Video: Mission Steeps Snowboarding Trailer

Following their very successful Mission Antarctica project, snowboarders Xavier de Le Rue and Sam Anthamatten return with the second phase of their Missions Series, this time entitled "Mission Steeps." As the name implies, they'll be riding some impressive big mountain slopes, that have unbelievably steep angles. The trailer below gives us a taste of what to expect, with the boys first climbing some serious peaks then snowboarding back down. The footage is equal parts scary and beautiful. Don't try this at home folks!

MISSION STEEPS - trailer from TimeLine Missions on Vimeo.

Video: [R]evolution - A Film About Down Hill Mountain Biking In Greece

I came across this great looking documentary about the mountain biking scene in Greece earlier today and thought that it was very well done. The full length film is just over an hour long, so you'll want to have some time to devote, but even if you can only take in a bit at a time, it is worth a look. The film is incredibly well shot and simply looks stunning. Plus, the Greek trails look pretty damn great too. Enjoy!

[R]EVOLUTION from Emmanouel Armoutakis on Vimeo.

Nefertiti's Tomb Not Found in King Tut's Tomb After All

One of the more fascinating stories that we've been following over the past year was the possibility of hidden chambers inside King Tut's tomb in Egypt. The story first broke when an archeologist by the name of Nicholas Reeves proposed the theory that such hidden rooms might exist after making laser scans of Tut's burial chambers. He then postulated that those hidden areas could belong to the lost queen of Nefertiti, who was Tut's step mother and may have ruled Egypt before him.

Fuel was added to the fire last fall when it was announced that ground penetrating radar has been used at the ancient site, and those scans had revealed that there indeed blank spaces hidden behind Tut's walls. This seemed to show that Reeve's theories were proving accurate, and that archaeologists were on the verge of making a major discovery.

But now it has been revealed that those scans may not have been accurate at all, and that there really isn't anything hidden in Tut's tomb as first thought. A second scan of the tomb, funded by National Geographic earlier this year, reportedly found no evidence of hidden chambers. Furthermore, there are Egyptologists who are claiming that the Egyptian government is suppressing the news as long as they can in order to maintain the illusion that a discovery may be imminent for as long as possible. The idea of finding Nefertiti's remains was seen as a major find, and could potentially be a boost to the country's flagging tourism sector.


Apparently, Nat Geo's second scanning operation is wrapped up in non-disclosure agreement, which means no one can officially confirm the story at this time. We'll have to wait for the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities to make a statement before we know for sure, but those close to the story say that Egyptian officials are in a bit of a panic over the lack of a new discovery and are looking for alternate opinions and evidence before proceeding.

This story made headlines just a few months ago, but now seems to be completely without merit. That's a bit depressing considering how much hype surrounded the potential discovery. Hopefully we'll get the real story soon so we can either move ahead with learning more about what's in Tut's tomb, or put in behind us altogether.

Video: Curious Humpback Whale Gets Close to Boat

Having spotted whales in the wild on a couple of occasions, I can tell you that it is a magnificent sight to see them up close. But, I've never seen them as close as they are in this video, in which a very curious humpback swims up to a boat to get a better look. The result is a clip that is about as close you can get to a massive whale without getting into the water yourself. Amazing stuff.

Family Dedicates Website To Climber Lost On Nanga Parbat

Much like this winter climbing season, last year at this time I was posting frequent updates on the teams who were attempting to summit 8000 meter peaks in the coldest, harshest months of the year. One of the climbers that I followed closely was a Joël Wischnewski, a French climber and snowboarder who was attempting a solo summit on Nanga Parbat. Reading his posts from the mountain were both a joy and a challenge. It was clear that he loved being in the mountains, but it was evident that he was struggling physically and emotionally. Eventually those updates from Nanga stopped, and we all feared the worst. For days the mountaineering community held out hope that Joël would appear safe and sound, having lost power to his satellite phone or some other issue. But as time went by, we all acknowledged that the mountain had claimed the life of another climber.

This past fall, Joël's body was discovered on Nanga Parbat by a group of climbers. Eventually, it was brought down the mountain and laid to rest in the Herrligkoffer climber's cemetery, closing the last chapter on his life and hopefully providing some closure for his family too. I'm sure not knowing his ultimate fate was a challenge.

Now, his family has posted a note on Joël's website, dedicating it in his honor. They have also shared a link to the photos that he had taken while climbing on Nanga Parbat. Those images were found on Joël's camera when his body was discovered. The photos are beautiful and serve as a lasting legacy of a young man who loved to climb and was taken from his loved ones at too early an age.

Joël's family asked me to share these links with readers, many of whom no doubt followed his expedition last year. I am happy to do so now, so that we can choose to remember him as the talented and ambitious climber that he was. He perished doing what he loved most, and I continue to offer condolences to his family.

Video: The Official Trailer for Planet Earth II

Way back in 2006 – when this blog was still in its infancy – a groundbreaking television show called Planet Earth was released. Narrated by the incomparable David Attenborough, it went on to capture the imagination of millions of viewers, and set a high-water mark for nature documentaries that has yet to be surpassed in my opinion. Now, the BBC is back at it and will release Planet Earth II in November. We recently got a sneak peek at what we can expect in the form of a 2+ minute long trailer, which you'll find below. When it was released a decade ago, the original series was filmed in high definition, revealing to the public just how stunning that format could me. Now, the show has been filmed at 4K resolutions, which is just as dramatic of a leap forward as HD. As you'll see, the team behind this program looks like they delivered on the epic heritage of the original. I can't wait to see it.

Kayakers Complete Greenland to Scotland Challenge

For the better part of the summer we've been following the progress of Olly Hicks and George Bullard, two British adventurers that had undertaken the difficult challenge of kayaking from Greenland to Scotland, and endeavor that included several legs of the journey that required them to be out on the open ocean for days at a time. Over the weekend, the pair reached their final destination at last, bring an end to their odyssey that was both mentally and physically taxing.

Hicks and Bullard launched their expedition from the Denmark Strait in Greenland before proceeding across open water to Iceland. From their, the two men followed the Icelandic coastline until they reached the North Sea, from which point they turned their boat towards the Faroe Islands, a very remote destination located just north of the British Isles. Next they crossed 50 miles (80 km) of rough seas to  reach the tiny island of North Rona before pressing on with the final leg, which ended
at Balnakeil Bay in Scotland. Along the way they faced several stops and starts due to inclement weather and exhaustion, but all told they managed to cover approximately 1200 miles (1931 km) over the the length of their adventure.

The expedition came to and end in the early hours of Sunday, September 4. Tired, but sensing that the end was near, Olly and George pushed on, paddling through the night. They reached Balnakeil Bay before sunrise, and although the blog reports of their progress say that they were exhausted, they were happy to reach the end of the journey at long last.

While this expedition saw little attention from the media, it was an audacious one to say the least. The waters that these two men paddled through were incredibly challenging, with ice floes blocking their way and heavy seas often making things rough. There are sections of the route that even commercial ships take care not to pass through, and yet Olly and George did it in a 22-foot sea kayak. That's a pretty impressive accomplishment indeed.

Congratulations to both men on a job well done.