Himalaya Fall 2009: Expedition List Announced

With the summer Karakorum season now behind us, and the monsoon moving off, the mountaineering world is now turning back towards the Himalaya and big peaks there, including Everest. The fall season will get underway soon, with modestly sized teams making their way to Kathmandu for a decidedly different experience than found there in the spring.

ExWeb had just posted the first edition of the Fall Expedition list, and as usual, it has some very interesting climbs. For instance, Basque climbers Alberto Iurrategi and Juan Vallejo are headed back to the North Side of Everest to attempt the Hornbein Couloir in alpine style, while Simone Moro has his sights set on a new route along the South-West Face of Cho Oyu.

A couple of climbers will be hoping to finish off their remaining 8000 meter peaks, including Andrew Lock who needs Shisha Pangma to join the list of men who have topped out on all of those mountains. That list may not remain exclusive to the male gender for much longer however, as Korean climber Oh Eun-sun has her sights set on Annapurna, and if successful, she'll become the first woman to summit all 14 8-thousanders.

As usual, this list will probably be updated in the days ahead, as more expeditions firm up their plans and announce their last minute details. There are plenty of commercial teams making their way to the Himalaya as well, as the begin to lay the groundwork for Everest attempts next year. While the Fall Season isn't nearly as busy as the spring, it still holds plenty of excitement, as it seems that the climbers that are there are hoping to push the envelope a bit further without the crowds to get in the way. Should be fun to watch as usual. Lets hope everyone stays safe in the week ahead.

Paddling from Portalnd to the Pacific for a Cause

The Wend Blog has a story up this morning about kayakers Andy Maser and Daniel Fox setting out on a little paddle on the Columbia River that will see them making the 130 mile journey from Portland to the Pacific Ocean.

The two men are making the journey to benefit a three different organizations, including the Disabled American Veterans, Team River Runner, and the We Love Clean Rivers project.

The duo will be blogging about the trip on the iWend website, posting updates as they go. You can also follow their progress at SPOT Adventures as well, where you can chart their progress and watch them roll down the river over the next few days.

It should be a fun expedition to follow along with, and expect plenty of good updates and photos from the journey. The fact that they are doing it for those three great causes is just icing on the cake. `

Gear Box: Keen Newport Backpack

I recently got my hands on the Newport backpack from Keen, who are more famous for their light hiking and water shoes than their packs. None the less, the Newport immediately gave a good impression, that would end up being a lasting one, albeit with a few caveats.

The first thing that struck me when I began using this backpack was the great build quality. The materials are all solid and wear well, and the zippers are thick and solid in every regard. The fabrics are water resistant and tough, and there are lots of nice little touches, such as a rubber bottom that will help keep the contents of the pack dry and an easy to use draw system that keeps your gear in place. The fact that the bag is made out of nearly 100% recycled materials, including the aluminum frame and interior lining, makes it even more impressive. This bag is both environmentally friendly and well constructed.

The Newport is definitely a versatile pack, trying to offer a little something for everyone. The inside has both a laptop sleeve and a hydration bladder pocket, showing Keen's commitment to making a pack that is both urban and trail friendly. There is also plenty of space, both in the main compartment, and a nice, large exterior pocket that is lined with soft cloth to protect what ever items you put inside of it. A small mesh pocket on the inside rounds out the storage options, although there is also a nice exterior space for carrying shoes or a bike helmet as well.

Personally, I found the Newport to make a better commuter pack than one designed for the trail. Make no mistake, it can straddle the line between the two quite nicely, but I wasn't overly fond of the hydration tube port, nor the way that you could integrate that tube into the shoulder strap. That's a minor thing when you're using the pack around town, but can make for an annoyance when out on the trail all day. It felt a bit like hydration pack integration was a bit of an after thought.

The styling of the pack is one of the things that set it apart, and one look at it, and you can tell that it has been designed by Keen. The Newport closely resembles the Keen sandals that share its name, and while some find the design a bit off putting, I personally liked it and the way that it fit in with Keen's other designs across its product line.

Overall, the Newport backpack is very nice, and I recommend it highly. Especially for anyone looking for a new urban/commuter pack or a travel pack for carrying on an airplane. I do think there are a few better options out there for the trail, but if you're looking for a single, versatile pack that can be used in multiple environments, this pack will pull double duty reasonably well too. I love the fact that it is an Earth-friendly piece of gear too, which makes it even easier to recommend. The MSRP on the Newport is $100, which is a reasonable price to pay for such a well built and designed pack that will last you for years.

All of the above said, the highest compliment I can give this backpack is that it ha snow replaced my usual urban pack that I've had for years, and was long overdue for retirement. I've finally found a worthy successor. Thanks Keen!

Ocean Rowing: Roz Changes Course

We'll stick with the nautical theme for the day, and check back in with Roz Savage, who I haven't written about for a few weeks time. Roz is still out on the water, and is still working away on the second stage of her attempt to row solo across Pacific, but it has not been easy for her in recent days, and circumstances have conspired against her, forcing her to change her course away from Tuvalu, her intended destination.

Conditions out on the water have been extremely challenging for Roz of late. Westward drift has pushed her further than she had expected, and even using the sea anchor has not been all that useful at halting her slide. Now normally, you'd be thinking "Isn't westward drift a good thing when crossing the Pacific?" and you would be right, unless you're trying to hit a very specific target, like the island nation of Tuvalu. Roz has now drifted so far west that it'll be almost impossible for her to continue moving south and reach that nation. So, in her latest dispatch, she has announced that she is no longer attempting to reach Tuvalu at all, and will instead head towards Tarawa, another tiny island in the Pacific.

This announcement is a bit disappointing for Roz, who had hoped to arrive in Tuvalu as a way of bringing awareness of global climate change to a nation that is already being directly effected by that change. But, Tarawa is now well within her sights, and is just 300 nautical miles away, meaning she should arrive in the next week or two. According to the RozTracker, she has now been at sea for more than 95 days and has traveled 2747 miles, using approximately 1,161,981 oar strokes to cover that distance.

So, it seems that Stage 2 of Roz's journey will come to an end soon. And with this change in location, her journey next year, on Stage 3, will be altered as well. But, such is the life of an ocean rower, who must adapt on the fly and be prepared for anything. Knowing Roz, I'm sure she'll have an optimistic spin on things and will take it all in stride. For now though, I'm sure she's just glad to be on her way to dry land again.

Court Delays Laura Dekker's Sailing Aspirations

While we're on the subject of solo-circumnavigation attempts, we've got an update today on Laura Dekker, the 13-year old girl who Dutch authorities took into protective custody a few days back to prevent her from setting out on her on solo adventure.

A panel of three Dutch judges has ruled that Laura's plan is "undeniably daring and risky" and has mandated that the teen under go psychological evaluation to determine her readiness for such a voyage. The state will maintain guardianship for two months, while she undergoes the evaluation to determine if she will be allowed to go after her dream of sailing solo around the world.

In some respects, this is good news for Laura. The two month delay will mean nothing in the greater scheme of things, and if she can convince them that she is both physically and mentally prepared for the challenges she'll face at sea, it seems she'll be allowed to make the voyage on her 26 foot yacht dubbed the Guppy.

It'll certainly be interesting to see how this case plays out. I personally still feel she is too young, even if the Dutch officials rule that she can go. She wouldn't be allowed to drive a car in most countries, and yet they're talking about turning her loose on the open seas, facing storms, high winds, mechanical failures, and worse. I guess we'll have to wait until October to find out if she can make the attempt.

Mike Perham Completes Solo Circumnavigation, Now Youngest To Do So

The race to be the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world continues, but the bar has now been set even higher, or in this case lower I suppose. British sailor Mike Perham reached the end of his circumnavigation attempt yesterday, successfully completing the 28,000 mile journey in just nine months time. He now lays claim to the title of youngest person to sail around the world, besting Zac Sunderland, who finished his circumnavigation in July, by just a few months.

Perham made his voyage aboard a 50-foot yacht designed for racing named the TotallyMoney.com after his major sponsor. This is a bit of a contrast from Sunderland, who purchased and restored his own 36-foot boat, and mostly funded his journey himself. Still, Perham did face plenty of challenges along the way, including a broken auto-pilot and incredibly difficult weather conditions.

Interestingly enough, Perham and Sunderland crossed paths on their journey, bumping into one another in South Africa. I'd guess that was quite an interesting conversation, sharing notes and thoughts with one another. They're both in an exclusive club of young circumnavigators, and Perham even stopped off to visit Jessica Watson in Australia on his way past. At 16 years of age, she hopes to set off later this year for her own attempt to solo sail around the world.

Of course, if 13 year old Laura Dekker has her way, she'll be the one going after the record soon. I still contend that 13 years old is too young to go on a solo voyage around the world, but we'll see how that plays out down the line I suppose.

Find more about Mike at his official website.

The Rest of Everest Episodes 111 & 112: Closing The Annapurna IV Expedition

Still catching up on all kinds of things after being away for two weeks, and one of the things that I'm working on is getting caught up on two episodes of The Rest of Everest that were released while I was away. When I last left off, Ben and Josh were high on Annapurna IV, the 24,688 foot mountain that they've been attempting to climb and then ski back down for the past number of episodes.

Episode 111 is entitled Onward and Downward, and it mainly focuses on the team returning to base camp and packing up their gear in preparation to leave. At the end of the expedition, there is a bit of a subdued feeling, as it is now time to go home, but without a successful summit under their belt. With the gear packed up and ready to go, Ben, Josh, and Tim return to the Annapurna Circuit for the long hike out.

Episode 112 is the last of the Annapurna IV episodes, aptly titled The End of the Annapurna IV Expedition, shows the guys returning to Pokara, where they decide to have some fun before they have to head home. So, they rent some motorcycles and scooters and hit the road.

Both of these episodes show the second half of the Annapurna circuit and have lots of great footage from that beautiful area. The High Himalaya are on full display and the scenery is, as you'd expected from the Rest of Everest, spectacular. Both of these episodes are fitting ends to the Annapurna IV series, with so much great stuff packed in each. And up next, we can expect episodes focusing on the Ski The Himalayas Expedition, which was just completed this past spring. Coming soon!

Around The Americas Update: Through The Northwest Passage!

Great news for anyone following the Around The Americas expedition. The crew of the Ocean Watch has successfully navigated the Northwest Passage and have now moved out into the relatively warmer waters of the Prince Regent Inlet. This is a major milestone for the ship and her crew, who are making the first circumnavigation of North and South America.

The last time we checked in on the Ocean Watch, it was just setting out into the Passage. But now, a month later, it is through that legendary passage and will soon turn south, towards Cape Horn, and the next perilous milestone on the 24,000 mile journey.

The expedition is attempting to become the first to sail completely around both North and South America, a journey which has only recently been made possible thanks to global climate change and the opening of the Northwest Passage. Along the way, the ship will pass through diverse waters, and take scientific measurements in order to record the impact of climate change on those waters. You can follow along with the crew thanks to their always interesting and well written blog reports, and track the progress of the Ocean Watch itself.

It is great to see that the team has cleared the Passage and is making excellent, steady progress. They obviously still have a very long way to go, but this is arguably the most dangerous leg of the journey, at least until they reach the Cape. Until then, they'll probably enjoy the warmer waters and take their time through the Caribbean. Or maybe that's just what I would do. ;)

2010 Everest Trek Announced!

While I was away, with my head firmly buried in the world of adventure racing, Jon Miller and Chris Marquardt announced their Everest Trek 2010, which is being billed as "A once-in-a-lifetime experience...again!" The expedition will once again be a mix of adventure travel and photography/videography workshop for the lucky few who get to go along on the trip.

For those that don't know, Chris Marquardt produces the Tips From the Top Floor podcast, which is one of the best photography podcasts around. Chris is a professional photographer who conducts workshops all over Europe and the United States. Regular readers of this blog, will probably recognize Jon Miller, who is the producer of The Rest of Everest video podcast, which is the most comprehensive look at climbing Mt. Everest and other big Himalayan peaks that I'm aware of.

Last year, the trekking group made the standard hike up the Khumbu Valley to Everest Base Camp. This year, the trek will be a bit different, and longer, venturing into Tibet and along Everest's lesser known East Side, where fewer climbers and trekkers ever go. The area is described as more of a wilderness trek, and much different than the usual trekking circuits in the region. And of course, you'll also get lots of great instruction on how to use those fancy digital still and video cameras that you've purchased, but still haven't completely figured out.

To sign up to receive more information via e-mail head on over to the trek's official website at EverestTheTrek.com.

Dutch Government Move To Block 13-Year Old From Sailing Around the World

The Outside Online Blog has an interesting story about a 13-year old girl named Laura Dekker who was hoping to sail solo around the world, but has now been taken into temporary custody by the Council of Child Protection in Holland to prevent her from hitting the open seas.

According to the story, Laura's parents fully support her goals and have a good understanding of the issues with long distance sailing. In fact, the girl was born aboard a boat while they were circumnavigating the globe, and she lived aboard a ship for the first four years of her life. But the Dutch Government feels like she doesn't have the proper experience and skill set to survive alone on the ocean for months at a time, and have taken custody of her for her own safety.

Lately there has been plenty of young men and women who have been vying for the title of the youngest person to ever sail solo around the world. Recently, Zac Sunderland set the new mark, at the age of 17, but several others are gearing up to make their runs soon as well, including Zac's own sister. The question is, when is it too young to go on such a dangerous journey?

Personally, I think 13-years old is too young. While I'm sure Laura is comfortable aboard a ship, and probably quote competent than I'll ever be at sailing a ship, there are just certain things that a person that young is not quite equipped to handle just yet, not the least of which is the months alone at sea. The thoughts of pirates and other dangers are too scary to even think about really.

Hopefully her parents will think twice before sending her out, and I support the Dutch in making this move. She can still sail around the world in a few years time, so I say let her grow up first and she can have the adventures she wants down the line. After all, why send her out at 13 unless it really is about the "youngest" record?

JPFreek Joins Transcontinental Expedition

A press release from JPFreek Adventure Magazine this morning has announced that the online magazine has joined forces with the Extrem Events Transcontinental Jeep Expedition that is currently underway from Paris to New York. According to the release, JPFreek has become the exclusive media partner of the expedition, which is led by German adventurer Mattias Jeschke, who is making the journey to promote CO2 neutrality and alternative energy sources.

The expedition team set out a few months back on what is expected to be a year long expedition around the planet aboard a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. The journey has already taken the drivers from Paris, into Russia, and Mongolia, and beyond. But they are gearing up for what may be the toughest, and most challenging part of the entire expedition, crossing the Bering Strait. To accomplish that difficult and dangerous traverse, the Rubicon will be fitted with special pontoon attachments, which will allow it to cross open water when necessary.

Upon arriving in Alaska, Mattias will be met by JPFreek editor Frank Ledwell, who will accompany him on the rest of the journey from the start of the Trans-America highway south to the Continental U.S. before turning east to New York, the expeditions eventual finish line. For more information on the transcontinental expedition, check out the most recent issues of JPFreek. The magazine has been chronicling the progress of the drivers since before they set out, and I expect even more great coverage now.

There is something very cool about an around the world expedition in what ever shape it takes. Driving from Paris to New York sounds like quite an adventure, but I had always assumed they'd cross the Bering Sea on a ship of some kind. This sounds far more interesting and dangerous however, and I can't wait to see how it plays out. Follow along and find out more at the expedition's official website.

WideWorld Profiles Amazon Walker Ed Stafford

I've mentioned Ed Stafford a couple of times before. He's the former British military officer who is in the middle of walking the length of the Amazon, and is sharing his adventure with us through his very interesting Twitter feed.

Now, online adventure magazine WideWorld has a great profile of the Amazon Walker as part of their "heroes" feature. In the story, they takes a look at Ed's journey, which began back in April of 2008 (the article says 2007), and some of the challenges he's had to overcome so far, including hostile Amazon natives, dangerous animals, and a variety of other dangerous situations in the never ending "Green Hell" that is the Amazon.

Since I first reported on Ed a few months back, I've been completely fascinated by his expedition, in no small part because of my own recent trip to the Amazon. I did some hiking in the jungle while I was there, and it was incredibly hot, humid, and difficult to make steady progress. Walking the entire 4000+ miles of the river itself seems like an impossible journey, but each day that he is out there, Ed proves me wrong. If he stays on pace, remains healthy, and focused, he'll reach the mouth of the river sometime in the spring of 2010. In the meantime, we all get to follow along and enjoy his updates both through Twitter and his blog posts on the expedition's official website.

Outdoorzy is going Adventure Racing!

Perhaps it's because of all the great online coverage of Primal Quest, but Wade, one of the founders of Outdoorzy.com, has been inspired to take part in the Oyster Urban Adventure Race in Nashville, TN this October, and he's sharing his thoughts on preparing for just such a race.

In an article on the Outdoorzy Outpost Blog, there is a nice article that gives some good details on how to prepare for your first adventure race. As the article points out, it's all about the multi-sport and finding ways to train in the core disciplines of running, mountain biking, and paddling, while also mixing in some orienteering and climbing skills as well. There is even a handy chart to help you schedule your time on each of the different activities, which ramps up in time and difficulty the closer you get to the actual race.

The popularity of adventure racing is certainly on the rise, and there are plenty of great events taking place all over. Beginners should start with a shorter, "sprint" race, in the 4-6 hour category and advance to longer races from there. If you have your eyes set on something like Primal Quest, a ten-day long monster, you'd probably want to have a few 24-48 hour races under your belt first. Experience will serve you well out on the course, but it can also be a very humbling sport too.

The Mongol Derby is Underway!

I've posted about the Mongol Rally before. That's the road race that begins in London and runs all the way to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. But as that country continues to emerge as one of the top adventure destinations in the world, even more people flock to its remote interiors, looking for an adventure of their own.

Take the 26 riders taking part in the Mongol Derby for instance. They set out on Sunday to ride nearly 1000 km (620 miles) across the Mongolian high plains on horseback in a unique race that is more of a testament to the skill and endurance of the rider, rather than the speed of the horses that will carry them.

They'll follow a route that was established by Genghis Khan and used as part of his postal system, delivering messages from throughout the empire. The race got underway from Kharkhorin, and the riders must report to a series of horse stations called Urtuus, which are situated about 40 km apart throughout the countryside. At these stations, the riders will change out their horses in favor of a new one, and be able to pick up supplies and other equipment.

The course has been designed from the ground up to keep the horse's health in mind. Not only are the riders forced to change ou their horses at each Urtuus, vets on hand at each station will also ensure that the animals are being well cared for before they rider is issued a new one. In addition to that, the trail wanders through regions with plenty of water, making sure that the horse, and rider, are never far from a drink.

This modern day, long distance horse race looks like it's a lot of fun, and what an amazing way to see the countryside. Be sure to check on the website regularly for progress on the riders and to see what kind of adventures they've come across in their journey.

Back From Primal Quest!

I survived another Primal Quest, this year held in the Badlands of South Dakota. Of course, I wasn't racing the event, but it takes it's toll on the staff and volunteers as well. Once again, it was quite an event to witness first hand. Everyone associated with the race, from the athletes to the checkpoint volunteers, and everyone in between are incredibly dedicated, to the sport of adventure racing, and PQ in particular. In fact, it was much like a family reunion there, with old friends getting together for the first time since the last race in Montana. Everyone works very hard, has a good time, and loads of fun too.

This year, the course was more than 600 miles in length, and wound it's way through the Black Hills and Badlands, which offered a lot of diverse, and amazing scenery. The teams all commented on how difficult the race was, but beautiful at the same time, and I can attest to that. If you haven't been to South Dakota, I highly recommend a trip to the Rapid City area, where you are a stone's throw away from some very unique landscapes, and plenty of outdoor fun.

The race was won by OrionHealth.com, a team from New Zealand that has really left a mark on the sport in the past few years. They are easily one of the top teams out there, and ran an amazing race, although it got a little tighter than they had hoped in the end, thanks to a navigational error that drained 8 hours off their lead. With Team Nike not competing this year due to injuries to captain Mike Kloser just weeks before the race, there were many at Primal Quest who wondered what it would have been like to see these two teams go head to head. It is difficult to say who would have won, but I do know that that is a race I would have liked to have seen.

It was a lot of fun to watch the locals in South Dakota get into PQ, as most had never seen an event like it before. It was great to hear them talking about the teams and the course when you were out and about town, and when the home team, Team South Dakota, came across the finish line there were probably 500 people there to greet them. It was a fun sight to see, and a testament to how involved the community and state were in the race.

I had the distinct honor of being the only PQ staff member to see every team cross the finish line. That's not an easy thing to do, because they don't always cross at a convenient hour. The last few nights of the race I was up every hour or so to check the tracking system to know when I should go to the finish line to meet them, and the last day in particular I went on about 20 minutes of sleep for the entire night, as the racers arrived throughout the evening and into the day time. The result was that I was nearly as sleep deprived as the athletes by the time the race ended, but fortunately I hadn't started to hallucinate just yet, something that was common for teams in the field.

It wasn't all work though. I had the opportunity to visit Deadwood (too touristy for me!), the Black Hills (spectacular!), and the Badlands. The scenery was amazing, there was plenty of wildlife to see, and there were plenty of other surprises to take in as well. Below is a video that I shot while in the Badlands that I thought you might enjoy, and for more photos from the race, check out the PQ Flickr Stream.

I'll be getting down to work again here soon, with regular posts resuming. Plenty of things happened while I was away, and I have some catching up to do!

Leadville 100 is Saturday!

While one group of tough athletes will be beginning their race on Friday in the Badlands, an entirely different kind of race will be taking place on Saturday in Leadville, Colorado, home of the Leadville Trail 100, one of the toughest mountain bike races around.

The race is 50 miles, out and back, with a seven mile climb to the turn around point, which just so happens to fall at 12,600 feet. 90% of the trail is on dirt, and the race actually begins at 10,200 feet, so altitude obviously plays an issue. In contrast, the highest point in the 2009 Tour de France was a mere 8113 feet. All told, the riders face more than 14,000 feet of elevation gain across the entire length of the ride, which has a 12 hour cut-off.

You may recall that the Leadville got quite a bit of attention last year because Lance Armstrong decided to race in it. He ended up taking second place, getting dropped by six time champ Dave Wiens in the final miles. Shortly there after, Lance announced his return to competitive cycling, and we all know what has happened since then. He's gone on to ride in a number of big events across the globe, and took third in the Tour de France just last month. I think it is safe to say, that Lance will be in much better condition for his showdown with Dave this year, and you know that it has been a thorn in his side since he lost to Wiens last year.

In preparation for this epic rematch, the Leadville crew has set up a live video feed that you can pay $5.95 to watch. The race gets underway at 5:45 AM Mountain Time on Saturday, so get up early and spend your morning in front of the computer, watching Lance and Dave go at each other once again. I'll be focused on that other race that day, but I won't be able to help myself from checking in from time to time. Should be fun!

Off To Primal Quest!

Tomorrow morning I'll set off for South Dakota for Primal Quest Badlands, which means that updates to this site will likely be sporadic at best over the next 10-12 days. But, that doesn't mean that I'll be resting on my laurels. I'll be resuming my duties as the Media Director for "the World's Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition", which means plenty of updates to the PQ website, taking some photos and video, interfacing with media, and doing what ever I can to spread the word about the event.

The race is scheduled to get underway sometime Friday morning at an as of yet undisclosed location. Tomorrow, at 12 PM local time, the exact time and place will be announced to the public, but I can tell you that teams should expect an early morning start to their adventure. Over the next few days I'll be meeting with volunteers and staff to get ramped up on a plan for covering the race as best as we can, and considering the 600 mile course, that won't be easy, as well as touching base with some of the teams, doing some interviews and covering their gear and skills checks on Thursday.

There will be multiple ways to follow the action. On Friday, the leaderboard and live tracking will become active, thanks to the SPOT Messengers that each team will carry, and fans will be able to watch the teams move about the Badlands, tacking their moves and watching their navigational decisions. The PQ website will be updated as often as I can with stories about the teams, our sponsors, and notes from the field on what is happening as well. We'll also be using the Primal Quest Twitter feed to deliver updates too, so be sure to follow along there if you're a Twitter user.

It's going to be a crazy, chaotic, and fun event, as always. Ten days of non-stop racing across 600 miles of backcountry, on foot, bike, and kayak, with a bit of spelunking, swimming, and climbing thrown in for good measure. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah! A liberal dose of navigational challenges too. And with Team Nike out of the race, it's anyone's ball game!

Slip-n-Slide Fun

In these hot summer months, we have to find any way that we can to cool off. The fine folks over at Wend decided to break out that old Slip-n-Slide they had hiding in the office closet and have a little fun. You can see the results below. And for anyone keeping score at home, we're now on our 52nd day of triple digit temperatures her in Austin, TX. I need to go look for my Slip-n-Slide too!

The Role of Support Crew in Adventure Racing

Last week I posted about PlanetFear's guide to the essential gear of adventure racing, and this week, the same website is back with another adventure racing themed article. This time, they take a look at the role of the support crew for an adventure racing team.

For those that don't know, in some longer adventure races, teams are required to bring their own support crew, which is usually a bunch of their friends who have volunteered (or have been drafted!) to meet the team at designated transition areas with all of the equipment the team will need. For example, the team may roll into the Checkpoint/Transition Area and will be going from a trekking leg to a mountain biking segment. The support team will have their bikes ready, cycling shoes prepared, and gear boxes open to restock anything the racers might need. They may also have some food waiting as well, so that the team can recharge and restore some calories before heading back out onto the course.

The PlanetFear article does an excellent job of breaking down the skills that are required to be a good support crew, and have some great tips for anyone filling that role. They discuss approaches to staying organized, setting up the TA, and even some thoughts on prepping the food as well. All in all, it's a really interesting article for adventure racing fans who have probably never thought about this aspect of the sport before.

This year's Primal Quest Badlands is an unsupported event, meaning that the race organizers are in charge of the logistics of moving gear around, but last year, while in Montana, I had the opportunity to see the support crew role played out to perfection. The teams love and appreciate their crew, and it showed when they would wander into a CP/TA, beyond tired and ready for some relief. The support crew would take over, spoil them with attention and goodies, and raise their spirits before they hit the trail once again. It was fun to watch them interact, and it will be very different to not see that this year.

Karakorum 2009: Getting Organized on Latok I

ExWeb has some good updates today from the Karakorum, where things are mostly winding down, as teams depart and begin preparations for the fall season in the Himalaya.

The biggest piece of news is that climbers are still getting organized on Latok I in an attempt to go up the mountain and look for Oscar Perez, who has been stranded above 6500m for six days now, and there hasn't been any contact with him at all since the weekend. At this point, his home team has no idea what his condition is, and everyone is just hoping for the best. ExWeb says that five other Spanish climbers have left their home country and are headed for Pakistan to try to help out, but considering the remote nature of the mountain, time in transit, and so on, they won't be in a real position to assist for some time yet.

Fabrizio Zangrilli is already on the scene however, and a fly over of the campsite resulted in no visual confirmation of Oscar's condition. Fabrizio will attempt to climb up to Oscar's position tomorrow, and assess the situation and possibly aid in bringing him down. Once again, lets all keep our fingers crossed for a happy ending here.

Meanwhile, in other news, the Arash Mountaineers team that has been working a new route on Broad Peak reportedly has abandoned the route after running out of supplies and time. They had established the route up to Camp 3, but now say that they'll have to return to give it another go in the future. They do, however, plan to make a summit bid along the normal route before coming home.

And finally, fresh off of her 13th 8000m peak, Korean climber Eun-Sun Oh is expected to return home tomorrow, where she'll take a much deserved break before returning to the Himalaya in September. At that time, she'll set her sights on Annapurna, her final obstacle before becoming the first woman to complete all of the 8000m mountains. She is firmly in the driver seat now to claim that honor, as this story from National Geographic Adventure points out, but Annapurna won't yield up its summit easily. In fact, many consider it to be the second toughest 8000m peak to climb, behind only K2. But the other contenders, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Edurne Pasabán, and Nives Meroi have all hit snags in their bids to be the first woman to join the elite list of men to have topped out on the 8-thousanders. Miss Oh has come out of no where to knock off four of those mountains his year, and seems poised to claim her fifth in a few months.

Update: Mountaineer and author Clyde Soles has posted more info on the Oscar Perez story. Seems that the Spanish climber is actually on Latok II not I and that he is suffering from a broken arm and leg, which is why he is stranded at high camp. A radio malfunction or dead batteries might account for the lack of contact as well, so there is reason to believe that he is hanging on and waiting for a rescue. Hopefully we'll know more tomorrow.

Survivorman Still Teaching Us Things

I saw this video over at the Best Hike Blog, and it stars Les Stroud of Survivorman fame and the famous gecko from the Geico Commercials. The show may be gone, but Les is still trying to show us how to survive in the outdoors. Pretty funny stuff.

Dam Removal is a Boon for Kayakers

The New York Times has an interesting article up how the removal of dams from rivers across the country is proving to be a major boon for kayakers looking for new runs with plenty of rapids. The removal of the concrete structures has also benefitted the flora and fauna in the surrounding areas as well.

The story says that during the 1950's and 60's a new dam was built roughly ever six minutes, as the U.S. looked to hydro-electricity to meet it's growing demands for power. Now, a half-century later, there are more than 75,000 aging dams out there. Some of them are being repaired and used, while others are being torn down completely, and in the process, it is altering the water flow along those rivers, and providing some great new whitewater for paddlers.

Approximately 430 dams have been destroyed since 1999 and the end of the article lists some of the places where dam removal had created new kayaking opportunities. For example, the Embrey Dam along the Rappahannock River in Virginia was removed in 2004 and it created a half-mile long paddling corridor with constant rapids, while along the Tuckasegee River in North Carolina, the Dillsboro Dam has been slotted for removal, and when it goes soon, it'll create Class II rapids, and plans are already in the works for whitewater park.

The side benefit of these dams being removed is that the ecology around the area is improving too. There are reports of more fish in the streams and the land surrounding the dam sites has begun to reclaim areas along the river, with trees and grasslands sprouting up once again.

Karakorum 2009: Climber Stuck on Latok I

An urgent appeal went out to climbers over the weekend with ExWeb helping to lead the charge. It seems that Spanish climber Oscar Perez has become stranded above 6500m on Latok I, and as of this writing, there is no update on his status. His team was requesting that any high altitude climbers who could aid in a rescue contact them so that they could organize a team on the mountain. Oscar's climbing partner, Alvaro Novellon, is already in BC suffering from frostbite.

Oscar and Alvaro were attempting to scale the unclimbed north face on Latok I in alpine style, and estimated that it would take them 7-8 days to complete. It is unclear at this point as to what exactly happened while they were climbing the 7145 meter peak, which is located in northern Pakistan. Latok I is the first of four summits in a cluster on the Panmah Muztagh region of the Karakorum.

When ExWeb posted their story a few days back, Oscar's team hadn't had contact with him in three days. Everyone is still holding out hope that he is alive and well, but perhaps his radio is not functioning properly or has dead batteries. Hopefully we'll have an update on the situation soon, but the following contact information is offered in case anyone in the region can lend a hand:

team@explorersweb.com or

Essar Karim:
ADVENTURE TOURS PAKISTAN
P.O.Box # 465,
G-9 Post Office
Islamabad
Pakistan
Phone # +92-51- 2260820, 2252759
Fax # +92-51-2264251
Email: info@atp.com.pk, atp.global@gmail.comwww.atp.com.pk

Lets keep our fingers crossed on this one folks!

Through Pirate Infested Waters, in Real Time

Last Sunday, a cargo ship traveling from Cairo to Dubai set out on a routine voyage that would take it through "Pirate Alley". The ship is called the Maersk Idaho and along for the ride is Douglas Stevenson, head of the Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) Center for Seafarers’ Rights, who has been twittering throughout the voyage, and keeping his eyes peeled for pirates of the coast of Somalia.

Stevenson is hoping to avoid the pirates of course, but he is trying to connect with sailors who routinely pass through those dangerous waters. in recent months, the Somali pirates have become increasingly bold in their attacks, and although there haven't been any high profile incidences like the ones that took place back in April, in which U.S. Navy SEALS shot and killed pirates holding an American hostage.

You can follow Stevenson's Twitter feed by clicking here. So far, there is nothing as exciting as "Taking fire from pirates", but it is still interesting to follow the progression of the journey. The ship is scheduled to reach it's destination on this Sunday, and as of this writing, the boat is moored in Djbouti. It's highly likely the rest of the journey will go with out incident, but it should still be an interesting thing to watch unfold.

You can read more about the journey here.

In Search of Amundsen

Roald Amundsen is perhaps the greatest polar explorer that ever lived. He was the first person to reach the South Pole, and then later went to the North as well. He also became the first person to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage in a time when it was thought to be impossible. In 1928, while mounting a rescue mission for explorers who had crashed in an airship returning from the North Pole, Amundsen's plane crashed into the Barents Sea, and his body was never found, although debris believed to be from the plane was later recovered. It was a mysterious end to the great explorers life.

Now, a major expedition is being mounted to go in search of Amundsen's remains, and his plane, the Latham 47. The team will set out, with a Norwegian Naval Ship and special sonar equipment, for the Barents Sea, in hopes of locating the wreckage and salvaging it once and for all. The Expedition's website has more information about what they intend to do, and it includes more of the history between Amundsen and Umberto Nobile, the man he was trying to rescue. There is also a Search Blog in place that I presume will be updated with info once the expedition gets underway at the end of the month.

Back in 1926, Amundsen and Nobile flew across the North Pole together in an airship designed by the Italian. Two years later, when Nobile's latest airship went down, Amundsen was asked to join the rescue, but in doing so, lost his own life. Ironically, Nobile was successfully plucked from the ice, and went on to live to the ripe old age of 93.

While there doesn't seem to be a great mystery as to what happened to Amundsen, it would still be interesting to see his remains found after all these years. And I'm sure, they'd be taken home to his native Norway, where he would be given a heroes welcome. Hopefully the team will find what they are looking for.

Close Encounters with Giant Anacondas

Much like Indiana Jones, I'm not especially fond of snakes. Maybe that's why stories like this one from Environmental Graffiti give me the creeps. The story tells the tale of the giant anacondas, found lurking deep in the Amazon, and the people who are crazy enough to go looking for them.

Anacondas have been measured as much as 32 feet in length, and over 500 pounds in weight, although snakes of that size are quite rare. Natives to the Amazon tell stories of much larger snakes deep in the jungle, but if they're out there, they have yet to be discovered. Still, scientists haven't ruled out these giants existing out there somewhere.

Looking at the videos and photos with this story, you'll begin to understand just how scary these snakes are. When I was in the Amazon earlier this year, I only saw one anaconda, and it was roughly six feet long, but the ones pictured here are in excess of 20 feet or more, and the videos demonstrate how powerful they are. Crazy stuff, and I'm glad I didn't encounter anything this big while I was stumbling around down there.

The Rest of Everest Episode 110: The Slog

Mid-week always brings us a new episode of The Rest of Everest, which continues this week with an in depth look at the Annapurna IV climb and ski descent. Podcast creator Jon Miller is once again joined by mountaineers Ben Clark and Josh Butson.

Episode 110 is called "The Slog", and it deals with Ben and Josh going down the mountain, back to Base Camp, after giving up on their summit bid last week, when they were trapped inside the tent, waiting for the weather to change. While down climbing the mountain, they talk a bit about their disappointment in having to retreat, while still knowing that it wast he safe move none the less. The episode also gives us more insight into a part of climbing that we seldom see in the form of the descent. Most films are dedicated to getting to the top, but as usual, the Rest of Everest shows every aspect of a climb.

This episode also does a great job of really showing the conditions that climbers deal with on these big mountain. I often write about climbers dealing with deep snow at altitude, but this episode of the podcast really puts that in perspective, with plenty of the white stuff on display, both higher on the mountain, and on the descent, which made for a major challenge for Ben and Josh. You'll also have a better understanding of the title of this episode as well!

As usual, grab the episode directly from the ROE website or from iTunes.

The Gear Junkie Launches 2nd Choose Your Adventure Contest!

The Gear Junkie is up to his old tricks, launching another "Choose Your Adventure" contest that will send a lucky winner off on an adventure of their choosing, and load them up with all the gear they'll need to have fun along the way.

The contest, which runs from now until September 15th, allows entrants to select from one of five different multisport getaways to the Alleghenies Mountains. If your name is picked, you get to go on the adventure you select, and bring a friend along for the ride, all expenses paid, including airfare and plenty of great gear as well.

Each of the five packaged adventures includes a variety of activities, such as fishing in the mountain streams, kayaking on local lakes, hiking scenic trails, and road biking through the Alleghenies. When you sign up for the contest, you can look over the combination of activities and select the one that best fits your interests. When you win, find a friend who wants to join you, and later this Fall you'll be zipped off to the southeastern United States for some outdoor fun.

To join in the fun, simply click here and begin filling out the form. Good luck!

Essential Gear for Adventure Racing

Primal Quest Badlands is just over a week away, and I'm working hard at getting everything in order so I can leave town for the event. PQ is one of the biggest adventure races in the world, and while not everyone can devote all the time necessary to prepare for a ten-day race, that doesn't mean they don't want to give adventure racing a go.

If you've been considering getting into the sport, then PlanetFear has a nice article you'll want to look over. It's dedicated to helping beginners navigate through all the essential gear items that they'll need for their first race, including good trail running shoes, headlamps, backpacks, and a whole lot more, including some that you might not have thought of on your own, suck as the proper socks.

The article offers up some good insights across the board, without bogging you down with too much info. For example, they recommend that when buying your pack you go with something in the 20-30 liter range, and make sure that it has waist and chest straps to hold it firmly in place while running. They even recommend a few specific companies and a pack or two, but don't weigh you down with thoughts on all the pack features you may or may not need.

All in all, it's a good, comprehensive report on the basic gear you'll need for your first few races, which will tend to be shorter, but not necessarily less gear intensive. Sure, the expedition length races like Primal Quest have you out on the course longer, and you may need a bigger pack, but a lot of your gear will translate over to the longer races just fine. But as a beginner, you should just be thinking about getting through the first races in one piece, and not worrying too much about the epic events. At least not yet.

Video of Ueli Steck Speed Climbing Grandes Jorasses

I missed this video when it was making the rounds last week, but it's definitely worth sharing now. Back in January I posted about Ueli Steck setting yet another speed record for climbing in the Alps, zipping up the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses, part of the Mount Blanc Massif, in just 2 hours, 21 minutes. If you've ever wondered how Ueli does it, then take a look at the video below, and prepare to be amazed. Really impressive climbing.

Karakorum 2009: Over On K2? More Summits on GI

More updates from the Karakorum today, where the season is rapidly coming to an end, and teams are either topping out or packing up to come home it seems.

We'll start on K2, where Kazakhs Maxut Zhumayev and Vassiliy Pivtsov were hoping to make another summit bid today, but high winds near the top have forced them down, along with a Japanese team they were hoping to work with. The weather forecast calls for "hurricane force" winds on the summit over the next few days, which prompted the hasty retreat back to Base Camp. The question now is, will they hang around for another go?

It seems that most of the teams are preparing to give up on K2 this seaons, and Everest News has already declared "No Summits this Year". The latest update from the Field Touring Alpine Team says that they've elected to go home. Their porters have arrived in BC and packing has already begun. They hope to exit Base Camp on Friday to begin the trek back to civilization. The team is healthy but tired, and although there were no summits from FTA this year, they still consider it a successful outing.

We'll probably have to wait a few days to find out if any teams plan to stay behind and make one final attempt on the summit, but it seems that BC is going to be very empty by the weekend. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say Max and Vasso are the most likely pair to try again, but with high winds and very deep snow up near the summit, it seems that the chances of topping out are very slim. If the Karakorum season does end with no summits on K2, it just underscores how difficult it truly is to climb this mountain.

Meanwhile, the Altitude Junkies have updated their blog with the confirmation that Spanish and Korean climbers made successful summits on the 3rd. This includes Oh Eun-sun, the Korean woman who now has 13 8000m peaks to her name. The AJ team is completely off the mountain now, and their porters have also arrived on the scene, so they are packing up and preparing to head back to Skardu as well. It seems that the season is over on the Gasherbrums as well.

Finally, ExWeb is reporting that a team still remains on Broad Peak, and they are attempting a new route on that mountain. They're into C1 right now and will be proceeding upwards to C2 and 3 tomorrow. By the end of the weekend, they may be the final team in the Karakorum.

Walking The Amazon Update: Life in the Jungle

Another expedition that I haven't updated on in awhile is Walking the Amazon, which has British adventurer Ed Stafford attempting to wall from the source of the Amazon River to its mouth along the eastern coast of Brazil. If successful, this will be the first trek of the Amazon from start to finish ever, and quite an impressive feat. So far, Ed has been out walking for 420 days, and he isn't expected to finish up until sometime next May. In between, there is a whole lot of suffering in the "Green Hell" to endure.

I've mentioned before that I enjoy Ed's Twitter feed, and I still fully recommend it. The former British Army officer, and his companion Cho Sanchez, send daily messages out to the world that keep us informed what is like for them to be traveling through one of the harshest environments on the planet. But Ed also updates his blog with weekly reports that offer a lot more detail on what it is like to be trekking across the Amazon.

For example, the latest entry gives us a bit of insight into Ed and Cho's morning routine, which begins at 7 AM with the boys rolling out of their hammocks and getting the day off to a start with a malaria pill washed down with some water. From there, it's out of the cleaner and considerably dryer clothes and into the wet ones. They only carry two sets of clothes on them, and one of those sets is perpetually wet thanks to the humidity and lack of ventilation in the jungle. After that, it's time to cook breakfast and things underway for the day, which will mostly include hiking through miles of dense rainforest.

From my limited time in the Amazon, I can completely relate to the stories of wet clothes. Literally everything I wore ended up wet, and it would not dry at all while I was in the jungle. When I returned to the air conditioned cabin aboard the boat that served as my home for the two weeks I was on the Amazon, the clothes still didn't dry all that much, and my backpack was often soaked for no real apparent reason as well. The moisture gets into everything, and my camera lenses struggled to autofocus with the humidity causing the glass to fog up. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ed and Cho being able to continue to hike all those miles every day, with the end still a long way off. But through the use of modern technology, we can continue to follow their adventure, which is fascinating to watch.

Cycling The Americas Update: Back in the U.S.

It's been a few weeks since we checked in on Mark Beaumont, who is in the process of cycling the Trans-American Highway from Alaska to the tip of South America. He's been blogging about his journey and updating us on his adventure over at the Cycling the Americas website.

When last we checked in on Mark, he had summitted Denali and was preparing to begin his ride. He has since ridden out of Alaska and south through Canada, and is presently back in the continental U.S. and riding through the Washington/Idaho border region.

Mark is making good time so far on his journey, but on this type of ride, the northern end is always the easiest. Riding through the U.S. and Canada gives the cyclist a great infrastructure with excellent roads, campsites, and supply stations along the way. The further south he goes however, the worse those conditions are likely to be, especially once he enters Mexico and continues into Central America and then down into South America as well.

Today on his blog update, Mark is answering a series of questions, that are quite interesting. He talks about his route thus far, and how scenic it has been. He mentions his climbs, having already knocked off Denali, and setting his sights on Aconcagua in January, and what it's like to spend hours on the road alone with just his bike.

For the next few weeks, Mark will continue his ride through the U.S. and updates will continue throughout the entire journey When he reaches Mexico, I expect a different tone to his updates and very interesting stories from the road.

The Listen to Africa Expedition

I wrote about this little adventure this morning on Gadling as well, but thought that it was such an interesting story, I wanted to share it here too. It's called the Listen to Africa Expedition, and it's an interesting mix of adventure travel, culture, and more.

A few months back, Huw WIlliams and Rebecca Sumner set out from the U.K. to ride their bikes through Africa. Over the course of the next two years, they'll be covering more than 15,000 miles as they explore amazing landscapes, rustic African villages, and other remote corners of the continent. All the while they'll be blogging about their journey and taking us along for the ride, so to speak.

Of course, we've seen other long distance cycling adventures before, including a number of them through Africa. But what sets this one apart, is their unique approach to capturing the very essence of the continent. The two British adventurers are taking some recording equipment along with them, and as they go, they are recording, quite literally, the sounds of Africa. This includes natural sounds, such as wildlife, the wind through the trees, and so on, as well as the voices of the people they meet along the way. They hope to preserve some of the culture as well, by recording local music, oral histories, and more. Some of the recordings are already in place on the expedition's website, and it is fascinating to listen to them, especially in context with the blog posts as well. Click here to see a list of the audio files available.

There is a rough plan in place as to how Huw and Rebecca will go about their journey, but they are being very flexible in their travels, and leaving their options open. After leaving the U.K., they rode their bikes across France where they hopped a ferry to Morocco. From there they peddled down the western coast of Africa, and are now currently in Mauritania, with many months, and miles ahead of them yet.

The expedition website obviously contains a lot more information about the journey, including a gallery of photos and a map to track the riders' progress. Gear heads will also appreciate the information on the equipment they are using, which is always fascinating to me.

Seems like a very cool project and I like their approach to capturing audio. It should be fun to follow along and listen to their progress.

Karakorum 2009: Teams Turned Back On K2!

A quick update this morning, courtesy of ExWeb, who is reporting that weather conditions on K2 have prevented the teams on their summit push from reaching the top of the mountain. Deep snow, reportedly up to the climbers chests, was the main impediment to their progress, and while most are heading back down for now, the Kazakhs are going to stay in C4 and make another go of it tomorrow.

According to the story, Gerlinde Kalenbrunner and her climbing mates have been turned back and are proceeding down. She'll no doubt be weighing her options and the chances of getting to the summit yet this year, although time is beginning to run short. But Maxut Zhumayev and Vassiliy Pivtsov have remained at altitude, and hope to gather their strength to make another attempt on the summit. This shows how strong these two men are at altitude, having the ability to actually recover without descending, and they are actually use to spending days above 8000m.

The Field Touring Alpine Team has updated their status today as well, with the news that their climbers have also gone back down the mountain and are either in C2 or BC. Everyone is said to be healthy and feeling fine, if a bit tired.

The ExWeb report also indicated that a large chunk of ice broke off from a serac just above the Bottleneck and went sliding down the mountain, narrowly missing one of the climbers, in what had to be a very scary scene some what reminiscent of last year's tragedy. Lets hope that these falling chunks of ice are not a precursor to another major serac collapse.

I'll keep an eye on Max and Vassiliy and their next summit bid tomorrow. If anyone can get up to the top, it'll be these two.

Ocean Rowing: Sarah Completes Indian Ocean Row!!!

We've been following her progress for months, and today it's official. Sarah Outen has completed her solo row across the Indian Ocean, and reached Mauritius today at 8:27 PM local time. She rowed up onto the shore to greetings from friends and family and in triumphant style. You can read more about the finish on the most recent posts on Sarah's blog.

Sarah set out from the town of Freemantle on the western coast of Australia back on March 31st, and now, more than four months later, she has completed her quest to become the first woman, and youngest person, to ever solo the Indian Ocean. Along the way she faced a number of hardships, including killer storms, high winds, weeks alone at sea, and having her boat rolled in the middle of the ocean. But through it all, she remained upbeat and her dispatches always seemed pleasant, confident, and positive.

I want to send my congratulations along to Sarah on a job well done. That was one heck of an effort, and I'm glad to see she completed the crossing safe and sound, and none the worse for wear it seems. I'm sure we'll have more updates soon, as she is no doubt looking forward to a hot shower and a fine meal, not to mention a long sleep on a comfortable bed that doesn't move beneath her.

Welcome to Africa Sarah!

Adventure Travel in Colombia

Here's a story that I wrote about over the weekend on Gadling, but thought some would find interesting here as well. The New York Times posted a really interesting story about Colombia opening back up for travel after years of turmoil from drug lords, high crime rates, and crazy guerilla activity. The gist of the article is that there are a lot of opportunities for adventure travelers to enjoy remote regions of the country before the mainstream crowds start to show up on the tourist buses.

The spotlight is placed squarely on El Cocuy National Park in particular and Ritacuba Blanco, a 17,749 foot peak that resides there. The park is an off-the-beaten-path wilderness some 1000-square miles in size that falls near the Venezuelan border. It is home to a number of animal species, including pumas, tapirs, condors, and more. It also happens to have its fair share of tall mountain peaks as well.

The author of the story compares Ritacuba Blanco with Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, and while it doesn't quite have the altitude of those two peaks, it is a similar climbing experience, minus the crowds. That seems to be the main point of the story, that for now, Colombia remains an untapped resource for anyone looking for a little outdoor adventure. There is plenty to see and do, and few visitors to take advantage of it all. But the author warns that this is changing quickly, as El Cocuy saw nearly as many tourists in January of this year than it did for the entirety of 2008.

If you're looking for a new travel experience, and the opportunity to visit a place that remains off the tourist radar for now, you could do far worse than Colombia. There are still some areas of the country that remain dangerous, but for the most part, it has become a great place for travelers once again, and at least for now, it is a bit of a hidden gem.

Karakorum 2009: K2 and GI Updates - Going Up and Going Down!

Summit bids continue in the Karakorum as the new week begins, and another strong Korean climber emerges as a threat to be the first woman to nab all 14 8000 meter peaks.

Over the weekend, Korean climber Oh Eun-sun reached the summit on Gasherbrum I, claiming her 4th 8-thousander of the year, and 13th overall, as she moves into a position to become the first woman to summit all of the big peaks. She now has just Annapurna left to conquer. Gerlinde Kaletenbrunner may join her soon however, as she is in the middle of her summit bid on K2, which would put her at 13 as well. Miss Oh has also successfully topped out on Kangchenjunga, Dhaulagiri and Nanga Parbat this year.

Things weren't completely rosy on GI this weekend however, as the Altitude Junkies are reporting that their team went as high as 7300 meters before turning back due to high winds. The entire team is safe and healthy and expected back in BC tomorrow, where they'll regroup and consider another go at the summit.

On K2, the outlook is a bit better, with teams continuing to make their push today, and the Field Touring Alpine Team is checking in from Camp 4, which puts them on schedule for this attempt. The FTA climbers are planning on going to the top this evening (local time) and are probably already moving up as I write this. According to the update, there are a number of teams in C3 as well, and it appears they'll move up tomorrow and be in place to make their summit bid tomorrow night.

Expect good news from K2 soon, and keep your fingers crossed that everyone gets up and down in one piece!

Trailer For Epic Kayak Video

While we're on the subject of videos this morning, check out the trailer below for a paddling film called Dream Result that is coming soon from Tyler Bradt and Russ Sturges. The three-and-a-half minute video has some amazing footage of some of the top kayakers around doing their thing on the water, including a glimpse at Bradt's famous 186 foot drop over Palouse Falls.

Thanks to Steve Casimiro and The Adventure Life for sharing this one today.

More Video From The Amazon

In an effort to continue working towards becoming a filmmaker (No, not really!), I've put together another video of my trip earlier this year to the Amazon. This one focuses on some of the various animals that I encountered there, including monkeys, dolphins, sloths, lizards, and various birds. I had a lot of fun putting this together, mostly as an experiment, but I hope you enjoy it as well. By the way, the high-def version of the video is available by clicking here.