7 Great Freshwater Sea Kayaking Spots

Canoe and Kayak Magazine has a great article up on their site that lists 7 great freshwater places to take your sea kayak. As they quickly acknowledge, even though they are called "sea kayaks", reserving their use for salt water alone is a bit short sighted. The long hulls make for fast and comfortable touring boats, and can be used in a variety of bodies of water.

Amongst the places they recommend for a good paddle, in a sea kayak or any other for that matter, are Two Medicine Lake in Glacier National Park and the along the banks of Lake Superior's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The former is located in Montana and offers up stunning views of the surrounding mountain landscapes, and paddle access to some excellent hiking trails. Pictured Rocks is found in Michigan and is known for 15 miles of beautifully colored sandstone cliffs, some of which stretch more than 600 feet above the surface of the water.

Other locations making the cut include Lake Champlain in New York, Upper Myakka Lake in Sarasota Florida, and the Green River in Labyrinth and Stillwater Canyons of Utah.

All in all, some really great suggestions, and with warmer weather already arriving across much of the U.S., there is no better time to head out on the water than in the spring.

Chris Sharma Will Climb Anything!

I came across this video at the National Geographic Adventure Blog earlier and was once again reminded of how great a climber Chris Sharma is. In the 5+ minute long video, we get to watch Sharma going up all kinds of rock in a variety of exotic locals from around the globe. He takes on everything from boulders to big walls, and everything in between.

North Pole 2010: Ben Heads Home, Others Struggle On

While one of the polar explorers decides to pack it in for 2010, another contemplates his own fate after a very slow start. Just another day in the Arctic, a place that conspires against you with every step.

As I've mentioned a couple of times, Ben Saunders, who was attempting a speed record to the North Pole, had to be evacuated from the ice last week thanks to an equipment malfunction. A broken fuel canister contaminated more than 70% of his food supply, prompting a return to Resolute Bay just a few days after he set out. he had hoped to return to the ice, and give his expedition another go, but after a few days back in civilization, Ben has elected to go home for the season, and return in 2011 to make another attempt.

Meanwhile, Italian Michele Portrandolfo seems to be struggling as well. I haven't written much about Michele, mostly because it is difficult to follow his progress due to the language barrier to his website. But, ExploraPoles.org is reporting that he has been sounding very pessimistic in his latest dispatches due to the slow progress he has been making thus far. As of yesterday, Michele had been out on the ice for more than 24 days and had just reached the 84th parallel. With negative drift working against him, and ice conditions amongst the worst anyone has seen, it seems highly unlikely that he'll reach the Pole at that pace. I still hold out hope that he can make it, but won't be surprised if he has to be evacuated either.

Eric Larsen and his crew have become the latest team to come across fresh polar bear tracks in their northward wanderings. Like all the other explorers who have come across the tracks in recent days, they are a bit unnerving to say the least. While polar bears are beautiful, amazing creatures, they are a scary beast to the arctic teams. Not only are they the largest living land carnivores on the planet, they are the only ones that are known to stalk humans. They pretty much see everything as prey, and are happy to get dinner where they can. For Eric, this is a far cry from the South Pole, where getting stalked by penguins seems like it would be kind of fun.

Progress is much better for Dan and Amelia, who crossed another degree today, putting them above 86ºN for the first time. That leaves them just four degrees to go until they're at the top of the world. The duo report that they started off the day at a blistering pace, covering over 3 nautical miles in the first two and a half hours. But later they ran into plenty of open water, rubble, and a pressure ridge that was more than 25-feet tall. Still, the two Brits seem to be picking up speed now, and I suspect that it won't be long and they'll have a clear and clean route to the Pole. There is still plenty of miles to go, and they're not passed all the challenges yet, but things are looking very good.

Solo female explorer Christina Franco continues to have her ups and downs on the ice. She started the day today with great progress and smooth going, but by afternoon she found a huge lead that stretched in all directions. She described it as being "as wide as the River Thames". This big lead caused her to walk well out of her way, hoping to find a route around, but that fed her into even more leads, with few options as to proceed forward. For now, she decided to set up camp for the night and tackle the problem tomorrow, but it is clear that she's either going to have to get wet or backtrack for some time to find a way around.

Finally, Tom Smitheringale is celebrating one month out on the ice, and while it hasn't been an easy one, he continues to demonstrate those good Aussie spirits and seems as happy as ever to be out there. Tom's on a solo and unsupported trek to the Pole, and is hoping to become just the third person to accomplish that feat. However, he may be in a bit of trouble once he gets there, as he currently doesn't have a way to get home! Which is why his team is making a last ditch effort to find a sponsor to help get the adventurous Australian back off the ice when he finishes what he set out to do. The expedition will be greeted at the North Pole by a major Australian television network, which could potentially offer great exposure for someone looking to sponsor Tom's journey. If you, or someone you know, might be interested in helping out, contact the his home team at georgina@onemanepic.com or jim@onemanepic.com. Lets help get Tom back from the North Pole. It's not a very nice place to stay.

Cyclist Hopes To Circle The Globe In Under 100 Days!

I wrote about this story over at Gadling yesterday, but the Wend Blog reminded me that I hadn't posted about it here too. British professional cyclist Alan Bate is hoping to set a new world record for circumnavigating the globe by bike, but he isn't just content with breaking the old record, he wants to completely annihilate it.

The current round-the-world record by bike is held by another Brit, Julian Emre Sayarer, who circled the globe in 165 days, ending this past December. If successful in his ride, Bate hopes to lower that mark down to just 99 days, which means he'll have to average approximately 182 miles per day over the entire course of the 18,000 mile journey. Riding 182 miles per day for 3+ months sounds like a pretty grueling schedule to me.

Alan sets off today from Bangkok, Thailand, and his route will now take him south into Malaysia and Australia. He'll ride across Australia and New Zealand before heading to North America, where he'll ride across the U.S., before hopping a flight to South America, for a leg that begins in Uruguay. From there, it is back to Europe, where he'll peddle from Portugal to the U.K., then back across the Channel to cross Europe and Asia on his way back to Thailand, where he started.

You can follow Alan's attempt at the record on his website, WorldCyclingRecord.com, which promises regular updates once he hits the road. It should be an amazing adventure to follow, and it will be very impressive if he actually manages to set the new mark.

Everest 2010: Apa Sherpa Heads To Nepal, Season Officially Begins!

We've been chatting about Everest for weeks now, looking at upcoming expeditions, analyzing the route, and reading plenty of great content from Alan Arnette's Everest 2010 Blog. All along I mentioned that the season would generally get started in early April, with Kathmandu swelling with climbers and trekkers in late March. Today, I'm happy to say that the season officially begins, as climbing legend Apa Sherpa has left his home in Utah for Nepal, where he'll go for his 20th summit on the mountain, breaking his own record in the process.

According to this story in the Deseret News, Apa left the U.S. yesterday for his homeland, where he'll make yet another assault on the tallest mountain on the planet, while also helping to spotlight a cause that is near and dear to him.

Last year, Apa was part of the Eco Everest Team, which collected more than 13,000 pounds of garbage on Everest. This year, he is hoping to raise awareness of the need for education in Nepal while promoting his Apa Sherpa Foundation, an organization whose purpose is to help promote education and economic development in his home country.

So, with Apa now back in Nepal, it is safe to say the season has officially begun. When you have the record holder for most summits back on the job, you know things are starting to get serious. Good luck Apa. Grab number 20!

Fan vs. Wild: You + Bear Grylls = Adventure!

Here's one for fans of Bear Grylls and his show Man vs. Wild. It seems that Bear has teamed up with Degree Men to launch a new contest that could send you, along with three other winners, out into the wilderness with Bear himself, where they'll complete a series of outdoor challenges that will be filmed for an upcoming web series.

The contest is dubbed Fan vs. Wild and adventure seekers are encouraged to go to the website, where they can submit a photo and write a brief essay explaining why they should be one of the four people chosen to take part in the show. You'll want to demonstrate that you have a sense of adventure, and how you incorporate that into your life.

The contest runs until April 30th, at which time the four winners will be chosen. They'll then get the opportunity to take part in a "boot camp" led by Bear and a group of specially selected professional athletes. That boot camp will be the basis of the webisodes that will appear on FanVsWild.com beginning in August. Better yet, one of the four members finalists, most likely the one that survives, will be featured on an episode of Man vs. Wild with Grylls later this year.

This is your opportunity to meet Bear and go hang out with him in the wild. Who knows, you might even be able to show him a thing or two! ;) Sounds like a fun contest.

iPhone App Identifies "Peaks"

Ever since the iPhone 3GS was released last year, there has been a growing number of "augmented reality" apps. These apps combine the iPhone's camera, with it's built in GPS and compass and always on data connection, to overlay information about places around you in real time. In some of these AR apps you can point them down the street, and they'll tell you what restaurants are in your area and even guide you directly to them.

Thanks to the gang over at Outdoors Magic, I've been introduced to a new app called Peaks (iTunes Store Link) that takes this formula and applies it to identifying mountains, and apparently with the release of the 2.0 version of the app, it now works worldwide.The new version also adds more mapping capabilities, a connection to Twitter, and more.

To get an idea what Augmented Reality is, and exactly how this app works, check out the video below. Looks pretty cool, and would be awesome while trekking in the Himalaya. Provided you can get a data connection all the way out there. Anyone tried this? Does it work as advertised?

Peaks 2.0 from Augmented Outdoors on Vimeo.

Catlin Arctic Survey: Explorers Cross 85ºN

For the Catlin Arctic Survey Teams it has been another busy and challenging week in the Arctic. While the Explorers Team makes slow, but steady progress northward, the Ice Base Team is continuing its valuable and important research on the impact of carbon dioxide absorption on our oceans.

It was a week of important milestones none the less, as the Explorers Team, which consists of Ann Daniels, Martin Hartley, and Charlie Paton, managed to cross the 85º mark in their journey to the North Pole. The trio battled extremely cold temperatures however, with wind chills often reaching -60ºC, and high winds, thin ice, and negative drift made for a frustrating combination at times. Despite those nasty conditions however, the team has managed to continue their own scientific work, taking core ice samples and other weather readings. To hear the team discuss their daily routine click here.

As if dealing with the weather wasn't hazardous enough, the Explorers also came across a fresh set of polar bear tracks a few days back. The tracks were a reminder that they are not alone in this frozen wilderness and that the big bears actually rule the day. Trailing behind the bear was a fresh set of arctic fox prints as well, although those prints gave them less cause for pause of course.

Meanwhile, back at the Ice Base, the scientists and researchers there eagerly awaited their first resupply, but inclement weather prevented that from happening as it should. High winds in Resolute Bay prevented a plane carrying their goods from taking off for several days. As of this writing, they are still waiting for the weather to clear, allowing a delivery drop of food and gear, but also four new staff members, who will swap places with four who are currently at the base and awaiting extraction. While they do wait however, their work continues. Click here to check out some videos of the Ice Base Team explaining their work.

While conditions in the Arctic haven't been great for either team, they are all committed to being there and completing their important tasks. The research that is being conducted is very important to helping us understand how global climate change is effecting the ice caps and the oceans as a whole, and the entire team is not only aware of that, but are happy to be where they are, despite the brutal temperatures and winds.

Solo Sailing Update: Abby Nears The Horn, Jessica Heads For Home!

Our two intrepid 16-year old young ladies who are out on the oceans making solo circumnavigation attempts are both reaching for milestones it seems. Both American Abby Sunderland and Australian Jessica Watson have been making progress in their respective journeys, and while one nears a major challenge, the other is heading well on her way home.

For Abby, her first big challenge comes in the form of Cape Horn, the very tip of South America. The region is notoriously windy, and can generate some of the most powerful storms on the planet at times. The Horn has been the stuff of nightmares for sailors for hundreds of years, and the teenage adventure will be passing round it, and into the Atlantic Ocean, tomorrow.

Abby's father has already arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, and will be sailing out into the turbulent waters with some of the locals when his daughter goes sailing past. He hopes to catch a glimpse of her, and cheer her on, as she sets course for Africa next, in her bid to become the youngest to solo circumnavigate the globe.

The trip has not been an easy one thus far. It took her sometime to find the right boat, and at an affordable price, before settling on her small and swift Wild Eyes, which has served her well thus far. But she has lost two autopilots so far, which has made it challenging at times, including keeping Abby at the helm into the cold, and freezing nights, in recent days. And once she clears the horn, her challenges are far from over. According to this story, because she started late in the season, Abby will face similar challenges when rounding both the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia, both of which are typically not as difficult to navigate, but weather conditions could be tough.

Meanwhile, Abby's main competition for the "Youngest Round" title is Jessica, who is zipping right along in her ship, the Ella's Pink Lady. Jessica has now left Africa far behind and is more than halfway across the Southern Ocean and is well on her way home. She set out from Sydney, and will return there, completing her circumnavigation attempt in a few short weeks time. Thus far, she has covered more than 18,000 nautical miles, and is closing in on Cape Leeuwin as well.

For the most part, it has been business as usual for Jess as she goes about her daily routine. She's had to deal with a variety of elements in the past few weeks but, at this point she is a veteran sailor with few challenges left to conquer. The next story will probably be out about her arrival back home, and her wait to see how long it takes Abby to finish. When she's done, Jess will be the youngest around, but Abby is five months younger than her, and thus she has an advantage in the "race".

At least until Laura Dekker starts her solo sail in a few months time.

Join Bus2Antarctica's Andrew Evans Online This Wednesday

Over the past few months, one of the top adventure travel stories has been Andrew Evans and his Bus2Antarctica Expedition. For those not familiar with the story, Andrew, who is a contributor for National Geographic, boarded a public bus in Washington DC and began heading south. Ten weeks, and 44 more buses later, he arrived in Argentina, where he boarded a cruise ship that would deliver him to to the frozen continent itself.

Andrew's story was a popular one, with many people following along with his dispatches which were posted at National Geographic's Intelligent Travel Blog. His photo of an all black penguin would become a sensation in its own right, with many media outlets picking it up and sharing it across the globe.

Now, you can quiz Andrew yourself thanks to an online webinar scheduled to take place this Wednesday at 8 PM Eastern Time. The chat comes to us courtesy of Lindblad Travel, who are amongst the top adventure travel companies in the world. You can sign up for the event by clicking here, and reserve your spot in the webinar which will include a slideshow, videos, and a live chat with Andrew and Antarctic expert Karen Copeland.

This should be a very cool presentation, and gives you a chance to ask Andrew, and Karen, some questions directly.

Exploring The Himalaya By Paraglider

When most of us think about Himalayan adventures, our minds conjure up images of mountaineers in their down suits struggling to summit 8000 meter peaks or even intrepid trekkers exploring mountain passes. But the Himalayan Odyssey team wanted to explore those iconic mountains in a different way, and from a very unique perspective.

The expedition got underway a few weeks back, with Brad Sander, Antoine Laurens, and Mike Laengle, setting out to explore over 700 miles of Himalayan territory, stretched out through India, Nepal, and Sikkim, not on foot, but on paraglider instead. The journey is expected to take approximately six weeks to complete, and with much of it being filmed and photographed along the way. The team is also joined by guest pilots along the way, adding new faces to the expedition for some of the segments.

A typical day for the Himalayan Odyssey crew is to get up and check the thermal air currents to see how they'll impact their daily travel. If all is well there, they'll climb up above 2000 meters and launch out into the open skies, riding those thermals and traveling from one valley to the next along their route. As the day whittles away, they'll scout the ground below for a good place to camp, only coming in for a landing when they've found a a good site to pitch their tents.

While exploring the Himalaya from a paraglider probably is its own reward, the team has other goals in mind as well. Besides having an adventure of a lifetime, they're also exploring the amazing Himalayan culture, while also working to raise awareness of the plight of the Himalayan Condor, a bird that is dying out at an alarming rate.

You can track the progress of the expedition on the website, and follow along on their Twitter account as well.

Thanks to Alan for the tip on this one!

North Pole 2010: 30 Down, 30 To Go For Dan and Amelia

For the North Pole explorers it was another challenging weekend with conditions on the ice varying greatly, and frustrations coming in all the usual flavors. Still, they continue their hike north, and with any luck, they'll start to pick up speed, and cover distance, soon.

The weekend had more than its fair share of challenges for Amelia Russell and Dan Darley, who are making good progress of late, but suffered a leaky fuel canister on Saturday. As a result, their food that night left a bit of a bad aftertaste, and they were a bit conservative on their fuel usage, keeping the tent cooler than normal. At the moment, they're knocking off about 8 nautical miles per day, but still suffering a small amount of negative drift. The Brits have now completed their first 30 days out on the ice, and have another 30 to go to reach the Pole. They've covered 2.5 of their 7 degrees, so there is still a lot of work ahead, but they're hoping that the remaining miles will be easier than they have been so far.

Solo explorer Christina Franco has passed a bit of a milestone herself, reporting that she is now under 600km to go to the Pole, or roughly 324 miles. She is reporting that high winds are still buffeting her, making progress tough, and covering her tracks in just minutes. She made the decision to load all of her gear on one sled, and left her other one behind, hoping to lighten the load a bit and speed progress. About half-way through the day Christina spotted a natural ice shelter out on the pan, and intended to use it to take a break, but as she neared it, she spotted very fresh polar bear tracks in the snow, and elected to keep moving on instead. Probably a wise choice at this point.

For Eric Larsen and his Save The Poles team, the wind is a constant nemesis as well, but it is the large chunks of ice, many five feet in height, or more. And when they're not dealing with those ice slabs, they're dealing with thin ice instead. At one point, Darcy St Laurent was out in front, navigating, he led the team on to a patch of thin ice, with Darcy himself falling through. The team rushed to set up camp and get the frozen gear off of their teammate, electing to call it a day at that point.

Tom Smitheringale reports that it is "blowing a howler outside" referring to the bad winds that seem to be hitting everyone. The solo, unsupported explorer is past the 84.5ºN mark, and is having less issues with the frostbite on his fingers, although they remain quite painful. The adventurous Aussie is whiling away the hours on his skis thinking about all kinds of wonderful foods he'll get to eat once he gets back home. At the moment, it seems to be driving him forward.

Finally, Ben Saunders is back in Resolute Bay following the catastrophic fuel leakage he suffered late last week. As you can imagine, he's quite disappointed to be back where he started, just a few days after setting out. As of Saturday he was still deciding what his next move was. If he can replace the fuel, and the food that was spoiled, he may head back out on the ice, and try one more time for the speed record to the Pole. We should know more in the next few days.

Himalaya 2010: Kathmandu Busy, Base Camps Showing Signs of Life

As I mentioned yesterday, the annual descent on Kathmandu has begun, with climbers and trekkers beginning their pilgrimages to the various mountains that have been calling their name over the past few months. Word from KTM is that the city it is busy and bustling at the moment, as our usual cast of adventurers make last minute preparations before heading out to the mountains. \

One team that has been in and out of Kathmandu, and on their mountain of choice, is Edurne Pasaban's Annapurna Squad. For the moment, they remain the only team on the mountain, and have already established themselves up to C2. In fact, the team has been fixing ropes to C3 the past few days, and have been living in Camp 2 since Wednesday, which puts them well along in their acclimatization process. The group is hoping to make an early summit then move over to Tibet to take a stab at Shisha Pangma, grabbing the last two 8000 meter peaks on Edurne's schedule.

ExWeb is reporting that another woman in pursuit of the 8000 meter peaks, Miss Oh Eun-Sun of South Korea, is set to arrive in Annapurna BC this week, after acclimatizing on Tharpu Chuli. Anna is the only mountain left to add to her resume as well.

Meanwhile, the Shared Summits Team is in Nepal and preparing to take on Makalu, the 5th highest peak in the world? The team consists of Chris Warner and Marty Schmidt, who will be attempting a new route on the mountain along the South Face.

The Adventure Dynamics Team is made up of a group of climbers from South Africa who are taking on Everest from the North Side. The team leaves in a little less than a week for Kathmandu, and are in the last minute stages of planning.

Similarly, the Peak Freaks have begun sending updates from their Everest team, with climbers arriving in Kathmandu. The dispatch from today notes that bad weather is once again delaying flights into Lukla and Phablu, another village nearby. Seems like a rocky start to the season, but not unusual for this time of the year, and the mountaineers are in no rush to get to Base Camp at this point anyway.

Hold on to your hats, by next week this time, things will really be getting interesting.

The Gear Junkie Heads To The Himalaya

Syndicated outdoor writer Stephen Regenold, also known as the Gear Junkie, is headed to the Himalaya as part of the Hanesbrands Climb With Us Expedition. He's heading to Kathmandu this weekend and will begin blogging from Nepal next week, although he's post his first entry, a pre-expedition update, today as part of his Daily Dose Blog.

In that story, GJ discusses the trek to Everest Base Camp, which he'll be starting next week. He notes that it is roughly 40 miles from Lukla, the starting point of the trek, to BC, where he'll be spending the next few months hanging out with the Hanesbrand team of climbers while they make the long trip to the summit of the mountain. Regenold will chronicle the climb, sharing each phase with us back home.

The expedition, led by climber Jamie Clarke, will be testing out some revolutionary new mountaineering products while in the Himalaya, including the Champion Super Suit we've all been hearing so much about. The suit uses aerogel to make it incredibly thin and lightweight, but also super warm. The results of the expedition could potentially have a far reaching impact on the future of gear used on Everest.

Expect to hear a lot more from the Gear Junkie in the days ahead. The team is eyeing a summit bid sometime in May, but of course that is a fluid target at this point. How the suit performs will no doubt be of interest to the mountaineering community too.

Spring 2010 Edition of Wend Magazine Now Available

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Wend Magazine. The publication is always high quality, with great articles and photos, with a great focus on travel, adventure, and environmental responsibility, and the Wend Blog is amongst my daily stops when surfing around the Interwebs.

A few months back, the good folks over at Wend announced that they were making all of their issues available online for free, and the Spring 2010 edition is no exception. To access the free online edition simply click here, launch the latest issue, or any back issue, and login. Returning users can sign in as usual, while new users will need to sign up, but no worries, as the process is quick, simple, and free!

The Spring issue has some great stuff, as usual. The cover story takes a look at Eric Larsen's journey to the South Pole as part of his Save The Pole's Expedition, which is on going right now up North. Other stories include a visit to the North Atlantic Garbage Patch, a photo diary of backpacking the Rockies, and a whole lot more. There really is something for everyone, and with free online access, there's no reason to not check it out.

North Pole 2010: If It's Not One Thing, It's Another

The polar explorers are finding plenty of challenges in their struggle to make progress in a northerly direction. For some, they continue to battle negative drift, while for others, the drift seems to have lessened , but now it's back to rubble fields and a new twist, whiteout conditions.

Whiteout is exactly what Amelia Russell and Dan Darley faced today as they began their daily trudge. Amelia reports "zero visibility" on their trek, and they were immediately faced with a 30 meter lead, which made the going tough right off the bat. They had set a goal or hitting 9 nautical miles, and were able to achieve 7.7 despite the adverse conditions. The good news is that the drift seems to have subsided, and they woke up in the same position today that they went to be last night. Not losing ground is major progress at this point.

Speaking of being frustrated with negative drift, Eric Larsen's comments give an indication of just how bad it has been for the teams. A few days back he mentioned that he, along with teammates Antony Jinman and Darcy St Laurent, had crossed the 85ºN mark FIVE times thanks to their on going battle with negative drift. They believe they have crossed it for the last time though, and now feel a bit better about their progress, having only drifted 27 feet to the south last night. But while the drift has subsided for now, they have had to endure long swims in the Arctic Ocean, yesterday they were out on the water for over an hour, and have had to struggle through rubble fields and around big leads. Still, they're making positive progress, and happy about that at the moment.

Solo explorer Christina Franco has had similar challenges the past few days, waking to whiteout conditions yesterday, and facing a vast rubble field today. At this point she is still more than 300 miles form the Pole and reports that she is exhausted. Drift continues to be a problem for her, and she has yet to cross 85ºN, but she remains upbeat on her audio dispatches, as she continues to tackle one problem after another. She's not giving up on her dream of becoming the first woman to make it solo to the North Pole, but she knows that progress needs to improve soon for that to become a reality.

On the other hand, Aussie Tom Smitheringale seems to be moving along quite nicely at this point, and has found his groove. His frostbitten fingers aren't giving him as much trouble as they were a few days ago, or at the very least they aren't getting any worse, and he reports that he has come across some large, expansive pans now, which are flat, open areas that make progress north much, much easier. If these pans hold out, he'll pick up speed quite quickly, and cover good ground. It is what every polar team is hoping for at this point. Tom also reports that he gets through his days dreaming of his home and Fremantle, and all the great food he is going to eat when he returns.

A few days back I reported that Ben Saunders was preparing to hit the ice, and begin his attempt at the speed record to the Pole. He hoped to cover the distance in just 30 days, but those hopes are dashed now, as the word from his home team today is that Ben cracked a fuel canister a few days back, and the fuel melted through the food containers, contaminating more than 70% of his food. The plan was to go unsupported to the Pole, and Ben doesn't want to make the journey any other way, so he's now on his way back to Cape Discovery, where he'll get a pick-up once the weather clears allowing a plane to land. Once he's back in Resolute Bay, he'll reevaluate the situation and determine if he can restart the expedition. You may recall that Ben made a similar attempt on the Pole back in 2008, but had to abandon that expedition when his skis broke down.

Stay tuned for more news from the Arctic. With teams finally starting to clear the drift zone, hopefully speeds will begin to pick up, and we'll start seeing positive progress on all fronts very soon.

The Rest of Everest Episode 135: Real Surreal Reality

We're nearing the halfway point of the current "season" of the Rest of Everest, as the look at the 2009 Everest Base Camp trek starts to head toward a conclusion. Never fear though, as Jon and a host of new trekkers will be leaving for Nepal, and Tibet, for a new trek in just a few short weeks, and I'm sure that adventure will provide us with a whole new look at the mountain.

For now though, we're still in the midst of last year's trek, and in Episode 135, we rejoin Jon Miller and crew back in BC on the South Side of Everest. This latest episode, entitled Real Surreal Reality, begins where many of the recent episodes have, in the tent with Jon and John as they prepare to get their day started.

From there, it's out into Base Camp where the stunning displays of the surrounding mountains are once again stunning, and a great reminder of why we all want to make a trek just like this one. Those scenes are broken up with a few brief moments of Jon trying to explain to a Sherpa how his wife has a twin sister, aided by his trusty iPhone of course. The Sherpa didn't seem all that impressed. ;) We're treated to some great panoramic shots of BC and the wall of mountains that loom over the entire area.

Seeing the snow and ice, mountaineering tents, prayer flags, and big peaks helps you to understand the title of the episode. It does indeed look quite surreal. Check it out for yourself on the Rest of Everest website or through iTunes.

Paddling Video: Chile's Rio Palguin Extreme Race

Canoe and Kayak Magazine posted another cool paddling video, this time from the 2009 Rio Palguin Extreme Kayak Race in Chile. The video has some cool drops, amazing whitewater, and at least one kayaker who has to bail out when he can't perform a roll.

Pucon River Fest 2009 ( Boater Cross ) from Buena Linea Producciones on Vimeo.

Catlin Arctic Survey: "Weirdest Weather Conditions Ever"

The Catlin Arctic Survey Explorers Team is experiencing some very challenging and unusual conditions, even by Arctic standards. Team leader Ann Daniels went so far as to describe it as the "weirdest weather conditions ever seen" by the highly experienced team. Daniels is joined by Martin Hartley and Charlie Paton on a journey that will eventually lead them to the top of the world and the North Pole.

The team has been inching along over the past few days because the ice is behaving in unusual ways. Daniels says that it is "constantly moving, breaking and shifting," and "bending, bouncing and wobbling" while the intrepid trio passes over it. As a result, the team hasn't made much headway the past few days while the move through a patch of ice that is unstable at best.

The Catlin home team, based out of London, says that it is a "combination of fast moving ice, large amounts of open water and a continual breaking up of ice floes splitting and rucking up right in front of your eyes, hour after hour for days”. Polar explorer Pen Hadow, who was part of the team last year and is now serving as the Director for the program, says that he hasn't seen anything like it in his years of polar exploration. An unusual weather pattern, which has delivered constant, steady winds from the north is being blamed for the thinner ice that is disrupting travel for the Catlin Team as well as other explorers in the area.

Perhaps most disheartening is the strong negative drift which is preventing them from making much progress. According to a press release from the team today, the Explorers Team hit the ice back on May 14th and should have covered more than 53km by now. Thanks to negative drift however, they've only managed to gain 5.5km.

This year's survey is broken into two teams, and while the Explorers head north, collecting ice samples as they go, the Ice Base Team is made up of a group of scientists and researchers who are staying in one place and taking their own samples from the ice and saltwater found underneath. That base is located in the Nunavut territory of Canada, and will serve as a scientific research station while the team remains in the arctic.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes Just Might Be A Terminator

As if there was any doubt before, it can now be confirmed that British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is indeed a complete bad ass. The man who has been dubbed "The World's Greatest Living Explorer" apparently survived a three car pile-up a few weeks back, just one day after he finished a major endurance event.

Investigation into what actually happened is still ongoing, but it seems that Fiennes Jaguar rammed into another vehicle before careening off into a third. Reports from the scene of the accident seem to indicate that Sir Ran was in the passenger seat at the time, and may have sustained minor injuries. Certainly not enough to bother a man who famously cut his own fingers off rather than wait to let them heal from frostbite.

At the age of 66, the polar legend doesn't seem to be slowing down. The night before the accident he was taking part in a 42-mile long endurance challenge called the High Peak Marathon, and he always seems to be planning some other new adventure. Of course, his resume is already impressive enough. Not only is he the first man to visit both the North and South Pole on foot, he has also climbed the Eiger Northface, summitted Everest, and run seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents. In short, he's tougher than all of us.

Thanks to the Wend Blog for the heads up on this story. They speculate that Ran is indestructible, but I have another theory. He just might be a sophisticated cyborg sent back in time to make the rest of us all look bad. He's like a damn Terminator. He can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And He absolutely will not stop, ever.

Mountainfilm Announces Special Guests For 2010

The Mountainfilm Festival may still be more than two months away, but the annual event held in Telluride, Colorado continues to get even more enticing. The organizers of the festival, which skillfully blends art, culture, adventure, and environmental activism, have announced a number of special guests who will be on hand to make this the best Mountainfilm ever.

Aside from the previous guests who were announced for the Moving Mountains Symposium, the film fest has added the likes of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortensen, environmental activist Tim DeChristopher, and everyone's favorite mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, amongst others. To check out the full list of guests, click here.

Mountainfilm is scheduled to take place from May 28th to the 31st, and while they haven't announced the line-up of films just yet, you can bet it will be an impressive list of adventure movies that will span many different topics, including climbing, mountaineering, paddling, and more. Keep your eyes peeled on this page on the Mountainfilm website for updates on the full list, which will be coming in early May.

Everest 2010: Climbers Pouring Into Kathmandu!

Here we go folks! The Spring Season on Everest and the rest of the Himalaya is upon us. I've been hearing from a few climbers over the past few days that Kathmandu is getting even more hectic and busier than usual, as the climbing teams heading to the big peaks this spring start to arrive en masse. Something that is confirmed by our friend Alan Arnette today, who has posted another update to his excellent Everest 2010 Blog.

Alan actually has two great articles for us today, the first being a report on the teams arriving in Nepal and an outlook for the season ahead, which looks to be a very busy one on the highest peak on the planet. Alan says that he expects about 350 climbers total, for both the North and South sides of the mountain. Last year there was approximately 400 total summits, and in 2007 a record was set with over 500 summits.

Perhaps of even more interest is that the Sherpas have already arrived in Base Camp and are marking off the various spots that the teams will occupy while there over the course of the next 2+ months. This news demonstrates not only how vital the Sherpas are at every step of the process, but also just how much preparation and effort goes into climbing Everest. We're in the last week of March, and there will likely be climbers on the mountain into June. That's a long time.

Weather is still a bit of an issue in the area as well. The Sherpas are reporting heavy snow in BC at the moment, which Alan points out is not unusual at this point of the season. But some teams are having their flights to Lukla delayed due to weather right now too, which means that they haven't begun the trek to Base Camp just yet. It won't be long though before the tea houses are full and the trail is busy with trekkers and climbers making their way to the mountain.

The second article that Alan has for us is an excellent essay entitled "The Ones Left Behind". In that story, he gives us insights into what is going through a climbers head as they prepare to set off for a two month long adventure away from from friends and family. Something that is playing out in a lot of homes around the world at this very moment. It is definitely a good read and will give you something to ponder while we all wait for the action in the Himalaya to begin.

Ever Wonder What An Arctic Storm Looked Like?

A few days back I mentioned that the Catlin Arctic Suvey's Ice Base Team was beset with a major arctic storm over the weekend. The storm brought winds in excess of 60 mph and temperatures plunged to -45ºC, with wind chills reaching -75º!

Now, the team has shared some video of the storm that really puts into perspective what it is like to be out in the arctic when the weather turns bad. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the embedded video to work properly for some reason, so unlike most videos that I just show here on the blog, I'll have to give you a link instead. Click here to check out the video of the Ice Base Team enduring the arctic storm. Then, be glad you're some place warm. Well, at least warmer!

End of Season Ice Climbing Video

Yesterday The Adventure Life brought us that great mountain biking video that was a perfect way to usher in spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. Today, they're back with another cool video, this time capturing Marmot athletes Fabrizio Zangrilli and Jim Nowak as they go ice climbing in the Ouray Ice Park in Colorado. Impressive stuff. These guys look totally at ease on that frozen waterfall.

Ouray Ice Climbing 2010 from sinuhe xavier on Vimeo.

Cyclist Sets Out To Ride For Haiti

While we're on the subject of long distance endurance events done for a cause today, I want to mention one more adventurer who is in the midst of his own active endeavor. Back on March 16th, 25-year old cyclist Cole Starkey set out on a 3000 mile long Ride for Haiti that he hopes will continue to raise awareness of the ongoing relief efforts that are taking place in that country.

Cole is peddling down much of the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., beginning in Glenside, Pennsylvania and continuing on to St. Augustine, Florida. From there, he'll keep heading west, continuing on into Louisiana, and ending the journey in New Orleans. The route is a combination of AdventureCycling.org's Atlantic Coast and Southern Tier Routes.

The ride is expected to take roughly four weeks to complete, and Cole has already been blogging from the road. You can check out all of his entries for his first week on the road by clicking here, but he hasn't posted any updates for this week just yet. On his daily posts he records the number of miles for the day, and how far he has traveled from the start, along with the good things he experienced (Roses) and the things that worked against him. (Thorns). As of Monday, his 7th day on the road, he had already ridden more than 745 miles.

The intrepid cyclist has a cause that he he is raising funds for as well. All donations are going to the Vermont Haiti Project , which has an 18-year history of service in that country. The organization has always taken a grassroots, volunteer approach to working Haiti, but their efforts are stretched even thinner at the moment considering the widespread effects of the crisis.

Good luck to Cole as well, and thanks to his friend Rebecca for passing this story along to me. Rebecca has a cool blog of her own, which focuses on reminding New Yorkers about all the options they have when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. You can check it out here.

Runner Attempts Solo, Unsupported Crossing of the U.S.

Long distance endurance runner Abe Clark is attempting to make a solo and unsupported run across the United States, covering 2860 miles in 136 days without a support vehicle following along. Like a number of other adventures we've seen in recent months, he's making this epic run in an effort to raise awareness for the growing global need for clean drinking water. Abe is also concentrating his fund raising efforts for the Living Water International organization.

Abe has already been out on the road for more than month, having started in Oceanside, California. He is now on his 33rd day, and has run all the way to Bloomfield, New Mexico. He's been keeping a running tally of his daily destinations on his blog, recording his mileage and keeping us informed of what his experiences were like out on the road that day. On his "light" days, Abe is running 10-15 miles, but most days it is more like 25-40, depending on location and conditions.

If successful in his run, Abe will become the 12th person to run coast-to-coast across the U.S. His route is meant to take him through the American Southwest, and then eventually into the Heartland before proceeding on to the East Coast. At the moment, he has the entire schedule mapped out, just in case you want to see if he's coming through your neighborhood. But the website also notes that he is 2+ days ahead of schedule at the moment. If the original schedule holds up, Abe plans to be in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and touch the Atlantic Ocean, by June 30th of this year.

Good luck on the rest of your journey Abe, and thank to Josh for sending this my way!

British Adventurer Begins Zero Emissions Circumnavigation Attempt

Dubbed a "zero emissions odyssey", the Because It Is There Expedition got under way today from Cheshire, England with 23-year old adventurer Kevin Shannon setting off to circumnavigate the globe using only human or natural power. That means he'll be cycling for more than 40,000 miles, crossing five continents, and sailing for another 10,000 miles across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The Route begins in the U.K. of course, and then extends east across Europe and Asia. Kevin will then turn south, and peddle his way along the coast of Australia, before sailing to South America, where he'll once again climb aboard his bike, and head to North America. Once that leg is finished, he'll sail the Atlantic to North Africa, before crossing back into Europe and returning to where he started. The entire journey is expected to take three years to complete, with Kevin expecting to face every kind of environment along the way.

While the adventure itself presents quite the challenge, Kevin is hoping to use it to raise funds for a worthy charity. He intends to raise £1 million for Combat Stress, and organization that helps British veterans who have been traumatized by their experienced while in the service of the country. Something that has been on the rise in the past eight years with combat operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Kevin plans to keep us all well informed along the way using technology to blog about his experiences. You can also follow along on the adventure on his Twitter feed, where he is already sending updates from the road. He seems to be off to a good, but slow start, as he makes adjustments to his load and bike as he goes.

Seems like a great expedition and adventure. It should be fun to follow along over the coming months. I want to salute Kevin not only for his adventurous spirit, but the fact that he is making the journey in an environmentally responsible way. Good luck!

Teen Adventurers: How Young Is Too Young?

Yesterday we had an interesting article, courtesy of Alan Arnette, on the right age to be climbing Everest. In that story, Alan talks about the youngest and oldest to make that climb, and mentioned two people going for the opposite ends of that spectrum this Spring.

One of those climbers, Jordan Romero, is the subject of an article from Outside Magazine entitled "Into Teen Air", that not only looks at the exploits of the 13-year old mountaineer, but also asks some tough questions, such as at what age is it too young for these kids to be making these these high altitude climbs?

The story mainly focuses on Jordan and his plans to summit Everest this spring, following his successful climb of six of the other Seven Summits. But it also takes a look at Johnny Strange and Johnny Collinson. Strange is the current record holder for the Seven Summits, at the age of 17, but Collinson also made those climbs at the same age, and was bested by just a few months. Both of them faced similar criticisms as Jordan while they were planning their expeditions. Still, Strange says that he wanted to climb Everest at 13, and now admits that it wouldn't have been a good idea.

All in all, the article reads more like a profile of Jordan, but does try to tell both sides of the story. It's hard not to be impressed by the kid, and it seems his father is taking great strides to make sure everything remains safe. Jordan is a cool customer, with lots of experience at altitude now, and he seems to be humble and well grounded. Still, I can't help but feel that 13 is just too young to be on Everest, or any other 8000 meter peak. I also think it is a bit ridiculous to be chasing records for the "youngest" to accomplish something. Those kinds of records are dubious and dangerous in my opinion, and if it isn't about those records, whey can't he wait until he's older to fulfill his quest? It should be noted that I fell very similarly about other kids going for circumnavigation records and similar adventurous pursuits.

I do wish Jordan luck of course. I hope that the climb goes well and that he not only reaches the summit, but makes it back down in one piece. I just happen to fear the ten year old who will follow him.

New Sailing Circumnavigation Record Set

A French captain and his crew of nine have set a new record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by sail, crossing the finish line this past Saturday 48 days, 7 hours, 44 minutes and 52 seconds after they started back at the end of January. The new record bests the old one, set in 2005, by 2 days, 8 hours, 35 minutes.

The multi-hulled Groupama 3 is captained by Franck Cammas, who ESPN quotes as saying, "he new record can be improved." The ship was slowed by poor weather, which is what led to that comment, although I'd have to think that you have to factor in poor weather on any cruise of this length and type.

The 105-foot long Groupama 3 set sail from Brest, France back on January 31st, and sailed south around the Capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn in its quest to set the new record. And by accomplishing that task, it earned the crew the Jules Verne Trophy, which goes to the fastest team to circumnavigate the planet. I can't help but wonder what Mr. Verne would think of our ability in this day and age to sail around the globe in less than 50 days. Spending 80 seems downright luxurious.

Congrats to the captain and his crew.

Traversing The Presidential Range

With the various larger, and longer mountain ranges in the U.S., including the Rockies and the Appalachians, the Presidential Range often gets overlooked and forgotten. Sitting mostly within New Hampshire, the peaks that make up the Presidential Range don't stretch for miles, but they do reach as high as 6288 feet on Mt. Washington.

A traverse of the Presidential range is a popular pursuit amongst adventurers looking to for a great challenge. It involves hiking the entire 19-mile long ridge, while bagging some of the top peaks in the range. The entire hike involves more than 8500 feet of vertical gain, and offers amazing views for miles in all directions. The whole thing is captured quite nicely on the video below, with a group of hikers making the traverse in the winter. Looks great!

My Presidential Range Traverse from George Karaffa on Vimeo.

Mountain Biking Video Delivers Motivation In Time For Spring!

Spring is in the air! Time to dust off the mountain bike and head out on the trail. And if you need any more motivation than that, check out the video below, which comes to us courtesy of The Adventure Life, and you'll be more than ready to get back in the saddle.

Hmm... after watching this, I think I have a series case of (spring) fever coming on. I may have to go home from work early...

Everest 2010: What is the "Right" Age to Climb the Mountain?

In his preseason 2010 Everest coverage, Alan Arnette has posted another great story, this time taking a look at the "right" age to climb the mountain. This is sure to be a topic of debate in the season ahead, as we all wait, and watch, with bated breath for 13-year old Jordan Romero to make his bid on the mountain later this year.

Alan talks about the current record holders for youngest and oldest to summit the mountain, something that continues to be pushed forward on a seemingly yearly basis. The youngest person to summit is Miss Ming Kipa, a 15-year old Sherpani who went up on the North Side back in 2005. As Alan points out, Nepal bars anyone under the age of 16 from climbing Everest, thus forcing the young lade to climb on the Tibetan side. The record for oldest summiteer goes to Min Bahadur Sherchan, who made the climb back in 2008 at the age of 76. That record may be in jeopardy this year however, as 80-year old Sailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, the former Foreign Minister of Nepal, will make his bid. Alan also points out that oldest woman to summit is 63-year old Tamae Watanabe of Japan.

In the article, we get insights into the risks at climbing at various ages which included possible impeded development in younger climbers, and stamina and speed issues in older ones. Alan even discusses the "enablers", or the factors/people/groups that are encouraging younger, and older, people to attempt Everest, which has turned into a media circus in recent years as everyone and their dog attempts to set some kind of new, and often dubious, record on the mountain.

Adventure Chronicles Offers Top Trips for 2010

Way back in November I made my selections for the Top 10 (+2) adventure destinations for 2010 over at Gadling.com, and while we may be nearly three months into the new year, it is never too late to offer up more suggestions for great trips to take in 2010.

Enter the Adventure Chronicles, a great website that offers plenty of fun and interesting content along the same themes and subject matter that we all love. Last week, they listed their picks for the best adventure trips for 2010, with some really great options nearly every traveler.

The list is not ranked in any particular order, but does offer up some great suggestions for anyone still looking for something adventurous to do this year. Some of the trips making the cut include following in the footsteps of John Muir by hiking the Sierra High Route, making a summit bid on Mt. Rainier, and rafting the Bitterroot River along the border of Idaho and Montana. All told, there are nine great adventure trips, most of which take place in North America, with the lone exception being a trek up Kilimanjaro.

With the vast majority of 2010 still ahead of us, have you made plans for your next adventure? If not, give this list a look. You may find something you hadn't ever considered before. Besides, the year is flying by quite quickly, and you don't want to let it pass without adding a little adventure to your life.

North Pole 2010: Tracks In The Snow and A New Expedition Begins!

The weekend brought plenty of challenges for the polar explorers who are struggling to make headway with a brutal negative drift working against them and conditions on the ice remaining very difficult. And as those already out on the ice continue to make their way north, a new expedition is set to begin tomorrow.

Just when we thought that all of the arctic teams had set out on their journeys, a new solo expedition prepares to hit the ice tomorrow. British adventurer Ben Saunders is packed and ready to go, and tomorrow a Twin Otters airplane will drop him on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, where he will begin his solo, unassisted, attempt at a speed record to the North Pole. He hopes to complete the expedition in just 30 days, and to do so, he'll have to be really moving. Saunders attempt this speed record back in 2008, but was forced to abandon his quest when his skis were irreparably broken. Can he make it this time? Stay tuned to find out!

For those already out on the ice, it was an extremely trying weekend. Take for example Tom Smitheringale, who faced negative drift so bad that it effected the ability of his satellite phone to stay connected when he called his home team. One morning he woke up to find that he had slid nearly 3 nautical miles to the south of his position when he went to bed that night. He faced a similar proposition the next night as well. He also is reporting that the cold is starting to get to his fingers, with a couple of them turning black, in what is sure to be an ominous sign at this point of the expedition. Let's hope they don't continue to deteriorate. Tom also received a bit of a shock when he came across the tracks of another explorer out in the snow. Seeing the signs of another living person was unexpected and a bit jolting too.

Christina Franco also had a rough weekend, facing similar levels of negative drift and large leads of open water. Fortunately, things got better for her today, as she received a supply drop, and took the day off from pulling her heavy sled in order to re-pack her gear. She reports that she now has a renewed energy, and is prepared to get back on the trail tomorrow in her efforts to become the first woman to go solo to the North Pole.

Continuing the theme of on going misery, Eric Larsen and his team have had an awful few days too. Eric reports that he not only hit bottom, he fell through that false bottom and fell even further, after he pulled three straight shifts as navigator for the team, leaving him out in front, and breaking trail. As you can imagine, this is quite physically demanding, and when Eric hit the tent that night, he felt like he had the flu, with his body weary beyond anything he had experienced before. The next day wasn't much better, but he continued to trudge forward none the less, although he admits to putting his head into his mittens and letting out a few sobs of frustration over the fact that he felt so terribly weak and tired, and was seemingly making little to no headway thanks to the persistent negative drift. Something that he calls the Polar Treadmill, and the Save The Poles Team aren't the only ones to use that term in the past few days.

In fact, Amelia Russell and Dan Darley have said the same thing as the negative drift has had them moving in reverse the past few days too. They have been averaging between 7 and 8 nautical miles per day, but have been sliding backwards at a rate of about .1-.2 nm as well. As a result, by the time they climb out of the tent in the morning, they don't have a lot of positive gains to show for their work. While this has been extremely frustrating for them, they seem to be remaining fairly positive and upbeat in their approaching, redoubling their efforts to work towards gaining ground.

Richard Weber, along with Tessum Weber, David and Howard Fairbank, continue to plod along northward as well, although they had their first swim over the weekend, having to plunge in the ice waters of the Arctic Ocean in order to cross a 150 meter wide lead. That took an hour over come, and they were happy to have that experience behind them. Also, if everything went according to plan, they should have received their first supply drop yesterday, and their once light sleds should now be heavy, and full with gear and supplies once again. They were most in need of fuel and food, and by all accounts they should be good to go for another couple of weeks.

Finally, the Catlin Arctic Survey Team had to batten down the hatches over the weekend as a massive storm moved into where the Ice Base Team is conducting research. The cold front brought -45ºC Temps, and 60 mph winds, making it feel like it was -75ºC out there. Brr! Meanwhile, the Explorer Team has been out for more than a week now, but are making very slow progress thanks to high winds and the same negative drift that has been plaguing the other teams. Still they remain in good spirits and are conducting important research as they go.

Good luck to all the teams out there. Stay the course, remain positive, and you'll get past this negative drift soon enough and on to solid ice that will let you go north without all the frustrations. Hang in there!

Plastiki Project Sets Sail!

After months of preparation, and years of planning, the Plastiki Expedition has finally set sail, with David de Rothschild taking his now famous boat, made from more than 12,000 plastic bottles, out to sea. de Rothschild and crew will now spend 100 days sailing from San Francisco to Sydney, as he raises awareness of the growing problem with the accumulation of plastic waste products. On the voyage, they'll also visit the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area of accumulated trash that is believed to be at least the size of Texas.

The Plastiki set sail on Saturday morning, with expedition leader de Rothschild joined by co-skippers Jo Royal and David Thompson, expedition diver Olav Heyerdahl, and filmmakers Vern Moen and Max Jourdan. The latter two will be filming the expedition, and telling the story of the ship, which receives inspiration from Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki expedition.

To follow along with the adventure, check out the Plastiki Project website, where you can track the progress of the boat. You can also follow along on David de Rothschild's twitter feed, and the expedition will no doubt continue to get plenty of notice on adventure websites, like the National Geographic Adventure Blog, which has been covering the project for some time. That's where I came across the video below this morning of CNN covering the departure of the ship. CNN is also posting updates on the voyage as well, which can be found here.

Good luck to the entire crew! Safe voyage!

Everest 2010: Tweeting From Everest

As he so often does, Alan Arnette has managed to once again put things into perspective when it comes to Mt. Everest. In his latest update, entitled Tweeting From Everest, Alan talks about how far we've come in terms of being able to communicate to and from the mountain, and how it has changed the way the mountaineers approach their expeditions, and how we follow along back home.

Alan notest that when he first went to Everest, he was able to send brief messages back to the world at $1 per character. His "Hi, I’m back safely" note set him back $19 just to be able to tell friends and family that he was down and in one piece. He also says that without his satellite phone, he'd be lost on his major expeditions, and that underscores how vital a connection back to the "real world" is to today's climbers. In the old days, it was practically a media blackout while climbing for two months. Now, with the Internet virtually everywhere, it is another good way to pass the time while in BC.

Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter have certainly changed the way we can stay in touch while we travel or follow along with teams as they climb. Alan also points out that nearly every climber and/or team has a blog that posts regular updates from Everest to keep those back at home informed and in touch. A far cry from years passed when climbers literally disappeared off the grid for two months.

The article is really an interesting one, discussing how communications and the Internet have had an impact on everything revolves around everest, including how First Ascent used the whole expedition to promote their new gear. Alan goes on to talk about the top places on the web for information on the expeditions (Thanks for the shout out Alan!) and how that has effected our perceptions of what is happening at any given time on the mountain.

Another nice article, and further sets the stage for the season ahead. It's going to be an exciting one.

More Climbing Vids: Free Climbing El Cap?

Speaking of cool climbing vids, these two come our way courtesy of The Backcountry Goat Blog and Climbing Narc. The two part video, both of which are found below, show Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson working a new route on the Southeast face of El Capitan in Yosemite. Caldwell is hoping to free climb the route, which requires new pitches in the 5.13 to 5.14 difficulty range. This is a project he has been working on for some time, and isn't sure is possible to complete. More good stuff on video!

VIDEO Part 1: BD athletes Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson attempting to free El Cap's hardest climb from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

VIDEO Part 2: BD athletes Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson attempting to free El Cap's hardest climb from Black Diamond Equipment on Vimeo.

Climbing Big Walls in Patagonia, with Patagonia

I came across another great climbing video today, this time capturing Patagonia ambassadors Nico Favresse and Seán Villanueva as they take on the he Central Tower of Torres del Paine in Chile's Patagonia region. The video is more than seven minutes long, but catpures the spirit of a big climb on a huge wall very well.

Am I the only one who shudders at the thought of spending the night in one of those little ledge tents on the side of a big rock face? I don't think I'd get much sleep up there!

Awesome video! Enjoy.

Himalaya 2010: Annapurna Teams Go For C2

The 2010 Himalaya season is probably still another week or two away from really getting started in ernest, but as I mentioned while back, there are already some teams on the ground in Nepal, with more than a few climbers making their way to Annapurna. ExWeb has an update from that region, with the news that Edurne Pasaban and her team are preparing to go to Camp 2 as early as tomorrow.

Edurne and company have been on the mountain since last week, and have already set up BC and Camp 1. Today they are planning to hike back up to C1 and spend the night, then proceed up to Camp 2 tomorrow, where they'll cache their supplies for the climb ahead. The Spanish climber has just Annapurna and Shisha Pangma left on her list of 8000 meter peaks, and she'd love to knock them both off this season. To do that, she'll need to acclimatize now, and get an early summit on Annapurna, before moving over to Shisha once Tibet re-opens to visitors.

Another woman chasing the glory of being the first female to nab all of the 8000 meter peaks is Korean climber Miss Oh Eun-Sun. She has just Annapurna left for herself, and is now in the process of preparing for that mountain. According to ExWeb she is currently acclimatizing on Tharpu Chuli, also known as Tent Peak, and will join her support team next week to begin the trek to base camp. Miss Oh has become such a celebrity back home that her climb will be broadcast on television there, and reportedly there is a crew of 15 following her from the network alone.

Meanwhile, Kinga Baranowska is back in the Himalaya and on her way to Pumori, which will serve as a warm-up for Annapurna. Currently, she and her "Pan-European" team are enjoying a trek through the Khumbu region, and reached Namche Bazaar a few days back. The all-star team of climbers from across Europe include Piotr Pustelnik and Kinga, both from Poland, Horia Colibasanu of Romania, Peter Hamor from Slovakia, Russians Sergey Bogomolov and Evgeny Vinogradskiy and Joao Garcia from Portugal. As you can imagine, all of those nationalities has led to some interesting language barrier issues amongst the team so far, although they do seem to be getting along well.

So, it seems that for now, Annapurna remains the center point of expeditions in the Himalaya. The 26,545 foot mountain may be the 10th highest in the world, but it is one of the most dangerous and difficult to climb. At this stage of the season, I'm sure there is still plenty of snow on the mountain. Hopefully it'll remain safe in the days ahead.

North Pole 2010: "We Are Tired"

It has been another busy week in the Arctic, where polar explorers continue to have very tough going, facing large, and very daunting, icefields and big leads, which are areas of open water that must be navigated around or swam across so that the teams can continue to make progress. As is typical for the early start of the season, it is very challenging, but things actually get easier, and mileage picks up as they get further north.

One team this is definitely having a rough go this week is Eric Larsen's Save The Poles Expedition. Eric is joined out on the ice by Antony Jinman and Darcy St Laurent, and according to their most recent updates, this has been a very long and tiring week. Antony has been struggling with an injured knee, which isn't quite back up to par just yet. They've had to deal with all the usual stuff that I mentioned above, plus inclement weather. At one point it was so cold, they had to huddle behind ice blocks to stay warm. They have had to remind themselves on more than one occasion why they are out there, and they end their last dispatch with the very ominous line of "We are tired."

Amelia Russell and Dan Darley were reminded today about how fast and unstable conditions can be out on the arctic ice. At one point they came across two ice sheets crashing against one another, with one sliding across the other at a speed of a foot a minute. Later, Amelia fell through the ice up to her knees, so her gear needed to be dried out. In the conditions they are traveling, wet gear stays wet, and frozen, for some time. The two Brits covered six miles today, but also report that they were battling negative drift throughout, with at least three occasions were they were well aware that the ice was moving them backwards. Very frustrating and difficult to be sure.

Christina Franco sounded very cheery on her latest audio dispatches, but her voice didn't match how long and challenging her day was. She started things off with a rather tough icefield, which gave way to what she describes as a "gigantic lead" which caused her to go an hour and a half out of her way in order to continue moving north. Eventually she did find a way around, which made it all work out in the end. She said that the cold winds continue to persist, forcing her to don extra gear to stay warm, but on a positive note, the days are getting noticeably longer, which is making it easier to get up and moving in the mornings without the need of a headlamp in the tent. Right now the explorers are experiencing roughly 12 hours of sun per day.

Australian Tom Smitheringale continues his solo and unsupported journey north as well. He's now been out on the ice for more than 18 days, and while progress has been, at times, quite slow, he remains in good spirits, and is happy to be where he is, despite the incredibly difficult conditions. Temperatures have been hovering around the -30ºF mark for the past few days, and with cloud cover setting in, there hasn't even been much sunshine to help brighten the day. Still, it's all about moving forward as best you can, and it seems Tom is doing well in that department, calling on his past experiences and knowledge to get him through the challenges of the early part of the expedition.

Finally, the Catlin Arctic Survey Teams are both off and running. The Explorer Team hit the ice on Sunday and have been making their way north ever since, collecting ice samples and other data as they go. Meanwhile, the Ice Base Team, which consists of a group of scientists, was dropped at their location as well, and they'll now begin collecting data too. The scientists who will be spending the next several weeks conducting research on the impact of climate change on the arctic include Helen Findlay (Plymouth Marine Laboratory); Ceri Lewis (University of Exeter); Laura Edwards (Bangor University) and Glenn Cooper (Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada). These lucky four will have all the joys of living in the Arctic, including the -40º temperatures, without the joy of actually going somewhere. It's going to be a very long season for them.