So, About That "Everest From Orbit" Image ...

A few days back I posted an image that was purportedly a picture of Mt. Everest as seen from the International Space Station, citing The Atlantic as the source. Turns out, it wasn't a photo of Everest at all and NASA is now admitted they made a mistake in identifying the world's tallest mountain.

According to this story from the BBC,  the mountain is actually Saser Muztagh, a collection of peaks located in the Karakoram Range in India. The tallest of those peaks is Saser Kangri I, which reaches a mere 7672 meters (25,171 feet) in height, well below Everest's 8848 meter (29,029 ft) height.

The photo was taken by cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko while looking out one of the windows on the ISS. It isn't clear how the image got mislabeled, but NASA has confirmed their error. They haven't released any other images shot by Malenchenko, but I found the photo below on the space agency's website, which is a confirmed shot of Everest from space. That one will have to do for now.

Video: Piolet d'Or (Golden Axe) Winners

Each year the Piolet d'Or, or Golden Ax Awards, are given out to mountaineers who have made bold climbs over the past 12 months. This year, Americans Mark Richey, Steve Swenson, and Freddie Wilkinson won for their first ascent of Saser Kangri II last summer. They were joined as winners by a pair of Slovenians who took on K7 West as well.

Below are two videos that highlight both of those climbs and a third that received "Special Mention" from the Piolet d'Or selection committee.

Thanks to The Adventure Journal for sharing these great videos.

Video: Bagging the First Ascent of Saser Kangri II

In September of last year, climbers Steve Swenson, Mark Richey, and Freddie Wilkinson made the first ascent of Saser Kangri II, the second highest unclimbed peak in the world at that time. Located deep in the Karakoram range, the mountain stands 7518 meters (24,665 ft) in height and includes a formidable 1700 meter (5577 ft) face that had to be overcome to reach the summit. The men have now released a film of their climb, entitled The Old Breed, which debuted last week at the American Alpine Club's annual dinner. The trailer for that film can be found below and it looks amazing.


The Old Breed from Cowboy Bear Ninja on Vimeo.