Video: Inspire The Next Generation Of Explorers

This video comes our way via National Geographic Adventure and features Adventurer of the Year winners Amy and Dave Freeman, who have dedicated their lives to inspiring others through their expeditions. They've done that by paddling, dogsledding and hiking their way across North America, while interacting with more than 85,000 students along the way. The video below shares that story, as does a companion interview posted to the Nat. Geo. website.

This couple is proof that we can all go on big adventures if we put our mind to it.

Reinhold Messner On The State Of Mountaineering Today

Reinhold Messner is arguably the greatest mountaineer of all time. His resume is practically unmatched and his list of achievements is well known. So when the 69-year old alpine legend has something to say, you can bet that the mountaineering community will listen. Recently, Stefan Nestler caught up with Messner in Cologne, where he was able to ask him some interesting questions. The result was a brief, but quite revealing, interview on a host of subjects.

In the article Messner talks about the aftermath of the massacre in Nanga Parbat Base Camp this past summer and its impact for future expeditions to that mountain. He also touched on Nepal's plans to set up a government outpost in Everest BC to keep an eye on the teams there each spring. He even weighs in on Ueli Steck's recent solo summit of Annapurna, calling it "typically Ueli Steck."

While the interview isn't particularly long, there is a lot of information to be gleaned from it. Messner even addresses some questions regarding Ueli's lack of evidence for a successful summit on Annapurna. As you may recall, he dropped his camera on the way to the top and doesn't carry a GPS with him, so there is no real evidence to support his claims of a solo summit. But, considering this is Ueli Steck we're talking about, most everyone accepts that he managed to top out, including Messner. Apparently there are some rivals back in Switzerland that have been raising doubts about the climb. It should be noted that Ueli's teammates on Annapurna claimed that they could see his footsteps leading to the summit when they surveyed the mountain through a spotting scope in ABC.

Tip of the hat goes out to Stefan for this excellent interview that covers so much ground. Really interesting stuff out of Messner as usual.

2013 Piolets d'Or Winners

A few weeks back I posted a story on the announcement of the 2013 Piolets d'Or nominees which are given out annually in recognition of outstanding achievements in mountaineering. The list was a particularly strong one and at the time I wrote that piece I mentioned that each of the expeditions was worthy of getting the award. Turns out I was right, because the jury couldn't decide between them either and ended up awarding the "Golden Axe" to all six nominees.

The 2013 winners of the Piolets d'Or are:

• Kyle Dempster, Hayden Kennedy, and Josh Wharton for the South Face of the Ogre in Pakistan
• Sandy Allan and Rick Allen for the Complete Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan
• Dmitry Golovchenko, Alexander Lange, and Sergey Nilov for the Northeast Spur of Muztagh Tower in Pakistan
• Sébastien Bohin, Didier Jourdain, Sébastien Moatti, and Sébastien Ratel for the Southwest Face of Kamet in India
• Mick Fowler and Paul Ramsden for the Northeast Ridge of Shiva in India
• Tatsuya Aoki, Yasuhiro Hanatani and Hiroyoshi Manome for the South Pillar of Kyashar in Nepal

Our friends over at EpicTV were on hand at the awards ceremony and they posted the video from the event below. 

CheapTents Interviews Adventurer Dave Cornthwaite And Adventure Cameraman Matt Sharman

Our friends over at the CheapTents blog continue to do what they do best, namely crank out interesting interviews with personalities from the outdoor adventure community. This time up they put a pair of interesting fellows under the microscope turning their probing questions on adventurer Dave Cornthwaite and outdoor cameraman Matt Sharman.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you've most certainly read some of my posts on Dave. He is the the mastermind behind the Expedition 1000 project, during which he is attempting to complete 25 individual adventures of 1000 miles or more in length without the use of motorized transportation. In the CheapTents interview Dave discusses his favorite memories from the seven journeys he has completed thus far, which of his expeditions was the most demanding (Hint: swimming 1001 miles down the Missouri River is tough!) and offers tips to aspiring adventure writers. He also shares some info on the next leg of Expedition 1000, a 3000-mile (4828 km) journey around Europe on an ElliptiGO bike.

Matt Sherman is an outdoor photographer/cameraman who also happens to write for the Jack Wolfskin Blog gear blog. He is an accomplished climber and mountaineer, and in his interview he talks about how he got started in those sports, what he enjoys most about his job and how to get those difficult shots in extreme environments. He also offers up advice for those who want to get into the profession and discusses some of his potential dream projects.

As is usual with interviews with CheapTents, both Dave and Matt share their favorite pieces of gear for their adventures. As I've mentioned in the past, this is always one of favorite parts as I'm always eager to hear what others enjoy taking with them when they head into the field. In Dave's case that happens to be his Sky Tent, while in typical photographer fashion, all he needs are trousers with plenty of pockets to stuff excess items.

Both interviews are excellent and make for some good inspiration as we head into the weekend.

CheapTents Interviews Two North Face Athletes

The CheapTents blog is always a great source for excellent interviews with outdoor athletes and adventure personalities. They do a good job of not just tracking down the men and women we want to know more about, but also asking them interesting and fun questions. With that in mind, CheapTents has published its first two interviews of 2013 by catching up with mountaineer David Göttler and high alpine skier Tamara Lunger, two North Face athletes who are very good at what they do.

David Göttler is a mountain guide and cameraman with four 8000-meter peaks under his belt and impressive winter summits on the Eiger, Grand Jorasse and Matterhorn. He has attempted K2 twice and  last year he summited Nuptse with Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner. In his interview with Cheap Tents he talks about what inspired him to get into climbing while sharing his biggest accomplishments and weaknesses. David discusses the biggest challenges to his training, his worst injuries and what he has planned for the future, including an attempt on the West Pillar of Makalu this spring.

When you've finished reading that interview, be sure to follow it up by reading Tamara Lunger's thoughts on her climbs of Lhotse and Kahn Tengri. She shares the biggest moments of her career thus far and talks about her favorite accomplishments to date as well. Tamara offers advice for aspiring outdoor athletes, predicts where she'll be in five years and briefly discusses her plans for the year ahead, including bagging an unclimbed peak.

Both Göttler and Lunger also share their favorite pieces of gear that they take with them on their expeditions, which is always a highlight of CheapTents interviews for me. Unsurprisingly, both of them name North Face gear amongst their favorite items for use in the mountains.

These are two inspiring and interesting interviews for sure. Check them out when you get the chance.

So? What Did You Think Of The Lance Armstrong Confession?

Last night the first part of the much-hyped interview between Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey was aired and as we all knew, the cyclists finally admitted publicly that he doped throughout his career. By the time the interview was shown however that was pretty much an accepted fact and most of us were just waiting to hear what else Lance had to tell us. It was the content in the rest of the interview, and the second part that will air tonight, that was most important to many fans of both cycling and Armstrong himself.

Watching the former Tour de France champion answer Oprah's pointed questions was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It was refreshing to hear Armstrong answer directly and honestly but we still got the same reserved, stoic man that we've all come to know over the years. As he has done so many times in the past, Lance kept his emotions in check and didn't offer much of a glimpse of what was going on inside. If there was ever a moment to show his human side, it was now. I'm not sure we saw that, at least in the first part of the interview.

It was interesting to hear Armstrong fess up to his bullying tactics and offer a few mea culpas to some of his past behavior. While his systematic doping process is a major part of the story, the way he handled those who criticized him or spoke out on his alleged doping in years past, is another important aspect. Lance and his team trampled the lives of many people who dared to speak out against him, and some of those people have had a very hard time getting their lives back together. These confessions and apologies won't help them reclaim years abuse and torment that they were forced to suffer by the Armstrong hype-machine.


But then again, the mending of old wounds has to start somewhere and Lance did start that process with this interview. He does want to see Livestrong continue on with its cancer-work and he has begun to reach out to those he steamrolled in an effort to open a dialog. Where he goes from here remains to be seen.

Obviously there is more to be revealed in the second part of the interview tonight, although I'm not sure what else will be talked about. Perhaps in this second segment we'll see a softer, more remorseful side of Armstrong, which would go a long way towards repairing his status with the general public. What we got last night sparked as much outrage as it did acceptance and I've heard others saying that he is "arrogant" and "pompous," words that have stuck with him over the years.

So? What did you think of the interview? Were you satisfied with what we got so far? What would you still like to hear from him as we move forward? Are you ready to forgive or are you a bit more cynical and feel he is doing this for his own gains?

I came away thinking that it was good to air out much of what was said, but that we were still looking at a man who is saying these things because he got caught. A man who is trying to rebuild his reputation and walk away with what little dignity he has left. Clearly Armstrong thrives on competition and attention, and part of this was to start the process that might allow him to step back onto the athletic stage once again and compete in more events. Only time will tell if he was successful in any of those pursuits.

Lance Armstrong Confesses To Doping

Yesterday the much ballyhooed interview between Lance Armstrong and Oprah Winfrey took place here in Austin, Texas. We'll have to wait until the interview airs on Thursday to get confirmation of what was talked about exactly, but an anonymous source is telling the Associated Press that Lance did indeed fess up to using performance enhancing drugs while competing as a professional cyclists. If true, and I see no reason to believe it isn't, the confession would be a complete reversal from years of denials and could be the first step for Armstrong towards being able to compete again.

It is also being reported that hours before he met with Winfrey, Lance asked for a meeting with the staff of the Livestrong Foundation, the organization he formed to help fight cancer. In that meeting we're told that he gave a very heartfelt and teary eyed apology to the staff there for casting the organization in a negative light following the allegations and revelations that came out as part of the investigation led by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year. Armstrong supposedly vowed to put Livestrong back on the right course and to save the reputation of the charity organization.

The Livestrong staff aren't the only people that Lance is reportedly apologizing to. Outside Online reports that he may have also reached out to Floyd Landis in an attempt to mend fences with the former teammate who also tested positive for doping at the Tour de France in 2006. Landis finished first in that race but was later stripped of the title. Afterwards, he made public accusations about Armstrong's use of performance enhancing drugs as well, something that Lance vehemently denied. The two have squabbled public ever since, with Armstrong being particularly vicious in his attacks on Landis' character.

According to the anonymous source to the AP, Lance admitted that he began using PEDs in the early-1990's, prior to being diagnosed with cancer. That would prove consistent with some of the earliest allegations against Armstrong by the likes of Betsy Andreu, the wife of Frankie Andreu, another former teammate, who says she heard Armstrong confess to doping to his doctors when being treated for testicular cancer in 1996. The former Tour de France champ was also ruthless in the way he went about discrediting her and completely running her character into the ground as well.


If Lance did come clean in the Oprah interview as reports suggest, he may indeed be trying to get back into competition. He has demonstrated considerable skill at a marathon runner and triathlete in the past few years, putting up some excellent times in both sports. But according to the rules handed down by anti-doping agencies, his current lifetime ban from competition could at best be reduced down to just eight years. That's an awful long time to go without competing. Armstrong may try to cut a deal in some other way however, providing more names and information about how he doped and who he worked with. It is possible that that could further reduce his sentence. We'll just have to wait to see if such a deal can be made.

In the end, this confession is just the first step in a very long road to redemption in my book. Armstrong has a lot to answer for to friends, family, teammates and fans. His years of denials and personal attacks have hurt a lot of people and he needs to apologize to them as well. If he does come completely clean, makes those apologies and comes across as sincere, he'll probably find a whole lot of people who are willing to forgive and move on. But it isn't going to be an easy road back.

Still, I give Lance a lot of credit for stepping into this maelstrom. Some would say he didn't have a whole lot of choices, but I would argue that he could have just as easily slipped off somewhere and stayed out of the limelight, keeping a low profile. For awhile, he is only going to be under more scrutiny and criticism, much of which probably won't be easy to hear. But if he stays focused and honest, he has he opportunity to at least rebuild his reputation as person, if not an athlete.

Only time will tell how willing to forgive the public will be. Here in the U.S., I think many will be happy to see him back. Cycling fans abroad will probably not be quite to kind. I'll reserve judgement until after I've seen the interview.

Video: EpicTV Interviews Dodo Kopold On Great Trango Ascent

Standing 6286 meters (20,608 ft) in height, Pakistan's Great Trango Tower is one of the most challenging climbs on the entire planet. It features a vertical drop that is unmatched by nearly any other peak and it requires numerous days on a very big wall to reach the summit. A few weeks back, Slovakian climber Dodo Kopold managed to put up a daring new route along the tower's Northwest Face. Upon his return home, he sat down with the good folks from EpicTV to discuss the expedition and share his thoughts on the climb. You'll find that interview, which includes some amazing photos from Great Trango, below.

EpicTV Interviews Rafa Ortiz On Amazon Express Expedition

Yesterday I posted an update on West Hansen's Amazon Express expedition, reporting on the team's progress along the Earth's mightiest river. Today, EpicTV follows that up with an interview with kayaker Rafa Ortiz, who joined West on the Amazon for a brief time. In the interview, Rafa talks about their experiences in the early whitewater sections high in the Andes Mountains. For Rafa, this was his first experience with expedition paddling, so much of it was new to him as well. The interview is accompanied by some great photos from the journey as well, which give us an opportunity to see what the remote Peruvian Andes - the source of the Amazon - actually looks like.


EpicTV Interviews: Rafa Ortiz Back From The Amazon from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

Video: Interview With Manaslu Survivor Glen Plake From Kathmandu

The news in the adventure community has been dominated with stories from Manaslu this week, where a massive avalanche took the lives of numerous climbers in Camp 3. One of the climbers who was there and was fortunate enough to survive the accident is Glen Plake, a world class skier who had intended on making a ski descent of the mountain. Yesterday, our friends over at EpicTV were able to connect with Glen in Kathmandu via Skype, while also being joined by his wife Kimberly in studio. In that interview, which you'll find in the video below, Glen shares his very personal story of survival while he still deals with the loss of his two friends and climbing/skiing partners Greg Costa and Rémy Lécluse.

EpicTV Weekly 22: Manaslu Avalanche: Glen Plake's Story from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

Video: EpicTV Interviews Ueli Steck On Climbing And Paragliding The Alps

A couple of weeks back I posted a story about Ueli Steck's latest adventure in which he climbed three peaks in the Alps and paraglided off of them in the same day. On August 18, the Swiss climber first went up the Jungfrau, glided over to the Monch, summited and the flew to the Eiger. After a quick ascent of that classic peak, he then descended by paraglader and was home for dinner later that day. The whole expedition took in the neighborhood of 14 hours to complete, which sounds like quite the epic day.

Now, our friends over at EpicTV have posted an interview with Ueli in which he goes into detail about this little project. Steck talks about the conditions necessary for this type of endeavor, saying the weather needs to not only be good for climbing but flying as well, which adds another dimension to this challenge.

Listening to Ueli is always interesting, in part he comes across like he doesn't even know that he is Superman. He's quite nonchalant about his accomplishments and that is no different here. I also happen to love his "just do it" attitude and creativity in the mountains.

Another great interview from EpicTV. Keep up the great work guys!

Ueli Steck 3 Peaks from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

CheapTents Interviews Adventurer Tim Moss

The crack team of bloggers over at CheapTents has turned out yet another good interview to round out the week. This time they've turned their attention on professional adventurer and expedition manager Tim Moss, whose book How to get to The North Pole... and Other Iconic Adventures I reviewed awhile back.

Amongst his numerous adventures, Tim has hiked across Patagonia, swam the length of the River Thames and made first ascents in the Altai Mountains of Russia. He has also circumnavigated the globe in 80 days using 80 different forms of transportation, trekked the Wahiba Desert in Oman and climbed in the Bolivian Andes. Oh yeah! He's also been the logistics manager on more than 100 other expeditions as well.

In the CheapTents interview, Tim talks about his inspirations for pursuing adventure and which of his many exploits has had the greatest impact on his life. He also talks about the toughest decision he's ever had to make on an expedition, which destination has left the best impression on him and how he finds ways to add adventure into his daily life. Moss even provides some advice to would-be adventurers who are thinking about their own expeditions. His best advice? Simply just get started.

As for his favorite pieces of gear, which is always one of CheapTents most intriguing questions. Tim says he loves his Helly Hansen base layers that he has owned for more then ten years. He says he's used them on numerous adventures and they have always performed brilliantly. By coincidence, I happen to own a pair of base layers from HH as well. Haven't had them quite as long as Tim, mine are probably more like six years old, but they are fantastic and have gone with me to many places too.

Enjoy this interview as we head into a weekend. Perhaps it'll inspire you to have an adventure of your own.

Nat Geo Adventure Talks Everest With Mark Jenkins

This past spring Mark Jenkins was part of the National Geographic/North Face climbing team on Everest. That group of climbers originally had their sights on the West Ridge but thanks to some unusual weather, which included drier and colder than normal conditions, the team abandoned that approach and went up the standard South Col route instead. Jenkins, along with his his teammates, reached the summit, and he is currently putting together a story about the climb for National Geographic magazine. That story isn't due until 2013, but Nat Geo Adventure managed to catch up with Jenkins recently and posted an interview on their blog.

In the article Jenkins talks about how crowded Everest has become since guided expeditions started to become popular in the 1990's. He also discusses ways that the climb could be safer and advocates requiring those attempting the world's highest peak first earn some experience and skills on another Himalayan mountain. Mark also shares his thoughts on keeping Everest cleaner, pondering why "Leave No Trace" isn't the de facto standard for climbers.

Mark touches on the mainstream view of Everest and how the non-climber sees it as the "ultimate trophy" in the climbing world. He says that there will always be people who want to test their skills on the mountain and therefore it could always be crowded, but in the mountaineering community it is looked on a bit more skeptically. Everest is seen as a "very surreal experience" according to Jenkins.

It's a good interview with a man who isn't afraid to share his thoughts on the annual spring circus that is Mt. Everest. I had the chance to hear Mark speak as part of a panel at Outdoor Retailer a few weeks back and made some very interesting points. He pointed out that there are in the neighborhood of about 15 routes to the summit of Everest and yet each year everyone crowds into the two main routes instead. Mark rightfully pointed out that there is still plenty to do on the mountain, but most climbers don't really want to risk exploring one of the lesser known routes when they can join the stampede to the top along the usual paths.

If you're an Everest fan, you'll definitely want to read what he has to say in this story. Can't wait to read his full article in NG mag next year.

CheapTents Interviews Photographer and Polar Explorer Phil Wickens

The CheapTents Blog continues their string of great adventure interviews today, this time turning their sights on polar explorer and photographer Phil Wickens. This past January, Wickens led a team of climbers and skiers to Antarctica where they took on 13 peaks along the peninsula, claiming first ascents on eight of them. Phil also documented much of the expedition through his fantastic photography as well.

In the interview, Wickens talks about his early inspirations for adventure (he was a Cub Scout!) that led him to becoming a mountaineer and polar guide. He also discusses his work with the British Antarctic Survey and goes into some detail on the Antarctic expedition, touching on his favorite moments as well as some of the dangers the team faced. Phil even shares some thoughts on shooting photography in the polar regions of our planet.

As for his favorite pieces of gear? Phil says his skies and ice axes are amongst his favorites, because without them he wouldn't be able to play as hard as he does. Seems like a good reason to love any piece of gear to me!

Check out some of the action from the Antarctic expedition below, then head over to CheapTents and read the entire interview.


The Ascent and Descent of Mt Banck from Phil Wickens on Vimeo.

CheapTents Interviews Brazil 9000 Crew

A few weeks back I posted a story on the Brazil 9000 expedition which involves adventurers Aaron Chervenak and Gareth Jones traveling north to south across Brazil on foot, canoe and bike, covering more than 9000km (5592 miles) in the process. The journey is set to begin in a few months and they expect it to take roughly 15 months to complete.

Today, the CheapTents blog, which is always a great source for interesting stories, has posted an interview with Aaron and Gareth. The two men discuss their inspirations for the Brazil 9000 expedition, their previous experience in the Amazon and what they expect to find as they traverse the remote regions of South America. They also talk about their training as they prepare for the epic journey, what they're most looking forward to on the road and what they expect to be their biggest challenges.

Being a gear blog of sorts, CheapTents always asks their interviewees about their favorite gear and Aaron and Gareth are no exception. This is always one of my favorite sections in a CP interview as I'm often curious about the gear that adventurers take with them on their travels. In this case, Aaron says that he loves their Ally canoe made be Bergans of Norway, calling it "the best collapsible canoe on the market." For his part, Gareth gives the nod to his Arc’teryx Naos 85 backpack, which he lauds for its ability to comfortably carry heavy loads over long distances and for the fact that it is waterproof. Something that will no doubt come in handy in the rainforest.

This is one of the upcoming expeditions that I'm looking forward to following the most. Aaron and Gareth intend to use social media to the fullest while traveling which hopefully means we'll get plenty of updates and lots of information from them in the field. It's going to be one amazing journey to say the least.