We're nearing the halfway point of the current "season" of the Rest of Everest, as the look at the 2009 Everest Base Camp trek starts to head toward a conclusion. Never fear though, as Jon and a host of new trekkers will be leaving for Nepal, and Tibet, for a new trek in just a few short weeks, and I'm sure that adventure will provide us with a whole new look at the mountain.
For now though, we're still in the midst of last year's trek, and in Episode 135, we rejoin Jon Miller and crew back in BC on the South Side of Everest. This latest episode, entitled Real Surreal Reality, begins where many of the recent episodes have, in the tent with Jon and John as they prepare to get their day started.
From there, it's out into Base Camp where the stunning displays of the surrounding mountains are once again stunning, and a great reminder of why we all want to make a trek just like this one. Those scenes are broken up with a few brief moments of Jon trying to explain to a Sherpa how his wife has a twin sister, aided by his trusty iPhone of course. The Sherpa didn't seem all that impressed. ;) We're treated to some great panoramic shots of BC and the wall of mountains that loom over the entire area.
Seeing the snow and ice, mountaineering tents, prayer flags, and big peaks helps you to understand the title of the episode. It does indeed look quite surreal. Check it out for yourself on the Rest of Everest website or through iTunes.
Catlin Arctic Survey: "Weirdest Weather Conditions Ever"
The Catlin Arctic Survey Explorers Team is experiencing some very challenging and unusual conditions, even by Arctic standards. Team leader Ann Daniels went so far as to describe it as the "weirdest weather conditions ever seen" by the highly experienced team. Daniels is joined by Martin Hartley and Charlie Paton on a journey that will eventually lead them to the top of the world and the North Pole.
The team has been inching along over the past few days because the ice is behaving in unusual ways. Daniels says that it is "constantly moving, breaking and shifting," and "bending, bouncing and wobbling" while the intrepid trio passes over it. As a result, the team hasn't made much headway the past few days while the move through a patch of ice that is unstable at best.
The Catlin home team, based out of London, says that it is a "combination of fast moving ice, large amounts of open water and a continual breaking up of ice floes splitting and rucking up right in front of your eyes, hour after hour for days”. Polar explorer Pen Hadow, who was part of the team last year and is now serving as the Director for the program, says that he hasn't seen anything like it in his years of polar exploration. An unusual weather pattern, which has delivered constant, steady winds from the north is being blamed for the thinner ice that is disrupting travel for the Catlin Team as well as other explorers in the area.
Perhaps most disheartening is the strong negative drift which is preventing them from making much progress. According to a press release from the team today, the Explorers Team hit the ice back on May 14th and should have covered more than 53km by now. Thanks to negative drift however, they've only managed to gain 5.5km.
This year's survey is broken into two teams, and while the Explorers head north, collecting ice samples as they go, the Ice Base Team is made up of a group of scientists and researchers who are staying in one place and taking their own samples from the ice and saltwater found underneath. That base is located in the Nunavut territory of Canada, and will serve as a scientific research station while the team remains in the arctic.
The team has been inching along over the past few days because the ice is behaving in unusual ways. Daniels says that it is "constantly moving, breaking and shifting," and "bending, bouncing and wobbling" while the intrepid trio passes over it. As a result, the team hasn't made much headway the past few days while the move through a patch of ice that is unstable at best.
The Catlin home team, based out of London, says that it is a "combination of fast moving ice, large amounts of open water and a continual breaking up of ice floes splitting and rucking up right in front of your eyes, hour after hour for days”. Polar explorer Pen Hadow, who was part of the team last year and is now serving as the Director for the program, says that he hasn't seen anything like it in his years of polar exploration. An unusual weather pattern, which has delivered constant, steady winds from the north is being blamed for the thinner ice that is disrupting travel for the Catlin Team as well as other explorers in the area.
Perhaps most disheartening is the strong negative drift which is preventing them from making much progress. According to a press release from the team today, the Explorers Team hit the ice back on May 14th and should have covered more than 53km by now. Thanks to negative drift however, they've only managed to gain 5.5km.
This year's survey is broken into two teams, and while the Explorers head north, collecting ice samples as they go, the Ice Base Team is made up of a group of scientists and researchers who are staying in one place and taking their own samples from the ice and saltwater found underneath. That base is located in the Nunavut territory of Canada, and will serve as a scientific research station while the team remains in the arctic.
Posted by
King Shady
Sir Ranulph Fiennes Just Might Be A Terminator
As if there was any doubt before, it can now be confirmed that British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is indeed a complete bad ass. The man who has been dubbed "The World's Greatest Living Explorer" apparently survived a three car pile-up a few weeks back, just one day after he finished a major endurance event.
Investigation into what actually happened is still ongoing, but it seems that Fiennes Jaguar rammed into another vehicle before careening off into a third. Reports from the scene of the accident seem to indicate that Sir Ran was in the passenger seat at the time, and may have sustained minor injuries. Certainly not enough to bother a man who famously cut his own fingers off rather than wait to let them heal from frostbite.
At the age of 66, the polar legend doesn't seem to be slowing down. The night before the accident he was taking part in a 42-mile long endurance challenge called the High Peak Marathon, and he always seems to be planning some other new adventure. Of course, his resume is already impressive enough. Not only is he the first man to visit both the North and South Pole on foot, he has also climbed the Eiger Northface, summitted Everest, and run seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents. In short, he's tougher than all of us.
Thanks to the Wend Blog for the heads up on this story. They speculate that Ran is indestructible, but I have another theory. He just might be a sophisticated cyborg sent back in time to make the rest of us all look bad. He's like a damn Terminator. He can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And He absolutely will not stop, ever.
Investigation into what actually happened is still ongoing, but it seems that Fiennes Jaguar rammed into another vehicle before careening off into a third. Reports from the scene of the accident seem to indicate that Sir Ran was in the passenger seat at the time, and may have sustained minor injuries. Certainly not enough to bother a man who famously cut his own fingers off rather than wait to let them heal from frostbite.
At the age of 66, the polar legend doesn't seem to be slowing down. The night before the accident he was taking part in a 42-mile long endurance challenge called the High Peak Marathon, and he always seems to be planning some other new adventure. Of course, his resume is already impressive enough. Not only is he the first man to visit both the North and South Pole on foot, he has also climbed the Eiger Northface, summitted Everest, and run seven marathons, in seven days, on seven continents. In short, he's tougher than all of us.
Thanks to the Wend Blog for the heads up on this story. They speculate that Ran is indestructible, but I have another theory. He just might be a sophisticated cyborg sent back in time to make the rest of us all look bad. He's like a damn Terminator. He can't be bargained with. He can't be reasoned with. He doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And He absolutely will not stop, ever.
Posted by
King Shady
Mountainfilm Announces Special Guests For 2010
The Mountainfilm Festival may still be more than two months away, but the annual event held in Telluride, Colorado continues to get even more enticing. The organizers of the festival, which skillfully blends art, culture, adventure, and environmental activism, have announced a number of special guests who will be on hand to make this the best Mountainfilm ever.
Aside from the previous guests who were announced for the Moving Mountains Symposium, the film fest has added the likes of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortensen, environmental activist Tim DeChristopher, and everyone's favorite mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, amongst others. To check out the full list of guests, click here.
Mountainfilm is scheduled to take place from May 28th to the 31st, and while they haven't announced the line-up of films just yet, you can bet it will be an impressive list of adventure movies that will span many different topics, including climbing, mountaineering, paddling, and more. Keep your eyes peeled on this page on the Mountainfilm website for updates on the full list, which will be coming in early May.
Aside from the previous guests who were announced for the Moving Mountains Symposium, the film fest has added the likes of Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortensen, environmental activist Tim DeChristopher, and everyone's favorite mountaineer, Ed Viesturs, amongst others. To check out the full list of guests, click here.
Mountainfilm is scheduled to take place from May 28th to the 31st, and while they haven't announced the line-up of films just yet, you can bet it will be an impressive list of adventure movies that will span many different topics, including climbing, mountaineering, paddling, and more. Keep your eyes peeled on this page on the Mountainfilm website for updates on the full list, which will be coming in early May.
Posted by
King Shady
Everest 2010: Climbers Pouring Into Kathmandu!
Here we go folks! The Spring Season on Everest and the rest of the Himalaya is upon us. I've been hearing from a few climbers over the past few days that Kathmandu is getting even more hectic and busier than usual, as the climbing teams heading to the big peaks this spring start to arrive en masse. Something that is confirmed by our friend Alan Arnette today, who has posted another update to his excellent Everest 2010 Blog.
Alan actually has two great articles for us today, the first being a report on the teams arriving in Nepal and an outlook for the season ahead, which looks to be a very busy one on the highest peak on the planet. Alan says that he expects about 350 climbers total, for both the North and South sides of the mountain. Last year there was approximately 400 total summits, and in 2007 a record was set with over 500 summits.
Perhaps of even more interest is that the Sherpas have already arrived in Base Camp and are marking off the various spots that the teams will occupy while there over the course of the next 2+ months. This news demonstrates not only how vital the Sherpas are at every step of the process, but also just how much preparation and effort goes into climbing Everest. We're in the last week of March, and there will likely be climbers on the mountain into June. That's a long time.
Weather is still a bit of an issue in the area as well. The Sherpas are reporting heavy snow in BC at the moment, which Alan points out is not unusual at this point of the season. But some teams are having their flights to Lukla delayed due to weather right now too, which means that they haven't begun the trek to Base Camp just yet. It won't be long though before the tea houses are full and the trail is busy with trekkers and climbers making their way to the mountain.
The second article that Alan has for us is an excellent essay entitled "The Ones Left Behind". In that story, he gives us insights into what is going through a climbers head as they prepare to set off for a two month long adventure away from from friends and family. Something that is playing out in a lot of homes around the world at this very moment. It is definitely a good read and will give you something to ponder while we all wait for the action in the Himalaya to begin.
Alan actually has two great articles for us today, the first being a report on the teams arriving in Nepal and an outlook for the season ahead, which looks to be a very busy one on the highest peak on the planet. Alan says that he expects about 350 climbers total, for both the North and South sides of the mountain. Last year there was approximately 400 total summits, and in 2007 a record was set with over 500 summits.
Perhaps of even more interest is that the Sherpas have already arrived in Base Camp and are marking off the various spots that the teams will occupy while there over the course of the next 2+ months. This news demonstrates not only how vital the Sherpas are at every step of the process, but also just how much preparation and effort goes into climbing Everest. We're in the last week of March, and there will likely be climbers on the mountain into June. That's a long time.
Weather is still a bit of an issue in the area as well. The Sherpas are reporting heavy snow in BC at the moment, which Alan points out is not unusual at this point of the season. But some teams are having their flights to Lukla delayed due to weather right now too, which means that they haven't begun the trek to Base Camp just yet. It won't be long though before the tea houses are full and the trail is busy with trekkers and climbers making their way to the mountain.
The second article that Alan has for us is an excellent essay entitled "The Ones Left Behind". In that story, he gives us insights into what is going through a climbers head as they prepare to set off for a two month long adventure away from from friends and family. Something that is playing out in a lot of homes around the world at this very moment. It is definitely a good read and will give you something to ponder while we all wait for the action in the Himalaya to begin.
Posted by
King Shady
Ever Wonder What An Arctic Storm Looked Like?
A few days back I mentioned that the Catlin Arctic Suvey's Ice Base Team was beset with a major arctic storm over the weekend. The storm brought winds in excess of 60 mph and temperatures plunged to -45ºC, with wind chills reaching -75º! Now, the team has shared some video of the storm that really puts into perspective what it is like to be out in the arctic when the weather turns bad. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the embedded video to work properly for some reason, so unlike most videos that I just show here on the blog, I'll have to give you a link instead. Click here to check out the video of the Ice Base Team enduring the arctic storm. Then, be glad you're some place warm. Well, at least warmer!
Posted by
King Shady
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