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.

Winter Climbs 2016: A Team Departs Nanga Parbat

The biggest story of the winter climbing season is of course the on going efforts on Nanga Parbat, where multiple teams are attempting to become the first squad to complete an ascent of that mountain during the coldest, harshest season of all. So far, there has been stead progress made on a number of routes, and the weather has been mostly favorable. But things are starting to change, and the conditions that Nanga is so well known for have begun to appear at last. And if that wasn't enough, one of the teams has already decided to pull the plug on their expedition, returning home before they ever had a chance to go for the summit. 

The duo of Adam Bielecki and Jacek Czech have left Nanga Parbat following a couple of set backs, most prominently amongst them is the fact that Jacek has been ill for some time now, and Adam suffered an injury to his hand last week when fellow climber Daniele Nardi fell while the duo were fixing hopes to Camp 3. (See video here) On top of that, the duo had hoped to make a light and fast, alpine style climb, but were unprepared for everything this big mountain had to throw at them. With resources already tight, and the weather starting to turn, they elected to leave instead. But Bielecki has vowed to return, saying he has caught the "Nanga Parbat bug." Perhaps we'll see him on the mountain again soon as a result. 

For his part, Italian climber Daniele Nardi suffered minor injuries as a result of the fall too. He is resting in BC to allow his body to overcome some aches and pains in his back and neck that were the result of his 80 meter (262 ft) drop. Nardi is feeling lucky to be alive, but he remains on the mountain pressing ahead with his attempt nonetheless. 

Meanwhile, the Polish Justice For All team is reporting high winds on the Schell Route. They squad has attempted to shuttle gear up to Camp 3, but has run head-on into the jet stream instead. They report sustained winds of 100 km/h (62 mph), which is making it nearly impossible to make any kind of progress at the moment. They're currently waiting out the weather with the hopes of going up again soon. 

Alex Txikon and Ali Sadpara are continuing to make progress on the Kinshofer Route. Yesterday the fixed another 500 meters of rope above Camp 2 as they continue to work their way towards what will eventually be C3. They now have ropes in place to take them up to 6500 meters (21,325 ft), and after spending the night in C2 will now descend to Base Camp for some much needed rest and recuperation before starting up again. Incoming weather will probably keep them in place for a few days at least. 

Finally, ExWeb is reporting that Tomek Mackiewicz and Elisabeth Revol have launched a potential summit bid on the mountain. The duo set out from BC on Saturday and are now making their way up the mountain. If the continue to make good progress, and the weather cooperates, they have the potential to complete the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat later in the week. We'll just have to be patient to see if that happens, but of course I'll keep readers updated at the story unfolds. Tomek and Elisabeth are notorious for going as light as possible on their expeditions, and as a result they often don't take a sat phone or other equipment to keep us updated. For now, we'll just have to wait until we get more news. 

On the Road Again - Backpacking Bryce Canyon

It seems I've been home for an all-too-brief stay, but its time to go on the road again. This time, I'm headed for Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah where I'll be backpacking for the rest of the week with the fine folks at REI Adventures. This trip was actually organized by the REI retail team, so over the next few days I'll be joining some other outdoor writers in testing some of the latest and greatest gear from that company.  That means I'll be off the gird for the rest of the week, with no updates to The Adventure Blog in the meantime. But, I should be back at it next week. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing Bryce, a national park I haven't visited yet. I'm sure I'll have a story or two to share from the experience as well.

Video: Official Trailer for Crossing Bhutan - Ultrarunning in the Himalaya

A few years back, four endurance athletes set out on a month long journey through the heart of Bhutan, a tiny kingdom in the Himalaya that is as rugged and stunning beautiful as any place on Earth. Their journey would cover more than 485 miles on foot, going border to border in a place that is unlike any other. This video gives us a glimpse of that journey and serves as a trailer for a full-length documentary about the project. Check it out below, and you'll be eager to see the entire film.

 CROSSING BHUTAN Trailer from Crossing Bhutan on Vimeo.

Video: Hiking The Appalachian Trail In 3.5 Minutes

Ever wanted to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail but just don't have the time? Then you'll certainly enjoy the video below, which features an end-to-end trek along the 2200 mile (3500 km) route that stretches from Georgia to Maine. It may not be as enjoyable as the real thing, but it certainly isn't bad when you're stuck inside on Friday.

Nat. Geo Offers 10 New Trails to Explore in 2016

Still looking for a new challenge in the New Year? Why not let National Geographic Adventure help? The website has published a list of 10 long distance hiking trails that can be found all over the world, many of which have only been conceived and designed over the past few years. These new trails take hikers into remote areas, serving up amazing views and a healthy dose of cultural immersion along the way. And they just might be your new favorite destination for 2016.

Amongst the new trails that make the list is the Alpe Adria Trail, which opened in 2011 and stretches for 260 km (162 miles) across Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. Broken into 43 individual stages of roughly 19 km (12 miles), the trail has been designed to make logistics a non-factor. Most of the stages take just one day to hike, although they link into one another in such a way that through hikers will have no problem pushing forward. Each stage also ends in a local village where hikers will find places to stay and resupply as well.

Other new hikes on the list include The Bigfoot Trail in California, which stretches for 579 km (360 miles) through six wilderness areas and the Redwood National Park. It's joined by Scotland's John Muir Way, which opened in 2014, and the Sir Samuel and Lady Florence Baker Historical Trail in Africa, which runs for 805 km (500 miles) along a route that crosses through Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda in Africa.

I'll leave the remainder of the trails on the list up to you to discover, but it is safe to say there are some great hikes on the list that I haven't even mentioned yet that will be of interest to many of you. Because most of these trails have only opened in the past few years, they remain relatively unknown, which means they'll also be most empty too. Go before the crowds and enjoy these wilderness areas as they are meant to be – pristine, tranquil, and mostly unexplored.

View the whole list here.