Nepali Cabinet To Hold Summit At Everest Base Camp

Speaking of Everest, here's an interesting story from Grough.com, who are reporting that the Nepali governmental cabinet will meet at Everest Base Camp next month in an effort to draw attention to the impact of climate change on the mountain.

Madhav Kumar, the Prime Minister of Nepal, will be joined by his cabinet members who are deemed physically fit enough for the journey. The group will fly to Lukla, located at 9,383 feet, where they will board a helicopter that will ferry them up to EBC, located at 17,585 feet. The high altitude cabinet meeting is scheduled to begin later this week on December 4th, and is timed to precede a major climate conference to be held in Copenhagen soon.

For Nepal, the climate changes on Everest are quite an important matter. Not only is the mountain a valuable source of income for the country, the melting snows there help to feed the rivers and springs that deliver water to the villages in the Khumbu Valley below. As those streams dry up, villagers are having to hike several hours a day just to find water they need for day to day life. But those glaciers are retreating rapidly thanks to global climate change, and as they disappear, the amount of water provided to the valley below is going away too.

Just another way that the planet is changing around us, and an example of how it is having a direct impact on the lives of many.

Video of Summit Day on Everest

Travel blog World Hum, which is always a great source of information, posted a great video today of Summit Day on Everest. There is no dialog, just some great music and a minute and forty-three seconds of images from the mountain, along with spectacular views and shots of climbers on the route. Great stuff, and definitely a reminder of what we can expect in the spring. Check it out below!

Antarctica 2009: Heading South and Heading Up

Progress towards the Pole, and other Antarctic destinations, continues at the bottom of the world, where teams have been experiencing overall good conditions on their respective journeys. While reports continue to be remarkably upbeat, the rigors of day to day travel have begun to take their toll as well.

The Kaspersky Commonwealth Team is reporting that while conditions remain very good, the weather has gotten colder, prompting an extra layer of insulation to hold out the wind. The latest dispatch from the team comes from yesterday, when they covered 12.4 nautical miles and then celebrated the "Festival of Sacrifice", an Islamic tradition brought to the team by Era, the team member from Brunei. Era has been working through her own sacrifices it seems, as she reports blisters upon her blisters following some long days on the ice.

Eric Larsen and his teammates continue steaming towards the Pole as well, In his latest update, Eric says that they have put the mountains behind them and are now on the Antarctic plateau, with the ground nearly flat and level. He also says that they have encountered almost no sastrugi so far, and progress continues at a great pace. In fact, on the day of the post, the boys knocked off 14.7 nautical miles, although things have slowed down a bit as they have been slogging up hill for some time. Most people don't realize that Antarctica is the highest continent in the world, and there are a few portions of the South Pole trek that require explorers to over come some rather long, slow, climbs.

Meagan McGrath posted a new audio update today announcing that she is on the ice at Hercules Inlet at last. She is spending today getting her equipment finalized and ready to go, and then tomorrow she'll be officially underway on her solo, unsupported journey to the Pole. She reports conditions are good, with temps "only" sitting at -10º below zero. From the sound of her voice, it seems Meagan is eager and ready to get things underway.

Ryan Waters and Cecilie Skog are continuing on their unsupported expedition to the Pole as well, with their latest update coming last Friday, when they were reportedly preparing to drop their skis and switch into crampons for the climb up Wujek Ridge. In an earlier post, the gave some details on their day to day proceedings which are broken down like this: "Each day we do 12 runs of 35 minutes, which add up to 7 hrs. skiing. We take alternating 5 or 10 min. breaks between runs when we eat lunch on the go... chocolate, nuts, cookies etc" At the end of the day, they hit the tents, repair gear, melt snow for drinking water, and try to relax some. Just another day in the life of a polar explorer I suppose.

Finally, back across the water to Patagonia, Borge Ousland and his crew are reportedly done with their expedition to traverse the Patagonian Icecaps. The team was plucked from the ice by a boat yesterday, and they're now on their way back to Santiago before departing for home. Borge and the crew had such a good time though, the intend to make the journey again next year, and are inviting us to join them. Anyone want so sign up for a Patagonian adventure with a polar legend? Sounds like fun!

Top Adventure Destinations For 2010

Today is adventure travel day over at Gadling, with the entire team contributing all kinds of interesting stories. For instance, you'll find reviews of a transparent canoe available from SkyMall of course, a story on rafting the Grand Canyon, and Gadling's gift guide for the outdoor and adventure traveler.

One of the feature stories for today's line-up is a piece I wrote on my selection of the top 10 adventure travel destinations for 2010, in which I select the places that I think will offer the best adventure experiences for travelers in the year ahead. The list consists of some old classic stand-bys, such as Peru and Nepal, but with some hopefully surprising additions to the list too, perhaps even offering some new suggestions that you might not have considered in the past.

When deciding what to put on the list, I thought about the places that I might like to go, while balancing the activities that those locations had to offer. I also thought about the expense of traveling to those places, as we all know that adventure travel doesn't tend to be cheap. Still, with the economy still struggling a bit, I think there will once again be some great travel bargains next year, which means that the places on this list should be as accessible as they have ever been.

So, tell me what you think of my choices. What did I leave off? What's your top destination for 2010? More importantly, can I come along with you? :)

Primal Quest Badlands Episode 5

Adventure World Magazine has another great webisode from this year's Primal Quest Badlands, that was held in South Dakota this past August.

In this episode, the teams have completed the climbing course, and we catch up with them in a transition area, where we see them moving from being on foot back to the bikes. The racers discuss the challenges of the race so far, and the conditions that they've been competing under.



These videos have been shot and edited by Randy Ericksen. For more from Primal Quest and other videos from Randy, click here.

Donate To The Kamchatka Project, Win Cool Gear

Remember the Kamchatka Project? It's the kayaking expedition to the Kamchatka Peninsula, located in Siberia, Russia that I wrote about a few weeks back. In the summer of 2010, seven paddlers will explore that region, making several first descents of rivers there, while researching the impact of salmon fishing on the region.

In an effort to raise funds for the expedition, the team is running a raffle over the next few days. For every $5 that you donate to the cause, between now and Friday, you'll receive one entry into the raffle, and if you donate $35, you'll not only receive a bonus raffle ticket, you'll get a sweet Kamchatka t-shirt too. The winner, who will be announced on Monday, Nov. 30th, will receive a Kamchatka Survival Kit, which includes a Nau Motil Commuter bag, a Primus EtaPackLight Stove, footwear from END, and a Kamchatka Project T-shirt. Two second place winners will also receive shoes from END. To help contribute to this very exciting project, simply go to this page and fill out the entry form.

So tomorrow, while lounging around, fighting off a tryptophan induced nap, hop on over to the Kamchatka Project website, donate to the cause, and give yourself a chance to get some great gear.

Leopard Seal Adopts NG Photographer in Antarctica

This video has been making the rounds the last couple of days, but it's definitely worth sharing. It features National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen telling about an amazing experience he had while taking shots in Antarctica. Paul was actually in the water, getting shots of penguins and seals, when one of the lion seals, a 12-foot long predator, seemingly mistook him as one of its own kind, and proceeded to attempt teach him how to hunt, and even showing him how to feed. The seal was so persistent, that it attempted these things for several days, and Paul managed to get some amazing photos of the event. Really interesting stuff. Check it out.

Thanks to The Goat, amongst others, for this one.

Alan Arnette Blogs For Outside!

Alan Arnette, whose Everest coverage I mentioned yesterday, has big plans for 2010. The mountaineer has turned his sights on the Seven Summits, and perhaps an even bigger goal, in raising $1 million for the Alzheimer's Association, a cause that is very near and dear to Alan's heart.

As he prepares for the first of his Seven Summit climbs, Alan has also started blogging for Outside Online, offering up his first entry yesterday. In this initial post, Alan introduces himself to a new audience over at Outside, while outlining his plans for what he'll be writing about, which will include his own climbs, analysis of the Everest climbing season, and mountaineering news in general. Personally, I can't think of a better person to make these contributions to the Outside Blog, and Alan's writing will make an already great source of news and information even better.

Alan's Seven Summit bid will begin next July, when he'll start with Kilimanjaro and then move on to Elbrus the following month. From there, he'll climb Vinson in the fall of 2010 and Aconcagua, which he's already summitted, in early 2011. He'll tackle Everest in the spring of that year, before returning to Denali that summer. He'll finish up on the technical Carstensz Pyramid sometime in 2011 as well, and while in the neighborhood, he'll head to Australia and stroll up Kosciuszko too. The best part of this adventure is that we can all be a part of it. You can help Alan reach that $1 million goal by clicking here, and you can join him on one of the climbs by clicking here.

Congratulations on the new gig at Outside Alan, it is much deserved, and good luck on the Seven Summits. You know I'm behind you on that endeavor as well.

Kayaking Through Bhutan

I came across this video on Canoe & Kayak Magazine's website earlier, and had to share. It's part one of a new series that will follow kayaker Ben Stookesberry as he paddles his way through the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. As you would expect, the scenery is amazing, the mountains spectacular, and the white water is rough and challenging. Some of these locations have probably never been paddled before, and the remote Himalayan setting really adds to the sense of adventure.

Enter Tawang Chu Part: 1 from Ben Stookesberry on Vimeo.

New Record For Oldest Everest Summiteer!

According to this story from the Japan Times, the Guinness Book of World Records has proclaimed Min Bahadur Sherchan of Nepal the oldest person to ever reach the summit of Everest, knocking Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura from the literal and figurative lofty spot.

Both men climbed the mountain back in 2008, with Sherchan being the first to go up on May 25th of that year. Miura followed two days later. At the time, Sherchan was 76 years, 340 days old, while his rival was a mere 75 years of age. Miura was given the recognition from Guinness because Sherchan failed to produce the proper documentation. That has since been rectified, and Guinness has updated their listings to acknowledge his accomplishment.

If and when I ever hit the age of 75, I sure hope I still have the kind of energy these two men do. I'd like to still be traveling the world and exploring amazing places. I can't imagine reaching the summit of Everest at the age of 40, let alone 75 or 76 (+340 days!) Both stories are amazing, and glad to see Sherchan getting his just recognition outside of the regular climbing circles.

Thanks to Alan Arnette for sharing this story. As many of you already know, year in and year out, Alan offers the best coverage of the spring climbing season on Everest, and the Himalaya as a whole. in preparation for the 2010 season, he'd like to know a little bit about how we use the site and the kind of information we seek when we visit. To help Alan out, take this brief survey, and perhaps we can make the already great coverage even better. Thanks Alan!

Video Tribute To Tomaz Humar

Another tribute to fallen Slovenian climber Tomaz Humar has hit the internet, this time in the form of the video below. Obviously, the community is still in mourning over the loss of this charismatic and very talented climber, and this video highlights the man and his many accomplishments in the mountains.

Special thanks to Miha for sending this my way. It is much appreciated.

Antarctica 2009: Kaspersky Commonwealth Team Heads South!

There was lots of activity down in Antarctica over the weekend, as steady progress was made by the teams. Weather conditions fluctuated wildly though, but that is to be expected this time of year, and the explorers seem to be settling into their routines as they begin their long journey to the pole.

The Kaspersky Commonwealth Team officially got that journey underway, as they finished up their shake down run, and officially turned south today, with their skis pointed towards the Pole. In their first day out from Patriot Hills, they knocked off a solid 8.1 miles over six hours of travel, in great weather and over all ice conditions. The seven women are all in good spirits, despite the fact that most of them have never done anything remotely like this before.

Meanwhile, Eric Larsen is now a week into his expedition, and continues to make good time as well, covering 13.1 miles yesterday, bringing their total 121 miles so far. Over the weekend he reported whiteout conditions at times, but it doesn't seem to have dampened the team's spirits in any way. Be sure to check out Eric's most recent dispatch, which provides us with some great definitions of terms you'll be hearing from the explorers in the days ahead. Simple things like what a sastrugi is and what "TIAB" means. Good stuff!

Ryan Waters and Cecilie Skog are continuing on their unsupported journey to the Pole as well, but took a half day today in order to stay fresh and rested. They still managed to complete 7.3 miles in that time, and are now skiing on the Antarctic ice shelf, which is an important milestone for this duo, who began their journey on Berkner Island.

Finally, it seems that Meagan McGrath will depart for Patriot Hills today, weather permitting. Her most recent audio dispatch is from Friday, when she let us all know that she made it to Punta Arenas, despite having some issues with her bags, but was soon on her way, and joined by family and friends, who are there to see her off. Expect updates from the ice to begin soon, as she begins her journey to the South Pole as well.

The Rest of Everest Episodes 118: Photos Just Don't Do It..

Not only is there a new episode of the Rest of Everest this week, as there typically is, I actually remembered to download it and watch it for my usual Thursday write-up!

We're up to Episode 118 of the series, and it continues to just get better each week. Most fans of the show probably already know that the most recent episodes revolve around a trek that was conducted last spring to Everest Base Camp, with ROE creator Jon Miller joining forces with photographer Chris Marquardt to conduct photography and videography workshops along the way.

In last week's episode, the trek really got underway, with the group flying to Lukla and hitting the trail for the first time. This week, we rejoin the group as they continue the hike, giving us a great look at life on this type of trek, not to mention some stunning views of the Himalaya. Highlights of the episode for me include the shots from the trail, especially when the team came across a group of children on their way to school that morning, and the glimpses of the mountain villages that regularly dot the route. The entrance to Sagamatha National Park is also shown, which is an area of Nepal that includes a good chunk of the Himalaya and the South Side of Everest, which is a protected space.

As always, you can grab the episode from the Rest of Everest website, or subscribe to it directly in iTunes. If you haven't been watching the series, I can't recommend it highly enough, and suggest that you start with the first episode and work your way forward from there.

Andrew Skurka Announces His "2010 Project"!

Long distance hiking legend Andrew Skurka is preparing for another epic hike for 2010 and has begun to discuss the details on his website. Tentatively called "The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop", this adventure will see Andrew trekking through 4500 miles of wilderness, around the border of Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory.

The journey will begin in March of 2010, when Andrew will set out from the village of Kotzebue, in the northwest corner of Alaska, along the Chukchi Sea. From there, the plan is to ski south, sharing part of the Iditarod trail, and passing through the Alaska Range. As spring draws near, Andrew will take to the water, packrafting the Copper River to the ocean, then following the Lost Coast. With that stage behind him, he'll go back on foot to hike the Chilkoot Pass Trail from the Inside Passage to the Yukon River, where he'll once again take to the water, before trekking the length of the Brooks Range to finish up the hike.

Andrew expects the trip to take roughly seven months, in what he calls "a race against winter". He hopes to complete the entire loop before the notoriously brutal Alaskan winter returns, but make no mistake, traveling on foot in Alaska in March is going to be plenty cold and challenging still. Of course, this is Andrew we're talking about here. The man who has practically defined the long distance hike, covering more than 7700 miles trekking across North America back in 2004 and another 6875 miles on a grand loop of the western United States. If anyone can pull of this type of hike, it is him. I mean seriously, 4500 miles is like a walk in the park, right Andrew? :)

While plans for the hike are coming together Andrew is still looking for a sponsor and even a new name for the trek. So if you think you can come up with something better than The Great Alaskan-Yukon Loop, click here to offer a suggestion. Hmm... I think I'll submit something like "The Great Alaskan Death March" or maybe "Skurka's Folly". (Aww...come on, that last one isn't terrible considering the history of the state!)

Antarctica 2009: Progress!

With weather improving and momentum in their favor, the adventurous men and women already in the Antarctic have started to make real progress in their expeditions, while others leave home for Punta Arenas, as they make the final preparation for their polar adventures as well.

Updates from Eric Larsen and the Save The Poles Expedition indicates that they are off to a good start, covering more than 8 nautical miles in five hours time yesterday, their first real day out on the ice. An update to his blog also offers up some interesting information on how he approaches a journey such as this one, in which there are so many ways that you can fail, including gear issues, slow moving, injury, and more. But to make things easier and to stay focused, Eric takes a systematic approach to organization and staying focused on the goal. Interesting stuff to say the least, and probably applicable to any long distance trek in just about any environment.

Ryan Waters and Cecilie Skogs are also making good time in their unsupported trek to the South Pole. From what I can tell, they were the first team out from Patriot HIlls, and have been very focused thus far. Their latest dispatch, from two days ago now, says that they covered 18.2km (11.3 miles) on that day alone, with the weather conditions working together to provide the perfect skiing conditions. They ended the day with a hot chocolate in the tent, which, for my money, is a perfect way to end any cold day!

The Kaspersky Commonwealth Team have set off on their training run after repairing their tents that were damaged in high winds last weekend in Patriot HIlls. In their latest dispatch, they note that the high winds remain, but they have become a part of everyday life in Antarctica, and moral remains high amongst the group. They'll continue their training run for another day or two, testing out their equipment and getting a feel for life on the ice, before they finally turn their skis south, and their eventual destination at the Pole.

Meagan McGrath has left Canada at long last and is now on her way to Chile, where she'll get her gear organized before ALE takes her to Patriot Hills as well. Meagan posted new audio dispatches to her page before setting out from Ottawa, and she says she should arrive in Punta Arenas tonight. From there, she'll spend the next few days buying last minute gear and food, organizing her coms plan, and posting a few more updates to the website. With any luck, she'll be off to Antarctica by early next week.

Finally, catching up with Børge Ousland and his crew in Patagonia, where they continue their expedition across the icecap there. In his most recent update, Børge notes that the team was hit with more than 50 cm (19 inches!) of snow over night, which they thought would lead to slow going. Despite that however, they managed to knock off 16.5km (10.25 miles), although conditions deteriorated later in the day, and they made camp in white out conditions after 9 hours on the trail. So far, the team is content with their progress, but are worried about their fuel supply, amongst other things, if the current weather pattern persists.

Summit on the Summit: More Training Video

The Summit on the Summit Project continues to build in momentum this week, with the release of another humorous training video, as members of the team continue their preparation for their January ascent of Kilimanjaro.

You may recall from the story I wrote last week that this is the celebrity climb of Kili that is being used to promote awareness of a growing global concern over clean drinking water, which is in alarmingly short supply in many countries around the globe. The team will consist of celebs such as Jessica Biel, Jimmy Chin, and Kenna, amongst others. The expedition is asking for us to sponsor a foot of the climb, all the way to the top of the 19,340 foot mountain, in order to bring clean drinking water to parts of the world that are lacking in that department. Definitely a noble cause.

As I said in my previous post on this climb, expect to hear a lot more about this as we get closer to January. When ever you get celebs involved with project, it usually generates media attention, and the cause is a pretty high profile one too. For now, enjoy the third part of their training videos, in which the Climbing Guru inspires the troops with an interesting song. :)

Antarctic Icebreaker Navigates Into Open Waters

After mentioning the Captain Khlebnikov yesterday , I thought an update was due today. The ship, an Antarctic icebraker converted to a tourist vessel, was stranded in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea, with more than 100 passengers on board, just as the 2009 tourism season is getting underway.

The Examiner is reporting today that the ship sailed free of the ice this afternoon, heading out into open waters and navigating back along its intended course. The story goes on to say that the vessel was never in any danger, and was only trapped by the ice, not actually on the ice. Yesterday, winds prevented the ice from moving aside for the ship, but those winds changed today, shifting the ice out of the way, and allowing safe passage for passengers and crew. Apparently the ship will now continue its usual cruise, but will be delayed roughly 3 to 4 days in returning to port. As the article notes, these kinds of conditions are not unusual for this time of the year, but they don't expect any further delays to the schedule.

It's good to see the Captain Khlebnikov managed to get free without any kind of real incident. There have been too many close calls in the Antarctic waters the past few years that another one wasn't going to be good for the industry. Hopefully this is as close as we get to a major problem all season.

Kite Boarders Jump Pier Amidst 40 MPH Winds!

I first saw this story yesterday over at The Outpost, the official blog for Outdoorzy, but it took the Wend Blog to track down the video to really sell the story.

In the video below you'll find some amazing, and amazingly insane, footage of two kite boarders catching BIG air, as they jump a pier in the U.K. Wend identifies the two crazy boarders as "three time British Champion Lewis Crathern and Big Air Master Jake Scrace". The duo had been planning the jump for three years, but had to wait for the perfect weather conditions to do so. When they got their chance, they took it.

All I can say is Wow!

ExWeb Interviews Ripley Davenport

I've mentioned Ripley Davenport on more than one occasion on the blog. He's the British adventurer that is preparing to trek across Mongolia on foot next year, solo and unsupported. He'll be crossing more than 1700 miles of some of the harshest terrain on the planet, including the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian Steppe, while pulling all of his supplies in a cart behind him. He expects to complete the journey in just three months time.

Today, ExWeb has posted an excellent interview with Ripley, who with just five months to go, is hurriedly putting the finishing touches on his expedition. In the interview, Ripley talks about the logistics of his preparation, what he's done to prepare and what else needs to be done before he goes. He's been working hard on his physical conditioning, testing and modifying the gear he'll use, and arranging for his travel in Monoglia as well. He also talks about the design and construction of the trailer he'll use along the way, his biggest challenges to date, and plenty more.

All in all, this is a good read, with some nice insights into what it takes to put together an epic solo expedition such as this one. There are so man behind the scenes things that go on that you never think about, that it is fascinating to get a peek behind the curtain sometimes.

I've been fortunate enough to chat with a number of amazing adventurers in recent months. People who are climbing big mountains, going to the Poles, or on expeditions like Ripley's, and there has been a common theme amongst many of them, which is "how do I get a sponsor?" With the economy still sluggish, sponsors are being very careful about how they spend their money, and Ripley talks about that a bit at the beginning of the story too, mentioning how time consuming it can be just to make contacts and have the opportunity to present to potential sponsors.

Let's hope the economy improves in 2010 so that more great expeditions like this one can get underway.

The Adventure Life Tells You Where To Go Skiing!

Mid-November is upon us, the cooler weather has set in, and the mountain states have already been hit with plenty of snow this year. Winter is still officially a month away, but that doesn't mean it isn't time to hit the slopes and get some skiing, or in my case, snowboarding in. The problem is, where is the best place to go? What if you live somewhere that doesn't offer much in the way of snow sports? (Say... Texas for instance!) Well, never fear, because The Adventure Life is here to save the day.

Adventure Live editor Steve Casimiro has undertaken the herculean task of listing, and linking, each and every ski resort in the United States. That's 481 resorts in total, listed in alphabetical order by state. The links generally go to the resorts main webpage, but any time it was possible, a link was provided to the current snow conditions as well.

Basically, you have the best resource on the web for finding places to hit the slopes right on one page. The big resorts are obvious of course, but this list is great for finding lesser known places as well, or perhaps a place close to where you live that you didn't even know was there.

And for those interested in the incredible amount of work that went into making this list, Adventure Life has included a "Making of" article as well. Well done Steve! Now go visit some of these places! You've earned a break!

As Antarctic Tourism Season Opens, A Ship Is Stuck In The Ice!

While activities on the Antarctic continent start to get really underway, the tourism season in the waters just off shore start to ramp up too. The past few years, that has meant a series of high profile problems with cruise ships running aground, and in one case, sinking to the bottom of the sea. This season is off to an auspicious start, as Jon Bowermaster tells us in his blog today that another ship, an ice breaker no less, is already trapped in the ice.

The ship is called the Captain Khlebnikov, and it carries about 100 passengers, mostly British. So far, the company that manages the ship has said that it is merely slowed by the heavy ice in the region, and that it is in no danger, despite the fact that it really can't go anywhere at the moment. The Finnish-built, Russian operated icebreaker continues to conduct helicopter tours and business is as usual, while it wait for the weather to change, allowing it to go on it's usual course, which takes it through the ice-filled Weddell Sea.

Heavy ice isn't especially uncommon this early into the tourist season, as conditions are still quite cold there. But as more and more people flock to the area, the amount of traffic amongst that ice is increasing, which has led some of us to believe that it is only a matter of time before disaster strikes. There doesn't seem to be any kind of danger in this recent incident, at least not at the moment, but it does serve to underscore the dangers of traveling in the waters at the bottom of the world.

Antarctica 2009: Save The Poles Expedition Officially Underway!

There has been a slow, steady build-up to the start of the Antarctic season for 2009, with expeditions arriving first in Punta Arenas, Chile, where they organize their gear and take care of last minute needs, before ALE shuttles them over to Patriot Hills. For those that are already on the ice, it has been a challenging few days, as high winds have kept them pinned down in camp, tearing through tents, and disrupting their plans. That changed today, as several teams finally hit Hercules Inlet and began their long, slow, march to the Pole.

Prominent amongst the teams that got underway are the Save The Poles Expedition, which sees Eric Larsen beginning his one year long quest to reach the North and South Pole and the summit of Everest, in an attempt to promote the use of clean energy. Eric sent back an audio dispatch today, announcing that he, along with Dongsheng Liu and Bill Hanlon, have officially gotten underway, after ALE shipped them to Hercules on one of their Twin Otter planes. It didn't look like they'd have a chance to get on the move today though, as high winds continued this morning, but they died down long enough for the team to make the short flight from Patriot Hills, and get underway at long last.

Also underway are the team of Ryan Waters and Cecilie Skogs, who are also headed to the Pole on skis, setting out from Berkner Island. They were transferred to their starting spot last Friday, and have now been making steady progress for several days. According to their latest updates, they've had great weather so far, and have covered more than 42 miles in the first two days alone. The pair will go unsupported the entire way, covering nearly 840 miles in the process.

Finally, the Kaspersky Commonwealth Team also posted another update today. They are reporting that the high winds in camp at Patriot HIlls has damaged their tents, and they'll need to make some repairs before they get going. They are currently borrowing tents from ALE, while they fix their own, and then they intend to make a short training expedition before they begin their true journey south as well. They hope to be underway in the next few days.

Looks like things are starting to get rolling down south. Should be another interesting and active year in Antarctica.

Germany To Build Man-Made Mountain in Berlin?

Here's an odd story if I've ever heard one. It comes our way courtesy of Environmental Graffiti, who has the scoop on the possibility of a man-made mountain being erected in Berlin.

According to the story, architect Jacob Tigges has proposed that the city built a mountain 3300 feet in height on the spot where Tempelhof Airport once stood. The airport, one of Europe's oldest, closed down last year, and has remained unused since, and the city is considering the best ways to use the land moving forward.

Enter "The Berg", Tigges grand idea to make an already iconic city stand out even further. If his plans were to come to pass, the mountain would offer visitors green meadows and beautiful vistas, along with hiking trails and scenic overlooks. And in the winter, the snow capped peak would allow for skiing as well. Talk about creating green spaces for your citizens.

Of course, a project of this size would come with a hefty price tag, and require a lot of resources and man power. That's why many see it as a big joke or a political statement against local politicians who have been slow to move on just how they'd like to use the land that was once occupied by Tempelhof.

Whether or not this project ever comes to fruition is probably irrelevant at this point, but it sure makes for an interesting concept. Of course, as is usually the case in the mountaineering world, I'm sure there would be a mad scramble to claim the first ascent, become the youngest to summit, and so on. ;) At the very least this is a cool idea.

Climbers Aid Archeologists In Mustang Region of Nepal

The National Geographic Adventure Blog was updated this morning with a cool story about world class climbers joined an NG sponsored expedition last summer, and were ultimately able to help archeologists to recover artifacts they may not have had the opportunity to gather on their own.

The climbers in question were none other than Pete Athans, who has reached the summit of Everest on seven different occasions, and Renan Ozturk, a rock climber who has tackled big walls all over the planet. The two men were able to scale the challenging, and often crumbling, walls of the Mustang Valley region of Nepal to reach a series of tunnels and chambers that were carved out of the rock by humans who used the place as their village. The dwellings, communal rooms, and temples, are found some 700 feet off the ground. How challenging was the climbing you ask? At one point, they were only able to gain 328 vertical feet over a 14 hour period.

Once inside this ancient rock dwelling, the climbers hit the mother-lode in terms or archeological finds. They discovered more than 8000 manuscripts in one room alone that give great insight into the people who once lived in the Mustang district and what life was like for them living in their cave dwelling.

The expedition was filmed of course, and tomorrow night, we're all going to get a chance to watch it. It'll air on PBS here in the U.S. tomorrow night at 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central in a show entitled Lost Cave Temples of the Himalaya. But don't miss the lead in show, Secrets of Shangri-La, which gives more insight and information on the Kingdom of Mustang and the caves there. That show airs one hour before Lost Cave Temples.

Personally, I'm looking forward to watching these shows. I had the opportunity to meet Pete Athans last year, and see a preview of this show, and it was amazing. The Mustang region is very interesting and mysterious, and it was fun to watch these climbers help unearth some amazing finds. They caught the scene were they enter the manuscript chamber on video, which was great, but there was also plenty of other drama before they even set foot in the caves. Pete talked about how local villagers showed up on the scene once they found out that outsiders were in the area, and were hoping to get a cut of any "treasure" that the might find.

This is a very interesting story on a seldom seen part of the Himalaya. Definitely worth watching, so don't forget to set the DVR!

In Search of Shackleton's Whiskey!

Some people will go a long way for a stiff drink. The New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust has announced plans to recover two cases of McKinlay and Co whiskey that have been encased in ice in the Antarctica for more than 100 years. They were left there by famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on one of his failed attempts to reach the South Pole at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Back in 1907, Shackleton was one of the top polar explorers on the planet, and was embroiled in a race to become the first man to reach the South Pole. He got within 97 miles of his goal before deciding to turn back, leaving behind an assortment of gear and equipment, including the whisky. That gear and the booze were rediscovered three years ago, but there has been no attempts to actually recover it until now.

The Antarctic Heritage Trust will try to cut through the ice and get to the two cases, then bring it home to be examined, and have the bottles restored, before returning them to Shackleton's hut located at Cape Royds. The hut is undergoing restorations itself, as the Trust attempts to put it back to exactly the way it was when Shackleton set out on his journey a century ago.

The AHT isn't the only ones who are interested in getting their hands on a bottle however, as distillers Whyte and Mackay, who now produce the McKinlay brand, are hoping that at least a sample will be sent their way. This particular blend isn't produced any more, and they would like to recreate it if possible. I'm sure they'll sell a ton back in the U.K. marketing as the drink that Shackleton sailed with. It also makes it easier to understand how the Endurance survived all those months in the ice! ;)

Seriously though, will this stuff have aged to perfection? Lord knows it should be plenty chilled by now!

Remembering Tomaz

As most of you know doubt know by now, Tomaz Humer's body was recovered from Langtang Lirung this past weekend, after days of search and rescue operations. The Slovenian climber was on the 23,711 foot mountain making a solo attempt when he fell last Monday, breaking ribs, his legs, and back. Tomaz made a call from the mountain asking for help, and rescue teams responded as quickly as they could, but it took several days to fix lines up to his last known position and bad weather made it difficult to coordinate efforts. In the end, it was too late, and the climber's body was located, and brought down on Saturday, by pilot Robert Andenmatten and mountaineer Simon Anthamatten.

Today, several prominent outdoor websites have put up posts remembering Tomaz, who has been seen as both a brash and reckless climber and a bold and dedicated mountaineer who did big things on big mountains. ExWeb posted their own tribute to the man, pulling no punches in looking at his life in the mountains that was, at times, as controversial as it was ground breaking.

Not to be outdone, Outside Online also has a nice repost of an interview they conducted with Tomaz back in 2002 in which he takes author Peter Maass rocking climbing in his native Slovenia, while sharing his philosophies on climbing in general and the sacrifices one makes to reach your goals in the mountains. It is a very interesting, and long, read, but well worth your time to really get some insights on Humer and his drive to excel in the Himalaya.

The mountaineering community will continue to mourn the loss of another great climber, and my thoughts remain with his friends and family today.

Antarctica 2009: High Winds in Patriot Hills

Last week the first Antarctic teams descended on Patriot Hills as they began their acclimatization process for their journeys to the South Pole, Vinson Massif, or where ever they might be headed on the frozen continent. For most, the first day or two is used as a way to get use to the environment, check their gear one last time, and rest up before heading out. But weather conditions ended up keeping them in camp for a few extra days.

Polar explorer Eric Larsen posted an audio dispatch to his blog, giving us an update on his situation. He notes that high winds prevented him and the team he is guiding form setting out yesterday as planned, but he hoped to hit the trail today, and begin the long march south. He mentioned that much of the weekend had been spent keeping tents in place and making sure that they were holding up to the already extreme conditions, but now that things are expected to improve, he seemed eager to get his Save The Poles expedition underway. You may recall that Eric is hoping to become the first person to visit the "Three Poles" in one calendar year, going to the North and South Poles and the summit of Everest in the process. By doing so, he is looking to promote clean energy use in an effort to protect our rapidly changing environment

The Kaspersky Connonwealth Team has been stuck in Patriot HIlls thanks to the weather as well, and their latest dispatch indicates that they have been using their time to get on their skis and make a few trial runs, but once they winds picked up, they stayed snug in their tents, hoping that none of their gear got blown away. No word on when they intend to depart from Patriot Hills, but the seven woman team will be making the 500+ mile journey to the South Pole as a team.

Once the winds drop down, expect more people to start showing up on the ice. ALE will be flying in explorers and climbers from Punta Arenas later in the week, and Meagan McGrath has indicated that she'll be leaving for South America this week to begin her South Pole adventure as well.

Meanwhile, across the Beagle Channel, in Patagonia, Børge Ousland and his team are continuing their efforts to cross the Patagonian Icecap. They set out from Punta Arenas last week, and initially had slow going thanks to the wild and remote conditions that they had to trek through. Things seem to have improved greatly, and Børge reports spectacular weather conditions and stunningly beautiful scenery out on the ice. Progress has picked up some, but hidden crevasses have forced the team to move slowly and cautiously for now. Today they covered just 4km, which doesn't sound like much, but last week, while establishing their first camp, they managed just 1km in 9 hours of work. Improvements are all a matter of perspective in the wild!

Helly Hansen Prunesco Wins 2009 AR World Championship

The 2009 Adventure Racing World Championship has been won by Helly Hansen Prunesco, finishing the race at 9:30 AM local time in Portugal this morning. The team is from the U.K. and consists of veteran racers Nick Gracie, Tom Gibbs, Warren Bates, Nicola Macloed.

SleepMonsters has more on the big win for Helly Hanen, and you read their report here and their excellent ongoing coverage of the event by clicking here. If you've been following the event over the past week, you probably won't be surprised to learn that there was an error on the leaderboard yesterday that impacted the final outcome of the race. The number of checkpoints that was collected by Helly Hansen was incorrectly reported on the low side, which gave Nike a false sense of security heading into the final stages. Nike elected to skip a few CP's, thinking they had a padding, only to be told that Helly Hansen actually had several more CP's. Before heading out on those final legs of the race, Nike already knew they had been beaten, which is an absolute shame. That said, Nike also admits they made a mistake in reading the race instructions, and skipped several CP's thinking they were facing a time cut-off that didn't exist.

I've been fairly critical of the race all week, namely because of the format allowing teams to pick and choose which CP's they would go after. This unique approach does add a different element of strategy to the race, but made it nearly impossible for those of us following along at home to know exactly where the teams stood in the field. For a sport that already isn't spectator friendly, these kinds of decisions don't help the situation much.

None of that should have an impact on the big win for Helly Hansen however. Congrats to the new champs. You earned it out on the course and under the rules provided, and you beat the best teams in the world. Well done!

Himalaya Rescue Update: Tomaz Is Lost

Sad news from Nepal this morning as ExWeb is reporting that efforts to rescue Tomaz Humer on Langtang Lirung have failed, and that the climber has passed away. According the very brief update to a previous story, a rescue chopper, piloted by Robert Andenmatten found Tomaz, and a rescue attempt was made by Simon Anthamatten, but the Slovenian climber passed away soon after.

That's about all we know at this point, but reading between the lines, it sounds like Tomaz was found on the mountain alive, but passed away shortly after he was airlifted off the 23,711 foot Langtang Lirung. I don't know this for sure, but from what little info that has been passed on, that's what I'd guess to be what happened. I'm sure we'll learn more in the next few days.

Tomaz has travelled to Langtang Lirung to make a solo attempt on the mountain. He suffered injuries on his descent and called for help on Monday using his satellite phone. A rescue team went up the mountain on Tuesday, but were unable to find him, and were forced back down due to bad weather. Attempts to find him were not successful until today, but it was rumored that Humer has suffered injuries not only to his legs and ribs, but also his back, which likely played into his death.

Keep Tomaz's family and friends in your thoughts today.

Antarctica 2009: Explorers Hitting The Ice!!

The Antarctic season for 2009 is now officially underway, with the first skiers departing from Punta Arenas and landing on the ice yesterday. A weather window opened late yesterday, allowing ALE to begin shuttling the explorers, both teams and solo, to the ice at last.

Amongst the first to land at Patriot HIlls were the Kaspersky Commonwealth Expedition, who will now spend a few days acclimatizing and testing their gear before they officially get underway to the Pole. In a their first official audio dispatch from Antarctica, they report that spirits are high, the team is ready, and the weather is great.

Also amongst the explorers that landed in Patriot Hills yesterday is Eric Larsen, who aims to go to the "three poles" in one calendar year. Eric hasn't sent back a dispatch yet, but on Wednesday of this week he indicated that he was "good to go" and was anxious to get the expedition underway. If all goes as planned, he'll not only reach the North and South Pole in the next 365 days, but also the summit of Everest.

Look for more explorers to join the growing crowd at Patriot Hills over the next few days as well. ALE will make shuttle runs as long as the weather is good, and there are plenty of teams still arriving in Chile. The season is just amping up now. Plenty more to come.

Summit on the Summit Takes Shape

Remember the celebrity Kilimanjaro climb I mentioned a couple of months back? The one that will see musician Kenna, joined by a group of friends that includes Jessica Biel, Lupe Fiasco, and Isabel Lucas, amongst others, making the climb to raise awareness of the growing need for clean water across the entire planet? Well, it seems that the team, and their sponsors, have kicked off a major effort to get the word out about their cause, as they prepare to head to Tanzania in January, to take on the tallest mountain in Africa.

That effort begins with a newly revamped website that provides all kinds of great information, including bios on each of the climbers, info on their gear, which is actually a showcase for some of their sponsors products, and further insights into what they are trying to accomplish. The new site is super slick, and offers fun to play around with, and includes a virtual climb to the summit, in which you can choose to sponsor a foot of the climb, allowing the team to meet it's goal and deliver safe drinking water to their selected charities, which include the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, UNHCR, and PlayPumps International.

While this is indeed a very serious project with a serious cause, that doesn't mean that the team isn't having fun. Check out their first two "training" videos below to see how they are preparing for their big climb.

I was especially impressed with the information they have on the mountain itself, which includes 3D rendered flybys of Kili, information on the various routes to the summit, weather conditions, and a lot more. Scrolling through the information sure brought back memories of my trip to the area. I'm sure they'll both give you a couple of laughs. Their training methods are, shall we say, a bit unconventional. :)

Expect to hear a lot more about this expedition in the weeks leading up to their January 7th start.

Adventure Racing World Championship Update: Nike in the lead! Maybe?

The Adventure Racing World Championships have moved into their sixth day in Portugal, and teams are scrambling at the top of the leaderboard, as they continue to blast through the miles, steaming towards the finish line. In the past few days, the event organizers haven't made it any easier to follow the race, although they have begun to update their online leaderboard with snapshots of where things stand following specific stages. The most recent of those updates shows a top five that includes Nike/Beaver Creek in the top spot, followed by Helly Hansen - Prunesco and Lundhags Adventure in the second and third spots. Primal Quest and defending world champs, Orion Health are in fourth, with Buff Thermacool holding down fifth place at the moment.

The format of this race, as I've said a number of times this week, has not helped much for spectators trying to follow along at home. Teams received bonuses for finding checkpoints, but for the most part, they could choose to skip them if they felt that it wasn't in their best interest and they could make up the time elsewhere. This has made it very challenging to figure out who is actually the leader out on the course, although the updated leaderboard that I linked to above, does note the number of CP's each team has collected. Nike currently has 40, while Helly Hansen and Lundhags Adventure both have 38, and Orion is just one back with 37.

I've been happy to see that I'm not the only one who has struggled to follow the action, as I've read a number of other reports on the Internet decrying the format. For a niche sport that is trying to gain an audience, I think this is absolutely the wrong way of going about it. I'd recommend that the organizers of the ARWC think twice about it for 2010, and instead come up with an accurate leaderboard system, coupled with a better tracking system, that allows us to follow along at home. Yes, I know I'm a bit biased thanks to my association with Primal Quest, but I really believe that our use of the SPOT Satellite Messengers is the best tracking system out there. It is so much more engaging than what we've gotten from the ARWC this year, and that makes all the difference when you're putting on an event that isn't exactly spectator friendly to begin with.

It's hard to say at this point when we'll get a winner for this year's event, but I'd guess that it'll happen sometime tomorrow at this point. The race was suppose to cut off today, but teams seem to be moving at a slower pace than expected. Keep checking in with the SleepMonsters coverage to see how things progress. At the moment, they remain the best source of info in regards to what is happening on the ground in Portugal. They have had a number of interesting tidbits from the field, including the fact that Orion's captain Wayne Oxenham went missing for a time last night, but ended up arriving at a CP with Nike! Hmm... wonder what that'll cost them in penalties. By most AR rules, that should be a DQ!

Himalayan Rescue: Update on Tomaz

ExWeb has an update on the Tomaz Humer story that I posted yesterday, with news coming in from the Himalaya. Unfortunately, at this time, that news isn't good.

It seems the first rescue squad of Sherpas arrived at the point where they thought Tomaz should be, but he was no where to be found. To make matters worse, a second rescue team has arrived from Switzerland, but they are stranded in base camp thanks to bad weather. Heavy fogs have also grounded the rescue helicopters, making it impossible to scout safely scout the area from the air, or conduct an airlift, which may be the only way to get the stranded climber off the mountain once he is found. Yesterday I reported that it was believed that Tomaz possibly broke his leg and ribs on a fall, but now it is believed that he may have also injured his back too. That complicates the rescue situation, and will pretty much require an airlift to get the Slovenian mountaineer back to a hospital.

The ExWeb story has a day-by-day breakdown of what is happening, starting with Monday when Tomaz made a call on his sat phone for help. The Sherpa team immediately went into rescue mode, but were unable to start up the mountain until Tuesday, when the last call came in from Humer. He was said to be in weak condition, his voice very faint, but he is quoted as saying "Jagat, this is my last!" when speaking to one of the Sherpas. Ominous words to say the least. Wednesday the rescuers arrived at the spot that the missing climber indicated was his location, but found nothing, and yesterday they were forced to retreat due to a snow storm.

Tomaz was climbing the 23,711 foot Langtang Lirung, located in Nepal, on a solo expedition that began on the 5th of October. His call for help came in on the 9th, with no word at all from him since the 10th. Lets hope that he is alive but has suffered an equipment failure with his sat phone, which is very common. There may yet be a happy ending to this story, but keep his friends and family in your thoughts today.

More Primal Quest Videos

I missed these earlier in the week, but wanted to share them now. Adventure World Magazine has two more videos from Primal Quest Badlands that follow along with the race as it developed this past August in South Dakota.

In the first video, which is actually the third PQ Web Episode, we catch up to the teams on the first, of what would prove to be many, mountain biking legs. The race has begun to take it's toll on some of the racers, but at this early stage, there is still nearly 500 miles to go on the World's Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition.



The next video catches up with Team Bones, as the negotiate a rather challenging, but thrilling ropes course, which was one of the highlights of this year's race in the Badlands. Watching this video, you'll understand why. Good stuff!

The Rest of Everest Episodes 116 & 117: Catching Up With The Trek!

It wasn't until I was downloading this week's episode of The Rest of Everest that it actually dawned on me that I hadn't had the opportunity to watch last week's episode yet. I hate being behind, so I had to power through two great episodes back-to-back, just to catch up!

In last week's episode number 116, entitled Landing In Lukla, the trekking team does just that, arriving in the small town that is the gateway to the Himalaya. Jon his once again joined by several people who were on the trek, including Chris Marquardt from Tips from the Top Floor, his co-host on this trek/workshop. The episode opens with the gang visiting a number of cultural sites in Kathmandu, while exploring the streets of that eclectic city, before everyone heads off to Lukla, a place that serves as the gateway to the Himalaya, with an airport that is legendary for it's, lets just say, unique approach vector. If you're not aware of the situation, you'll have to watch the video to see more. After landing, the group is off to the town itself, where they get some of the local tea and begin the process of acclimatization.

Episode 117 is the aptly named No Planes, No Trains, and No Automobiles. With this episode, the trek itself is underway at last, and group heads out into the Himalaya itself. There is plenty of great video this week of the beginning stages of the trek to Everest Base Camp, and for anyone considering that trek, this is an amazing introduction of what you can expect on that journey. The large group of trekkers that join Jon on this episode help to add a great element to this episode, as they share their thoughts from the early portions of the trek. Some of the highlights include not only the great landscapes of course, but also the Sherpa culture and villages that are evident along the way. On an EBC trek for instance, you generally don't stay in tents, but tea houses instead. There are plenty of great things to see in this video of course, but don't miss Jon's very inspirational speech on trail etiquette when dealing with trail gas and other bodily functions while at altitude. Funny stuff!

As someone who is really looking at doing this trek in the near future, perhaps as early as next spring, these episodes have been great so far for really showing me what to expect. They've also been extra long in length, which I've enjoyed as well.

Tomaz Humer In Trouble In The Himalaya

ExWeb has a breaking story today about an on going rescue attempt on Langtang Lirung in the Himalaya. It seems that Slovenian climber Tomaz Humer is stranded above 6300 meters after breaking a leg, and possibly some ribs, on his descent of the mountain earlier this week. Humer called in over the sat phone, requesting an evac, but has not been heard from in several days now, although a team of Sherpas has been fixing ropes to try to reach his position. At last update, they were said to be about 100 meters below where Tomaz is believed to be, but they have seen no sign of him.

Langtang Lirung is a 7227 meter (23,711 feet) peak located to the southwest of Shisha Pangma. It is the 99th tallest mountain in the world, but is recognizable throughout the Langtang Himal, a subsection of the HImalaya, for it's very tall vertical relief, rising some 5500 meters above the surrounding area.

Efforts to reach Tomaz on the mountain will continue tomorrow, so lets keep our fingers crossed that they find him alive and well and waiting for the rescue team. His sat phone is no doubt out of battery at this point, so we shouldn't be too alarmed by the fact that no one has heard from him. Hopefully we'll hear more tomorrow, and lets hope that it is good news.

Adventure Wants Us To Pick The Adventurer of the Year!

National Geographic Adventure is making the process of picking their Adventurer of the Year more democratic this time out, asking us to vote online to help decide this year's winner. To check out the nominees and to cast your votes, click here.

As you would expect, there are a number of interesting choices to choose from, including explorer Albert Yu-Min Lin, who is searching for the lost tomb of Genghis Kahn in Mongolia's "Forbidden Zone". Other nominees include Dean Potter, who loves jumping from high places in a wingsuit, astronaut John Grunsfeld who performed delicate repairs on the Hubble, and Ulra Runner Diane Van Deren, who became the first woman to complete the Yukon Arctic Ultra.

This is just a sampling of some of our choices, and fortunately, we don't just have one vote to cast. Instead, we get to look at the information, and usually video, on each adventurer, and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10. That way, each of these very deserving individuals gets a fair chance, and we're not sitting at home scratching our heads as to which one of these individuals is most deserving of our precious single ballot. I personally like the process, and I'll be interested in seeing who ultimately comes out on top.

So head on over to the online voting booth and start rating the adventurers! And when you're done there, be sure to check out which Adventurer is going into the Hall of Fame this year, and take a look at this year's Must-Have Gear. (Yes, I'm drooling over some of the choices here!)

The Ten Best Adventure Biographies (According to Outside)

Outside Magazine has posted a new article that lists their choices for the 10 Greatest Adventure Biographies of all time. The list is made up of a host of big name explorers and adventurers who left their mark in a variety of ways.

For anyone looking to fill out their bookshelf, there are some outstanding books on this list. For instance, Outside gives kudos to The Wildest Dream by Peter & Leni Gillman, the biography of George Mallory, who famously disappeared on Everest at the age of 37 back in 1924. But prior to being lost in the Himalaya (only to be found in 1999), Mallory built a reputation as one of the best high altitude climbers in the world, honing his skills in the Alps, before heading to Asia as part of British exploratory teams.

Shackleton by Roland Huntford also makes the list, detailing the life of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, best known for his expeditions to the Antarctica aboard the famous ship the Endurance. Huntford gives a more complete picture of the man than just those epic tales of adventure however, showing a very flawed and complex character.

Other people whose biographies earned a spot in the top ten include African explorer Henry Morton Stanley, co-first summiteer of Everest Tenzing Norgay, and everyone's favorite outdoor schizophrenic Chris McCandless. There are obviously others as well, and I won't spoil all the fun in finding out who they are. But be prepared to have Amazon open in another browser window, you'll want to add these great books to your library as soon as possible.

So did they leave any great biographies off the list? With only ten to choose from, it must have been difficult to narrow it down. What's your favorite and why should it have been added?

Record Breaking Cyclist Interviewed at The Adventure Life

Remember James Bowthrope? He was the British cyclist who completed an around the world ride in just 174 days back in September, setting a new world's record in the process and besting the old mark by 20 days. He's been home for nearly two months now, and The Adventure Life had the chance to check in with him, and see how he's doing.

In the interview, Bowthrope talks about using his epic ride as a fund raiser for Parkinson's research, how he got motivated to go after the record, and much more, such as his best day on the bike (reaching Sydney, Australia), as well as his scariest day (being chased by thugs in Iran). He touches on the gear that he carried and the bike he rode as well.

All in all, a very interesting, informative article, with lots of insights on a long distance ride. it'll give you a new appreciation on these kinds of adventures. Definitely an amazing experience, and considering he had to average 103 miles per day over the course of his journey, it just makes the whole thing more impressive.

By the way, The Adventure Life has always been a great resource for these kinds of stories, and it's on my daily rounds. But it just got better now that the site has been optimized for use on the iPhone too. A great site that I can now read even better on the go.

Surviving The Cold

Considering my score on yesterday's Survival Quiz, more articles like this one from Planet Fear might do me some good.

The article is an extensive look at what cold weather can do to our bodies and how environmental factors can play into those issues. For instance, damp weather, creating a damp body, allows heat to escape more quickly than a dry body. Add in some wind to the equation, and it just gets worse. And if environmental conditions aren't enough of a consideration, there are plenty of individual factors to think about as well, such as body fat, hunger, clothing worn, and so on.

Planet Fear provides plenty of practical advice and info in the article as well, explaining the best ways to build an improvised shelter for an entire group, how to dig a snow cave, and more. They also tell us what signs to look for when watching for hypothermia and how to treat it, as well as frostbite too.

All in all, in a good article for anyone who goes on any cold weather adventures, whether that's climbing in the mountains or skiing in the backcountry, or dogsledding in Alaska. And with winter setting in here in the northern hemisphere, it's always a good time to be reminded of these things.

2009 Adventure Racing World Championship Update

The Adventure Racing World Championships continue in Portugal, with the top teams slugging it out across a challenging course that stretches more than 450 miles in length. From most accounts, athletes are performing well and are at the top of their game. If only the same thing could be said for the ARWC website and leaderboard.

On more than one occasion over the past few days, when I've tried to logon to the website to check standings, the site has been down altogether. And when I am able to access the site, the leaderboard tells a very different tale from the reports we're getting at SleepMonsters.com, where we're told that OrionHealth and Nike are pushing each other to the limit. But even that isn't the full tale, as the unique racing system that they've put together has teams chasing bonus checkpoints to earn time credits, which adds a new element of confusion. It is believed that Nike has one or two more CP's than Orion, but it is not confirmed at this point, and in the end, it could be those elements that end up deciding the race.

Now, I know that adventure racing isn't exactly a spectator sport, but with modern tracking devices that are connected to leaderboards, there is no reason that there should be this kind of confusion. Fans want to be able to follow along at home, cheering for a favorite team, and when the leaderboard and tracking system don't accurately reflect what is happening on the course, it takes a lot of the fun and drama out of the event. It is usually not a good thing when the first team across the finish line doesn't end up being the one that actually wins, which is another reason this bonus checkpoint system is not necessarily a good one.

The race is scheduled to go for two more days, and I suspect we'll see the first teams finishing tomorrow. Keep checking in with SleepMonsters for more updates, as they have a man on the ground in Portugal who is feeding back good information and doing a far better job keeping us up to date with what is really happening between the top teams.

New Online Store Offers Gear On The Cheap!

The folks over at Backcountry.com are in the process of launching a new online discount gear store that has the potential to save us all a lot of cash, and just in time for the holiday season no less. The new store is called the Department of Goods, and starting today, it's delivering great deals on top brand gear, with a bit of a catch.

What is that catch you ask? Well, for now, getting into the store is by invite only. You need to "know someone" to get in. But if you're reading this blog, you do know someone! I have some invite codes to share for the first few people who drop me a note. Simply drop me a note at kungfujedi@gmail.com and I'll hand out codes while they last.

Once you have an invite, and you get the chance to get inside the store, you'll have access to all kinds of great deals, with a number of items going for as much as 70% off retail. And if that wasn't enough, one in ten purchases will be completely comped. Yep! Free! Gratis! You pay zip! And if your order is more than $50, and lets face it, that isn't tough to do when buying gear, you'll get to choose from a special "grab bag of swag" that will include everything from socks, t-shirts, and multi-tools to kayaks, skis and bikes. (Hmm... I could use a new kayak or mountain bike!)

So, for the lucky few who e-mail me quickly, get ready to start spending. For those on the outside looking in, I'm sure you'll get the hook-up soon enough. :)

Update: I'm out of codes for now. If I can get some more, I'll be happy to share again. Thanks to everyone who wrote it asking for them. Hope you're getting some good deals!

South Pole Dome Looking For A Home

The iconic geodesic dome, which has stood at the South Pole for nearly 30 years, is scheduled to be demolished at the end of this Antarctic season, having already been replaced by a newer structure. But according to this story from the New York Times, a group of polar explorers are hoping to have the dome dismantled and sent back to the U.S. to be reassembled as a monument to the country's dedication to exploring and protecting Antarctica.

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is managed by the National Science Foundation, and that organization has already agreed to salvage a portion of the dome for use in a museum, but some think that the entire dome should be taken apart, piece by piece, and bolt by bolt, and shipped home. The NSF says that would cost more than $500,000 above their initial budget.

The dome is 165-feet in diameter and covered several modular buildings that served as home for more than 200 researchers and support staff during the summer months. In the winter, that number would drop to less than 50, and in recent years, the place has mainly been unused, with a newer, more efficient structure taking over the duties.

If only I had a spare half-million dollars sitting around. I'd buy the dome and put it up in my backyard! How cool would that be? Of course, there isn't much need for a dome such as this one in Texas, unless I can figure out how to air condition it too.