While all the teams in the Karakoram deal with the news of the death of Vitaly Gorelik on K2, and the subsequent end to that expedition, most are continuing to go about the work necessary to give their expeditions a chance at claiming a winter summit.

Perhaps the hardest hit by the news of Vitaly’s death was Denis Urubko, who was close friends with the Russian climber. Denis posted some thoughts on his fallen comrade on his blog today, which he had time to write thanks to an aborted summit push by him and climbing partner Simone Moro. The two men had hoped to begin the final stage of their climb yesterday, but they were unable to take advantage of a current weather window on Nanga Parbat due to deep snow and high levels of avalanche danger above Camp 1. Because of those conditions, the two have now descended back to Base Camp, where they’ll wait for the snow to settle and another window to open.

Over on Gasherbrum I, Alex Txikon has aslo written about the loss of Vitaly and sent his condolences and respects along to the Russian team that is still there. He also reports extremely cold weather in GI Base Camp, with temperatures dropping below -30ºC/-22ºF. Winds are also extremely high and the generally poor weather conditions are keeping him, along with teammate Carlos Suarez, in BC at the moment. Presumably, the Polish team on that mountain is there as well, as they have not posted an update since last week.

Hopefully a break in the weather will come soon so these teams can get back to work and Denis and Simone can get a real crack at their summit. Stay tuned.

The X-Prize Foundation knows the importance of pushing our boundaries and seeking answers to important problems. After all, this is an organization that believes that through competition, we can do great things and solve some of the biggest problems facing our mankind today. They have offered large cash prizes for individuals or organizations that can develop everything from the next generation lunar lander to a medical device that can wireless monitor and diagnose your health.

Now, the Foundation has turned its eyes to the world of exploration and adventure, and hopes to encourage and inspire others to explore the world around us. To that end, they’ve launched a new contest that will award one lucky winner a $10,000 National Geographic Expedition. All you have to do to win is upload a video that demonstrates your love for exploration and the role that it plays in your life.

You can find complete contest information by clicking here and you can watch the videos that are already uploaded here. The contest has been open since last October, and so far there aren’t a lot of entries. The deadline for submitting a video is April 10th, so you still have some time.

Last week we watched as the last ALE flight picked up Antarctic explorers from Union Glacier, leaving just one team out on the ice. That was kite-skiers Dixie Dansercoer and Sam Deltour, who had recently set a new record for the longest unsupported journey across the frozen continent. Last Friday, the boys decided to pull the plug on their expedition as well, and while they’re still waiting for flight out, they are now more than ready to head home.

According to updates on their website, Sam and Dixie are currently camped at a great location for a plane to land and retrieve them from the ice. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t all that cooperative over the weekend, so they were forced to hang out in their tent and await extraction. That is expected to change in the next day or so, and as I write this, the two men may already be on their way out of Antarctica.

As it stands now, the official numbers for the expedition are 68 days of travel (they’re now at 78 days total time) covering 5013km (3114 miles). They averaged about 68km/day at an average altitude of about 3147 meters (10,324 ft).  Oh, and the average temperature while in the Antarctic? A balmy -30.4ºC/-22.7ºF.

Hopefully Dixie and Sam will be on their way to warmer climes soon. When you consider they had an aborted start to their expedition way back in November, you realize that they’ve been in the Antarctic for nearly three months now, and that is long enough for just about anyone. Job well done boys. Now get home safe.

As many of you know, I cover adventure travel news and write gear reviews for Gadling.com, one of the top all-around travel sites on the Internet. Yesterday I posted a review of the new Nikon CoolPix AW100, which is a great little camera that I think many of you would be interested in for your outdoor adventures. This is Nikon’s entry into the ruggedized point and shoot category, which means it is waterproof (down to  33 feet), freezeproof (down to 14ºF) and shockproof, which means it can survive a drop of about 5 feet without suffering any ill effects. In short, it is a great camera that you can take with you just about anywhere, and abuse it along the way, without fear of it crumbling in your hands.

As I mention in the full review, the camera isn’t just about being tough however, and it has plenty of great technology under the hood. For instance, it packs a 16 megapixel sensor for capturing great photos, and it can even shoot full 1080p HD video as well. My favorite feature by far is the built in GPS functionality, which not only includes a world map, complete with thousands of points of interests, but it also geotags your photos, allowing you to share the location from which they were taken with friends and family. This is a great little addition to have built into the device, and was fun to play around with while putting it through its paces for the review.

Now, here’s the great part of this story. We’re also giving away one of these cameras on Gadling right now, and it is very easy to win. All you have to do is go to this post and leave a comment before 5PM Eastern Time on Friday, and you’ll be automatically entered to win. We’ll randomly select one person to receive the camera, which is valued at $380. So, if you’d like to add a great, rugged, new camera to your gear collection, this is a great opportunity. I personally have the camera that we’re giving away in hand, and will ship it out to the winner ASAP. I’d love to see one of the Adventure Blog readers win, as I think you’ll really appreciate what the CoolPix AW100 brings to the table.

Good luck!

That said, this looks fun as hell!

The long, strange, doping case for Tour and Giro champ Alberto Contador may finally be nearing an end.  Earlier today, the Spaniard received a two-year ban from the sport of cycling after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld an earlier ruling to pan the rider after he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France.

When the positive test was first revealed, Contador found himself banned in his home country, although that ruling was quickly over turned. Clenbuterol can be used as a performance enhancing drug because it aids in breathing in intense aerobic activities – such as cycling. Alberto had trace elements of the drug in his system, which he says came from beef that had been tainted with the substance. That defense was enough to reverse his ban from the Spanish Cycling Federation, but the International Cycling Union (UCI) overruled that reversal. Since then, there have been a number of delays, appeals, and legal moves to keep Contador riding, but the CAS ruling seems to put an end to case altogether.

The ban, which is likely to be retroactive to August 6, 2010, will strip Contador of his 2010 Tour de France championship, as well as his 2011 Giro d’Italia. It also means that he won’t be able to compete in this year’s grand events either, although he can resume racing after August 6th of this year.

Because of the small amounts of clenbuterol in his system, it has been tough to decide whether or not Contador has been telling the truth about the tainted meat or if he was using some kind of masking agent. But the UCI and CAS essentially have argued that any amount of a banned substance is grounds for a suspension from the sport. Furthermore, the zero-tolerance approach is for the biggest stars in the sport as well as the rank and file in the Peloton. In my opinion, Contador is lucky they’re back-dating the ban and that it isn’t two years starting today. After all, it isn’t like he hasn’t been riding over the past year and a half since the positive test.

That said, the Tour de France is going to be very different without him riding in it this year and I’ll miss Contador’s presence at the race. Even though he didn’t win in 2011, and really wasn’t in contention much, he still rode strong and tried to get back into the race in the mountains. He showed the heart (and legs!) of a champion, even if it ultimately proved to be a futile gesture. If he isn’t able to ride the TdF in July, it certainly blows the race wide open once again.

One of the boldest and most challenge climbing expeditions in recent memory has come to a tragic end. The Russian on K2 have lost one of their teammates, and have called a halt to their climb. A message posted on the team’s website says that climber Vitaly Gorelik has died in Base Camp, where the entire squad is now assembled, and are preparing to head home.

According to the brief post, the weather has been “extremely bad” over the past four days and as a result, no helicopters can get in or out of the mountain. We know from an earlier post last week that Gorelik had been suffering from frostbite on several fingers and that the team was waiting for an evacuation helicopter to pick him up and take him back to Skardu and then eventually home. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible in these conditions, and while its not clear exactly what caused his death, there are some unconfirmed reports that it may have been a heart attack.

I have no doubt that the loss of one of their teammates has taken the fire out of the entire squad. They had climbed all the way up to 7200 meters (23,622 ft) and were in the process of establishing their Camp 3 before the bad weather set in, forcing them to go back down to Base Camp. They had hoped to wait out the weather and return to working the route sometime this week, but obviously that won’t be possible now. According to the expedition website, they are now simply preparing their gear to be shipped back down the mountain and waiting for an opportunity for the helicopter to resume flights.

My condolences to Vitaly’s friends and family, as well as to his teammates still on the mountain. While I called their expedition an attempt at the impossible when it was first announced several months back, I have been cheering them on and hoping for the best since they officially got underway. It is sad to see it end like this, and while we all know the dangers of climbing K2 (in winter no less!), it is still a harsh reality when we actually see the results of those dangers.

Savage Mountain indeed.

Most of the details are still being filled in, including entry fees and specific starting and ending dates, but you’ll find some of the preliminary info on the race’s official website. Already in place is a short FAQ that answers some very basic questions about ocean rowing in general, and there are also pages dedicated to the history of the route, boats and equipment to be used, what to expect out of the weather, and more.

Obviously paddling for 2000+ miles over open sea isn’t for everyone, but it is great to see a new event of this type being launched. Since it is still more than two years away from starting, it also gives plenty of interested rowers an opportunity to plan and prepare. If you happen to be one of those people who could possibly compete in this race, you can register your interest with an online form found here.