Video: Valleys in the Sky

Take a journey into the High Himalaya of India with this video, which not only shows us the incredibly beautiful landscapes that can be found there, but the incredibly beautiful people too. The clip takes us to the remote village of Mudh, where the inhabitants live a simple but happy life surrounded by the tallest mountains on the planet. It is a wonderful look at a part of the world that few of us ever get the chance to see.

Valleys in the Sky from Nathaniel Connella on Vimeo.

Video: The Making of Meru

Earlier this year, the acclaimed climbing film Meru was released, giving us an incredible look at two expeditions by Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk to climb the infamous Shark Fin on Mt. Meru in India, with the trio finally completing the first ascent of that massive rock wall in 2010. If you haven't had the chance to see this documentary yet, you should do so as soon as possible. It is simply amazing, with some of the best mountaineering and climbing footage you could ever hope for.

If you have seen the film, you probably have wondered how it was made. Obviously the three climbers, and in particular Jimmy, did most of the shooting, which was later compiled together to make Meru. But there was more to it than just that, as you'll see in this video which is part of the Nat Geo Live series.

In the clip, Chin and filmmaker Elizabeth "Chai" Vasarhelyi discuss how the film came into being, and the process it took to put it altogether. Truly fascinating stuff, particularly if you've seen the movie and want to know how it was made.

Indian Expedition to Re-Measure Everest this Spring

The Indian government has announced plans to send an expedition to Mt. Everest in Nepal this spring to re-measure the height of the mountain. A team of surveyors will head to the Himalaya in two months time, where they will use high tech equipment – including satellite data, GPS devices, and other observational gear – to detect if the 2015 earthquake had a measurable impact on the peak.

The last time an Indian survey team visited Everest with the intention of measuring the height of the mountain was back in 1955. That's when the current most accepted height of 8848 meters (29,029 ft) was recorded. A more recent survey by the National Geographic Society took place in 2003, which recorded the height at 8849 meters (29,035 ft), although the Nepali government never formally adopted that data to reflect the height of the mountain. This new survey should help to determine which number is more accurate.

But beyond that, the plan is to see what the impact of the April 25, 2015 earthquake had on the height of Everest. It is believed that the mountain lost an inch or more of altitude due to the massive quake, which caused widespread devastation throughout the country, killing more than 9000 people and injuring thousands more.

In terms of its impact on the climb, an inch difference in height is imperceptible to anyone heading to the summit, but in geological terms it is a large increment. If the mountain did indeed move by that much in such a short time, it is an indication of just how powerful the earthquake truly was.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese government says that they have not approved an Indian survey team to operate in and around Everest this year, and that they are planning to conduct their own research on the current height of the mountain. Unsurprisingly, researchers from within the country say that while Everest may have shrunk during the quake, there are some that believe it may have gotten taller too.

No matter which team conducts the survey is expected to take about a month to collect all of the data and another two weeks to examine it. They'll observe the mountain both from the ground and the air, and will likely want to send someone to the summit carrying a GPS device as well. Either way, by summer the new measurement should be complete, and we should have an idea of how tall Everest truly is.

Nepal Fines Guiding Company for False Everest Summit Claims

Remember the story of the Indian couple who faked their Everest summit last spring? It was a husband and wife duo by the name Dinesh and Tarkeshwari Rathod who said they had reached the top of the highest mountain on Earth, only to discover later that they had faked their summit photos and never really made it above Base Camp. The two Indian police officers would later receive a 10 year ban on climbing in Nepal, and have been suspended from their jobs ever since. Now, the Nepali government is taking action against the guiding company that led them to Base Camp for also falsifying information.

According to The Himalayan Times, the Rathods were led to Everest BC by a company called Makalu Adventure, which is now being fined $4000 for submitting fake claims to the Department of Tourism in Nepal. Representatives from the company submitted falsified documents in order to obtain summit certificates for Dinesh and Tarkeshwari. But of course, the couple never reached the summit, and that had to have been known by the Sherpa guides, who first corroborated their claims, but then later backed off as the scrutiny intensified.

Under Nepal law, the government there has the right to fine Makalu Adventure as much as much as Rs 25,000, which is roughly $230. But, in this case, the DoT has elected to keep the company's $4000 garbage deposit, which is money that guide services put down in good faith, with the idea that it will be returned to them following an expedition, provided they pack out all of their garbage.

The ruling was just made within the past few days after members of the Department of Tourism spoke with Furba and Fursemba Sherpa, who were members of the team. Those two guides have been out of contact for months, but finally were able to come forward and be interviewed about the situation. They testified that the Rathods never went above 6000 meters (19,685 ft), and therefore couldn't have summited the mountain as they – along with Liaison Officer Ganesh Prasad Timsina and Makalu Adventure – had claimed.

Initially, representatives from Makalu Adventures blamed the Sherpas for the false reports, but that doesn't actually seem to be the case. The entire incident has Nepali officials reviewing the country's current laws and policies governing mountaineering, including the use of liaison officers, who have been the subject of much scrutiny recently due to the fact that most never even go to Everest Base Camp with the teams they are suppose to be working with.

The whole affair has been a messy one from the start. Hopefully now it will be put behind us and we can start thinking about the spring climbing season ahead. It isn't as far off as you might think at this point.

Video: Meet the Himalaya

Want an intimate look at the Himalaya Mountains and the people that live there? Than all you have to do is watch this film. It takes us to India, Nepal, and Tibet to show us just how spectacularly beautiful this part of the world truly is. But more than that, it shows us how beautiful the mountain people of the Himalaya are as well. This is a moving, touching, spectacular five-minute clip that you won't want to miss.

HIMALAYA from Berta Tilmantaitė on Vimeo.

Nat Geo Gives Us the Best Outdoor Towns in the World

Looking for a great town to serve as base camp for your next outdoor adventure? Thinking about relocating to a place that offers more opportunities to pursue the things you love? Why not let National Geographic help with their picks for the world's best towns for outdoor thrills.
Some of the places earning a nod include towns that you would expect. Places like Moab, Utah and El Chaltén, Argentina. Others are a bit more unexpected, such as Niseko, Japan or Ely, Minnesota. It isn't as if those places weren't known for being great outdoor destinations, but to see them ranked amongst the very best (Nat Geo names nine places in total), is refreshing to say the least.

Each place is also accompanied by a nice description of why it deserves a spot on this very distinguished list with details on what it has to offer for visitors. Nat Geo even provided information on when it is the best time of the year to visit to take advantage of the opportunities that each place has to offer. For instance, summer can be hot in Moab, so September is a good time to go, although the author says not to overlook winter as well. Meanwhile, if you're planning on going to Niseko it is probably for the skiing, which is best between December and February.

Of course, with such a short list some places had to be left off, but there were a few surprises for towns that do not appear here. For instance, Chamonix, France is considered one of the great outdoor meccas of the world and yet it doesn't appear on Nat Geo's radar. Similarly, you could just as easily have substituted places like Boulder, Colorado or Jackson Hole, Wyoming, amongst other great mountain towns in the U.S. Still, the places that were selected are very deserving, and bring a nice exotic flair to the list with places like Australia, South Africa, India, and Peru enticing travelers.

To find out which places made the cut, read the entire list here. Then come back and leave a comment with the places that you think should have made the cut. After all, some of your favorite places probably didn't make it.

Video: The Ultimate Descent - From Everest to the Indian Ocean

In 2011, Sanobabu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tshiri Sherpa completed one of the most difficult and unexpected adventures in recent memory. The two men began by climbing to the summit of Everest, where they then deployed a paraglider and launched from the summit, flying down the Khumbu Valley to Namche Bazaar,  where they then embarked on the second stage of their journey – a kayaking trip down the Sun Kosi River that would ultimately take them to the Indian Ocean. Along the way they faced Class V rapids and the real threat of drowning, even as the Nepal military was searching for them since their Everest flight wasn't exactly sanctioned.

This video is from a news report about this crazy expedition. It was obviously filmed not long after they made the climb, flight, and paddle. The clip was recently posted online however, and for those that don't know the story, it is an interesting one. It was quite the adventure going from the summit of the world's tallest mountain to the sea level in just a few short weeks.

Video: Snow Leopard Makes Rare Appearance For Skiers in India

The snow leopard is one of the rarest and most endangered species on the planet. So much so that they are seldom captured on video. But a group of skiers and snowboarders traveling through Gulmarg, in the Kashmir region of India, got the chance to spot one in the wild, and captured the encounter on video. You can check it out for yourself below.

Leopard in the snow in Gulmarg, Kashmir from PreviousNext on Vimeo.

Meet the First Men to Fly Over Everest

If you've seen the big Hollywood film Everest that came out last year, you probably heard one of the characters deliver a line about how the team would be climbing at the same altitude as a commercial jetliner. Today, aircraft fly over or around the mountain on a regular basis, and no one thinks twice about it, but back in 1933 that still seemed like an impossible height to take an aircraft, particularly in an age when pressurized cabins were not necessarily the norm just yet. But two daring pilots made that flight, and lived to tell the tale. And they did so in a biplane that is down right ancient when compared to modern aircraft.

Mashable recently posted a story and some great  photos from that epic adventure that was called the Houston Everest Expedition because it was sponsored by a wealthy British philanthropist known as Lady Houston. She put up the money that allowed RAF pilot Douglas Douglas-Hamilton (aka Lord Clydesdale) and Colonel Stewart Blacker to attempt to fly a Westland PV-3 biplane over the top of the world's highest mountain, something that seemed incredibly dangerous at the time.

The two men took off from an airstrip near Purnea, India on the morning of April 3, 1933. They were accompanied by a second aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant David McIntyre and a photographer named S.R. Bonnett. The second plane was there to record the event for posterity and get some fantastic images of this daring flight. The photographer did not disappoint.

As it turns out, the mission was a test for both pilots and aircraft, as there was indeed no pressurized cabins. The four men who were aboard the two planes had to rely on oxygen masks to keep their wits about them and help them breathe at such an altitude. On top of that, it was rare for any airplane to fly at such heights at that point in history, and the small biplane struggled in the thin air just as much as her crew.

When the two planes approached Everest, high winds caused even more problems, forcing the planes to drop 1500 feet (457 meters). But in the end, they were able to climb back up to 29,029 feet (8848 meters) and pass over the top of the summit for the very first time. All four men were given high accolades with Lord Clydesdale earning the Air Force Cross for his leadership. Bonnett's photos and video footage were also used to create an Academy Award winning film called Wings Over Everest as well. You can watch that film below.

The story of this expedition is an amazing one. Today we take it for granted that we fly at such a height, but back in 1933 it was almost as if they were trying to go to the moon. Fortunately, they proved that aircraft are sturdier than was believed and that man can go to higher heights that was previously believed. It would be 20 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay would actually climb to the summit, but this intrepid crew helped lead the way.

Video: Impossible - Running a 333 km Ultramarathon in the Himalaya

There are some very difficult ultramarathons held all over the world each year, but few can compare with La Ultra - The High. The race is held in the Indian Himalaya, and features a course that is 333 km (206 miles) in length. Competitors must cover the distance in just 72 hours, starting  at the base of the Karakoram Range in Nubra Valley and continuing on over mountain passes and through deep valleys.

Due to its extreme length, dramatic elevation gains, and incredibly tough trails, The High has been called the "world's cruelest ultra." Don't believe me? Have a look at the video below, which is a trailer for a full length documentary on the race. You'll catch a glimpse of some of the suffering that comes along with this race, and gain even more respect for the men and women who run it.

IMPOSSIBLE - Trailer from UPSLOPE PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.