Video: Mountain Bikes For Life

Even though this video is actually a promo for Orange Mountain Bikes, it is still a beautiful clip for anyone who enjoys riding a great trail every once in awhile. It opens with some sage words of wisdom about how to live your life, and then breaks into some epic riding on an unknown trail that looks like it is a lot of fun. After a good ride yesterday myself, I'm ready for more action on the trail.

Orange Bikes Four Life from Orange Mountain Bikes on Vimeo.

Video: Adventure Is A Way Of Life

The title of this video pretty much sums up how I feel. Adventure is most certainly a way of life. The clip below, which comes our way courtesy of Garchois Films, features some stunning images that are sure to inspire a sense of adventure. Welcome to 2014!

adventure is a way of life, welcome to 2014 from Laurent Jamet on Vimeo.

Video: Up to Camp 1 on Everest in Winter

One of the expeditions we're following closely at the moment is Alex Txikon's attempt to summit Everest during the winter without the use of supplemental oxygen. The team has been making good progress so far, and having reached Camp 1, are now back in BC resting. In this video, we join Alex, and his partners Carlos Rubio and Nurbu Sherpa as they pass through the dangerous Khumbu Icefall and up to C1 – a path that the Spaniard calls "the Runner of Death." The footage in this short clip is dramatic and wild, but it gives you a great look at what these climbers are dealing with right now on the highest mountain on the planet.

Antarctica 2016: Two More Skiers Complete Their Antarctic Expeditions

The final days of the 2016 Antarctic season are truly upon us now, as the last plane scheduled to leave the frozen continent – weather permitting of course – will fly out today or tomorrow, bringing an end to an eventful few months there. As the final days tick away, two more skiers have completed their expeditions at long last, and are now preparing to head home.

Finnish adventurer Risto Hallikainen has finished his return journey to Hercules Inlet, arriving back at that point on January 24, 71 days after he began his round-trip journey via the South Pole. Along the way, he covered 2260 km (1404 miles), becoming the first Finn to make the there-and-back-again Antarctic trip. After camping at Hercules briefly, he was picked up and flown back to Union Glacier, where he should be on the last flight out to Punta Arenas, Chile.

Similarly, ExWeb is reporting that Polish solo skier Malgorzata Wojtaczka has reached the South Pole as well, brining an end to her expedition, which also began at Hercules Inlet. She started on November 18, and reached 90ºS on yesterday, on January 25. Her expedition took 69 days.

I tried to follow Malgorzata throughout her journey, but didn't end up reporting on her progress much, mostly because updates were few and far between. It is good to know that she has now arrived safely, and will be flying back to Union Glacier from the Pole as well.

Also awaiting the final flight out is the British Military Team, which also completed a traverse of the Antarctic continent. The boys arrived back at Union Glacier a few days ago, and are now eager to start making their way home. They spent 67 days out on the ice, covering the journey to the South Pole and the return trip across the Shackleton Glacier. After resting up, they're eager to return to the U.K.

Finally, Mike Horn will soon be the last of the skiers out on the ice. As everyone else prepares to leave aboard an ALE aircraft, he continues to kite-ski across the continent to meet his waiting ship. The winds have returned to help push him along, but he still has some miles yet to cover before he's done. From there, he'll sail into the South Pacific where other adventures await. Eventually he'll make his way north though, where he hopes to traverse the Arctic icecap in similar fashion. You know we'll be following that adventure closely too.

That's all for today. More updates over the next few days as the news warrants.

Himalaya Fall 2016: Summit Push Begins on Ama Dablam

The fall climbing season on the 8000-meter peaks in the Himalaya are all but over, but there is still plenty of action taking place in Nepal on other mountains. Most of the ongoing expeditions are small and relatively off the radar, with some squarely focused on putting up the first ascents on several unclimbed peaks. But, one popular mountain is about to get extremely busy as a large number of climbers launch their summit push.

Yesterday, the rope-fixing Sherpas on Ama Dablam reached the summit after waiting out poor weather conditions all of last week. The team of six mountain guides worked from Camp 2 on the mountain all the way to the 6812-meter (22,349 ft) summit in a single push, clearing the way for commercial teams that have been waiting in the wings. Now, with the ropes installed, it looks like there will be a mass summit push will begin in the next few days.

According to The Himalayan Times, more than 400 climbers will now move up from Base Camp to get into position to reach the summit. 200 of those alpinists are foreign climbers, while the others mostly consist of guides, high altitude porters, and the like. 

It is unclear at this time exactly when the summit push will be completed, but with good weather in the forecast it seems like it should take place within the next few days. Unlike expeditions on other big Himalayan peaks, it doesn't take weeks to acclimatize on Ama Dablam, nor does it take numerous days to top out. Once the push begins, the summit should be very busy  a few days later. 

Ama Dablam is one of the most distinct mountains in the Khumbu Valley, with climbers and trekkers passing by on their way to Everest Base Camp. The beautiful peak is a good place for climbers to get valuable experience for what it is like to climb in the Himalaya prior to moving on to one of the 8000-meter peaks. For my money, it is still one of the most beautiful mountains that I have ever personally seen with my own eyes, creating a very memorable view on the trail to EBC.

Good luck to everyone heading up the mountain in the next few days. Get up and down safely and quickly, and enjoy the walk. 

Video: What Does Frostbite Do To Your Body?

Frostbite has long been the bane of mountaineers and explorers. But what exactly is frostbite, and how does it effect your body? This video from Discovery News helps to explain it, helping us to understand exactly what extreme cold can do to you.

Antarctica 2015: Emma Kelty at the Pole

It wasn't easy, and it took longer than expected, but South Pole skier Emma Kelty has finally reached her goal. The British adventurer skied the last 12.5 nautical miles (23 km/14.3 miles) yesterday, capping a 700+ mile (1126 km) journey that began back in November. Over that period of time she has traveled with a teammate who came and went, and two different guides, but her focus, determination, and persistence eventually paid off. Congratulations to Emma on a job well done. She'll now hop a flight back to Union Glacier before proceed to Punta Arenas, and then home.

I'd been saying for a couple of weeks now that her arrival at the Pole would pretty much drop the curtain on the current Antarctic season but as we learned a few days ago, there is yet one more expedition to come. Australian Charles Werb will set out from Brisbane tomorrow on his way to Cape Town, where he'll have a brief stop over before leaving for Novo Station. His plan is to drive part of the way to the South Pole, and then use a specially designed sled with a sail to propel him the final leg of the trip. It should only take him about 7-14 days to make the journey, and if everything goes as expected, he'll get underway on Sunday of this week.

It has certainly been a very long, and at times eventful, season in the Antarctic. Of course, it will mostly be remembered for the tragic death of Henry Worsley, who succumbed to illness that he picked up on his long journey. He will not soon be forgotten.

I'll be keeping an eye on Charles' progress over the next few weeks as well. While not quite as long and grueling as some of the others we've followed this year, it should be interesting nonetheless.