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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The Adventure Blog

The Adventure Blog

Video: Kathmandu To The Summit Of Everest Via Google Earth

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 02:00 PM PDT

As is tradition in the spring, we've been talking a lot about Mt. Everest lately, and I thought you might like to see what the climbers are up against in the weeks ahead. The video below is a simple animation captured in Google Earth, that leaps from Kathmandu to the airport in Lukla, then up the Khumbu Valley to Everest, before proceeding up the South Side route to the summit. It's brief – just one minute in length – but it does put some things in perspective.

Video: Scary POV Downhill Mountain Bike Video

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT

For those of us who don't have the skills, or guts, to ride those really challenging downhill mountain bike courses, this video will have to suffice. Clearly shot while wearing a GoPro, or similar action camera, the clip gives us a point-of-view perspective of a rider as he zips down an incredibly narrow, and scary, course. It's only two minutes long, but it is enough to give you a sense of just how tough and demanding some of these competition courses actually are.

Video: TravelSmith Travel Tips #16 - Cultural Sensitivity

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

It's Wednesday, which means its time for more great travel tips from our friend Richard Bangs. This time, Richard has a story about a funny encounter he had in New Guinea while scouting locations for a BBC documentary, during which he came across one of the indigenous folks while in a remote region. That encounter taught him a thing or two about being sensitive to the culture of the place he is visiting, and he shares some of those lessons here.

Everest 2014: Into The Icefall

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:30 AM PDT

Communications from Everest Base Camp on the South Side continue to be sporadic, as cloud cover and snowfall limit access to satellites and keep solar panels from charging the comms equipment. Still, there have been a few reports from the mountain the past few days, where the teams are busy making themselves at home, and starting to acclimatize to the altitude. The first groups have even begun to make their way through the dreaded Khumbu Icefall, as they prepare for their first rotations in Camp 1 and Camp 2.

As I've mentioned previously, the Icefall is a treacherous section of the climb that sits just above Base Camp on the Nepali side of the mountain. It marks the spot where the Khumbu Glacier begins to calve, which makes it highly unstable. Each year, a special team of Sherpas called the Icefall Doctors build and maintain a route through the Icefall using ladders and ropes. That route will shift and change throughout the season, forcing them to rebuild the route over the course of the three months that it is in place.

Crossing the Icefall is one of the scariest and most dangerous sections of Everest. As a result, teams will try to minimize the number of times that they have to pass through it while on the mountain. IN recent years, that has meant starting their acclimatization on other nearby mountains, such as Lobuche and Pumori. But even that just delays the inevitable, and as I write this, the first teams are venturing into the Icefall to get themselves use to walking on, and climbing, the ladders while wearing their heavy mountaineering boots. It can be a tricky bit of work, but most will become accustomed to it in short order.


The Sherpas have already moved through the Icefall multiple times at this point. Reports indicate that they have been as high as Camp 2 on the South Side, where they have begun building tents and storing gear for the acclimatization climbs, and ultimately the final summit push, ahead. All of this is according to schedule, and before long they'll begin the hard work of fixing the ropes up to Camp 3 and higher.

Since the comms blackout is preventing much news from coming from the mountain just yet, I'll make this a fairly short update. But before I close things out, I wanted to point out an excellent essay written by Melissa Arnot for National Geographic Adventure. It is entitled "Everest: Now and Then, Again and Again," and in it, she shares her thoughts on why Everest is such a special place, not only for her, but the hundreds of other climbers that go there every year. Melissa is back in Base Camp again this season, where she is looking to add two more summits to her resume. With five already under her belt, she holds the record for a western climber, and could claim the record outright if successful this season.

That's all for today. Hopefully the comms situation will be sorted out soon, and we'll start to hear from more of the individual climbers in the days ahead.

World Rogaining Championship Coming To South Dakota, Now Open To All Entrants

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT

This summer, the Black Hills of South Dakota will play host to the 2014 World Rogaining Championship. During that event, the best navigators in the world will descend on what promises to be a tough, but beautiful and fun, course. The Black Hills will make for a stunning backdrop, for this event, which promises to test the skills of even the best rogainers on the planet.

The World Championships will take place on August 16-17 of this year, and will feature a 24-hour long, cross country navigation race, during which competitors will be charged with finding their way through a designated course, using nothing but a compass and map. Along the way, they'll earn points by locating checkpoints, which will be designated by orienteering flags. The object is to find as many of those checkpoints as possible in the allotted time allowed.

So far, there have been more than 400 competitors, from 23 different countries, who have signed up to compete in the event. Registration is still open, and the requirement for having past experience in a 24-hour regaining event has now been waived, opening up the competition to anyone who has the desire to join in on the fun.

Having spent some time in the region where this event will be held, I can promise you that this will be a fantastic event. I was part of the team that organized Primal Quest Badlands back in 2009, and some of that course is being incorporated here. It will be a fantastic setting – one that will probably catch some of the competitors by surprise by it's remote and wild nature. Additionally, our PQ course designer, Rick Emerson, is also organizing the 2014 Rogaining World Championship, and I know he'll deliver a fantastic event. The course will no doubt be tough, but fair, and will provide some unique challenges.

If you think you've got good compass skills, and are looking for a challenge this summer, then check out this event. It is essentially an adventure race on foot, with the toughest element – navigation – brought to the forefront. I think its going to be a really great competition, and I know the folks in South Dakota will welcome the competitors warmly.

Find out more by clicking here.
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