Mandatory Equipment Episodes 1 and 2

Awhile back I posted the trailer to a new webseries called Mandatory Equipment that was set to give us an inside look at what it takes to train for an expedition length adventure race. That teaser gave us a sample of what was to come as Team Mandatory Equipment  prepares to race in the 600km Raid The North Extreme this summer. Since that time, the team has released two episodes, and a third is on the way.

I've posted both of these videos below, and they not only serve as a great introduction to the sport, they also give you a taste of the training and preparation that are involved with major event such as the RTNE. In the first video, the team asks themselves "What Have I Gotten Myself Into?", which is a common response when teams take on a race of this length and in the second video they really get down to the training and the daunting task of getting ready for the Raid. Fans of the sport will no doubt enjoy this "behind the scenes" look at the training regime. It'll either motivate you to want to do your own race, or confirm the reasons why you never have! Enjoy!

Himalaya 2011: News From Lhotse

Everest gets much of the attention in terms of Himalayan climbs, but its neighbor Lhotse is quite a challenge as well. Standing 8516 meters (27,940 ft) in height, it is the fourth highest mountain in the world and shares a large portion of the same route as the mountain in whose shadow it always sits. But plenty of climbers are on that peak this year as well, and there has been a notable summit to report.

Michael Horst has been climbing with the Alpine Ascents team this spring, and according to the team's blog, he accomplished an impressive feat over the weekend. Horst topped out on Everest on Sunday, and then less then 24-hours later, he also bagged the summit of Lhotse as well. The Alpine Ascents blog says that they think he may be the first climber to achieve this double-summit without first descending to Base Camp to rest. Instead, he returned to Camp 4, rested there, then went right back up into the thin air. Pretty impressive, and definitely worth a hearty congratulations.

Meanwhile, the North Face Lhotse Ski Expedition team has sent back their second video dispatch, which you can check out below. The team is currently still on the mountain, and are preparing to go for their summit bid, which will be followed by a ski descent. In the video, you see them arriving in the Khumbu and trekking up to camp, where they begin their expedition in earnest. There are plenty of great shots of the region and it really gives you a great sense of what it is like to be there. Lots of memories ofr me on this one!


The North Face®: Lhotse Ski Expedition Dispatch Two from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

Himalaya 2011: Everest North Side Updates

Over the past few weeks there has been a flurry of activity on the South Side of Everest, as the commercial teams are well organized, and worked together to fix the ropes. That has led to the first wave of summits, and as we all know, many climbers are currently moving up the mountain to get in place for a second summit push at the end of the week, when a 48-hour weather window is expected to open once again.

But getting news from the North Side of the mountain has been especially difficult this season and to date, there have been no summits from that side of the mountain. In fact, as of Sunday, it seems that the ropes aren't fixed to the top yet, which is leaving climbers sitting in Base Camp, wondering when they'll get their opportunity to go up. As you probably already know, rope fixing on this side of the mountain is handled by the Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association, which seems to be a bit unorganized and lagging behind their counterparts to the south.

Still, there is some word as to what is happening. Kenneth Koh, who is climbing with the Project Himalaya team, has been sending out tweet from Everest, and you can glean some information from what he has posted. Yesterday, Kenneth sent out a tweet which read: "It's too long to just sit around BC, so we are hiking up to ABC today for a couple of nights to keep fit." That indicates to me that they're still waiting for the okay to go up the mountain, and like everyone else, they're hoping for a weather window. In an earlier tweet, he mentioned that it looks like everything could be set by the final week of May.

Kenneth's teammate Grant Rawlinson has also been blogging from the North Side, and he echos his companions comments. They're continuing to wait and trying to stay busy and healthy until their opportunity comes. But what if that doesn't happen? The Sherpas may not get the ropes fixed until the weather window at the end of the week, and since it is only 48-hours in length, the teams may not be in position to take advantage of the opportunity to dash up the mountain. What if another window doesn't come? The entire North Side season would be a bust, leaving many bitter and disappointed climbers. Lets hope that doesn't happen.

Finally, two guys who may be well suited to make a quick dash up the mountain, Ueli Steck and Don Bowie, arrived in Base Camp today. The note on Don's site says that they will take the next few days to assess the situation and prepare for their climb. If anyone can take advantage of a small window, it is probably Ueli and Don. Stay tuned. If Steck summits, it'll be his third 8000 meter peak in a little more than a month.

Four Climbers Injured, One Dead on Denali

While most of our attention has been drawn to the Himalaya over the past few weeks, some daring climbers have been making spring attempts on Denali. One of those climbs went bad last week, leaving one climber dead and four others injured on the West Buttress of the mountain.

According to this story at the Alpinist, six climbers set off for their final summit push on the 6196 meter (20,327 ft) Denali on May 11th. They began the day at High Camp, located at 5242 meters (17,200 ft), in conditions that were said to be excellent, although high winds were in the forecast for later in the day. One member of the group elected to stay in camp due to the forecast, while Tony Diskin, Jeremiah O'Sullivan, Beat Niederer and Lawrence Cutler, along with their two guides Dave Staeheli and Henry Munter, headed for the summit.

Part way up the mountain, Diskin turned back. Suffering from frostbite on his fingers, he was assisted down the mountain by Munter. When the pair arrived at High Camp, they gathered up the climber there, and moved further down the mountain. Meanwhile, the others continued to go higher, eventually reaching the summit late in the afternoon. On their descent, O'Sullivan tripped and fell, dragging his teammates, who were all roped in, down the glacier for about 300 feet. He broke his leg in the fall, and the report says that Niederer also dislocated a shoulder and that Staeheli broke a rib.

 With the team in bad shape, Staeheli attempted to call for help, but was unable to get a radio signal and the satellite phone was damaged in the fall. The guide sent Niederer and Cutler, who was uninjured, down the mountain to seek help, while he attempted to drag O'Sullivan in a bivy sack, giving up after just a few hundred feet.

At about this time, the winds began to pick up and temperatures began to drop, so Staeheli made the decision to go down to High Camp with Niederer and Cutler to try to organize a rescue, leaving O'Sullivan on the mountain above 19,000 feet. They stumbled down the mountain, and at one point, Staeheli and Cutler became separated from Niederer, who went missing somewhere on the descent. Stumbling into High Camp, the guide and his lone remaining client, were aided by another team that has also gone up to the summit that morning.

The weather took a turn for the worse and a rescue wasn't possible until the following day. Helicopters were able to go up the mountain, where they pulled both O'Sullivan and Niederer off the high slopes of Denali. O'Sullivan was alive, but need immediate attention, while Niederer showed no signs of life at all, and was later declared dead. At this time, the cause of his death is not known.

For the full story, be sure to read the account by the Alpinist. It is a sad tale, with a set of circumstances that put the guides and other climbers into a bad position. It was almost as if things were going to turn sour no matter which decision they made. This will no doubt be one of those mountaineering stories that are debated for a long time.

My condolences to Niederer's friends and family for their loss.

impossible2Possible's Expedition Bolivia Underway

As I mentioned last week, the impossible2Possible crew have launched another adventure, this time to run across the salt flats of Bolivia with several youth ambassadors. They've dubbed this journey Expedition Bolivia, and it got underway yesterday with a 30km (18.6 mile) run through an amazing, yet desolate, landscape, as you'll be able to see from the video below. The video also shows the six young runners, who come from the U.S., Canada, and Bolivia, officially starting the run and then again at the 5k mark, where they admit that their adrenaline put them off to a bit of a fast start, but they fell into rhythm later.

All told, when they've finished the expedition this weekend, they'll have covered 250km (155 miles) and beamed their adventure back to hundreds of classrooms, where students of all ages are getting the opportunity to interact with them while they go. One of the key elements to any i2P expedition is their educational outreach opportunities, and this one is no different. In this case, Expedition Bolivia celebrates the International Year of Chemistry and much of the interaction with the classrooms will reflect that. They also hope to inspire students with a healthy dose of adventure along the way.

Looks like another great program.



i2P Expedition Bolivia - Day 1: 30 KM from GOi2P on Vimeo.

Primal Quest 2012 Update!

A few weeks back I posted about the possibilities of Primal Quest returning in 2012, much to the surprise and delight to racers and fans across the globe. Since then, I've had emails and Facebook notes from a lot of people asking for more information. Of course, I couldn't spill too many details at the time, and to be quite honest, they are still filling in, but here is a note that I wrote last night that was posted on the Primal Quest website earlier today:

To The Adventure Racing Community: 

For the past few weeks there have been a number of rumors circulating around the Internet regarding the possible return of Primal Quest in 2012. We can confirm that those rumors are true and that wheels have been set in motion to bring this legendary event back from its hiatus.

While we can’t share specific details at this time, we can tell you that the Primal Quest team is already in negotiations to hold the race somewhere in the western United States. We have high hopes that those negotiations will come to fruition, and that we will have exciting news to share in the very near future.

For now, stay tuned and start training. Because “the World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition” hasn’t gotten any easier!

What I can share with you at the moment is that progress is being made on bringing the race back in 2012, and that the entire PQ team is very optimistic about the chances of that happening. We hope to make an official announcement within a month's time that will share details on the location and possible dates as well. For now, all I can say is that we're aiming for a seven day race to be held somewhere in the Western United States.

As the note above says, stay tuned!

Ditch The Deet: Week 4

Okay, so I promise this is the last week for my Ditch The Deet giveaway. I'm running low on supplies anyway! :)

Once again this week, I'll be giving away one, and possibly two, summer survival packs to help fight off the bugs in the warmer months ahead. The pack includes a SOL Core Lite tool, Natrapel Insect Repellant Wipes, AfterBite Itch Eraser, and Ben's Insect Treatment for Clothing and Gear, all of which should prove handy in the warmer months ahead. I say that I may be giving away two of these kits because my Week 1 winner still hasn't contacted me, and if he or she doesn't drop me a note by Friday, when I pick this week's winner, I'm giving away their pack too! So, there is a good chance you'll have two chances to win this week!

As in previous weeks, entering the contest couldn't be easier. Send me an email to kungfujedi@gmail.com with the subject line of "Ditch The Deet," and in the body of the email, tell me a little something about your summer plans and how you could use this swag. That's all there is to it! On Friday, I'll randomly pick a winner, and send off the stuff. As always, if you've already entered in previous weeks, you don't have to send in your e-mail again.

Don't forget to also enter the Ditch The Deet contest that Natrapel has running at the moment either. The grand prize is a trip for four to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, which should be a lot of fun. All you have to do to win that one is submit a photo of your bug-free outdoor adventures. Head on over to the official website for more information.

Finally, congratulations to Bob Czaplicki of Woodstock, GA for winning last week's Ditch The Deet contest. I'll be shipping your prizes today Bob and I know they'll come in hand in Georgia this summer.

Himalaya 2011: A New Weather Window Opens

The weekend was a slow one on the South Side of Everest, with high winds slamming the weather window shut. All told, some 40 climber reached the summit last week, but plenty more spent the weekend in Base Camp, where they anxiously watched the weather reports and waited for good news. That good news came last night in the form of a second projected weather window for the end of this week. It now looks like we can expect another round so summit bids on Thursday and Friday, and teams are now on the move to take advantage of that opportunity.

Amongst the climbers who have begun the ascent are Alan Arnette, who sent an audio dispatch this morning from Camp 1. He reports that the conditions on the  mountain are favorable right now, and that he and the entire IMG team he is climbing with, made the climb up to C1 in rapid time. Normally, a lot of teams would push on to Camp 2, but they have elected to spend the day in Camp 1 and conserve their energy for the final push. The plan is to go up to C2 tomorrow, then on to C3 on Wednesday. Thursday, the team will climb to the South Col and Camp 4, where they'll rest for a few hours before leaving for the summit at around 3 AM Friday morning local time. If everything goes as planned, they should arrive at the summit sometime Friday morning. For Alan, who sounds in great spirits on the dispatch, this would be a major milestone in his 7 Summits For Alzheimer's campaign.

David Tait has started back up the mountain as well and will be checking in from Camp 2 later in the day via sat phone. In his latest update, he talks about facing the Khumbu Icefall yet again and the toll that the climb is having on his body, having lost a considerable amount of weight. You may recall that David was on his summit push last week when winds picked up on the mountain, causing Himex boss Russell Brice to pull the plug mid-ascent. Tait, and others, were forced to descend all the way back to BC, where they had a short rest before turning around again. The entire Himex squad is hoping to top out during this new weather window later in the week.

There was sad news to report from Everest this weekend, when it was revealed that Japanese climber Takashi Ozaki died on the mountain. ExWeb says that it was apparently a result of HAPE, and notes the particular injustice of Ozaki dying on the normal route of Everest after he helped pioneer some of the more challenging, and little used, other routes on the mountain. Ozaki, who was 58, had plenty of success in high altitude mountaineer, as he had successfully climbed six of the 8000 meter peaks. My condolences to his friends, family, and teammates.

That's all for now. Expect lots more news later in the week, when it appears there will be another round of summit bids. It is possible that this could be the final weather window of the season, as June is looming, and the monsoon won't be far behind.

Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island

Ellesmere Island is one of the most remote places on Earth, located above the arctic circle, and falling into the chain of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the  Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is a cold, icy, mountainous place that is seldom visited due to its rugged and challenging nature. It is also the site of a spring expedition in which Jon Turk and Erik Boomer will be attempting to circumnavigate the island by kayak.

The expedition officially got underway a few days back, with Jon and Erik setting out from Resolute Bay last Thursday, and taking a series of short flights on "puddle jumpers" to eventually reach their starting point. The weather forecast had been good for their first week out on the water, but according to Jon's blog,  which was updated two days ago, that has changed some. The blog posts reports heavy snow in the region, and that the duo were holed up in a small cabin at the time of their last check-in.

They also report that the paddling has been hard going through the ice fields that surround the island, but when they move in closer to shore, the fjords have been smooth as glass. They've encountered quite a few polar bear tracks as well and even spotted a mother bear with her cub. The creatures are fairly common on Ellesmere, and of course they would like to avoid them as much as possible.

The journey will cover 1485 miles (2390 km) and is expected to take upwards of 100 days to complete. At the moment, they're just 75 miles into the expedition, and despite the fact that it is spring there, they are experiencing bitterly cold, sub-zero temperatures. Even in the height of summer, the place never really gets all that warm, so this will be a long, slow, challenging journey to complete, to say the least.

To check out the official expedition website, click here and for blog updates click here. This should be another interesting expedition to follow as it unfolds.

Contour+ Helmet Cam Brings New Features

Contour has launched a new helmet cam, the Contour+, delivering a host of great new features that will give aspiring filmmakers some wonderful new options when creating their next adventure film. The new edition to the line-up delivers pro-level quality and ease of use in one very small, yet durable package.

The Contour+ adds a new "professional grade" lens that allows capturing of 1080p video, which is what you would expect out of any digital video camera in this day and age. The new lens also provides the ability to shoot in a wider format, while delivering a cleaner image as well. The camera also now includes an external microphone jack, as well as a built in GPS receiver that tracks location, distance, traveled, and other data. And if that wasn't enough, it is now capable of live streaming from events and can connect, via Bluetooth, to your smartphone, which can be used as an external display. All of this for just $499, including all the cables, a 2GB memory card, and 3 different mounts.

I have an earlier model of the Contour, and while it is a bit on the larger and heavier side, when compared to other helmet cams, it is also more durable and of higher quality than the other cameras I've used. The video that it shoots is great, and mine doesn't do 1080p, and it is fun to play with when mountain biking, climbing, or just about any other outdoor sport. My one gripe is that it is sometimes hard to know what you're shooting, but with the ability to use a smartphone screen, that doesn't seem to be much of a problem now either. At least for lining up shots and knowing that things are working properly.

This new gadget seems like a worthy upgrade and if you're looking for a great helmet cam, it is tough to beat all the technology stuffed into this little device.

Adventure Racing Gets Some Mainstream Press!

This article is a few weeks old, but I thought it was worth sharing in case you hadn't already seen it. It seems that adventure racing received some love from the mainstream courtesy of this article in the Wall Street Journal. The article serves as both an introduction to the sport and a profile of racer Kristen Beckmeyer, who races on Team Mandatory Gear, and competed in her first event back in January of 2010. The same day that this article appeared, the WSJ also published a second story on preparing for your first adventure race as well.

One interesting note from the story is that the article cites a 2010 study by the Outdoor Foundation that lists adventure racing as the fastest growing activity amongst Americans. That report says that more than 1 million people participated in AR in 2009, which is great to hear considering that many races were still on the rebound from the bad economy in that period. I think it is safe to say that adventure racing is as healthy as it has ever been, and that it has a very bright future.

Receiving coverage from a source like the Wall Street Journal is a huge plus for adventure racing in general. We has a reporter from the paper with us at Primal Quest Montana and I can tell you that it significantly raised the profile of the event. Those of us who follow, compete, and already love the sport don't need a story like this one to remind us of how much fun AR can be, but it is always nice to help introduce it to a new audience, and perhaps keep the current growth cycle going.

Himalaya 2011: Everest Update!

It was a successful Summit Day for at least some of the commercial teams on Everest yesterday. The expected first big push took place on schedule, with a number of teams completing their climbs, while others elected to stay put or descend the mountain, in hopes that the weather would be a bit more safe and settled for another attempt today or early next week.

Alan Arnette, who is on Everest and in Base Camp at the moment, posted a good update earlier today with news on all the proceedings. He noted that some of his teammates on the IMG squad successfully topped out yesterday, and another group was heading up the mountain today. But Alan also says that the weather conditions for the summit bids weren't as good as the climbers would have hoped for, with winds blowing as hard as 50 mile per hour. Alan, who has been on Everest on three previous occasions, points out that usually anything more than 20 mph is too dangerous to risk going up.

But obviously, teams did go up, and in addition to IMG, the Peak Freaks also put 11 climbers on the summit yesterday, all of which are now back down the mountain safe and sound and in excellent condition.  The Adventure Consultants also put most of the their team on top as well yesterday, ending another successful campaign for that team as well.

David Tait was amongst the climbers with Himex yesterday who elected to head back down the mountain. He does an excellent job of describing his roller coaster emotions while first climbing up to Camp 3, and then descending back down the mountain when the weather took a turn. He also notes that a number of teams decided to go all the way back to Base Camp, but an ill-timed collapse in the Khumbu Icefall stranded many of them in Camp 1 for the night. As most of you know, the Everest Ice Doctors work hard to keep a route open through the icefall, but when a collapse occurs, it can take some time before they establish a new path.

Today seems to be a "wait and see" day. Some squads are moving up to check the conditions, while others are waiting for the next window, which is scheduled to open next week. Alan, who says he is feeling well and is strong, will be climbing then, and is hoping to claim his first Everest summit. Edurne Pasaban has just returned from her final acclimatization round, and will be looking for a summit bid, minus the supplemental oxygen, sometime late next week as well. Hopefully the conditions will be good for a second, or possibly third, round of summits then.

On The Road Again!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm off on another escape, this time heading to the Atacama Desert in Chile. As I write this, I'm at the airport in Dallas, waiting for a connecting flight to Miami and an overnighter to Santiago. After that, it is another flight to Calama, and then an hour drive to my eventual destination of San Pedro de Atacama tomorrow morning. 

I'm told that there is Internet access at my hotel, so I hope to post some updates while I'm on the go, as I would hate to miss all the action that is about to unfold on Everest and other Himalayan peaks. If the connection is good (read, not like most Internet connections in remote areas, I hope to post some photos and updates on what I'm doing over the course of the next few days. I'm hoping to do some mountain biking, hiking, and volcano climbing, but we'll see. 

This is a quick trip, I'm back home on Monday, when you know I'll be back to regular posts. Hope everyone has their own adventures planned for the days ahead! Back soon!

Himalaya 2011: Apa Nabs Number 21!

So, remember when I said I was going to Chile for a few days? Turns out things didn't go quite as planned. Massive storms in the Dallas area killed all outgoing flights and as I sat, in an American Airlines jet for three hours, slowly watching my window for catching my international flight out of Miami disappear, it slowly dawned on me that I was never going to get to the Atacama this week. I had a fairly small window of time down there, and wasting a day in Miami didn't sound all that great. So, here I am, heading back to Austin, with plans to re-book the Atacama trip for a few weeks down the line.

Now... where was I? Oh yeah, big things happening in the Himalaya, where teams have begun summitting Everest and other peaks. The news of the day of course is that Apa Sherpa has claimed his 21st summit of the mountain, topping out this morning at 9:15 AM local time. The successful climb extends his record for the person who has climbed the world's highest peak the most times. Apa, and the rest of his Eco-Everest team, will now start cleaning up the mountain, as they have for the past few years, bringing tons of garbage, left behind by other expeditions, down to be properly disposed of.  The team also leads the crusade to inform the general public of the effects of climate change on Everest as well.

The Adventure Consultants put a few climbers on the summit today as well, working hard to beat the crowds that are expected at the summit over the next few days. It seems that all the major commercial squads are now in place, to have a crack at the summit. Good weather is expected into the weekend.

Stay tuned for much more over the next few days. Congratulations to everyone who successfully reached the summit today. Well done. And good luck to everyone queuing up to have their shot tomorrow and Friday.

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Catlin Arctic Survey 2011: Explorers Off The Ice

The 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey came to an official end last week when the Explorers Team was finally picked up from the ice. That team, consisting of Ann Daniels, Tyler Fish, Adrian McCallum, and Phil Coates, had been traveling south from the North Pole towards Greenland for the past six weeks.

Last Wednesday, the team had nearly given up on finding a suitable landing area for a plane to land to complete the pick-up. The ice was thinning and there were more and more open leads of water, which made travel problematic for them on foot, let alone allowing a plane to land. While they would, on occasion, find patches of ice long enough for a landing, they were often not thick enough to support the weight of an aircraft.

Eventually they did find a proper piece of ice, and the evacuation plane was able to locate them and pluck them off the ice. From there they were flown to Eureka weather station for a brief overnight rest, before continuing on to Resolute Bay, and eventually home. After two months of travel in the Arctic, they were no doubt ready to get back to the comforts of their own beds.

Their evacuation from the ice officially brings to an end the 2011 Catlin Survey, which focused on the health of the pack ice this season. In addition to the Explorers Team, there was also an Ice Base Team, which consisted of scientists and researchers, who stayed at a permanent base for the length of the study. Both teams collected a variety of data and measurements, which will now be turned over to climate scientists to study. The hope is to get a better understanding of how the loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean can affect the weather in both North America and Europe.

To my knowledge, the Catlin team was the final group that was still out on the ice when they were picked-up. It was a long and very challenging season in the Arctic, and it is clear that climate change is altering the place dramatically. I honestly believe the days of skiing to the North Pole, at least in the classic sense, may be behind us. Yes, we'll continue to see Last Degree journeys for some time, but the big polar expeditions to the North Pole may be behind us. At the very least, their days are numbered.

impossible2Possible To Launch Expedition Bolivia

Ray Zahab and the rest of the crew at impossible2Possible are getting ready for the next adventure, this time on the salt flats of Bolivia. The organization, which expertly mixes education, inspiration, and a healthy dose of adventure, will launch Expedition Bolivia later this week.

Unlike Ray's solo run of the Atacama Desert earlier this year, Expedition Bolivia is part of i2P's youth ambassador program, which adds several young people to the team. In this case, there are five young men and women joining the usual impossible2Possible team as they cover 250km (155 miles) across a remote region of Bolivia, on foot in just one weeks time. That's roughly a marathon per day for the entire length of the expedition.

This wouldn't be an impossible2Possible project with out an educational element in the mix. As usual, the expedition will reach out to classrooms across the globe, checking in daily with reports from the fields via satellite phone. The project is celebrating the fact that 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry, and as such, they'll be conducting a number of experiments and collecting data while exploring the unusual terrain of the Bolivian salt flats.

Also joining the squad for this expedition is polar explorer Hannah McKeand, who went to the South Pole in record time a few years back and made a solo attempt on the North Pole as well. This is her first endeavor with the i2P organization, but I'm sure she'll have plenty to contribute. To check out the entire team, including the youth ambassadors, click here.

I've written about i2P and its numerous expeditions multiple times here. I'm a big fan of their approach to mixing education and adventure in a way that is engaging to students in classrooms of a variety of ages. The youth ambassador program only adds to that, as it shows young people that they can go out and do some amazing things and visit some incredible places. There is no better way to motivate kids, in my opinion, than showing them someone their own age doing great things. These expeditions do just that, and it has proven to be a great success in the i2P mission.

Good luck to everyone on Expedition Bolivia. Enjoy the run!

Cyclist Wouter Weylandt Dies In Crash At Giro

By now, many of you have no doubt heard the word that Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt died in a crash at the Giro d'italia yesterday. He was just 26 years old and leaves behind a wife who is pregnant with their first child.

Race officials say that the accident occurred while Weylandt was racing down the Bocco mountain pass at about 72 km/h (45 mph). Apparently his pedal became stuck in a wall that lined the side of the road, sending him hurdling 20 meters to the ground below. The crash left him unconscious and bleeding, while paramedics struggled to assist him on the scene. He was later transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later declared dead.

This is the first time that a rider has died in the 25-year history of the Giro. The tragedy comes on the third stage of the cycling classic, the same stage that Weylandt won last year. The race continues today despite the accident, and Weylandt's teammates on Team Leopard-Trek have elected to continue racing. The riders in the peloton have donned black armbands in remembrance of their fallen comrade as well. The start of todays stage was also neutralized, with all teams riding together for 10km out of respect for the Belgian.

I saw this news later yesterday, but didn't have a chance to report on it until this morning. It is a sad day for fans of cycling and I want to send on my sincere condolences to Wouter's friends and family in their time of grief.

Himalaya 2011: Teams Jockey For Position On Everest's South Side

As predicted last week, the teams on the South Side of Everest are working to get themselves into position for summit bids later this week. With the ropes fixed to the summit, and the acclimatization rotations complete, everything now hinges on the weather. Team leaders currently have their eyes on the sky and are intently watching the forecast to try to judge the best time to make their summit bids. High winds have been buffeting the mountain the past few days, but it looks like they are calming down now, right on schedule for the mid-month push.

The IMG team has sent their first climbers up the mountain, with the lead squad resting in Camp 2 today and planning on heading up to Camp 3 tomorrow. They'll likely spend the night there as well, and if the weather window looks good, they could begin the final push on Thursday with an eye on topping out on Friday. The other IMG climbers will go up in stages, staggered a day or two behind. That includes Alan Arnette, who returned to BC from a Camp 3 acclimatization rotation yesterday. He'll most likely rest in Base Camp for a few days before starting his climb, with an eye on standing on the summit sometime next week.

The Peak Freaks are one day ahead on their schedule, as they are expected in Camp 3 today, moving to C4 tomorrow and a possible summit bid on Thursday. By all accounts, the team is doing well, and all the members of the team are healthy, save one, who is headed back down the mountain due to stomach issues.

The Himex squad are in their traditional wait-out-the-rush mode, save one of their climbers. David Tait, who has summitted the mountain on three previous occasions, is already on the move, heading up to Camp 2 today. He is planning on being on the summit by dawn on Friday, provided his health and the weather cooperate.

So there you have it. It looks like things are moving right on schedule at the moment. Teams are jockeying for position and looking to take advantage of the current good weather conditions. If the weather holds, I suspect we'll see a steady stream of summits over the course of the next week or so. The past few years has given the climbers a fairly narrow window to reach the top, and then once that window was closed, the season was rather abruptly over. Perhaps that won't happen this year, but it has been an odd season on Everest in terms of weather.

One other note, the IMG update also said that due to the high winds, the rope fixing up Lhotse. That work is now scheduled to be finished on Friday of this week, allowing the climbers (and skiers!) to make their final push on Everest's neighbor as well. I'm sure that there will be some Lhotse Teams in Camp 4 that will be ready to pounce on the opportunity.

Stay tuned! It'll definitely be a busy week on the Big Hill.

Himalaya 2011: 82-Year Old Dies On Everest

Sad news from Everest today, as we have received word that 82-year old Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya died while trying to scale the mountain. He had hoped to set a new age record for reaching the summit and prove to the world that elderly people are still strong and vibrant, even after the age of 80.

According to the story, Upadhyaya was making an acclimatization rotation on the mountain and had just climbed up to Camp 1. What exactly happened after he reached that point, which is located at roughly 6096 meters (20,000 ft), remains unclear, and the cause of death hasn't been determined, but it seems likely that the rigors of the climb were a bit too much for his body to take.

In the original post I wrote about Upadhyaya's attempt I noted that he had almost no mountaineering experience, and while it is unclear if that had anything to do with his death, the lack of a climbing background certainly didn't help his cause.

My condolences to Upadhyaya's friends and family, who probably feared that this could happen.

Trailer For High Altitude Mountaineering Film Cold

What's it like to climb Gasherbrum II, the 8035 meter (26,362 ft) Pakistani peak in February? Apparently it is Cold. That is exactly the feeling you get from the trailer below, which is for a film that chronicles that very climb, undertaken by the likes of Corey Richards, Simon Moro and Denis Urubko. The film looks to be one to keep an eye on, as it seems to have captured both the beauty and the agony of high altitude mountaineering. Beautiful stuff.



COLD - TRAILER from Anson Fogel on Vimeo.

Greg Mortenson, CAI Slapped With Class Action Lawsuit, Offer Up A Defense

As the Greg Mortenson/Tree Cups of Tea controversy continues to play out, there were two new developments late last week, that come to us courtesy of Outside Online, who have been doing an outstanding job of keeping the news coming from both sides of the discussion.

First up, on Friday, a class action lawsuit was filed against Mortenson and his non-profit organization the Central Asia Institute, in Missoula, Montana. The suit, which was brought up by state legislators Jean Price and Michele Reinhart, contends that Mortenson and CAI defrauded donors, as well as people who have purchased his books, by fabricating stories about his experiences, with the intention of making money. The lawsuit also cites that this has been an ongoing, and continually perpetrated, act that has resulted in millions of dollars being donated to the cause by people who believed Mortenson's stories, which have been called into question on a number of fronts in recent weeks.

As Outside points out, the class action lawsuit spells even more trouble for the author and CAI, who are already under a criminal investigation for potential racketeering. In this latest suit, which you can read here, Price and Reinhart call for CAI to be suspended as an organization, and have its funds administered by a third party organization that would continue its charitable work in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

But Mortenson and CAI have no intention of taking these allegations sitting down. In a separate story, Outside also noted that they have prepared a defense, which will be released in an annual report called "Journey of Hope." Typically, the report is released in November, and serves as a way of updating major sponsors and supports of CAI as to what is happening with the organization. But the 2011 edition of Journey of Hope is coming much sooner than that.

The newsletter gives few direct responses to the recent allegations against Mortentson and his charitable arm. Instead, it offers some broad defenses, and highlights the good things that CAI has planned for the  months ahead, including building as many as 60 new schools in Afghanistan this year alone, and launching a special education program designed for women and girls.

In the way of defense, the organization points to its 1996 charter in which it says that it not only will build schools but also do outreach programs to the public. One of the major charges against CAI is the millions it spends on promoting Mortenson and his books. It seems they are filing all of that under the very broad umbrella of public outreach. They also note that they've been the victim of embezzlement, which cost them a lot of money and failed to produce a number of schools, due in large part to a trusted, but highly corrupt employee.

All of this comes after 60 Minutes ran an expose on Mortenson a few weeks back, which questioned the truthfulness behind some of the stories in his books, and leveled allegations against the way that CAI is being managed and appropriating its funds. Since that time, there have been a number of people who have stepped forward to both defend and refute the author, who has admitted to taking some poetic license, at the very least, with some of his tales.

It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out in the long run. I've said it before when covering this topic, and I'll say it again. CAI has done a lot of great work in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and it is sad to all of that overshadowed by these stories and allegations. Hopefully, at some point down the line, the non-profit can get back to doing what it was intended to do, without dark clouds looming over head.

Buy Stuff From Planet Gear, Help The International Mountain Biking Association

Remember that members only gear shop called Planet Gear that I told you about awhile back? Well, they launched on schedule at the end of March, and have been offering up some killer deals ever since. But they've also been partnering with some other organizations, and helping out the adventure community where ever they can. Currently, they're working with the International Mountain Biking Association, offering up some proceeds to help their efforts.

For everyone who signs up to be a member for Planet Gear using the link PlanetGear.com/IMBA, the company is donating $1 to the IMBA. Additionally, everyone who signs up through that link and spends $50 or more, Planet Gear will award the IMBA $10 in credit.

Remember, signing up for Planet Gear is absolutely free, and if you're a gear hound, like myself, they have some excellent deals to help update your aging gear or add some new items to the closet. And if you sign up now, you can also help an organization that works tirelessly to create and protect mountain biking trails across the globe. For those of us that enjoy that sport, this is a big deal, as some places have really cracked down on how trails are used, often excluding mountain bikes from the list of what is acceptable.

Definitely a great way to aid the IMBA, while also scoring some good deals on killer gear at the same time.

Himalaya 2011: Ueli Steck Shares Details Of Cho Oyu

Last Friday we got the news that Ueli Steck and Don Bowie had summitted Cho Oyu, notching Ueli's second 8000 meter peak in 18 days. Over the weekend, both men shared their thoughts on the climb, filing in some of the details of the ascent and their time on the mountain.

Ueli posted this detailed report, which gives us a timeline of the climb and conveys a sense of urgency that they felt due to weather window that had opened for the 4th and 5th of the month. After that, things looked dicey, and if they hoped to reach the summit before moving on to their next challenge, they would need to take advantage of what ever window nature offered. That's exactly what they did, and according to Ueli, it was a fairly easy, as far as 8000 meter peaks go, climb.

He did note that he wasn't nearly as fresh on Cho Oyu as he was on Shisha Pangma a few weeks back. Judging from his report, he is looking forward to finishing the expedition, and heading home, as he has been away for some time now, and the toll of climbing and trekking in the Himalaya has begun to wear on him.

Of course, he and Don have one more peak yet to go, and that would be Everest. The pair hope to return to Lhasa tomorrow and spend a day or two resting there before driving to Everest Base Camp, provided the Chinese grant them permission to do so. It seems that they will most likely be in BC by the weekend, and should be ready to have a crack at the mountain sometime next week, provided they feel healthy and read, and the weather holds out.

For a second report on their climb, you can read Don's account by clicking here. He treads similar ground as Ueli, but shares some other details as well, such as a nasty bout of sickness that hit both men prior to their Cho Oyu ascent.

And for those asking, yes there is a summit photo this time. Ueli and Don were part of a small group of climbers who went up the mountain, as opposed to Steck's solo efforts on Shisha.

Ditch The Deet: Week 3

Okay, I haven't had a whole lot of luck giving away these Ditch The Deet packages I've been mentioning on my blog over the past couple of weeks. I have indeed selected, and e-mailed, winners the past two weeks, and I have yet to hear from either of them. So, if you've entered the contest, be sure to check your e-mail. The Week 1 winner didn't have a name attached to the e-mail, but Week 2 went to Bob Stocker. Bob, if you're out there, get in touch with me so I can send you your stuff! ;)

Which brings us to week 3. I have two more "Ditch The Deet" survival packs to give away. The packs include an SOL Core Lite tool, Natrapel Insect Repellant Wipes, AfterBite Itch Eraser, and Ben's Insect Treatment for Clothing and Gear, all of which should come in handy for the summer months ahead.

To win this swag, all you have to do is send me a note at kungfujedi@gmail.com with a subject line of "Ditch the Deet." In the body of the message, write me a note about what your summer outdoor plans are,  and how this swag could come in handy. I'll pick a random winner later in the week and ship off the stuff. Easy as that! (At least in theory!) If you've already entered the contest, no need to send me another note. You'll be automatically eligible for the prize until I give away all the stuff.

Also, don't forget to enter the Ditch The Deet contest, which could send you and three friends off to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. For details on how to score that trip, click here.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't send a big thank you to my friends at Adventure Medical Kits for sharing these prizes with us. I've been a big fan of the AMK stuff for awhile now, and I appreciate their support of the Adventure Blog. Great stuff guys! :)

Update: Yay! I've heard from Bob! I'll be shipping his kit ASAP!

Himalaya 2011: Ueli and Don Summit Cho Oyu!

Ueli Steck and Don Bowie have topped out on Cho Oyu, reaching the summit yesterday and nabbing the second 8000 meter peak in just 18 days for Steck. Details remain a bit light at the moment, and the home teams for both men say that they are still returning to Base Camp, where we are likely to get more information, and possibly summit photos this time out.

Back on April 18th, Ueli made a speed climb of Shisha Pangma (8013 m/26,289 ft), going tent-to-tent in under 20 hours. That was just the warm-up for the Swiss climber however, as he immediately left that mountain for Cho Oyu, where he and Don have apparently made another light and fast alpine style ascent. Standing 8201 meters (26,906 ft) in height, Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world.

Up next, the duo will head over to Everest to try their luck on the tallest of the 8000 meter peaks. They'll likely arrive just in time as well. With the route to the summit in place, most teams are waiting for a weather window to begin their climb. I'm guessing Don and Ueli will wait out the crowds and rest up in Base Camp, before making another ascent. They'll probably want everyone out of their way once they get moving.

Congrats to Ueli and Don on a job well done. Two 8000 meter peaks in the span of less than three weeks is pretty impressive stuff.

Adventurers And Scientists For Conservation

Yesterday I received an excellent link in my e-mail that I thought might be of interest to a number of readers as well. It is for an organization called Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, which promises to bring both communities together in a cooperative way.

The goals for the ASC are fairly straight forward and simple. The group looks to provide scientists with a way to attain unique and inexpensive datasets from a variety of places from around the globe by mobilizing a group of like-minded people from across the planet. They also hope to give adventure athletes a set of tools to help conserve the wild spaces that we all love so much, and dditionally, they hope inspire the general public to use those same wild spaces wisely and to protect them from harm.

The organization is the brainchild of Gregg Treinish, who falls into both the adventurer and scientist categories. He has worked as a wildlife biologist, backcountry guide, and more. He has also completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail as well as an epic 7800 mile (12,552 km) trek across the Andes that took 22 months to complete. That earned him the honor of being named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year back in 2008.

Treinish is joined by some real heavy hitters in the science and adventure field. The ASC board has folks like Conrad Anker, Roz Savage, and Jon Bowermaster on it. Additionally, Their Mentors section has even more amazing folks that can be contacted for advice on how to launch your own expedition or contribute to the conservation cause.

Although this is a relatively new organization, Treinish says he didn't formulate the idea until late 2010, the website has already become quite a resource for adventurers and scientists alike. You'll find links to allow you to request datasets, lists of proposed projects, and ways to get in contact with men and women who are active in both the science and adventure communities.

Personally, I think this looks like a great organization. I've found that these two groups have more in common than it would seem on the surface, but both tend to have a deep respect and love for the natural environment and a desire to protect it for the future. It seems like a natural pairing and I have high hopes that the ASC will be helping to accomplish and promote great things in the future.

Himalaya 2011: Skiing A New Line On Lhotse

I caught this video this morning while reading Backcountry.com's the Goat Blog. It is the first dispatch from a team of skiers and climbers from the Camp 4 Collective who have traveled to Nepal to climb, and ski, Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain on Earth. The video serves as an introduction to the three men and their expedition, and shows some of their early days in Kathmandu, one of the most colorful and chaotic cities in the world.

By now, the team is surely in Everest Base Camp and preparing to go up the Lhotse Face. Expect more dispatches in the near future and read their updates on the Vertical Carnival Blog. With the route now open on both Everest and Lhotse, they're no doubt waiting for the right weather as well.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, these people who climb and then ski an 8000 meter peak are nuts!




FINAL TNF Lhotse Ski Expedition Dispatch ONE 5.4.11 from Camp 4 Collective on Vimeo.

Checkpoint Tracker Rankings (May 6 - 2011)

The Checkpoint Tracker adventure racing series is the premiere AR league in North America, with 57 different promoters offering nearly 170 events across the country. Those events are worth points on the CPT leaderboards, and will eventually determine who gets to race in the North American Championship to be held in Kentucky this October.

As of today, here are the most current standing on the leaderboard Team Checkpoint Zero/Tech4o have taken over first place after winning the Yuki-Bar event that took place in North Carolina on the 29th of April.

There is still a lot of racing to go until October however, and the top ten list is stacked with excellent teams, all of which are gunning for a spot in the championship this fall. Stay tuned for regular updates on the series, leading all the way up to the big showdown at the Land Between the Lakes later this year.

Checkpoint Tracker North American Rankings - Coed Elite Division
Rank	Team	Points
1st	Checkpoint Zero/Tech4o	243
2nd	Mountain Khakis/Rev3 Adventure	168
3rd	Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic	156
4th	Florida Xtreme Adventure Racing Club	145
5th	Odyssey Adventure Racing-ImONPoint.org	144
6th	TeamSOG	125
7th	Green Paw Adventure Sports	122
8th	Team ROC Gear/4LPH4 1337	103
9th	Vignette	100
9th	WEDALI	100
View Complete Rankings by Division

Himalaya 2011: Kenton Cool Nabs 9th Everest Summit, Tweets Success!

British mountaineer Kenton Cool has nabbed the first non-Sherpa summit of the year on Everest, just a day after the route was opened. While not a whole lot of details are known about the climb just yet, we do know that Cool is a guide with Dream Guides and that upon learning that the route was complete, he moved quickly to take advantage of a weather window.

According to the Dream Guides Blog, Kenton topped out at 7:30 AM local time this morning, and was back in Camp 4 three hours later. After a brief rest, he was expected to head further down the mountain, an is quite possibly resting in Camp 2 at this very moment.

Not only did Cool grab the first commercial summit of the year, he also sent a tweet from the roof of the world as well. You can follow his tweets at @KentonCool, where you'll find one that simply reads:

“@KentonCool: Everest summit no 9! 1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset! @samsunguk”

Samsung was one of the sponsors for this climb, and he obviously used one of their smartphones to send the message from the summit.

It will be interesting to if there are any other climbers who will have a go at a summit bid while the weather is good. I'm still expecting the majority of the teams won't go until sometime late next week, but it all depends on their acclimatization rotation and how long the weather holds out. For now, it looks good though.

Congrats to Kenton on claiming his ninth summit of Everest. Well done mate!

(PS: This is my 5000th post on The Adventure Blog! Thanks to everyone for reading!)

Adventure Lisa Launches AR Podcast, Interviews Team Cyanosis On Eve Of Expedition Africa

Expedition Africa, a 500km long adventure race that takes place in the Western Cape of South Africa, is set to get underway this weekend, and in preparation AR guru Lisa de Speville has launched a new podcast during which she interviews two members of Team Cyanosis, who will be taking part in the event.

Lisa chats with team captain Clinton Mackintosh and navigator Nicholas Mulder about what challenges they expect out of the race, who their main competitions will be, and their strategic approach to an event of this length. The podcast is just another great addition to Lisa's already fantastic AR website, which covers the sport in South Africa and beyond.

To listen to the interview in its entirety, click here.

When she isn't covering adventure racing and other endurance sports, or training and competing in them herself, Lisa keeps herself busy with her other project,  FEAT, which is a night filled with adventure talks given by some great South African explorers and adventurers. During the event, those inspiring men and women have exactly seven minutes to share an experience from their expeditions with the audience in a way that is a lot like TED Talks on speed.

Using Technology, Social Media, And Adventure For Change

I came across this interesting story yesterday on Mashable. It's about how a non-profit called FindingLife is using social media and technology to help spread the word about their projects, which in this case involves climbing mountains to raise awareness and funds to build a school in Kenya. FindingLife founder Elia Saikaly recently traveled to that country where he climbed Mt. Kenya along with 12 students from Canada and Kenya. The entire expedition was beamed back to schools in North America, where those classrooms could follow along with the team's progress and learn about life in Africa.

It seems that the expedition has been a success, as the FindingLife blog reports that the group reached the summit yesterday. They hope that their off mountain efforts are a success as well, as the message is to bridge the gap between students on different continents, while also building schools to help the under privileged children in Kenya.

Saikaly, who has made it his life's calling to address children's needs on a global level,  also climbed Everest last year and is now part of the Moving Mountains Trust, another organization that works towards helping people in developing nations to work towards a sustainable lifestyle that will not only improve their lives now, but in the future as well.

Below is one episode from an 8 part series that was filmed on the expedition, and it gives you a bit more insights into what the group is doing in Kenya. Excellent stuff!




Webisode 8 - Messages to everyone back home from Findinglifefilms on Vimeo

Himalaya 2011: It's On!! Ropes Fixed To Summit Of Everest!

Today was the day that everyone on the South Side of Everest, not to mention followers at home, have been waiting for, as we have received word that the route to the summit has been fixed, and climbers are now free to begin their summit bids. For most, that means completing their current acclimatization rounds, and then keeping an eye on the weather to ensure a good window for the approach.

The world comes from various sources, including the Peak Freaks, who noted that this was an incredible display of speed on the part of the Sherpas putting the lines together. The team of six reportedly left Camp 2 this morning, and made their way up above the South Col, where they grabbed the ropes, donned their oxygen masks, and went to work. They were done in no time, and were suppose to descend back to Camp 4 to spend the night, but they felt so good they just kept going down the mountain. They're now bak in Camp 2 and resting comfortably.

IMG has even more information on the climb saying:

Today the IMG sherpas Phu Tshering and Karma Gyalzen, and the rest of the fixing team reached the summit! They started at 1am at Camp 2, climbed to the Col in time for breakfast, fixed to the Balcony in 4 hours, and decided to keep going! The conditions up high were perfect, and they reached the summit at 4pm (May 6 Nepal time) and got safely back down on the Col at 5:50pm.

They are leaving South Col at 6:30pm and heading for Camp 2 tonight! The route was on snow most of the way (some years it gets quite rocky above the Col) and there was quite a lot of snow up on the summit ridge and Hillary Step. All total they fixed 1600 meters of rope on the way up and are setting double ropes on their descent in the steep places.

So there you have it. Reportedly the conditions of the route up to Camp 4 are excellent, so depending on weather, and acclimatization, expect summit bids to begin by early next week.

Congrats to these six amazing climbers on notching the first summits of the season on the Big Hill. They're hard work has made it possible for everyone else to follow, and their strength and speed is something that I'll always admire. Well done!

Now let the games begin!

There Is Still Time To Enter The Ditch The Deet Week 2 Giveaway

There is still time to enter this weeks "Ditch The Deet" giveaway in which one reader will receive an SOL Core Lite tool, Natrapel Insect Repellant Wipes, AfterBite Itch Eraser, and Ben's Insect Treatment for Clothing and Gear. I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow and shipping off the swag after that.

To enter the contest, simply send me an e-mail to kungfujedi@gmail.com. Make the subject line "Ditch The Deet" and in the body of the message share your plans for the warmer months ahead. I'll then randomly pick a winner to give the gear to tomorrow and alert the winner via e-mail, and post the name here as well.

The Week #1 winner still hasn't gotten back to me, so if you've entered the contest, be sure to check your e-mail to see if I sent you a note. If I don't hear from the winner, I'm giving away his or her stuff next week! ;)

And don't forget that Natrapel is running a "Ditch The Deet" contest of their own, in which they're giving away a trip for four to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. To enter that contest you'll need to upload a photo of your favorite outdoor destination. Go to this website for more information.

Good luck everyone and thanks for playing!

Trailer For Vertical Sailing

A few weeks back climber Sean Villanueva and Nicolas and Olivier Favressse collected a Piolets d’Or award for their epic expedition to Greenland, during which they sailed the west and south coasts of the country looking for big walls to climb. They certainly found their share of those, putting up nine new routes on some gnarly rock. The boys have turned their adventure into a film, which you can watch the trailer for below, and then checkout their five part web series on the expedition by clicking here.

(Warning: Naked man and silly singing are contained in the video!)

Thanks to LouPhi for sharing this fun video.

Himalaya 2011: Ueli Checks In From Cho Oyu, Ready For Summit Bid

Ueli Steck and climbing partner Don Bowie have sent an update from Cho Oyu, the next stop in their Himalayan Triple Header this spring. You may recall that Ueli topped out solo on Shisha Pangma a few weeks back, and now the duo are prepping to go for the summit on the 8201 meter (26,906 ft) Cho Oyu.

According to the dispatch, since arriving on Cho Oyu last week, Ueli and Don have been acclimatizing at altitude and building their camps. They've been up as high as 7000 meters (22,966 ft) and are back in ABC and watching the weather closely. The forecast said that a window could open as early as today, and if that holds true, they may have already started the ascent.

It should be noted that they are not making an attempt on any kind of speed record on this climb. They do home to go light and fast, but beyond that, they're saving their strength for their final challenge, Everest from the South Side, which will take place in a few weeks time.

As for questions that continue to surround Ueli's speed climb of Shisha, I'm not sure why we haven't seen any summit photos. Perhaps Ueli didn't take the camera with him since he wasn't expecting to go for the summit that day. That seems unlikely, but it is a possibility. We have seen video of him high on the mountain and moving upwards very rapidly, but so far there has been no definitive proof that he has stood on top.

Perhaps once the entire expedition is over, we'll get plenty of that evidence offered to us, but for now, we simply have the reports from Ueli, Don, and their companions.

Himalaya 2011: Climber Reportedly Dies On Everest

ExWeb is reporting this morning that an American climber by the name of Rick Hitch has died on Everest. Hitch was apparently on his way to Camp 3 with the IMG team when he collapsed on the mountain. The guides attempted to revive him for more than 45 minutes, but to no avail. He was 55 years old.

According to this story in Rick's hometown paper, he was attempting to climb the Seven Summits and had completed six of those peaks, leaving just Everest remaining on his list. Hitch, along with his wife Loretta, traveled to Nepal on March 26. Loretta made the trek with her husband to Base Camp before heading back home to California on April 12.

In his final blog entry, Hitch indicated that he was in BC resting before beginning his third, and final, acclimatization rotation on Everest. He, along with a number of other IMG climbers, were nearing Camp 3 when he collapsed. The exact cause of death is still unknown.

My condolences to Rick's friends and family, and his teammates on the IMG squad.

Gear Box: Brooks-Range Cirro Hoody Jacket

Just because calendar says that it is spring it doesn't mean that the weather will cooperate, especially when you head up into the mountains, where conditions can be notoriously fickle this time of year. Fortunately, Brooks-Range makes a fantastic jacket that is taylor made for springtime adventures at altitude.

True to the Brooks-Range philosophy, the Cirro Hoody is a no-frills jacket that gives you everything you need, and nothing you don't. Super-light in weight, the Cirro is warm, comfortable, and good looking, which also makes it versatile enough to wear on the slopes or around town. With three zippered external pockets, elastic cuffs, and a well designed hood that protects the wearer from the elements, it is clear that the designers knew what they were doing when they created this jacket. The inclusion of an internal pocket is much appreciated as well.

The Cirro uses Permaloft One as its source of insulation and Pertex as an outer shell. That means that you get a jacket that stays warm, even when it gets wet, but is also well protected from moisture as well. Those synthetic fabrics help provide a garment that is both warm and durable, but weighs just 12.4 oz (342 grams). I was particularly impressed with how warm this jacket is, especially considering the lack of weight and bulk. It makes for a fantastic piece of cool weather gear on its own and an excellent insulation layer in colder conditions.

As a frequent traveler, one thing I always appreciate is clothing that is highly packable. That described the Cirro Hoody to a tee. As I mentioned, this isn't a bulky or heavy jacket, and it also compresses down to a very small footprint, which comes in handy when you're stuffing it in a backpack. The fact that it adds very minimal weight to that pack is a further reflection on how well Brooks-Range knows their market and what we are looking for in our gear.

All of this comes at a great price as well. Brooks-Range lists the MSRP as $189, which is an excellent deal for a jacket this versatile and well made. Add one to your gear closet for a little extra springtime protection on your next adventure.

Michael Ferrara Aborts Attempt To Ski Across Alaska

Over the weekend, Michael Ferrara ended his attempt to cross Alaska, south to north, on skis, citing dry weather conditions and a nagging injury as reasons for pulling the plug. Ferrara, who had launched the expedition to raise awareness of the issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder amongst emergency response personnel, announced his decision in a blog post on the Born Out There Blog.

Michael's journey began back in March when he, along with his dog Lhotse, hit the trail on their cross country skis. Along the way, he ran into a number of challenges, including a lack of quality snow, difficult routes, ever changing weather, and more. In mid-April, Ferrara suffered a sprained knee while in town, of all places, and that put him on the shelf for a few weeks. During that period, he watched what little snow there was in the southern region of Alaska dwindle further, and his recovery time seemed to lag on.

Still, if you read Michael's post, you see that he got a lot out of his journey, even if he didn't come close to reaching the geographic destination at the finish line. He found new friends along the way, re-discovered how much he loved the Alaskan wilderness, and had a great time on his skis for a few weeks. What else could anyone ask for out of their adventures?

Are You "Durable?" If So, You Can Win A Trip From GearJunkie.com

Our friends over at GearJunkie.com are running another contest, and this time they're giving away an adventure trip to Utah that will include attending the Outdoor Retailer trade show this summer. That's right! You could win an all expense paid trip to Gear Nirvana, where all the latest outdoor products will be revealed for the first time.

The Gear Junkie, along with Cordura Brand Fabrics, is searching for "The Most Durable Person" to give the prize to, and if you think you are that person, or know someone who is, you can enter the contest by clicking here.  Simply use the form on that page to submit a quick story, photos, or a video and tell the GJ Crew why you or your friend/family member are among the outdoors’ “most durable” people. In this case, you are free to define "durable" in any way that you like, but be sure to get creative with your entry.

The contest will run through the month of May, with the best entries getting posted on GearJunkie.com over the next few weeks. A winner will be picked shortly after that, and that person will be traveling to Utah in August with their airfare, accommodations, OR attendance, and at least one adventure activity paid for.

Good luck and have fun with this!

Ocean Rowing: One Indian Ocean Row Ends, Another Resumes

It seems the Indian Ocean is the source of all kinds of interesting news at the moment, with a couple of challenging rows just getting underway and another recently coming to an end. This is the season for those kinds of aquatic adventures on that great big body of water, where rowers scheduled their journeys around cyclones and monsoons.

We'll start with the fantastic voyage that ended last week, when Erden Eruç became the first person to row from mainland Australia to mainland Africa via the Indian Ocean. Erden reached Angoche, Mozambique on April 20th after setting out from Madagascar where he took shelter during the stormy season.

Successfully crossing the Indian Ocean is just the most recent step in Erden's great Around-n-Over adventure which is a human powered circumnavigation of the globe. He has been riding his bike and rowing his way around the globe since 2007, and has now crossed both the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Along the way, he is also climbing six summits as well. He has already knocked off Denali and Kosciuszko in Australia, and now that he has made landfall in Africa, he'll make his way to Kilimanjaro as well. Following that climb, he'll hit the road once again, crossing Africa on his bike before rowing the Atlantic.

While Erden's great Indian Ocean adventure has come to an end, Roz Savage's is continuing. As I mentioned last week, Roz was towed into Geraldton, Australia for a few minor repairs and adjustments to her boat before she hits open water, where small issues can become BIG problems. Eager to get back underway, Roz set out from Geraldton again on Saturday and made good progress on her first few days back on the water. Yesterday however, she noticed an issue with her solar panels charing the onboard batteries, which in turn power the boats electronic devices, Roz's laptop, sat phone, and so on. So, she once again elected to pull into shore for a very quick fix. This time, it would be at the very last port of call before facing 4000 miles of open ocean.

With the latest repairs taken care of, Roz can now get down to what she does best – rowing oceans. Hopefully the next time I post an update, she'll be well on her way to adding another big body of water to her resume.