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.