Video: Mountain Biking Nepal’s Mustang Valley

So you say you’ve already trekked the Himalaya but still find that you can’t resist the siren call of those beautiful mountains? Then how about mountain biking through Nepal with adventure travel company Sacred Rides. They offer what looks like an amazing trip through the less-visited Mustang region that may be the excuse you need to return to the Himalaya (or go there for the first time!). Check out some highlights in the video below.

When do we go?!?

Dave Cornthwaite Announces 2012 Expedition Schedule

British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite, whom we all followed down the Mississippi River on a stand-up paddleboard last summer, has announced his plans for 2012. In the months ahead, Dave will expand on his Expedition 1000 theme by undertaking three new, non-motorized, adventures over both land and water.

Expedition 1000 is a project that Dave started back in 2006. The plan is to make 25 separate journeys, each at least 1000 miles in length, without using any kind of motor. The first of those journeys was a 3621 mile crossing of Australia on a skateboard. Cornthwaite followed that up with 1540 mile paddle down the Murray River, also in Australia. The third leg of Expedition 1000 featured a tandem bicycle ride from Vancouver to Las Vegas, covering 1396 miles, while the fourth was the aforementioned source-to-seas SUP journey on the Mississippi.

This March, Dave will sail from Cabo, Mexico to Honolulu, Hawaii – a distance of 3000 miles – with a group of strangers. The ship will have a crew of 12 and as of this writing there are still three open slots if anyone would like to join the crew. The voyage, which Dave describes as being a TED Talk on the open seas, will feature a series of workshops and lectures on the importance of our planet’s oceans. The trip is expected to take about 15 days to complete.

After that, Dave plans on taking a little dip in the Missouri River, swimming 1000 miles along that waterway and culminating in St. Louis. Starting in August, that challenge is expected to take roughly 50 days to complete, and as usual, others are encouraged to join in on the journey as well.

Finally, Dave will join Sarah Outen as she makes her crossing of Canada on a bike. As many of you probably already know, Sarah is in the midst of her London2London expedition, in which she is circling the globe completely under her own power. In November of this year, Dave will join her on a cycling adventure that begins in Vancouver and ends in New York. For this leg of Expedition 1000, Dave will be breaking out his Whike, a specially designed recumbent bike that incorporates a sail as well.

Seems like a pretty solid year of adventure for Cornthwaite and those of us who will be following his journeys. Thats an ambitious list of expeditions, but if anyone can manage, it’ll be Dave. Of course, it is all being done for charity, with proceeds going to the CoppaFeel organization to fight breast cancer.

Good luck!

Antarctica 2011: Johan Ernst Nilson Reaches Second Pole

One of the bigger adventures of the past year came to an end last week when Swedish adventurer Johan Ernst Nilson reached the South Pole. That point marked the final destination of his Pole2Pole expedition, which began last spring when he set out from the North Pole and began traveling south.

The initial plan was for Nilson to make the journey completely without the use of motorized vehicles, going on skis from the North Pole to Greenland for instance, then employing dogsleds to reach the coast and sailing the northern Atlantic to Canada. He ended up skiing directly to Canada instead, and once there, he began riding his bike towards South America, where he had hoped to arriving in Punta Arenas in time for the Antarctic season. With the cycling leg behind him, he would then sail across the Southern Ocean, to Antarctica, and kite-ski to the Pole.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to travel as fast as he would like and that plan didn’t come together completely. The bike ride took longer than Nilson expected, and as a result, he had to abandon his two-wheeled transportation and fly to the Antarctic in order to take advantage of the weather window that comes with the austral summer. Once on the ice, he did kite to the Pole, but it was a tough go that left him injured with a couple of broken ribs that must have been incredibly painful

Now, Nilson will return to South America and after a brief rest, get back on his bike and continue his ride to Punta Arenas. Once there, he still intends to sail to Antarctica, which would allow him to finish the expedition in the manner that he had started, just with a slight detour along the way. He hopes to accomplish this goal by early April, which would mean that he truly has gone from Pole2Pole in a single year.

Winter Climb Update: Evacuation On K2, C2 On Nanga Parbat

It has been a busy couple of days in Pakistan for the teams making winter ascents on the big peaks there. As is always the case, it is the weather that decides how much progress they can make and how much they’ll suffer while doing it. For the teams on K2 and Nanga Parbat, it has now been a month since they arrived on the mountain, while over on Gasherbrum I, the teams are just starting to settle in.

The Russians on K2 were forced to evacuate a teammate yesterday when a helicopter dropped by BC to pick up Vladimir Belous, who was suffering from frostbite on several fingers. The team had hoped to send Belous out sooner, but bad weather prevented the helicopter from landing for a number of days, and as a result, Vladimir’s fingers had to be treated on site. He has now been flown back to Skardu and will make his way to Islamabad, and then home to Moscow.

Meanwhile, the rest of his teammates have continued to work the route. Several climbers were above Camp 2 yesterday fixing ropes, but high winds forced them to retreat all the way back down to Base Camp. The skies have cleared there however, which brought some sun at last, but the high winds and cold temperatures are expected to continue. The mercury has been hovering around -37ºC/-34ºF for the past few days.

On Nanga Parbat, Denis Urubko and Simone Moro have resumed climbing and went up to Camp 2, located at 5000 meters (16,404 ft) yesterday. After taking three days of rest, the two men are feeling re-engergized and ready to climb, and while they were accompanied by three others on their way up to C1, they are now in Camp 2 all by themselves. No word yet if they’ll go any higher or if this is just the next round of their acclimatization process.

The Polish Team on Gasherbrum I is getting settled in and preparing to move up the mountain. They arrived in BC over the weekend, and have been busy getting their camp established ever since.  They did find time to post an excellent image gallery online, which you can check out here. The photos give you a good sense of what life is like in Base Camp on one of these big mountains. Look for the team to start working their way up to Camp 1 in the next day or two.

Finally, Alex Txikon and Carlos Suarez are also in BC on GI and have reportedly started working the route themselves. The two men took their turn fixing the lines yesterday, so progress has started towards C1, and it appears that there is a good sense of cooperation between them and the Poles. Alex and Carlos are also working hard to establish their Internet connection from the mountain as well, as they have plenty of photos, and hopefully video, to share with the rest of us following along back home.

Good luck to all of the climbers as they continue to challenge these monsters of the Karakoram in the days and weeks ahead.

All-Woman Rowing Team Finishes Atlantic Crossing

Way back in October of last year I told you about an all-woman rowing team that was set to take part in the Woodvale Challenge, an annual race across the Atlantic Ocean in row boats. At the time, the ladies who made up the Row For Freedom team were hoping to not only complete the crossing, but nab a few records in the process. This past weekend, they reached the finish line, and accomplished some major milestones as well.

The team, which consists of Julia Immonen, Debbie Beadle, Helen Leigh, Kate Richardson, and Katie Pattison-Hart, started their adventure in the Canary Islands on December 7th. The team rowed in shifts, 24-hours per day, covering 4205km (2613 miles) in just 45 days, 15 hours, and 26 minutes, before arriving in Barbados in the Caribbean Sea. Their time marked a record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by an all female team and they became the first 5-woman squad to row any ocean at all.

While rowing the Atlantic Ocean is a great achievement and an impressive adventure in and of itself, the girls had bigger aspirations in mind when they set out. The team partnered with two charities, ECPAT UK and The A21 Campaign, both of which are working hard to stamp out human trafficking. The Row For Freedom effort was designed to raise awareness of this issue, which continues to be a very real and scary activity in many parts of our planet.

Congratulations to the entire team on a job well done. Amazing work!

Explorers Club Member Blogs On Club’s Internal Conflict

It has been a few weeks since I last posted anything in regards to the reportedly on going internal disputes at the Explorers Club. The last time I wrote anything about the situation, it was to note that explorer and club member Mikael Strandberg had posted a letter of support for EC President Lorie Karnath on his website. That post has since been removed, although I don’t have any insights into why that would be the case.

Over the course of the past few weeks, I’ve heard from a couple of club members who continued to say that there are all kinds of issues with the leadership and management of the club. Those members wished to remain anonymous, and really didn’t want me to say much about what they told me, but the message that I received was clear – I don’t even know the half of what is going on, and the things that I’ve wrote about over the past few months are just the tip of the iceberg.

Apparently, I’m not the only one taking notice of the conflict that is playing out inside the EC, as another club member has stepped forward with some thoughts on the situation. Earlier today, Greg Bledsoe, who is a doctor of expeditionary medicine and one of the founders of ExpedMed, posted this article on his website offering some more insights into the affair. Greg has a lot to say about this story, and makes a public request to Karnath to provide answers to a variety of questions.

Bledsoe says that he first became aware of the situation from the New York Post article from a few weeks back. That story, which I wrote about as well, featured some rather significant quotes from EC members Ken Kamler and Jim Clash, who called out the President for disciplining television personalty Josh Bernstein in what was seen as a vindictive move against a potential threat to her office. Kamler in particular had some harsh things to say on the matter.

What was interesting about this is that in his blog post Bledsoe says that he has gotten to know Kamler very well over the years and that he had never heard him so upset. From his writing, it is clear that Greg holds Kamler in very high regard and says that ”He (Kamler) has a long list of accomplishments, but carries himself with sincere humility and dignity. He is one of the most genuine people I know, and one of the easiest to get along with.”

That doesn’t sound like someone who would fly off the handle for no particular reason. Especially when you couple it with the fact that Greg goes on to say that Ken “absolutely loves The Explorers Club.”

While he was disturbed by the story in the Post and my own writings on the situation, Greg says that he didn’t think or do much about the emerging story until Karnath sent an internal e-mail to the membership that caused him to take pause and consider the big picture of what was happening. That e-mail is posted on his blog and does nothing to address the concerns of members, who continue to wonder the exact nature of the disciplinary action against Bernstein, or why 10 of the 12 Flag and Honors Committee members resigned in protest.

As a long time member of the Explorers Club, and someone who respects the institution greatly, Bledsoe attempted to reach out to the leadership of the organization and get some answers. As of the time of the publishing of his story, he has received no response at all.

If you’ve been following his ongoing story and want to get yet another perspective of the situation, than I urge you to read Greg’s blog post. Remember, this is coming from a member of the Explorers Club, who was actually willing to go on record and publicly call out the EC’s leadership. I think it shows that not only is this internal conflict still raging on, but that it also seems that the club is in disarray over the whole affair. Why else would leadership of the organization not respond to a member’s needs?

I think my source from a few weeks back was right. This is only the tip of the iceberg and there is A LOT more to the story than any of us really know.

Antarctica 2011: Aleksander Waits For Cas and Jonesy

With just a few days left in the current Antarctic season, and most of the explorers already off the ice or preparing to depart, we get news today of quite a show of camaraderie and respect by Norwegian skier Aleksander Gamme, who has elected to halt his expedition and wait for Aussies Cas and Jonesy.

If you’ve been following the action in the Antarctic this year, you know that there have been two teams vying to become the first to travel unsupported from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back. Aleksander was one of them and Cas and Jonesy was the other. The men had a good natured rivalry, as they each wanted to make history, but they also wished one another well and encouraged each other along the way too. Aleksander has been making his journey solo, and for the most part has faired very well, while Cas and Jonesy have gone together and at times have suffered mightily.

Both expeditions began at the same time, and they are now 87 days into their quest to complete this epic trek, and with the end now firmly in sight, all three are ready to put the experience behind them. Three months out on the ice is a long time for anyone, and I’m sure they are more than ready to feel some warm temperatures once again.

But after skiing 2270km (1410 miles) completely alone, Gamme has now stopped and his waiting for his compatriots to join him. They’ll ski in the last few miles to Hercules together, earning them all the distinction of completing this journey first. It is quite a show of sportsmanship and the complete lack of ego on the part of Aleksander, who could easily finish up today and claim the distinction for himself. Major props to the Norwegian for such a show of class.

For their part, Cas and Jonesy are limping to the finish line, and with just under 100km to go, it now appears that they’ll make it time for the last flight out on Friday. The two men have been battling injuries and bad weather almost from the start, and it is a testament to their strength and determination that they are now on the home stretch as well. There will be a major sense of relief and satisfaction when they finally hang up their skis and finally head home.

Well done all around for these three amazing men. And thanks to ExWeb for sharing the story.

Video: Circumnavigating Ireland By Kayak

In the spring of 2011, British sea kayakers Jeff Allen and Harry Whelan spent 25-days paddling around Ireland. Their adventure is now being made into a documentary by photographer/filmmaker Vaughan Roberts, who has entitled his project Into The Wind. You can get a sneak peek at that film below, which features some amazing shots of Allen and Whelan out on the water in BIG swells. After you’re done watching the video, check out this interview with Vaughan over at Canoe & Kayak too.

Winter Climb Update: Teams Reach Gasherbrum BC

The weekend was a busy one for the major winter climbs in the Karakoram, with two teams reaching Base Camp on their mountain, while two others continued to work the routes on their peaks.

We’ll start on K2, where the Russians now say that they have completely repaired the damage to their Camps 1 and 2. You may recall that last week the mountain was hit with hurricane force winds, which tore up BC and the higher camps. C1 was hit the worst, but the entire mountain felt the wrath of that storm. As a result, it took a few days to get everything back to they way that they wanted it, but now they seem to be back on track and returning to fixing the ropes up to Camp 3.

The weather hasn’t been great since their arrival, and yesterday the team saw the sun for the first time in ten days. It didn’t last however, and after just 30 minutes, the clouds returned and conditions took a turn for the worse. Despite the cold, high winds, and snow, the team diligently goes about its work however, knowing they have no chance of success unless they simply get on with it.

Over on Nanga Parbat, Denis Urubko and Simone Moro elected to take a few days of rest after learning about the death of their friend Mario Merelli, who perished while climbing in the Dolomites last week. They haven’t posted any updates to their status since last week, which should lead us to believe that they are still in BC and planning their next move. They are joined on that mountain by a Polish squad, who had also been working the route and had completed their first round of acclimatization by building Camp 1 as well.

The other mountain receiving plenty of attention is Gasherbrum I, where two teams arrived in Base Camp over the weekend. The first was a Polish Team who reported that there is about a half-meter of snow in BC when they arrived on Saturday. They noted that they would spend the first few days establishing their camp, which is located at 5030 meters (16,502 ft), before they start heading up the mountain, and they reiterated that they will be on GI for the next two months.

Also reaching Base Camp on Gasherbrum I was Alex Txikon and Carlos Suarez. Reportedly conditions on the final trek to BC were good, and the weather was actually cooperative, but temperatures are extremely cold and there is plenty of snow higher up the mountain. Much like their Polish counterparts, Alex and Carlos will spend a few days getting organized and making their camp comfortable before they being their ascent.

Solo Sailing Update: Laura is Done!

As I mentioned last Friday, over the weekend 16-year old Laura Dekker completed her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world by arriving back at the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Saturday. In completing her circumnavigation attempt, she has beaten the previous record, set by Australian Jessica Watson back in 2010, by eight months.

Happy to be reunited with her family, and enjoy the comforts of being back on land, Laura says she’ll spend the next few days clean up her 30-foot yacht named Guppy. Then, she’ll return to school and the average, daily life of a teenager – something she has missed out on while sailing the high seas over the past year and a half.

Upon arriving on St. Maarten, Laura was greeted by a crowd of supporters and media, who were there to witness her accomplishment. It was a whirlwind finish to something that Dekker says she has dreamed about since she was ten years old. The teenager was actually born on a boat off the coast of New Zeland, and has spent her entire life in and around the water.

Now that she has completed the journey, Laura says that she isn’t sure she wants to return to her home country, the Netherlands. When she announced that she was planning to sail around the world at the age of 13, the government there moved to block her from leaving and even threatened to take her away from her father, who has custody of the girl after he and her mother divorced a decade ago. Laura says she feels that she was thrust into the spotlight on a world stage because of the what the Dutch government did, and because of that she doesn’t know if she wants to return home. She says she’ll discuss it with her parents first and make up her mind on what she wants to do next.

I hope that Laura chooses to let the actions of the Dutch government go and decides to go home. They were doing what they thought was right at the time and were trying to keep her best interests in mind. I’m sure some things could have been handled differently, but in the end, she did get to sail and she accomplished her goal in a very convincing fashion.

I imagine the transition back to “normal” life will be a rough one. For more than a year, she has been completely on her own, making her own decisions, and taking complete responsibility for herself and her boat. That isn’t an easy thing to put behind you at any age, but especially as a teenager. Still, something tells me she’ll do just fine, and after spending a suitable amount of time at home, she’ll probably be back out on the water again before we know it.