Adam Ondra to Challenge the Dawn Wall in Yosemite

In January of 2015 the world was transfixed by one of the most difficult and audacious rock climbing expeditions ever. That's when Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Joregeson spent nearly three weeks climbing the Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park, widely considered the toughest big wall in the world. At the time, millions of people followed their ascent, including a large portion of the population who normally doesn't care about what happens in the rock climbing world. It was a pivotal moment for the sport, and an inspiring challenge to say the least. Now, another climbing star is hoping to repeat that epic feat, even as he climbs in Yosemite for the very first time.

Czech climber Adam Ondra has already made a name for himself as one of the best sport climbers in the world. But, he recently admitted in an interview with Black Diamond that he has never been to Yosemite Valley to go climbing before – something that he is about to change. Ondra arrived in the U.S. last week and is currently en route to the national park, where the has already announced plans to take on two of its most iconic routes – The Nose and the Salathé Wall. Both are considered to be extremely challenging, and and are amongst the most well known routes in the entire world.

But, Ondra has also told Black Diamond that he is considering an attempt on the Dawn Wall as well. He admits that he doesn't want to reveal too much about those ambitious plans since he hasn't even seen the route in person yet, but he would like to give the famous climb a go should the opportunity present itself.

For most climbers, attempting a massive climb like the Dawn Wall without first setting eyes on it would seem like a silly proposition. But as National Geographic Adventure points out, Ondra has already climbed similar routes on his first attempt, something that is known in rock climbing circles as "onsighting." Nat Geo further points out that the Dawn Wall carries a Yosemite Decimal System rating of 5.14d, which is incredibly tough for sure. But, there are three sport climbs rated 5.15c in the entire world, and Ondra is the only person to complete all of them. That is the most difficult rating in the entire sport.

Will he be able to complete the Dawn Wall? Only time will tell. Personally, I think he'll need to scout the route a bit and consider his options closely. Climbing the Dawn Wall isn't just about its difficulty rating. It is a long, grueling ascent that takes days to complete. Caldwell and Joregeson spent years in preparation, and both have a great deal of experience in Yosemite. Can Ondra make he climb? Of course he can. But, I think he'll need a bit more seasoning in the Valley before he does so.

If he proves me wrong, it will indeed be one of the greatest feats in the history of climbing. For now, we'll just have to wait to see if that is the case.

Video: Hang Gliding Off Half Dome (Circa 1977)

This short documentary was shot back in 1977 but it only now making its way out to the public. It chronicles the flight of three men – Rich Piccirilli, Jim Hanbury, and Brian Johnson – from the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Mid-flight Hanbury and Johnson release themselves from the hang glider and freefall to the valley floor below. This is a wonderful, nostalgic look back at a very different era in world of outdoor adventure. But it is lots of fun nonetheless.

 HALF DOME! (1977) from Randy Forbes on Vimeo.

Video: Life on an Arctic Expedition

Ever wondered what it is like to be a part of an expedition to the Arctic? This video will give you an idea. It was shot during a five month long journey through the Arctic by a team of researchers who simply turned the engines of their ship off for that time period and drifted with the ice. Their goal was to record the loss of ice and to study how that would impact the rest of the world. The results of their study will take some time to analyze, but as you'll see, the expedition itself was quite an experience.

Video: Exploring Utah with Ace and His Desert Dog

Last year, Ace Kvale turned 60 and to celebrate, he planned a 60 day journey through Utah's wonderful canyon country with his dog, a ten-year old Australian Blue Heeler named Genghis Kahn. Other friends came and went throughout the hike, but Genghis stayed with him the entire way. Their story is told brilliantly in this video, which reminds us why our favorite adventure dogs are definitely man's best friend.

Antarctica 2015: Outer Edge Challenge Team En Route to the South Pole

It has been a very long season in Antarctica, where all of the South Pole skiers have now packed up and gone home for the season. That typically drops the curtain on operations there for the year, but there is still one ongoing expedition that is taking place at the moment. Last week, Australian adventurer Charles Werb launched his Outer Edge Challenge, during which he will be is using a specially designed, wind-driven sled that allows him to sail over the ice. His ultimate goal is to reach the South Pole in just a few days time, and while things are going well in his preparations, the wind hasn't exactly been cooperative so far.

Were arrived at the Novo station in Antarctica last week, and has spent his time since then getting ready to officially launch the expedition. He has been organizing his gear, preparing the sled, and training with it under actual polar conditions. So far, he has found that the winds haven't been as strong as he'd like, but that is expected to change over the next day or two. Storms are predicted for his route, which will make things a bit challenging, but higher winds will help propel the Aussie along at a faster clip.

Charles is expected to cover the complete distance to the South Pole in about a week or so, depending on conditions. Things are looking good for his official start in the next day or two, and from there he'l be off to the Pole. He'll travel with a support team in tow to keep an eye on his progress and lend a hand as needed. That team will also carry all of the extra gear and supplies needed for such a journey.

While this expedition should be fairly brief, there are obstacles to be concerned with. For instance, typically by now most people have left the Antarctic for the season as the weather starts to take a turn for the worse. The Austral Summer is nearing an end, and harsh conditions soon follow afterwards. Charles and his team will have to watch the weather very carefully, as it could potentially turn dangerous. The plan is to make a dash for the finish the line, then head back to the coast, getting out before things get really bad. But as unpredictable as the weather is, you just never know what Mother Nature will throw at you.

More updates on the expeditions progress as we know more.

National Geographic Announces People's Choice Adventurer of the Year

Way back in November National Geographic announced its selection for the 2016 Adventurers of the Year, with ten very worthy individuals earning that title. But of course, that still left the winner of the  People's Choice Adventurer of the Year, which is awarded to the person from the original list who earned the most online votes from general public. That voting took place through mid-December, and now all of the ballots have been counted and the recipient can be named at long last.

This year's Nat Geo People's Choice Adventurer of the Year is none other than Mira Rai, a trail runner from Nepal who is blazing her own route. The naturally gifted runner didn't even begin competing seriously until two years ago, when she inadvertently found herself taking part in the Kathmandu West Valley Rim 50k race. But having grown up in the Himalaya, and spent her whole life adapting to the challenges of those rugged mountains, running was simply part of life there. In that first race, she ran further than she had ever gone before. She was also the only female participant, and yet she managed to finish even though she didn't have fancy gear, equipment, or even food and water.

Since then, her career has taken off, and Mira has attracted the attention of sponsors. But, in 2016 she suffered a ruptured ACL that kept her from running as much as she would like. So, to refocus her energy elsewhere she organized the first race to take place in her home village, a simple outpost where most people are content to just eek out a subsistent living. More than 100 people came to participate, and the always-jubuliant Rai proved once again that she could beat the odds.

Now, she has done that yet again. Bolstered no doubt by a lot of votes from back home, the Nepalese runner now stands alone as the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year. Read more about her story here, and check out the video below to get a more personal look at this inspiring trail runner.

Congratulations Mira! This honor is well deserved.

Everest Summit Statistics Updated Ahead Of The Spring Season

The spring climbing season on Mt. Everest is still a little more than a month from getting underway, but already anticipation is starting to build for what promises to be another busy year on the world's highest peak. In preparation for the start of that season, the Himalayan Database – painstakingly maintained by the indomitable Ms. Elizabeth Hawley, was updated at the end of last week, giving us all the latest stats on the Big Hill.

Alan Arnette has taken a look at those numbers and nicely broken them down for us in his latest blog post. According to Ms. Hawley's research, there were 658 official summits of Everest in 2013. Of those, 539 were made from the South Side of the mountain in Nepal, with 119 coming from the North Side in Tibet. Furthermore, 9 of those summits were completed without the use of supplemental oxygen, which obviously remains a rare and impressive feat. Sadly, there were also 8 deaths recorded o the mountain during that time.

The complete history of Everest now stands at 6871 total summits, with 4042 climbers standing at the top of the mountain. As Alan points out, that means that 2739 climbers have summited multiple times. Of those, 4416 came from the Nepali side of the mountain, with 2455 successful climbs from Tibet.

Between 1921 and 2013, a total of 248 people have died on Everest, with 161 of those being westerners and 87 Sherpas. But despite the increasing numbers of climbers on Everest, the mountain continues to get safer. Alan says that since 1990, the number of summits to deaths ratio has dropped to just 3.6%, which is far below what the mainstream media would lead you to believe at times, and not nearly as dangerous as K2 or Annapurna, which Alan points out has a 2:1 death to summit ratio.

This is just scratching the surface of some of the interesting facts that Alan has shared on the mountain. Be sure to head over to his site and read up on Everest. Until the climbers begin to arrive in Kathmandu in another month, thats about all the news we'll have for awhile.