, and continues the journey with a hike up to the famous Lava Tower, before settling into Barranco Camp. Then it's up the daunting Barranco Wall, and the team starting to feel the effects of the altitude, before skipping ahead to Summit Day with some eventual shots at the Roof of Africa.

All in all, both videos are well done, and I recommend them for anyone considering Kili. The second video skips ahead fairly dramatically and glosses over a good portion of the trek, but I suspect that was for production reasons. Still, this is a good introduction as to what you can expect on the mountain, and a glimpse of what a week long climb is like there.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Teams in Kathmandu, Some Still Heading North

It is now safe to say that the 2009 Spring Himalaya season is in full swing, as many climbers are now arriving in Kathmandu and making the final preparations for their impending expeditions into the Himalaya.

Alan Arnette added some information to his Everest 2009 page today, with updates straight from the teams themselves, who are already in Nepal. As of this writing, the border to Tibet is still closed, although rumors continue to circulate that it'll reopen on or around April 1st. To that end, several teams are still planning to make attempts on Everest from the North Col route, including a team from Summit Climb, who will not only be going up Everest this year, but also plan a Cho Oyu expedition as well. They'll be joined in Tibet by a Canadian team known as the Canadian Mad Frogs, who also have their eyes on the summit from the north. The 7 Summits Club is not so optimistic however, and they made the jump to the South Side earlier this week.

Another note of interest is that the CTMA (China-Tibet Mountaineering Association) has announced that they will personally over see the fixing of the ropes on the North Side this spring. There has been some concern over who would handle those duties, since Russell Brice and his Himex team have moved to the South as well. In the past, Himex has usually taken care of the ropes themselves, charging the other teams a nominal fee to use them. But with few teams on the mountain, it looked like it could possibly be an issue, but that concern now seems to be over.

ExWeb has some good updates from the region as well, starting with the news that the unrest amongst the Maoist rebels in the Kangchenjunga area has now ended. As I noted a few days back, it seems that unrest, and general strikes, flare up on an annual basis about this time, only to die down again as the climbers start appearing.

ExWeb is also reporting that Manaslu seems to be the popular mountain this spring, with more expected traffic than anywhere else, save the Everest South Side. The mountain stands 8163 meters (26,758 feet) in height as is located along the Nepal/Tibet border, to the east of Annapurna. It is the 8th highest mountain in the world, and is often used as a good climb for gaining experience for the other 8000 meter peaks, which may help to explain the traffic there this spring.

Finally, look way ahead to the next Winter Season in the Karakorum, ExWeb says that Russian climbers Victor Kozlov and Nickolay Totmjanin are currently in Pakistan, and on the Baltoro Glacier, scouting K2 for an attempt by the Russian national climbing team to that mountain next winter. That'll be a huge expedition to watch down the line for sure.

Today Show Interviews World Record Kayak Drop Guy!

Remember Pedro Olivia? He's the guy I blogged about a few weeks back who set a new world's record for a kayak drop by going over a 127 foot waterfall in Brazil. He set the record back on March 4th by going over the Belo Salto waterfall, and besting the previous record by nearly 20 feet in the process. The fall took nearly 3 seconds to complete, and it is estimated that he was traveling in excess of 70 mph when he hit the water.

This morning the Today show interviewed Pedro and showed video of the falls, and his epic drop, while also doing a good job of discussing extreme kayaking in general. The piece is more than 7 minutes in length, and is a solid piece from the mainstream media. Check it out below. The falls look crazy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Night At The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club recently held their 105th annual dinner, and National Geographic Adventure was on hand to capture all the festivities
for those of us not lucky enough to be in attendance. It was an evening filled with interesting dining choices (think insects and worse), colorful characters, and kangaroo boxing. Check out the video below to see how the Explorers party!

The Rest of Everest Episode 104: A Room With A View

The latest episode of The Rest of Everest is out, and now available for all of us to enjoy, continuing our virtual expedition up Annapurna IV with climbers Ben Clark, Josh Butson, and Tim Clarke, who hope to not only summit the 24,688 foot peak, but also make the first ski descent of the mountain as well.

In this episode, labeled A Room With A View, we really start getting down to business in the Himalaya. The past few weeks have had the guys stuck in base camp, where they made the most of their time preparing their gear and mentally getting ready for the climb as well, but this week kicks off with the team already working their way up the mountain, as the climb gets underway in earnest.

Once again, there are some great shots of the mountain, and the video of the team working an incredibly steep portion will give you an idea of how challenging it is to climb in the Himalaya. They plan to go up in alpine style, which means they'll be climbing with all of their gear on their backs, rather than siege style that is common on the big peaks, which makes it all the more impressive as you watch them go up.

One of the more interesting aspects of this episode is that we get to watch the team establish their first camp on the mountain. That's not something that we get to see often, and the process begins by digging a snow ledge to set up their tents, and then making the area as comfortable of a campsite as possible. When done, you kick back and enjoy the view, and in this case, it's quite a view.

Checkout this episode directly from the Rest of Everest website by clicking here or grab it from iTunes here.

Ocean Rowing Updates: Olly Rows On, Sarah Back on Dry Land

A couple of quick updates today on the two major ongoing ocean rows that I've reported on recently.

First, the big news is about Sarah Outen, who is hoping to become the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean. She set off a week or so back from Fremantle, Australia with her sights firmly set on reaching Mauritius, and doing so in record time. She also hoped to become the youngest person to ever achieve the crossing as well.

According to her blog however, that quest will be delayed a bit. It seems that the electrical systems on Sarah's boat went out and she was forced to call for a tow back to land. But fear not, while the boat is being examined, Sarah says she'll restock her supplies, rest up, and prepare to head back out onto the water as soon as she can. She's not quite done yet.

Meanwhile, her fellow countryman, British adventurer Olly Hicks, continues his attempt to circumnavigate Antartica by row boat as part of the Virgin Global Row challenge. After a slow start, that included a week of basically standing still, Olly seems to really be in the groove now, and making solid progress as he rows south and east, to drop below New Zealand before heading out across the South Pacific.

Olly continues to update his daily blog as well, with insights into his day to day life aboard the Flying Carrot. In a recent post he laments the build up of barnacles on his beloved boat, saying they only serve to remind him of how slow he is moving, saying that at times he feels like "little better than drift wood with lights and music!" He's also endured some foggy days of late, which hasn't brightened his mood much, but he seems focused and intent on just taking things one day at a time, happy to be making positive miles.

If everything continues to go as planned, Olly should reach South Georgia around June, where he'll take a break from the water, wait out the winter, and then continue on his way. All told, the expedition is expected to take 18 months to complete.

Get The Digital Version of Wend for Just Five Bucks!

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I'm a big fan of Wend Magazine. It's a top notch publication that seamlessly mixes outdoor adventure, activism, and the green living movement both in their online efforts and the traditional magazine. The writing happens to be excellent as well, with sometimes serious and sometimes silly approaches to topics that are always fascinating.

Right now, Wend is running an awesome recession-smashing deal. You can purchase a 1 year digital subscription to the magazine for just $5. Yep, just five clams gets you all the latest from this great magazine, and full access to their online archives. How can you possibly beat a deal like that?

You can read all the details in this post on the Wend Blog, and go here to sign up for your subscription.

Discovery Channel Airs Disaster on K2 Tonight

The Discovery Channel has added another mountaineering special to it's library and will be airing a show entitled Disaster on K2 tonight at 10 PM EDT/9 PM CDT. I haven't been able to find a whole lot about the specifics of the show itself, nor can I find a link to a page dedicated to it on the Discovery website, but their TV listings give the following description:

When enormous ice walls collapse, seven climbers are trapped near the summit of the most dangerous mountain on earth: K2. With footage and interviews with the few who lived to tell the story, we follow this tale of heroism, survival, and hearbreak.

Obviously the show will take a look at the events that went down last August on K2, and hopefully it'll put everything together for us in a solid timeline, laying out exactly what happened and when. It'll be interesting to see who they got on camera to give interviews about the event, as some of the survivors have been tight lipped about the incident.

Anyway, if you're looking for something to watch tonight, definitely tune in. Discovery has a good reputation when it comes to handling these types of shows, and I expect that this should be solid as well. And if anyone has more information or a link to another page, send it my way.

Absa Cape Epic: Stage 3 Done!

The Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike race is through three stages, and seems to be living up to its reputation as one of the most challenging events of its kind any where in the world. In this case, the race is held in South Africa, with competitors racing through some of the most beautiful, but technically demanding terrain in that country.

After three stages, the two man team of Songo.info, consisting of Swiss rider Christoph Sauser and local boy Burry Stander of South Africa. They hold a nearly seven minute lead over second place team, Bulls, made up of Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, both of Germany. Bart Brentjens from the Netherlands and Chris Jongewaard from Australia, who together make up Team Trek-Brentjens, are in third place, another 4+ minutes back. In the Ladies division, Sharon Laws of the U.K. and South Africa's Hanlie Booyens hold the overall lead, while team Absa Masters, consisting of Doug Brown of South Africa and Bärti Bucher from Switzerland are in charge in the Master's division. Finally, Adidas Big Tree, with Nico Pfitzenmaier from South Africa and Alison Sydor of Canada, are leading the coed Mixed division.

Stage Four consists of a long 111km (69 mile) route through some very rocky terrain that will test the nerves of the riders and shake their confidence early on. The stage is marked with demanding climbs, followed by crazy drops, that will eventually put them into a dense forest, as the trail narrows to twisty single track that will surely be a challenge for the wary teams.

The "Queen of Pain", Rebecca Rusch is on hand for the race and competing in the Mixed category, along with Matthew Weatherley-White, as part of Team Specialized / Red Bull. She's also blogging the whole experience, which you can read here. She has several posts up talking about her arrival in South Africa, riding the Prologue, and the first few stages. It's an excellent read with some good insights on what's going on in the race.

Mountain Hardwear 2010 Exedition Sponorship News

Mountain Hardwear has posted a brief note on their Hardwear Sessions blog indicating that their 2010 Expedition Sponsorship Program will be kicking off soon, with applications being made available on May 1st.

Each year Mountain Hardwear offers up some cash to help sponsor worthy adventures around the globe and to help give back a bit to the community. For instance, for 2009 the company gave out a total of $10,000 to help fund two expeditions, Operation: Denali, which will assist four soldiers wounded in Iraq in climbing Denali, and the New Zealand Batura Expedition, which will head to a remote region in the Karakorum to tackle unclimbed peaks there.

Now, I'm sure you're looking at the calendar and thinking, "Hey! It's only March 24th! May 1st is a long way off!" But, it's never to early to start thinking about your 2010 expedition, and preparing to write the application for the MH grants. May 1st will be here before you know it, and you should take advantage of this opportunity when it comes. Sponsorship opportunities may be few and far between in this economic climate, and it's good to see that there are still some out there for adventurers to take advantage of.

North Pole 2009: Optimism and Frustration

It has been another busy couple of days for the arctic teams, who continue moving forward, with reportedly warmer weather and overall better ice conditions.

The Victorinox North Pole Team consisting of American's John Huston and Tyler Fish, posted another one of their weekly recaps a few days back with insights into the highs and lows of making an expedition to the North Pole. They talk about how excited they were to cross the 84º point last week, having made it in 18 days, right on their pre-expedition schedule. But since then, they feel like they are making slower time and covering less distance than they had hoped. The team felt like once they got passed 84º north they'd see an increase in speed, but that hasn't materialized just yet. They also report that they came across tracks in the snow of a large polar bear and her cubs, but they were moving in the opposite direction, which made them feel a bit better about having the predators in the area.

The Catlin Arctic Survey Team welcomed spring in the Arctic, and are happy to have -24ºC days as opposed to those -40º days (-70º windchills) they had not so long ago. Expedition member Pen Hadow notes that while everyone trains very hard for their journey to the Pole, none of that training can prepare you for the real experience out on the ice, where it is colder, windier, and darker than you expect. Early on in these expeditions it's dark for nearly 24 hours of the day. The team has now been out on the ice for nearly 24 days, and they estimate that they could be out for as much as 70 more, a reality that is just now sinking in, and making them realize how demanding their journey could be.

The Peary Centennial Team is also reportedly making progress and claim that they passed a few pleasant milestones in the past few days as well. For one, they actually say that the sleds are beginning to feel lighter, and not just because their supplies are dwindling. Improved ice conditions have made it easier to pull their gear, and the -10ºF that they first had over the weekend was a 40 degree swing in their favor, making it a more pleasant experience all around out on the ice.

Meanwhile, on Baffin Island, the Baffin Babes have finally dropped another dispatch, reporting a close encounter of their own with a young male polar bear. The bear was heading directly for them at one point, and they readied their flare guns and rifles just in case, but before he strayed too close, the big guy moved off in a different direction looking for something else to eat. The Babes moved forward after that, but were quite cautious for some time. They are more likely to encounter bears on Baffin than teams actually headed north, so they're on alert at all times.

Finally, ExWeb sister site ThePoles.com is reporting that the Russians are now saying that Barneo Station is on track to open in early April, launching "last degree" expeditions from that side of the ice. Supplies have already begun to drop into the area, and a landing strip will be blown out of the ice shortly. Mi-8 "Hind" helicopters have already been sent to the region to look for stable ice on which to begin construction of the base that rises and falls with each Arctic season.

Top Ten Toughest Races

The National Geographic Adventure blog has put out their list of the Top 10 Toughest Races in the world, with some really interesting, and grueling, events making the list. These races cross a number of disciplines, and are pretty much guaranteed to punish the competitors.

Some of the races that managed to make the cut include the just completed Iditarod, which has garnered the moniker of "The Last Great Race". The iconic dog sled race covers more than 1100 miles across Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter. The Furnace Creek 508 earns a place of honor as well. This cycling event covers 500+ miles through the heat of Death Valley, throwing in more than 36,000 feet of vertical gain in the process. For foot races, the legendary Marathon des Sables, which starts in just two days, makes the list for its grueling six day, suffer-fest through the Sahara Desert.

I won't spoil the rankings or the top selection as the toughest race in the world, suffice as to say that several of the races making the list are ones that i write about regularly. Of course, a certain race that I have a bit of a soft spot for continues to be snubbed by these recent lists of "best" and "toughest" races. I think I need to talk to Don Mann, my boss at Primal Quest, and discuss making the race a bit more challenging. Obviously ten days of non-stop racing over a 600 mile course just isn't enough to cut it any more.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update:

We're just days away from climbers descending on Kathmandu, and in this eleventh hour they are no doubt hurriedly packing and picking up last minute supplies. Meanwhile, in the Nepal, another ritual of spring seems to be taking place, as the Maoist once again are disrupting travel in the country.

According to ExWeb, who posted their own Himalaya wrap-up today, unrest and general strikes in certain areas of Nepal, from Maoist rebels no less, are already having an impact on the region. It seems Nives Meroi and her husband Romano Benet have been forced to change their plans thanks to the protests. The duo had been planning on heading to Kangchenjunga, one of the three remaining 8000m peaks left for them to conquer, but apparently, Nives and Romano sent their BC team on ahead to begin preparing their campsite, and they were detained by the rebels and turned back. Looking to avoid conflict, the Italian climbers elected to switch mountains and head to Annapurna instead. Nives still needs a summit on Annapurna in her quest to become the first woman to summit all 14 8000m peaks. At the moment they are in Kathmandu, where they report a severe shortage of water and power, but they'll head to the Annapurna region by the end of the week, where they'll await their team and gear.

Also heading to Annapurna is Valeri Bavanov and climbing partner Victor Afanasief. They are also in KTM at the moment, and while they're all set to leave, and expected to be gone by now, they're having problems finding any porters to hire. Apparently a number of porters were expected in the city by now, coming from villages in the countryside, but they've also been delayed by the Maoist strikes. Valeri and Victor feel confident however that they will find the porters they need soon, and will head for the mountain, where they intend to climb the West Face this spring.

It looks like not everyone has given up on the North Side, as ExWeb is also reporting that a combined team of Indian and Tibetan climbers have been issued a permit to scale the mountain from that side. With the borders still closed, it remains to be seen if the Indian climbers will receive access, but perhaps they will get special dispensation due to the nature of their climb. Eight members of the team also intend to ski down from the summit following their successful climb. Considering how quiet the North will be this year, it is going to take a lot of work to fix the lines.

Billi Bierling, who will be climbing Everest with Himex this year, lives and works in Kathmandu, where she reports that there was finally some rain over the weekend, helping to bring down the amount of smog and dust in the air. That should help make it a bit easier for all the travelers who will be headed to the city soon, although if the water shortages are as bad as they seem, anyone heading there soon should be prepared for the worst.

Last week I briefly mentioned Lori Schneider, the woman who suffers with MS, but still has her sights set on an Everest summit this year. If successful, she'll also have bagged all of the Seven Summits as well. Today, Alan Arnette has posted a great interview with this very inspirational climber to his Everest 2009 page. Scroll down further and you'll find a letter to Alan from Ang Tshering Sherpa, founder of Asian Trekking, who has some interesting things to say about what's happening on Everest this spring, including the Eco Everest expedition that will be working hard to clean up the mountain.

Continue scrolling even further on Alan's page, and you'll find that we already know when Summit Day will be this year. According to Scott Parazynski, whose gone into orbit five times on the space shuttle, we can expect to see the first teams on top of Everest on May 14th. Of course, that's just his best guesstimate, and one that he's using on his schedule, but it's the best we've got right now. The fact that it's more than a month and a half away, and there are dozens of factors that will play into which date is actually picked, shouldn't matter at all. ;)

To everyone headed to the Himalaya this week. Have fun, travel safe, and drop by the Rum Doodle for me. :)

Lance Armstrong Breaks Collarbone in Spain

In a bid to continue his comeback in the sport of professional cycling, seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong was racing in the Vuelta a Castilla y León in Spain today where he suffered an accident not far from the finish line, breaking his collarbone in the process.

According to VeloNews , Armstrong was in a pack of riders flying over a rough patch of road in very close proximity to one another. One of the riders lost control, sending at least a dozen riders to the ground, including Armstrong, who was seen alongside the road, clutching his arm shortly there after.

Lance was taken to a hospital for an X-ray where it was determined that he suffered a "fracture of the third medio of the right clavicle", ending his ride in the Vuelta a Castilla y León for this year, and casting serious doubt in his ability to be ready for the Giro d'Italia, one of the major European cycling classics held in Italy each May.

The break is reportedly a clean one, and the Outside Blog quotes Astana team director, Johan Bruyneel as saying "Clean collarbone fracture without complications. Should be fast recovery."

For now, Armstrong will return home to the U.S. where he'll rest and recover for a bit. He won't be getting on a bike again real soon, but hopefully he'll still get a chance to ride in the Giro. It's a race that Lance hasn't participated in before, and I was looking forward to watching him compete in the three-week long event that often serves as a warm-up for the le Tour.

Get well soon Lance, and we'll see you back here in Austin in a few days.

Change in Schedule for Primal Quest

We've had a slight change in schedule for Primal Quest Badlands presented by SPOT this year. I posted an announcement to the PQ website this morning that the start of the race has actually been moved up one day to Friday, August 14th to help better facilitate the event. That also means that the race will now end on Sunday, August 23rd, as opposed to the following Monday. Should work out better for everyone involved.

We've posted a schedule with a few more details on the site, and looking it over, you can get a few insights into what is going to happen. For instance, we're going to load up the busses starting at 3 AM on Aug. 14 and teams will be shipped out to the starting line to promptly get underway at 5:30 AM. This is a completely different kind of start from Primal Quest Montana, in which the teams started off at mid-morning instead. And on the schedule for the 13th is a "Surprise Event". What could that possibly be? I'm not saying! But you'll notice that we're holding the maps and passports until after that event! ;)

On a personal note, I'm excited about the change in schedule. August 14th also happens to be my birthday, and this year is one of those monumental ones. I'm going to be turning 40 on the day the race gets started, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than to kick off Primal Quest Badlands. Should be a blast and I can't wait.

Spring Issue of JPFreek Magazine Now Available!

My friends over at JPFreek Magazine have passed along word that the Spring Issue is now available online. The issue is available in both a Flash Flipbook version and a downloadable PDF version as well, and it's crammed cover to cover with some excellent adventure stories.

I've mentioned JPFreek before. It's an online adventure magazine aimed at Jeep owners and enthusiasts who also happen to love outdoor adventure. In this current issue for instance, there is a great photo-story that is the second part of a transcontinental drive from Paris to New York that has some cool photos from the journey thus far. There is also an excellent story on hiking up Mt. Huashan in China, as well as another on off-roading in the French Alps. A little closer to home, well my home anyway, the JPFreek crew got together for a day to hit up Guadalupe Mountains National Park, here in Texas too.

I've had an association with the JPFreek team for awhile now, and I have to say that I honestly think the magazine just keeps getting better. Flipping through the virtual pages of this issue I was very much impressed with the great photographs that are on par with some of the much more well known adventure magazines out there. There are some great shots to go along with the interesting articles, and whether you're a Jeep enthusiast or not, I think you'll find something to enjoy here.

Great work guys! :)

Iditarod 2009: Changing of the Guard?

The 2009 Iditarod is pretty much all wrapped up by now, with the bulk of the mushers coming into the finish line over the past few days. By now, everyone knows that Lance Mackey won his third straight title, cementing his legendary status even more fully. But something else interesting took place in the race, with the emergence of some younger mushers who gave strong performances, giving us a glimpse of the future of The Last Great Race.

Not the least of these young racers is Dallas Seavey, whose father Mitch won the Iditrod back in 2004, and finished 4th this year. Dallas, who is just 21 years old, claimed a 6th place finish for himself this year. A former winner of the Junior Iditarod, the younger Seavey looks poised to leave his mark on the sport for years to come.

While Dallas is clearly the standout for the younger generation in this year's race, there are a number of other good mushers in their 20's and 30's who are now starting to leave their mark on the race as well. It seems the Iditarod has a bright future in front of it, if the competitive field is to be used as a gauge.

But before we clear out the "old timers", lets not lose sight of the fact that Lance is just 38 years old himself, and could continue to dominate the race for years to come.

Everest 2009: Czechs Get Ambitious in the Himalaya

A late Friday afternoon report from ExWeb give details on the plans for a Czech team that will be climbing Everest as a warm up for Annapurna.

The South Side of Everest continues to get more and more traffic, but Libor Uher and his Czech team won't notice, as they are planning to pass on the South Col to try their luck on the Hornbein Couloir instead. Alan Arnette is reporting on his Everest 2009 page that due to the North Side remaining closed though, the Czechs are already working on a contigent plan just in case. Few teams use Everest as a warm up, but that's just what Uher, along with Petr Masek, Radim Sliva, Petr Valchar and Ján Behun will be doing as once they finish up there, they'll head to Annapurna to attempt the East Ridge. According to ExWeb, they'll head to Nepal next Monday.

Meanwhile, Polish climber Piotr Morawski and his Slovak partner Peter Hamor, have plans of their own for the spring season in the Himalaya. Relaunching their "Triptychs" project, the two men will warm-up on Dhaulagiri before attempting a new route on Manaslu's West Face. At the moment, they'll share Dhaula with just a single team from Korea, as there are few announced plans to climb that mountain.

Finally, Alan also brings us a good story today about Lori Schneider, a climber with MS. Lori will be climbing Everest with Alpine Ascents and if successful, she'll claim the last of her Seven Summits.

Ten Great American Bike Trails

Forbes Traveler is back with another top ten list, this time offering up their picks for ten great America bike trails.

The trails that make the list come in a wide variety of lengths and styles. There are short trails, requiring only hours to complete, while others will stretch in length for days. Some of these are designed for road bikes for those looking to cruise, while others are technical and demanding, just the thing for the mountain bike crowd. The trails stretch across the country, and offer a variety of scenery as well.

Some of the routes that make the list include the popular Slickrock Trail in Moab, which is just 12 miles in length, but can require as much as 8 hours to complete depending on your skill level. For intermediate riders, they offer up the Katy Trail, found in Missouri, that stretches 225 miles along the Missouri River, in the path of an abandoned railroad line. And for the truly adventurous there is the Trans-America trail, which runs coast to coast from Yorktown, Virginia to Astoria, Oregon, a distance of more than 4247 miles.

With spring officially here, it's time to dust off the bike and head out on your favorite trail of choice. Perhaps one of the trails on the list runs near your place or better yet, maybe the story will inspire you to ride one of the longer ones yourself. Put some air in the tires, and get out on the road.

Fredrik Ericsson: Skiing the Three Highest Peaks in the World

Both ExWeb and Everest News posted stories on Fredrik Ericsson this week, highlighting the Swedish skiers plans to become the first person to ski down the three highest mountains in the world - Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga.

Ericsson, along with Italian Michele Fait, will head to K2 this June, with the Karakorum peak expected to be the most challenging of the three. Following a successful summit, the descent will feature five hours of skiing, covering more than 3600 meters, with angles as much as 50º at times, eventually coming to an end in base camp itself. If successful, Fredrik will then turn his attention to the other two mountains on his list.

As one of the premiere high altitude skiers in the world, Ericsson has already conquered Shisha Pangma, Gasherbrum 2, and Dhaulagiri. Last year, he reached as high as 7000m on Kangchenjunga before aborting his attempt on the mountain, and skiing back down from that point. If all goes as planned, he'll give that mountain another try this Fall, before turning his sights on Everest in the Spring of 2010.

Some of the numbers tossed about in these two stories on Fredrik's attempt to ski these mountains are mind boggling. Five hours of skiing in one descent? 50º angles? Scary and fun at the same time. Dangerous of course as well, especially following a long, arduous climb. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this in the months ahead.

The Rest of Everest Episode 103: A River Runs Through It

Another excellent new episode of The Rest of Everest with Josh Butson and Ben Clark joining Jon Miller to continue telling us all about their adventures on Annapurna IV, where they hope to not only summit, but also make the first descent on skis as well.

When the video opens, we join the guys, along with the third member of the third member of their team, Tim Clarke, in base camp. This episode is called A River Runs Through It, and we soon learn why, as a series of small trenches dug through BC and into the main tent itself, allowed for the free flowing of water thanks to the spring melt off, to make it's way down the mountain.

We continue to get a look at life in base camp for the team, as they prepare their gear for their assault on the mountain and share their thoughts on the climb ahead. The team is in good spirits as they discuss the challenges of high altitude climbing, with Ben talking about getting in the right frame of mind and having his body move and breathe on the mountain.

THe last six or seven minutes of the episode gives us great shots of the mountain and shows the team as they set off for their first acclimatization climb on Annaurna IV. It also gives us our first look at how they use their skis to help them climb as they "skin up" the slopes through deep snow. The video of the mountain itself looks great, and we can now expect to get into the meat of the climb.

Next week we'll get to see the process of establishing high camps on the mountain, which should be very interesting for those of us who follow these big climbs.

Jon Bowermaster's Dispatches From The Maldives

The man who never stays home (at least not for long), Jon Bowermaster is off once again, this time to the Maldives, where he is investigating the impact of rising sea levels on the tiny island nation which consists of more than 1200 islands spread out across the Indian Ocean south-west of India itself.

Yesterday Jon made his first dispatch from the Maldives, where the President has announced that he intends to make the country carbon neutral by 2010. The islands are a tourist paradise, and the place gets much of it's revenue from the tourism business, so the emphasis will shift now to ecotourism and a move away from fossil fuels and toward wind energy and solar power.

Predictions for the future of the Maldives are dire. With global climate change causing the polar ice caps to melt and sea levels to rise, the entire nation could be underwater by 2100. Because of that outlook, I put the country on my list of five places to see before they're changed forever, which I wrote at Gadling a few weeks back. If things continue as they are now, 80% of the islands could disappear before the end of this century, meaning that many of the 400,000 people who currently live there will be forced to find new homes.

Jon will be touring the area by boat and float plane over the next two weeks. Look for more dispatches on what is happening there right now in the days ahead. And be sure to checkout Jon's newly re-launched website, which has a great design, access to an amazing amount of information, and a simple to navigate layout. My favorite new feature? The "Where is Jon?" tab in the upper right corner of the home page. It tells me where he's off to in his ongoing adventures.

Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race Begins Tomorrow!

The Absa Cape Epic mountain bike race gets underway tomorrow in South Africa, with top riders from around the globe preparing to face off against one another in an eight day event that crosses more than 685km (426 miles) of African backcountry along the Western Cape. Racers will compete as teams of two, entering in the mens, womens, mixed (coed), and masters categories.

The race officially begins with a time trial prologue tomorrow that will have the riders battling it out to the top of Table Mountain, the iconic and dramatic, backdrop to Cape Town that is more than 3560 feet in height. Teams will be staggered in 30 second intervals as they head out on to the course hoping to reach the top in the fastest time.

On Saturday the race will have its first full stage, with six more to follow, that will put the riders out on true mountain bike trails. Over the course of the week they'll climb over 14,660 meters (48,097 feet) as they cover stages that range in length from 60km (37 miles) to 114km (70 miles). Judging from stage profiles on the course page, I'd say that the shorter stages make up for the difference in length with more challenging climbs.

All told there are over 600 teams signed up for this great event. It's going to be quite an endurance challenge for everyone involved, and they'll be racing through some of the best scenery anywhere in Africa as well. What a great place to ride, and South Africa has really become one of the top spots in the world for adventure sports events.

Thanks to Lisa over at AR.co.za for sending this my way. Both Lisa and I would like to let everyone know that we're looking for a sugar daddy and a sugar momma respectively to fund our entries into all these great events. ;)

And as a side note, this post marks my 3000th entry into the Adventure Blog. I think I need to get a life. :)

North Pole 2009: Catlin Team Gets Resupply and Back on the Move

Updates from the North this morning:

After remaining stationary for four days, waiting for the weather to clear, the Catlin Arctic Survey Team finally got their resupply yesterday, when a Twin Otter landed on the ice to deliver much needed food and other gear. Upon receiving the supplies, Pen, Ann, and Martin promptly got underway trying to make up for some of the time they lost while waiting for the plane. Conditions remain very cold, -40ºC and demanding, but they're happy to be on the move once again.

Christina Franco has updated her plans for the North Pole as well. You may recall that Christina had hoped to attempt to become the first woman to go solo to the North Pole, striking out form Canada a few weeks back. Unfortunately she was forced to abandon that quest when her stove suffered a double failure leaving her with no way to warm her tent or heat her food. She has quickly regrouped however, and will leave for Russia on April 2nd then on to Borneo on the 5th to begin a "last degree" trip to the Pole that will serve as a training for 2010, when she hopes to make another attempt at the solo journey. If everything comes together as expected, she'll be back out on the ice from April 10-21.

The Victorinox North Pole Team is reporting a lot of "new" sea ice as they make their way north, which they say is a lot less stable and melts more quickly, but is also free from snow, allowing them to ski much faster. As a result, they've been putting up good mileage the past few days covering as much as 6 nautical miles in a day. A few days back they also made a dispatch about how they navigate in the Arctic that is quite interesting. They talk about the lack of features and landmarks around them, and how they have to learn to trust their sense of direction and use the sun as a reference point. The wind can also be used, as long as you know the direction it is blowing, but it can be unreliable at times too. Finally, they talk about using a compass, but you have to figure out the difference between due North and Magnetic North. For instance, right now, the Magnetic North Pole is to the west of them, and it pulls the needle of the compass 77º off their actual course to the geographic North Pole. Interesting stuff, and another example of the challenges that these explorers have to overcome.

Finally, the Peary Centennial Expedition has enjoyed some flat and smooth conditions, paired with decent weather and temps as high as -20ºF. As a result, they've made good time and progress and have now crossed the 84th parallel. They have suffered a few minor equipment issues on their skis, but managed to repair them in the tent overnight, and should be good to go today.

Broad Peak Winter Post Mortem

Don Bowie has posted a good update to his blog today giving us all the details on his struggles to get off Broad Peak, and back to civilization following an attempt on Broad Peak in the winter.

Regular readers will remember that Don, and a team of excellent climbers, set out to the Karakorum back in December with the intent of claiming the first winter summit of an 8000m peak in that range. They struggled mightily for 70 days before bad weather, and dwindling supplies took their toll. The team decided to pack-up show, and head home. That was on the 24th of February. Don just got home last week.

In this blog post, he begins to tell the tale of the trek out from base camp. When you're on these big mountains, the climb is only part of the adventure, and when it's all done, you still have to hike your way back to civilization. That's not easy in best of conditions, as climbers tend to be exhausted and nursing a few injuries. Try doing it in the winter, with a couple of meters of snow on the ground too. On top of that, Don managed to sprain a ligament just five minutes after departing BC, and was left with days of walking, through deep snow, with a bum wheel.

He promises more of an update tomorrow to continue telling the story. Very interesting and compelling so far. Oh, and check out his video below to get an idea of what conditions were like on BP in the last few days there.


Boiler-Plate Ice Slopes from Calpinist.com on Vimeo.

Iditarod 2009: Mackey Into Nome!!

Lance Mackey has won the 2009 Iditarod, arriving in Nome this afternoon, and claiming his third straight victory in "The Last Great Race".

Behind Mackey, the race is on for second and third place. Both Sebastian Schnuelle and John Baker are through the White Mountain checkpoint and are on their way to Safety, the last stop before the reach Nome as well. Aaron Burmeister and Mitch Seavey, both of whom are into White Mountain, round out the top five. Mitch's son Dallas, an up-and-coming star in the world of dog sled racing, is on his dad's heals in sixth place.

Major congratulations to Lance on an impressive run. He seemed to bide his time early on in the race, while guys like Schnueele and Hugh Neff set the pace early on. But once Lance made his move, he was clearly the strongest racer in the field, and only the inclement weather kept him from crossing the finish line sooner.

For his part, Schuelle has run a very impressive race, especially coming off his Yukon Quest win. And although my track record for predictions this year hasn't been all that great (Jeff King is now in 18h place!), I'm still going to predict that Sebastian will claim second place when it's all said and done.

Keep watching the Iditablog for updates and information as other mushers reach Nome.

Everest 2009: Equipment Stranded in Tibet

ExWeb has posted another one of their Himalayan Updates today, which will no doubt become a staple in the weeks ahead. This particular one tells of a calm before the storm in Kathmandu, as climbers prepare to head to the Himalaya next week, hailing the start of the climbing season.

There are a number of interesting nuggets in this update, not the least of which is that Manuel Pizarro and André S. Rossin-Arthiat, two climbers slated for the North Side, have now switched their plans and will climb from the South instead. The political climate in Tibet has just made the prospect of a climb there seem to unsure. The problem is, much of their gear has already been sent to the North Side, and they've had to request that it be brought back to Nepal, and in a hurry. The climbers are hurriedly working on getting permits and setting up their plans for a climb from the South now. They're keeping their fingers crossed that all their gear will get back to them before the crowds start to arrive.

Meanwhile, Andrew Lock is in Kathmandu, and hopes to climb both Shisha Pangma and Everest this year. His latest updates says that the border between Nepal and Tibet remains firmly closed at the moment, and his expedition to Shisha remains in doubt. It is the only remaining 8000m peak for Andrew to summit, and he's hoping he'll get a crack at it. While he waits to see what happens around April 1st, when China has indicated they might reopen the border, he'll go to the Khumbu Valley for an acclimatization trek.

ExWeb is also reporting that Billi Bierling, a writer and journalist in Nepal, will be climbing from the South Side with Himex this year. In her latest blog post she notes that Kathmandu is smogged in at the moment, with no rain in sight, making it even dryer than ever. The city is in the midst of a water shortage and it sounds like things are beginning to get desperate. Billi also shares some details on her work with Miss Hawley, the famous archiver of all things Himalaya. Quite an interesting read.

In the broader Himalaya and Karakorum, ExWeb reports that Field Touring Alpine is not only putting together climbs on Everest this year, but have an expedition planned for K2 this summer, as well as permits for Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II as well. Busy year for the FTA gang!

Finally, Alan Arnette has brought us yet another good interview on his Everest 2009 page, this time with Paul and Fiona Adler, a husband and wife team who have both summitted Everest, Fiona in 2006 and Paul in 2007. They discuss what life's been like since their successful climbs, the use of technology while on an expedition, and a lot more. Good stuff.