Off To Oz!!

So, having been back from the Amazon a nearly unbearable six weeks (yeah! I know!) I simply have to head out on another adventure. I'm off to Australia this time, where I'll be exploring the Great Barrier Reef, hiking a rainforest (Yes, another one!), and taking in the local culture and activities in Queensland.

All kidding aside, I've been lucky enough to be asked to join a press tour heading Down Under for a week and a half, and I'm excited to visit another place I've never been. Internet access will be spotty for most of the trip, so I likely won't be updating much until after I return on June 5th. At that time, I'll resume regular postings and fill you in on more details on the trip as well.

Before I go, I want to thank V Australia for hooking me, and my fellow travelers, up with our airline tickets and Backpacking Queensland for showing us, what I'm sure will be, a great time while we're visiting. I'd also like to thank Julie over at Jam PR for hooking me up with some great gear to test out on the trip. When I get back, I'll be writing some reviews on new footwear from Keen as well as some other stuff from Outdoor Research. And finally, a big thanks to Cortney from REI for sending me a cool Traverse backpack to test out as well. I can already tell that it's going to fit my needs nicely, and I'll post some thoughts on it when I return as well.

Chat with you soon!

ASW Hosts Triathlon Clinic on June 5th

As part of the many events that will be taking place at Adventure Sports Week 2009, World champions Melanie McQuaid and Conrad Stoltz will be hosting a free triathlon clinic called the "Paul Mitchell XTERRA University".

ASW begins June 5th, a week from this Friday in Farragut State Park near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Over the course of the next ten days, the event will be host to a number of great races from trail runs, mountain bike rides, and several adventure races, with top endurance athletes such as Mike Kloser, Robyn Benincasa, and Danelle Ballengee on hand to share in the fun.

XTERRA University is being offered for beginners and experienced triathletes alike, as we can all learn something from Melanie and Conrad. Mel has won the XTERRA World Championship three times, and has been a consistent performer in athletic events for the past several years. She competes not only in running events, but mountain biking and road cycling as well.

Conrad is a two time Olympian who has also won the Xterra three times, and has won the All Africa Triathlon five times as well. A native of Africa, he competes in many events there, and has also been the South African Triathlon Champion five times too. He is widely considered one of the top triathletes in the world, both on or off the pavement.

This is just one of many great events that will be taking place at Adventure Sports Week. If you haven't seen something to draw you in by now, you probably never will. But it's not too late to register to race in one of the many events. Join the fun and have a blast in the process. Sounds like it's going to be quite the party!

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Summit Push is On for Nanda Devi!

The storm is still raging around Everest, with more than a meter of snow hitting South Side BC yesterday. Most of the teams on that side of the mountain have already evacuated, and are returning to Kathmandu, but in other parts of the Himalaya, there are still some on going climbs.

Last week I reported that the Polish Nanda Devi Team was preparing to make their summit bid, but unfortunately poor weather over the weekend put a premature halt to that attempt. But the team waited out the storm, and the weather window opened up on Monday, allowing them to begin their final push at last. According to the team's website, Jarek Woćko and Daniel Cieszyński are in the midst of their summit bid now, having set off from 6900m two nights ago. That means, that we could have news of a successful summit at any time. What a way to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first ascent on this beautiful mountain.

On the North Side of Everest it is being reported by both ExWeb and Alan Arnette that teams that were stranded in C1 yesterday are now back in base camp, and waiting to see if they'll get another crack at the summit. One team isn't waiting around though, as the Serbian team is already heading up, with an eye on topping out tomorrow. They figure it's better to battle the snow than the crowds I guess.

Finally, sad news from the Lhotse-Everest Traverse team, who were trying to make one last valiant attempt at achieving their very ambitious goals when the storm hit the region. The weather was too much, and the elected to give up on their bid to make the first successful traverse from the summit of Lhotse to Everest. On their descent, tragedy struck however, as Kazakh climber Sergei Samoilov was lost. Details are still a bit sketchy at this point, and I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the days ahead, but for now, my thoughts are with Sergei's friends and family.

The Top 20 Greatest British Adventurers

British newspaper the Telegraph has published an interesting list of the top 20 greatest British adventurers, making the bold statement that "When it comes to adventure, Britain really does rule." Of course, looking at the U.K.'s long history of exploration and adventure, it is hard to argue with that statement, but just to be fair, they limited the names on this particular list to the living.

It is difficult to argue with the names at the top of the list, that much is certain. Coming in at number one, is none other than Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who was given the moniker of "Greatest Living Explorer" by the Guinness Book of World Records, and has recently successfully topped out on Everest, on his third attempt, at the age of 65.

Close behind Sir Ran is another knight by the name of Chris Bonington, who is personally responsible for some of the most ambitious climbs in the history of mountaineering. At the age of 74, he's still exploring the mountains. The nod for third place goes to Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the world.

As if starting your list of top 20 adventurers with three men who have been knighted wasn't enough, the rest of the list reads like a "Who's Who" in the adventure world as well. You'll recognize plenty of names, like climbers Kenton Cool and Leo Houlding, as well as polar explorers from Ann Daniels to Pen Hadow, amongst plenty of others. Our friend Roz Savage makes the list as well, but someone will have to give her the news by radio, as she just set out on the second stage of her Trans-Pacific row.

All in all, a very impressive list. Any other single country would be hard pressed to put something together to match the likes of this group. Anyone want to give it a shot?

Expedition Africa Begins Sunday on History Channel

The History Channel is debuting a new show this coming weekend, called Expedition Africa which promises to be exciting summer time television for fans of adventure.

The show, which begins airing Sunday night, May 31st, at 10 PM Eastern/9 Central, will drop four explorers into the African bush, and challenge them to cover 970 miles, through some of the toughest terrain on the planet, following in the footsteps of famous adventurers Henry Morton Stanley and Dr. David Livingstone. Their journey begins on the island of Zanzibar and will continue, mostly on foot, deep into the heart of Tanzania. Along the way, they'll face wild animals, miles of uncharted territory, and plenty of other dangers.

The team of explorers on this expedition are not just four people who were hand picked from applications by a producer looking to fill slots on a reality TV show. These are experienced adventurers who have been on expeditions all over the world. They include Pasquale Scaturro, who led the first descent of the Nile from it's source. He is joined by Mireya Mayor, a wildlife expert and former host of "Ultimate Explorer", who has years of experience in the backcountry. Explorer Benedict Allen has survived in the jungles of the Amazon, and visited some of the most remote places on the planet. He's a bit of a survivalist, and his bio says that he has been left for dead on two occasions by former expeditions. Finally, the last member of the team is Kevin Sites, a journalist who has extensive experience covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I've got the DVR set to record the first show, where I'm told that conflicts for these four "Type A" personalities start to come out right away. I obviously haven't seen it yet, but judging from the previews, it seems as though the team is going to suffer mightily on this journey, and we get to come along for the ride. I'm looking forward to the amazing landscapes in Africa to play a role as well. This one should be a lot of fun!

Amazon Adventures #8: Camping in the Jungle

Another post on my journey to the Amazon has been published over at Gadling. Today I talk about the night I spent camping in the jungle, which was a unique experience to say the least.

The guide service I traveled with had a permanent camp established inside the rainforest, which included tents set-up on wooden platforms to keep them off the jungle floor. As you can imagine, the jungle was extremely damp and humid, and the ground was generally muddy, so in order to keep the tents in place, and keep them dry, the platforms were built. This also helps to establish a more permanent campsite in the sense that the jungle wouldn't be able to reclaim it so easily as well, and with the speed at which things grow there, that is an important consideration.

On my night in the jungle, we had a thunderstorm crashing overhead, and steady rain falling well into the early morning hours. That rain did little to effect the creatures that live in the jungle however, as the continued to make noises throughout the night, which meant that I fell asleep to the sounds of the rainforest while the storm continued over head. It was a surprisingly tranquil and soothing way to drift off, and made for a very pleasant night from my perspective, although some of my traveling companions were a bit more put off by the sounds.

In order to reach the camp, we had to trek for several miles into the jungle. This area of the Amazon was different from some of the other places we had hiked, and it offered more clearly defined "high ground". As a result, we came across trees that reached 70 feet in the air, and created a dense canopy overhead that let little light in, and prevented much of the rain from reaching the jungle floor. The size and scope of the place really hit home, and it was hard not feel very small.

Adventure Sports Week Adds Danelle Ballangee to the Roster!

Not content with having adventure racing legends like Robyn Benincasa, Mike Kloser, Ian Adamson on hand for Adventure Sports Week, event organizers have added Danelle Ballengee to the mix as well, as the event draws nearer to its June 5th kickoff at Farragut State Park in Idaho.

Ballengee is one of the top adventure athletes, male or female, in the world having competed, and won, such events as Primal Quest, The Raid, and the Adventure Racing World Championships. She has also competed and won numerous individual athletic events as well, and holds the woman's record for scaling all 55 of Colorado's "14ers" in an astonishing 14 days, 14 hours, and 49 minutes.

Danelle has been, for the most part, out of competitive endurance events for the past couple of years due to a terrible injury she sustained while training back in 2006. She slipped on ice, and went over a cliff, falling 60 feet to the ground below, breaking her pelvis and leaving her stranded there for 50 hours until her dog Taz went for help and led rescuers back. Since that time, she's undergone a number of surgeries, and had worked hard to return to action, taking pitstops to get married and have a baby. But in 2009, she's ready to start competing again and she'll do just that at ASW, where she'll also be teaching an adventure racing clinic along with Mike Kloser. ASW may mark her return to the sport, but I can assure you you'll be seeing Danelle competing again on the highest level soon.

Danelle is coming to Adventure Sport Week as part of Project Athena, an organization dedicated to helping woman achieve their athletic goals after dealing with breast cancer and other severe injuries and illnesses. It is a wonderful organization that was co-founded by Robyn Benincasa.

With just ten days until the start of Adventure Sports Week, it looks like the event is still on track to be an amazing experience for outdoor athletes. There are plenty of races for all levels of athlete and something that will appeal to everyone, and better yet, the early bird deadline of June 1st has not yet passed, so head on over to AdventureSportsWeek.com and sign up for a great event.

Mark Beaumont Begins Cycling Adventure

Mark Beaumont, the "Round The World Cyclist" who I wrote about last week, has set off on his next adventure, a long distance cycling expedition that will begin in Alaska and end when he reaches Tierra del Fuego sometime next February.

According to Mark's Twitter feed, he has set off from Edinburgh on a 20 hour flight to Anchorage, but not before he ran into some issues. It seems his flight was cancelled, and he ended up having to reroute from London to Seattle, but he is now on his way to the start of his ride.

In the months ahead, Mark will not only be covering more than 15,000 miles along the Trans-American Highway, but he'll also stop long enough to climb both Denali and Aconcagua, the tallest mountains on both North and South America. His entire adventure is being filmed by the BBC for an upcoming television show and you can read about his progress in the Cycling The Americas Blog as well.

I'm sure it'll be a few days before we hear anything about his start, and he may be headed directly to Denali before he even hops on the bike, but I expect that he'll be more than looking forward to hitting the open road soon. Should be a fun ride to follow.

Everest 2009: Storm Hits the Mountain

In yesterday's update I noted that the South Side of Everest was being deserted very quickly, with teams heading back down the Khumbu Valley to catch flights to Lukla. There was some talk of flight delays out of the area due to a storm that was moving in very quickly, and today we have news on just how severe that storm actually is.

Alan Arnette continues to update his Everest 2009 page with details from both sides of the mountain. His sources on the North Side are telling him that this storm is pretty bad, having dumped a meter of snow already, and with high winds, visibility is reduced to just 2-3 meters as well. A number of teams had planned on making summit pushes from that side of the mountain this week, with the hope of topping out on Thursday, but according to an e-mail to Alan from the Canadian Mad Frogs Team, those that started up the mountain are now stranded in Camp 1, waiting to for an opportunity to come back down.

I also posted yesterday that the Lhotse-Everest Traverse Team was at the South Col, hoping to give their expedition one final go. The new today is that they have abandoned that effort, and are now back in BC, and preparing to return to Kathmandu. The team is made up of some of the strongest climbers on the planet, but bad weather stymied their efforts at every turn, which has to have frustrated them considerably.

It seems that the Monsoon may have hit early this year, as most seem to believe that the climbing season is now over. In recent years, particularly on the North Side, there have been summits well into June, and there yet may be, depending on how the teams in Tibet feel once it stops snowing. But it's going to be a much tougher climb with all that snow on the ground, and their doesn't appear to be a weather window in sight at the moment. In fact, the next weather window might not be until September. Such is climbing in the Himalaya.

Amazon Adventures #7: Jungle Trekking!

Today's installment of my Adventures in the Amazon articles is up at Gadling. In this article I share my experiences trekking in the jungle, which, as you can imagine, was quite a different experience from zipping up and down the river in a boat.

It was a few days into my Amazon cruise before we actually stepped foot onto solid ground once again, but it was well worth it. Trekking through the jungle was quite the experience, with the dense forest closing in around us very quickly. We had to break out the machete at times to hack our way forward, despite the fact that there was a semblance of a trail there. I imagined what it would have been like for explorers visiting the region in the past, dealing with the thick foliage, not to mention the heat and humidity. I even said something to one of our companions about how the Spanish Conquistadors must have felt in metal armor, traversing the jungle, as we were hot and sweating in our quick-dry, microfiber high-tech gear designed to make us feel as comfortable in these environments as possible.

The best part about our treks was seeing the diversity of Amazon life around us as we walked. There were birds and monkeys and unique plant life aplenty, and while we saw much of that from the river skiffs, for me personally, there was no better way to immerse yourself in the jungle than on foot. You certainly wouldn't want to get lost though, as you'd probably never find your way back out!

Everest 2009: Season Coming to an End?

Saturday marked another round of summits on Everest, with Dave Hahn and the rest of his First Ascent Team successfully reaching the top of the mountain. For Dave, it was his 11th time up Everest, extending hisrecord for most summits by a non-Sherpa to 11.

First Ascent wasn't the only team to summit however, as Himex and IMG put climbers on top as well, including Billi Bierling, who has yet to update her blog to fill us in on the action.

Reports coming in now say that the weather window that has allowed more than 300 climbers to successfully summit, is slamming shut fast. Rain is headed to the area, and it's beginning to look like the Spring climbing season is now coming to a close. Most teams are reporting that they are on their way back down the Khumbu Valley, where they'll catch a flight out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. Alan Arnette is reporting that the weather may actually delay many of those flights however.

Speaking of Alan, he has updated his Everest 2009 page with a recap of the season this is a good read to review everything that went down over the past two months. Definitely a must read and it'll remind you of a few things you may have forgotten or have missed amongst all the news.

Not everything is done on Everest however, as the Lhotse-Everest Traverse team is back up on the mountain, and trying desperately to complete their mission before coming home. They report that it is cloudy and warm on the mountain, with low winds for now, but as I noted above, the weather window is expected to close soon. I'll post updates as they come in.

Finally, check out the video below of the second First Ascent team arriving back in BC. It recaps the season in video as well, and Peter Whittaker sums up nicely, saying "It's time to go home!"

Amazon Adventures #6: Dolphins!

My Adventures in the Amazon continue over at Gadling today, this time with trip to the confluence of the Ucayalli and Marañon Rivers, the two tributaries that come together to form the Amazon. It was at that location, drifting in our river skiff, that we watched the amazing freshwater dolphins swim all around us, while morning spread across the jungle.

Encountering the river dolphins was one of the best experiences I had while in the Amazon. The beautiful and playful porpoises were a blast to watch, as they broke the waters, often in twos or threes, all around our boat. There were two different species, the pink dolphin and a more traditional looking gray, and both were plentiful, although the pink variety were less likely to break the surface.

I could have stayed there, at the confluence, all day, watching those dolphins. Unfortunately, our time there was brief, and over far too quickly. But I was able to record video of the experience, which I've already shared here, but also posted with the story at Gadling. Watching it now, weeks after being there, it still puts a smile on my face. I hope it does the same for you.

Roz Savage Sets Out Tonight! Watch Launch Live!

Roz Savage, the ocean rower who has already conquered the Atlantic, and completed the first stage of a trans-Pacific row, will set out tonight on the second stage of her journey, departing from Hawaii at 5:30 PM local time. She hopes to reach Tuvalu, some 2,620 mile across open water. If you tune into her website at the time of her launch, you'll be able to watch her set out over a live webcam. For reference, 5:30 PM Hawaii time is 11:30 PM Eastern Time here in the States.

Last year, Roz launched this project with her solo row from San Francisco to Hawaii, covering 2324 miles in the process. If everything goes according to plan, she'll be setting out from Tuvalu next year for the third, and final, stage that will end when she reaches Australia. In total, she'll have covered more than 7160 miles.

In preparation for the second stage of her adventure, Roz has recently relaunched her website, with all kinds of update and information, including a feed of her Twitter posts. Of particular interest in the weeks ahead will be the RozTracker, which is an awesome tool to find out exactly where Roz is at any given time.

Good luck Roz! We'll be following along. Be safe!

Racing Across the Atlantic in a Rowboat!

In November of this year, a unique endurance event will kick off from the Canary Islands, when the Atlantic Rowing Race gets underway. Competing teams will set out to row across the Atlantic Ocean, covering 2900 miles in the process, and ending in Antigua in the Caribbean, facing 30 foot waves, dangerous storms, and shark infested waters along the way.

Approximately 10-20 teams are expected to enter the race, but at the moment, only one team from North America has taken on the challenge. The team consists of three men from Montreal - Alok Chowdhury, Robert Idsinga, and Mike Jirasek, who are already training hard and preparing for the race. They hope to complete the race in just three months time, averaging 24 knots per day.

Alok, Robert, and Mike will be undertaking this adventure to raise money for charity. They'll be rowing for the Children's Wish Foundation, a Canadian charity that specializes in making dreams come true for children with high risks health issues.

You can follow the team as they prepare for the race by reading their blog. They are also auctioning off a certificate to receive Lasik surgery to repair eyesight, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Children's Wish Foundation, and the other 50% as a fundraiser for their preparation for the race. The auction is running until the beginning of August, and you can find out more by clicking here. The team is still looking for sponsors to help them reach their goals, and to find out more about those opportunities, and to see the impressive list of sponsors they've already put together, check out their Sponsor Page.

Good luck in the race guys! We'll be following along in the Fall.

Rowing The Indian Ocean: Sarah Crosses 90º Longitude

Polar Explorers go off in search of the elusive 90º point. In their case, it is usually the end point of their expedition, as when you reach 90º north or south, you're at the respective Pole. But for Sarah Outen, who is in the process of rowing across the Indian Ocean, 90º is a completely different type of milestone.

Earlier today, Sarah crossed to the west of the 90º longitude on her 52nd day out from Australia. She is attempting to become the first woman to row across the Indian Ocean, and the youngest person to do so. She's also hoping to make the row in record time as well. If everything continues to go as planned, she'll finish her journey in Mauritius, off the coast of Africa, in another 50 days or so, give or take a week.

If she's going to set a new speed record, she'll need better weather than she's had recently. Storms battered her little boat, dubbed the Serendipity, the past few days, and Sarah was confined to the cabin for more than 40 hours. During that time, she also lost 18 nautical miles to negative drift, something that North Pole explorers can relate to as well. The intrepid 24-year old says she's not ashamed to admit that it was one of the scariest nights of her life, being stuck in the boat while the storm raged around her. The fact that she hasn't seen another boat in 36 days, didn't exactly inspire confidence either.

Still, today she seems in great spirits, having achieved this milestone, and she is moving ahead, each day bringing her a bit closer to her goal. While she does have a long way to go yet, each of these little tests that she over comes inspires her to row just a bit stronger.

Sarah also took a moment to send a shout-out to Roz Savage, who is preparing to set out this weekend on the second stage of her journey across the Pacific. I'll be writing more about that one once she gets underway.

The Gear Junkie Interviews Mike Kloser

The Gear Junkie has been keeping himself busy, as usual. When he's not busy reviewing the latest and greatest outdoor equipment for his Daily Dose blog, he's off on some adventure, like the Ragnarok 105 Bike Race. He's even found time to throw in a site redesign recently as well. Despite that busy schedule, he managed to track down adventure racing legend Mike Kloser for a brief interview.

GJ asks Kloser what he'll be doing in next month's Teva Mountain Games, what kind gear brands he favors in a race, and why Vail, Colorado is such a great place to live for a mountain biker. Mike happens to be a former world mountain biking champion, and he'll be using those skills in the Ultimate Mountain Challenge at the Teva Games. In that event, he'll have to run, paddle, and bike, both road and mountain, through a demanding course.

For those that don't know, Kloser is the captain of Team Nike, one of the top adventure racing teams in the world. He is also quite an individual competitor as well, taking part in a number of endurance events each year. His resume is quite impressive with wins in the Eco-Challenge, Primal Quest, and Adventure Racing World Championships. He has also been inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.

Everest 2009: More Summit Bids!

Another round of summit bids are on tap today, although traffic is a lighter on Everest. Weather reports indicate that winds have picked up substantially, although most teams are still going to make their attempts as planned. In his most recent update, Alan Arnette reports that winds are calm enough for teams to proceed up, but they are being cautious. With this shift in weather, we might be seeing the end of the current window, which has been so great up until now.

According to Alan, the team leading the way at the moment is First Ascent, with Dave Hahn at the front. Dave is going for his 11th summit of the mountain, which would add to his record of the most summits by a non-Sherpa. Over on the First Ascent blog page, which has been outstanding the entire climb, they are posting regular updates, including audio dispatches from the team.

Dave did tell ExWeb that some of the FA team assisted in a rescue on the South Side today, in which a number of teams aided an unnamed climber down. John Griber, along with our friend Jake Norton, suited back up and and assisted in the rescue, and from what I can tell at this point, the climber was brought down safely.

First Ascent isn't the only team going up in the high winds. The Eight Summits Team is also on the move, and were expected to make their summit bid today as well. Bill called in from C4 yesterday, exhausted, but happy with his performance, and ready to go up. Hopefully we'll hear positive news on a summit from this team as well!

Meanwhile, another rescue was conducted on the North Side, where the Summit Climb Team had one of their Sherpas aid in bringing down two climbers stuck in C3 who didn't have the energy to climb down on their own. The rescued climbers are expected back in C1 today, but the loss of the Sherpa and the effort put fourth in the rescue, caused a couple of Summit Climb clients to give up their bids.

Speaking of the North Side, Exweb is also reporting that there were several successful summits from that side of the mountain yesterday as well, with World Wide Vikings putting several climbers on top. Obviously news from the north has been a bit quiet this season, but there are still some teams there finishing their attempts, and for the most part, it has been a successful season there, despite the uncertain start.

Back on the South Side, IMG put 11 people on the summit yesterday, taking advantage of the fine weather while they could. You can bet that a Discovery Channel team was with them, capturing much of the climb. Discovery was also along for the ride with Himex, who made their final bid yesterday as well, although I haven't seen a list of who made it yet, and Bili Bierling isn't updating her blog either, possibly indicating that she isn't back in BC at the moment.

Amazon Adventures #5: Piranha Fishing!

Gadling has my latest entry posted on my adventures in the Amazon. Today I talk about our excursion into the backwaters to catch a few piranha, the little fish with big teeth.

As I mention in the article, the piranha's reputation is that of a killer, and while they can be very aggressive at times, Hollywood, and other works of fiction, have portrayed them as far more deadly than they actually are. Still, they do have teeth that can cause some serious damage, and they are very aggressive, and that aggressiveness makes them a lot of fun to fish for. They tend to hit your bait hard and fast, and with more strength than you would think out of something so small. They also have a nasty habit of cleaning your hook of bait altogether, and sneaking away without you even knowing they've been there.

We were luck to catch several piranha however, and I was fortunate enough to pull in three myself. We took our catch of the day back to our boat, where the crew grilled them up for us. Most of the other passengers elected to skip eating them, but I couldn't resist, and I can say without a doubt, they were very tasty. The only downside was that they are also quite bony, which resulted in a lot of work for a little meat. Still, definitely worth it, and if you ever head down to the Amazon, and find piranha on the menu, be sure to indulge. If nothing else, it makes a good story. ;)

Coming Soon: Film on the Tour d’Afrique

I've mentioned the Tour d’Afrique before. It's the 7350+ mile long bike race/expedition from Cairo to Cape Town that crosses ten countries and requires four months to complete. Well, according to the Wend Blog, there is a film coming out soon that chronicles what the Tour is all about. Entitled Where Are You Go, the filmmakers hope to bring the spirit of this adventure home for the rest of not lucky enough to take part in it. Check out the trailer below.

Giro Update: Stage 12 Shakes Up The Leaderboard

While my attention has mostly been focused on events in the Himalaya over the past week or so, in Italy one of the classic cycling races continues to unfold, with some great riders jockeying for the lead and the famed maglia rosa or pink jersey, that goes to the top rider in the Giro d'Italia.

Today was Stage 12, a time trial that ran from Sestri Levante to Riomaggiore, covering 60km (37 miles) through a technical and demanding course, up and down rolling hills and tested the riders at every turn. Heading into the day, Italian Danilo Di Luca had been riding in the pink jersey since Stage 5, but most felt that he couldn't hold on to it in a race against the top time trialists in the world. That proved to be true, but not as expected, as Di Luca did lose the jersey, but stayed within striking distance none the less.

At the end of the day, Russian Denis Menchov took the time trial, and the lead in the race. He now stands 34 seconds ahead of Di Luca, who now rides in second place, with American Levi Leipheimer just six second behind, and 40 seconds off the leader. There is some pretty heavy competition still within reach of the Giro title however, with guys like Franco Pellizotti, Carlos Sastre, Michael Rogers and Ivan Basso all within three minutes of the lead, and the roughest riding yet to come.

Tomorrow's stage will begin at the sea of Lido di Camaiore, near Tuscany and will proceed for 176km (109 miles) along the Mediterranean Coast to Florence. The course will be extremely flat and fast, with only one decent climb all day The sprinters are likely to have a field day, because after this, there will be no more sprint stages.

And in case you're wondering, Lance is riding in 12th place overall, more than six minutes off the pace, but nearly everyone says that he is improving steadily.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: More Summits and the Mountains Claim A Life

Lots more action today away from Everest once again with news on more summits, and the sad tale of another death in the Himalaya.

Lets start with the bad news first. Hungarian climber Levente Szabo lost his life on Manaslu after falling to his death on that mountain. Levente reached as high as 7800m before turning back for Camp 4, but along the way he slipped and fell. His body was found at 6800m where he was buried. My condolences to his friends, family, and climbing team. Two of his Hungarian countrymen did summit Manaslu however, with Zsolt Eross and Daniel Barna reaching the top of the 8156m peak. For Eross, this is his 8th 8000m peak.

On Everest's neighbor Lhotse, there are more summits to report today, with the news that a slew of climbers have gone up the past few days, including Xavi Arias, Domhnall Dochartaigh, Roger Danks and Josette Valloton. Xavi reports that it was extremely cold at the summit, which took it's toll on the climbers.

The Polish Team on Nanda Devi are reporting in today that that two of the climbers, Jarek Woćko and Daniel Cieszyński, have set off for the summit, following a short rest in BC. If the weather holds, it looks like they could top out in the next few days. Meanwhile, their teammates are all over the mountain fixing lines and making sure the camps are ready for their arrival. Great teamwork guys, and good luck on the summit push!

Over on Kangchenjunga, ExWeb is reporting that Edurne Pasaban and Alex Chicon have been successfully evacuated from base camp, and are now back in Kathmandu. They'll return to Spain tomorrow, where they'll be treated for severe frostbite in the Zaragoza hospital, which specializes in mountain medicine. After a similar experience on K2 a few years back, Edurne spent some time in the same hospital, recovering. Get well soon you two!

Finally, yesterday I reported that the Ski The Himalayas Team was packing up and heading home after an aborted summit attempt in the past few days. Two of the team members became ill, and conditions conspired against them to prevent the boys from reaching the summit of the 23,390 foot Baruntse. Ben Clark checks in with CNN to report on the lessons learned from this expedition and you can listen and watch on the video below. I love listening to Ben, both in these dispatches, and on The Rest of Everest, as he is so candid, straight forward, and always positive about his climbs, even when he doesn't achieve the summits. Keep in mind, he, and his companions, Josh Butson and Jon Miller, did complete the first ski descent of the mountain, so they have a lot to be happy about. Nice work guys, and great job knowing when it was time to go back down and head home.

Everest 2009: Ed Talks O's

Another good video today from the First Ascent Team, this time with Ed Viesturs discussing his decision to use bottled oxygen on this climb to the summit of Everest. You may recall that Ed has summitted all 14 8000m peaks without supplemental oxygen, and there has been some question as to whether or not he would do the same this time out.

As Ed explains in the video, the conditions were not right for him to go without the O's, and if you know anything about Ed, you also know that he's a very cautious climber who takes no chances. As a result, he bags his 7th Everest summit. The video also has some great shots of summit day, the mountain, and more. As usual, good stuff from the FA support team.

Amazon Adventures #4: Birdwatcher's Paradise

My latest story on my trip to the Amazon is now available on Gadling and you can find it by clicking here.

In today's post, I talk about the variety of bird life that was on display while we cruised the river and walked the jungle. I'm not an avid birdwatcher, but several of the others on the trip were, and really loved what they saw there. I have to admit, even as a non- "birder", there was still a lot to like. There were literally flocks of parakeets all over the place, and it was fun to see such colorful birds in their natural habitat. Hummingbirds were also a staple, and easy to spot, as they zipped around the jungle, barely bigger than insects. (In fact, I'm pretty sure that I saw some flying insects that were BIGGER than the hummingbirds!)

Over the course of the week or so that I spent on the river, I lost track of the number of bird species that we encountered. The Amazon is home to approximately a third of all the world's bird species however, so you can begin to get a sense of what what we saw there. From colorful macaws to prancing egrets and swooping nighthawks, there was plenty for birdwatchers to enjoy, and if that is your passion, I can highly recommend the Amazon as a travel destination. You will not be disappointed.

Everest 2009: Two Summits of Note

Yesterday was another very busy day on Everest, with reportedly more than 100 climbers going to the top from both the North and South sides of the mountain. The major teams have put at least one group on the summit now, and the weather has been outstanding the past few days. All of the climbers who went to the summit deserve a hearty congratulations for sure, and hopefully they're all getting down safe today. But there were two summits in particular that I wanted to spotlight briefly.

First, Apa Sherpa claimed his 19th successful trip up Everest, reaching the top while guiding a team up the mountain. That extends the record that he already held, and continues his amazing streak of 19 straight years of reaching the Top of the World. Simply outstanding. This article in the Salt Lake Tribune has more details on his climb. Apa notes that it was very busy and crowded on the mountain, with traffic jams at the Hillary Step, but he eventually reached the summit none the less, where he unfurled a flag that read: "Stop Climate Change, Let the Himalayas Live!" Congrats Apa, you're in inspiration to us all!

The other summit of note is from Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who reached the summit on his third attempt on the mountain. For the legendary British explorer, this is his "third pole" having already reached both the North and South Poles on previous adventures. In his two previous attempts, Ran was a bit more at the center of attention, as he climbed for charity and the media followed his every move. This time he stayed more under the radar, and concentrated on the climb, and it seems to have payed off well, although he was still climbing for the Marie Cuire Cancer Care fund, a charity near and dear to his heart. Personally, I was aware that he was in BC, but received no other news of how his climb was going.

The 65 years old Fiennes is said to have been very happy to have reached the summit, but is quoted as saying that he "felt dreadful", which is not at all uncommon for exhausted, sleep, and oxygen deprived climbers. Hopefully he is back down safe and sound this morning, and most likely planning his next adventure. Congrats Sir Ran! You're an inspiration as well!

More great stories from Everest to come I have no doubt.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Lhotse Summits!

While Everest continues to dominate the headlines, there is, as always, a lot of action to be had elsewhere as well. And if conditions are right on Everest, that means they are probably great on Lhotse too. ExWeb is reporting that there have been a rash of summits on Lhotse, where highlights include Gerlinde Kaltenbrunn claiming her 12th 8000 meter peak. That draws her even with Edurne Pasaban, who summitted, and has struggled, on Kangchenjunga these past few days. More on that shortly. Congrats to Edurne for a job well done.

Congratulations are also in order for Ralf Dujmovvits as well. With his successful Lhotse summit, he now has reached the top of all 14 of the 8000 meter peaks as well, and adds his name to the list that was expanded to include Denis Urubko last week. Awesome news here as well.

Meanwhile, I've been reminded that Edurne, Gerlinde, and Nives Meroi aren't the only girls in town. Polish climber Kinga Baranowska did her nations climbing heritage proud by topping out on Kangchenjunga a few days back as well. She was just a short time behind Edurne and reached the top without supplemental oxygen, claiming the fourth summit by a woman on that mountain. Very well done Kinga! She also dedicated the climb to the memory of Wanda Rutkiewicz, one of the greatest climbers, male or female, ever. Wanda is also from Poland, and lost her life on Kangchenjunga a number of years back.

Staying on Kangchenjunga, Nives Meroi was hoping to add her 12th 8-thousander summit to her resume as well, but turned back when husband Romano Benet took ill. Romano began showing the early signs of HACE and they thought it best to turn back. Nives says that no summit is more important to her than Romano, and they are back in BC at this time. No word if there will be another attempt yet this season.

While Edurne Pasaban may have claimed her summit on that mountain however, it sounds like she payed a healthy price for it. She finally made it back to BC today, even though her summit was three days back, and she is reportedly exhausted and suffering from frostbite in two of her toes and her thumb. She will reportedly be airlifted from BC tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that everything comes out okay.

Finally, the Ski the Himalaya team has posted another update on their website with news of a second summit bid by Josh and Ben. Earlier in the week the two men expended a lot of energy getting their third teammate, Jon Miller, of the mountain when he took ill, and it caught up with them a bit, with Josh hitting the wall on the second trip up. Without hesitation, they turned around and went back down, the expedition is over, and they're heading home. While they did not reach the summit on Baruntse, they did make the first ski descnet of that mountain, and I know that they had a blast while they were there, summit or no. And that's what mountaineering is all about. Great job guys!

Everest 2009: Big Day on the Mountain!

Lots of action on Everest again today, with more than 100 climbers expected to have headed up the peak from both sides of the mountain.

We've already heard from the IMG team today, with the news that astronaut Scott Parazynski successfully summitted, as did three women on the Singapore Women's Everest Team as well. All told, with clients and guides, IMG put 15 people on top of the mountain.

Meanwhile, Billi Bierling has turned over her blog to a friend while she begins her summit bid with Himex. They have left Camp 4 and are making their move on the summit as I write this, with a Discovery Channel camera crew in tow of course. Discovery has already posted video from the summit caught on their infamous "Sherpa Cam". Good stuff!

Apa Sherpa and his team have left the South Col for the summit as well. If he successfully reaches the summit, it will be his 19th time on top of the world, extending the record he already holds for the most by anyone person. The entire group left C4 at 9:15PM local time.

Summit Climb is reporting in from the North Side that five clients and five Sherpa topped out earlier today from the Tibetan side of the mountain. They go on to say that the weather was perfect, and nearly windless, and the climbers were on their way down to C3, with a second wave in place to go up tonight.

The Peak Freaks seem to have straightened out the issues they were having with their web server and are now posting updates again. They report that they successfully put 14 climbers on the summit yesterday and, and they are all down, and safe, in C2 today.

Finally, check out the video below from First Ascent. It is of Peter Whittaker calling in from the summit a few days back when he, along with Ed Viesturs, Jake Norton, and a few other team mates finished their climb. Good stuff.

'On Thin Ice' Expedition Announced for 2011

Although 2011 may sound like a long way off, it will probably be here before any of us knows it, and the world's top adventurers are already looking ahead in terms of planning their expeditions. One such adventure is just now coming to light, and promises to be an exciting one to follow in the months ahead, as well as when it finally gets underway in less than two years time.

Known as the On Thin Ice 2011 - Anglo-American Trans Arctic Expedition, this polar journey will see adventurers Ripley Davenport, of the U.K., joining forces with American Todd Carmichael on an epic relay to and from the North Pole.

Keep in mind that the logistics are still being worked out, and there is a lot of planning to be done, but the plan is for Todd to set out from Greenland from either Kaffeklubben Island or Cape Morris Jesup and head solo and unsupported to the North Pole. Upon reaching that point, he'll find Ripley waiting for him, and handing off the metaphorical baton, Ripley will begin heading south, also solo and unsupported, to Cape Columbia in Canada. In total, the two men will cover roughly 917 miles on their journey.

The duo has launched a website to support the journey, but as of now there isn't much information yet. Expect that to change soon, as I expect that this will be one of the expeditions that Todd announces at the Explorers Club event tthat I mentioned a few days back. The other, is likely to be his intention to cross Death Valley on foot, which is already posted on his webpage. Ripley isn't taking 2010 off either, as he has an expedition to cross Mongolia solo and unassisted on foot as well. You can see why this new expedition has to wait until 2011!

Expect to hear much more about this in the weeks ahead and as the details fall into place.

Amazon Adventures #3: On The River At Last!

The third installment of my Adventures on the Amazon series over at Gadling is now online if you're interested. In this edition I leave the jungle city of Iquitos behind and head out on the river for the first time. You can read the story by clicking here.

While I enjoyed my brief stay in Lima and the short time I had in Iquitos, I was definitely eager to get out on the river itself and see the amazing place that I had come to visit first hand. I think I spent the first two or three hours up on deck of our river boat, just watching the jungle slip by, snapping some photos as I went, and reveling in the fact that I was actually in the Amazon. It was a great feeling.

One thing I mention in the story is that I was amazed at how many people lived right on the edge of the water. I expected that once we set out from Iquitos, there wouldn't be many people to see, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong. Now, don't get me wrong, there weren't thousands of people lining the banks, nor were there large cities. Far from it But as we moved along upstream, there were regularly little huts, suspended on stilts, that lined the water way.

We also saw a lot of boat traffic that included barges bringing supplies down river to Iquitos and the river taxi carrying people to and from the "big city" and their smaller villages. But I was more fascinated with the small, wooden, hand-built boats that jungle inhabitants had made for themselves and used daily to get around the area. It was fascinating to watch, and as the days went on, and we wandered further and further into the Amazon backwaters, it was still surprising to come across someone paddling around, so far from anything.

More stories to come in the days ahead. Hope you're enjoying the posts so far.

More Info on the Alaska to Tierra del Fuego Bike Ride

Yesterday I posted a story on Mark Beaumont, a long distance cyclist who once completed a ride of 18,297 miles that circumnavigated the globe, finishing in an impressive 195 days no less. Mark is now in the final stages of preparation to ride from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, with a final destination of Tierra del Fuego. That trip will be a mere 15,000 miles in length and is billed as the longest unbroken ride in the world.

Today I have a few more links to the story that provide a bit more information about what Mark intends to do on his journey. Working in conjunction with the BBC, the Scottish cyclist has set up a "Cycling the Americas" Blog that he'll be updating as he goes, posting photos and stories from the road. You can also follow Mark on his Twitter Feed which is already up and running and has info on his current press tour to promote his next adventure, as well as the release of his book about cycling around the world. You can also learn more about Mark by going to his official website.

Mark's next journey is set to get underway in June and go until February of 2010. Not content to just ride the length of the Americas however, he'll also be attempting to climb Denali and Aconcagua along the way. Is an attempt on the rest of the Seven Summits in his future? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks to regular reader, and fellow adventurer, Carl Hancock for passing these great links along. Good stuff!

Everest 2009: First Ascent Summit Shots

The First Ascent Team has released some great photos of Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker going to the summit of Everest. Check out Ed standing on top of the world for the 7th time below, and then click here to view the rest of the gallery.

Racing The Planet: Namibia is Off and Running!

I failed to mention this one yesterday amidst all the excitement of the Himalaya summits, but definitely wanted to point out that Racing The Planet's new event taking place in Nambiba got underway on Sunday, with 214 competitors setting off to challenge themselves on a seven day, six-stage foot race through the southern reaches of that country.

Like the other Racing The Planet events, such as the 4 Deserts Ultramarathons, competitors must be self supported while out on the course, carrying their food, water, and other supplies with them while they run, hike, trek, and jog, through the demanding remote terrain. The course is 250km (155 miles) in length and winds through desert landscapes where temperatures exceed 120 degrees on a regular basis.

As of today, three stages are in the books, with competitors averaging more than 22 miles a day so far. At the moment, Spaniard Calvo Redondo Salvador Calvo leads all competitors, with Ryan Sandes of South Africa in second, about 20 minutes back, and Marco Olmo of Italy in third. Lucy Hilton of the U.K. is the top female, holding down the 4th spot overall.

This looks like another great event for Racing The Planet, who have branched out from the 4 Deserts races which have been so popular and successful for them the past few years. Last year they held an event in Vietnam, and in addition to their races in the Gobi, Sahara, and Atacama Deserts, they'll also have a race in Australia next spring. Sadly, the Last Desert Marathon, traditionally held in Antarctica is not listed on their schedule at this time. Hopefully it'll make a return though.

Cyclist Prepares to Ride from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego

Scottish born long distance cyclist Mark Beaumont is barely home from his last adventure, a 195 day odyssey that saw him riding his bike 18,297 mile around the world, and now he's preparing for his next. The last trip saw him circle the globe, while this one will have him riding from Alaska all the way to Tierra del Fuego, at the southern most tip of South America.

Mark's around the world ride ended in February of 2008, and he's been home since, putting the finishing touches on a book about the experience, and preparing for this next adventure which he hopes to get underway soon. The journey from Alaska to the tip of South America is called the longest unbroken ride in the world, as he won't have to cross any oceans this time out. The entire ride will be filmed as a documentary as well, capturing everything he has to endure along the way.

This article, which has a few details on the ride, says that on his last record-breaking expedition, Mark was "knocked off his bike, robbed by crack addicts and targeted by road-rage drivers", and all of that probably occurred right here int he United States!

Should be a great ride. Good luck and have fun Mark. And thanks to the GoBlog for the heads up on this one. Much appreciated boys!

Aconcagua: The Everest for the Rest of Us

If all of this summit talk on Everest, and throughout the Himalaya, the past few days has you inspired to climb a mountain, then perhaps you should consider Aconcagua, which Men's Journal calls the Everyman's Everest.

The 22,834 foot mountain is located in Argentina and is the tallest mountain in South America. Considered one of the Seven Summits, it also happens to be the tallest mountain in the world not found in the greater Himalaya range. It offers an actual mountain expedition, spread out over a couple of weeks, that is more of an alpine style approach, but still offers a mountaineering experience that is challenging and rewarding.

In this case, the author, Tim Sohn, had a some expert help getting to the top. He climbed with Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittaker (who just summitted Everest earlier today), along with ten time (soon to be 11!) Everest summitteer Dave Hahn. Who could ask for a better crew to shuttle you up the mountain? The expedition was an early test for the new line of First Ascent gear from Eddie Bauer.

The article does a good job of showing the approaching to climbing Aconcagua through the eyes of a guy who is in reasonably good shape, but had never been higher than 14,500 feet before. He also had just one month to prepare for the expedition, when typically 3 or 4 would be better. It's interesting read for armchair mountaineers to understand what goes into this type of climb before they set out for one themselves. Reading this may have you plotting a trip of your own soon enough. :)

Crossing The Bering Sea with Jon Bowermaster

The man who never stays home, Jon Bowermaster is off again on another adventure, this time crossing the Bering Sea from Tokyo to Alaska. For Jon, this trip is a return to his roots, a place where ten years ago his Oceans 8 project got underway while exploring the Aleutian Islands with three friends in sea kayaks.

Now, a decade later, he returns to the region to explore the culture of Japan, before moving on to the remote northern islands of that country. From there, he'll set off to Kamchatka, and then on to the Aleutian Islands once again, where he'll face "some of the most beautiful and roughest waters on the planet."

Bowermaster is already in Japan, having arrived late last week following a nearly 14 hour flight from New York. In his first dispatch, he comments on that very long flight, and arriving at his destination at last, just to be told to stay seated so everyone could be checked for the Swine Flu before exiting the plane. A sign of the times I suppose.

The second dispatch followed a few days later, with Jon, and his companion Alex Nicks, visiting the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, the world's largest auction house for tuna. As someone who takes a deep interest in the health of the world's oceans, the market is of great interest to Jon, in no small part thanks to its size. The place is massive and sells more than 400 different types of sea food on any given day.

Finally, the third dispatch was sent just yesterday, and it offers up even more details on the tuna auctions themselves. The auction comes fast and furious, with the giant fish being completely bought up in less than half an hour. With in minutes of the purchase, they are on a chopping block, and being cut to be sold in a variety of ways.

Check back in the days ahead, as Jon and Alex work their way through Japan and then return to the water, where they'll be exploring the remote places that we love to hear them report on. It should be another interesting set of blog posts.

Amazon Adventures #2: A Trip to the Market

My second post on Gadling covering my trip to the Amazon is up this morning and available for your reading pleasure. Today I write about a trip to an outdoor market that we visited in the Belen District.

If you've ever visited an outdoor, open air market in a foreign country, you've probably seen some similar sights, although in Belen it was very hot, muggy, and crowded. While I was there, it was Palm Sunday, so many people were picking up goods for the family meal, and there was plenty for them to choose from, that's for sure. We saw, at various stalls, dozens of different kinds of fish, beef, caiman, and even monkey meat for sale. There were also more types of fresh fruit than I've ever seen in my life, many of which I couldn't even identify, and there were plenty of other unique items as well, like hand rolled cigarettes, with locally grown tobacco and a variety of home brewed beverages too.

There was even an entire section of the market devoted to home remedies that were made using plants from the jungle. Looking at the re-appropriated plastic Coke bottles filled with strange looking liquids didn't exactly inspire me to want to try them, but the proprietor of the little booth we stopped at swore she had potions and elixirs to restore hair, cure nearly any ailment, and even get your significant other "in the mood".

It was definitely an interesting place, and the jungle culture was clearly on display. Most of the items for sale had been gathered close to Iquitos, and brought in to be sold, so even in that large city, the jungle still played an important role in providing what they needed.

Everest 2009: Summit Teams Back at the South Col, More Teams Headed Up!

It was a very busy day on Everest, as you probably noticed if you were following my Twitter feed. The Adventure Consultants topped out and have made their way back to the South Col, as have the First Ascent Team, which put Ed Viesturs, Peter Wittaker, Jake Norton, John Griber, and Gerry Moffat on the summit yesterday at 8AM local time. For Ed, it is his 7th time on top of the world and for Peter his first. Congrats guys! Well done. All four are back in C4 and resting at the moment. Check out the video of them reporting in from the summit below.

As for other teams, the Peak Freaks were expected to make their push yesterday as well, but thanks to the untimely demise of their web server, there have been not updates yet on their progress. We can only assume that at least some of them reached the summit, as conditions were reportedly excellent, without a cloud in the sky. We do know that the Summit Climb Team topped out though.

Today, we can expect more summits, as IMG is heading up, and Discovery Channel is coming along for the ride. We can only assume that Himex won't be far behind.

There is no word yet on exactly how many climbers reached the summit, and it may be awhile before we know for sure. But you can expect that there will be a lot more reports over the next few days and on into the weekend, as teams take advantage of this weather window while they can. Congratulations to everyone, now complete the climb and get down safe.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Action on the Other Summits!

While all eyes are trained on Everest, and the teams making their push, the rest of the Himalaya has seen plenty of action as well, including summits on other mountains over the weekend.

Lets start on Kangchenjunga, where Edurne Pasaban topped out over the weekend, earning her 12th 8000m peak in the process. That puts her, at least momentarily, in the lead to become the first woman to nab all of those mountains, but Italian Nives Meroi is also on the mountain, and should summit in the next few days as well, giving her her 12th peaks of the 8-thousnders as well. And, lets not forget Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, who is in C3 on Lhotse, and looking for her 12th in the next few days too. If all goes according to plan, they should all have just two mountains left after the spring season.

On other mountains in the range we're told that high winds have had an impact. On Manaslu for instance, teams were forced to stay in C3, although a weather window is expected to open tomorrow, clearing the way for the summit. The team attempting the West Pillar of Makalu were also forced back due to high winds as well. This was their second attempt, and they'd like to make a third, if time and weather permits. The Spanish team on Cho Oyu is also calling it quits after another failed attempt. They went as high as C2, but high winds prevented them from going higher. They're now going home, a bit disappointed.

The Lhotse-Everest Traverse team, who left C4 last Friday, turned back from the summit and returned to BC, but are preparing to go up again. Apparently weather turned for the worse as the afternoon wore on, and they felt it best to go down and wait for a new opportunity. When they make their next attempt, they'll find fixed ropes almost to the summit, courtesy of the other Kazakh team they were climbing with.

The Polish Team on Nanda Devi continues to work away on the mountain as well. They're into their third week now, and have shared some great photos from BC, ABC, and further up the mountain itself. The team hopes to complete their summit push soon, and the weather is reportedly very good.

Finally, the Ski The Himalaya team has posted an excellent account of their first descent of Baruntse. You may recall that last week I posted that the team had turned back just below the summit and skied down the mountain for the first time. They promised more details and they delivered. Ben Clark's dispatches are always fun to read, and this one doesn't disappoint either. The team is hoping to make one more push to the summit before coming home as well.

Everest 2009: Teams Above The Balcony, Summit in Sight!

Lots of action today on Everest as winds have abated enough to allow the climbers to make the first mass push to the summit of the season, with the big teams already making their bids. Updates have been coming fast and furious in the past few hours and I expect them to continue into the evening.

If you're following the climb then make sure you head over to Alan Arnette's Everest 2009 page for the latest news and updates. Alan has been closely monitoring the activity all day and has already made two new updates since this morning. Allan is reporting that more than 100 climbers are on their way to the summit at the moment. The trail is reportedly in good condition and mostly free from snow. Alan also notes that a Japanese team has already reached the summit from the North Side today, lest we forget that there are teams on both sides of the mountain.

I have received two updates from the Adventure Consultants team today, the first announced that the team had left C4 for the summit, and the second, most recent, has them now above the Balcony. One of the Sherpas reported into BC that the team was progressing very well, the weather was great, and the trail very easy. (Relatively speaking of course!)

Meanwhile, the First Ascent Team has sent their first two climbers to the top with Ed Viesturs and Peter Whittacker now above C4. Obviously these two guys have a ton of experience, and if anyone will top out today, it will be Ed and Pete. They are reportedly about 3-4 hours behind the crowds that set out ahead of them.

Some of the other teams are holding off and letting the crowds pass through. For instance, IMG is about a day behind the current group, hoping to move up to the South Col tomorrow. Likewise, the Eight Summits team has posed their schedule, and they look to top out this coming weekend, and the Himex Team seems to be biding its time as well. Of course, both Himex and Discovery are being shadowed by the Discovery Channel climbing crews too.

Everyone hold tight. The summits are finally upon us, and we should be hearing a lot of reports later in the day. It's presently, as I write this, about 3AM in Nepal, with some hours to go before the teams stand on top of the world. But it seems likely that many will do just that in just a short time.

Everyone climb safe, enjoy the view, and remember that the summit is only half-way home.

Todd Carmichael at the Explorers Club!

Polar explorer Todd Carmichael sent out a dispatch today announcing that he'll be in Philadelphia at the DownTown Club for an event entitled "Poles Apart: Trekking Unsupported to the North and South Pole", in which Todd will be joined by Jeff Mantel who has made the journey to the North Pole. Todd will, in contrast, discuss his experiencing heading South.

The event is set to take place on Tuesday, May 26th (That's next week!) and will cost members of the Explorers Club $40 and $45 for non-members. That price includes dinner, dessert and coffee, with a cash bar available as well. You can find out more about the event in Todd's latest dispatch.

Perhaps of more interest for those of us who can't be in attendance next week, is the note that Todd will announce not just one, but two new expeditions at the event. The front page of Todd's website notes that he will next attempt to cross the entire length of Death Valley National Park, solo and unsupported, including no caches. Death Valley is, of course, one of the hottest, driest, and lowest places on Earth, and while it'll obviously be an extreme change in condition from the South Pole with the heat, Antarctica is a dry desert as well.

I have a bit of insight into what the second expedition is as well, but I'm not at liberty to say just yet. Make no mistake though, it's a good one. :)

Amazon Adventures Begin at Gadling!

Just a quick note to everyone that my series of posts on my travels to the Amazon has begun over at Gadling. My first post, which can be found here, is an introduction to Iquitos, the jungle city that I traveled to, which served as the launching pad to the Amazon River and Jungle. The city is a fascinating place and is the largest city in the world that is inaccessible by road, forcing travelers to come by boat or plane. It's also still steeped in tradition and jungle culture as well, which added to its allure.

Over the next two weeks I'll be posting more stories about my trip, each focusing on different aspects. For instance, tomorrow I'll write about an very unique open air market that I visited there and in the days ahead I'll talk about piranha fishing, trekking in the jungle, and much more.

I'll try to post a link each day to the new stories and I hope you find them interesting and fun as I share my experiences along the way. Feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions or if you're inspired to go yourself and want to know more about how to get there and what you can do there. I'd love the feedback and exchanging of ideas. I hope you enjoy my Adventures in the Amazon, as the series is titled. :)

Adventure Quickies!

Sorry about the lack of updates today, but the day job had me confined in a single meeting for ten hours, and I'm just now catching up on a few things before I go pack my back for Chicago where I'll be hanging out with the Gadling blogging crew for the weekend. But before tha happens, I wanted to post a couple of quick stories.

First up, ExWeb is reporting that Denis Urubko has topped out on Cho Oyu today, claiming the first summit on that mountain of the season. For the Kazakh climbing legend this is his 14th 8000m peak, which means he has added his name to a very elite list of men who have claimed all of those summits. Denis went up the unclimbed South East face on Cho Oyu in a single push, alpine style, and is reportedly safe and sound back in BC. Congrats Denis! Well done!

On Everest, things are proceeding according to plan, with teams still moving up the mountain and getting into position to take advantage of a possible weather window this weekend. Summits are expected to begin taking place this Sunday and Monday, although teams are keeping an eye on the winds, as they could kick up in the next few days, preventing summits once again. On the North Side, it looks like Summits could be in order for the end of next week, possibly starting on the 21st.

Meanwhile, the Ski The Himalaya Team is back in BC after turning back below the summit. They promise more information soon, but you can checkout the video interview from CNN below. They did make the ski descent they had hoped for, even though they didn't top out, but they aren't quite done with Baruntse yet, and intend to go back up for another attempt on the summit via a different route.