Video: For The Love Of Mountains

Here's a clever little video that puts into perspective some of the most famous mountains on the planet. Using simple – yet effective – graphics, the short clip compares the heights of such peaks as Everest, K2, Kilimanjaro and several others. It also mixes in an interesting fact about each of the mountains as well. It is quite a nice intro to some of the places we all love so much.

For the Love of Mountains from Al Boardman on Vimeo.

Himalaya Fall 2013: Chad Kellogg and David Gottlieb Attempting Lunag Ri

While a number of teams are in the middle of a second round of summit pushes across the Himalaya today, I wanted to share another expedition that is on going that will certainly be of interest in the days ahead.

Explorers Web is reporting that Chad Kellogg and David Gottlieb have returned to Nepal and have once again set their sites on Lunag Ri this fall. The two men were expecting to arrive in country last week and should be en route to the mountain, and while there have been no dispatches so far, I'm hoping that they'll begin soon.

The 6895 meter (22,621 ft) Lunag Ri has the distinction of being the highest unclimbed peak in Nepal which was a huge lure for Chad and David last year. Unfortunately they never got a real opportunity to make a true summit bid as David fell ill early in the expedition and Chad was unable to complete a solo summit in very dangerous conditions. He did however make the first solo ascent of Jobo Rinjang instead.

Hopefully the team will have better luck this season and actually get the opportunity to test their skills on the slopes of Lunag Ri. You should be able to follow Chad's dispatches by clicking here. With a little luck they should be in Base Camp soon with updates on their progress to commence shortly. If last year is any indication of what to expect, we could see a summit push sometime in early December.

Good luck to both David and Chad!

Video: Experience Your Yosemite

Today is the 123rd anniversary of the founding of Yosemite National Park, which depending on how you look at is is either the first or second national park in the world, behind Yellowstone. Due to the current shutdown of the U.S. government, the park is actually closed on its birthday. But to celebrate I thought I'd share this great video from the Park Service that is an excellent introduction to one of the best outdoor playgrounds on the planet. Enjoy!

Adventure Tech: GoPro Upgrades Hero 3 Camera

GoPro announced and upgraded version of the Hero 3 camera today as they introduced the new Hero 3+ Black and Silver Editions. The new versions are more evolutionary than revolutionary but the changes will be much appreciated to those who use the action cams. For instance the new Black Edition is 20% smaller than the previous model and has seen its battery life improve by 30% as well. It also has an improved lens that results in improved images of course and built-in WiFi that is now four times faster than in the past.

The Silver Edition has seen similar upgrades in terms of size reduction but now has the ability to shoot 1080p video at 60 fps and 720p at 120 fps. It also has an improved image processor and faster WiFi as well.

Both models will be available later in the week with the Silver selling for $299 and Black carrying a price tag of $399. The original Hero 3 model will remain on sale at a discounted price of $199.

I've Joined the Team at Answers.com!

Last week I shared a new outlet that I am writing for in the form of OutdoorX4 magazine and today I have another announcement to make it terms of where I'll be writing next. The team over at Answers.com have asked me to take over their Outdoor Life section and moving forward I'll be working on filling it in with hopefully interesting and informative stories about the outdoors. Unlike this site, with which I cover a lot of ongoing news about what is happening in the world of adventure, sprinkled in with some gear reviews, opinion pieces and a variety of other stories, I envision the Answers.com page to be filled with less time-sensitive information and more of a repository of good knowledge that can be accessed at any time. It will also be a place where I'll be reviewing gear and sharing thoughts on

At the moment I only have a couple articles in place. One offers a few beginner tips for buying your first backpack and the other is a review of the Mongoose Beast fat tire bike. I have big plans for filling in new things soon however, so hopefully the library of articles will grow steadily in the days and weeks ahead. 

With any luck (not to mention a bit of hard work!) I'd like to see the Outdoor Life section become a great resource for outdoor lovers everywhere. I hope you'll keep an eye on it as the page grows and possibly visit from time to time to see what's new. I'm looking forward to this new venture sprouting roots and becoming a nice additional outlet for sharing the passion for the outdoors that we all enjoy. 

Video: Jimmy Chin in Grand Teton: National Parks Epic Challenge

The third installment of the National Parks Epic Challenges video series from the National Park Foundation was released a few days back. This one features climber/skier/photographer Jimmy Chin doing his thing in Grand Teton National Park, which happens to be not far from his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The stunning video is an amazing showcase for the park and stands up to the other two videos we've seen in this series, which includes Alex Honnold climbing in Yosemite and Conrad Anker in Denali. Amazing stuff all around. I can't wait to see which park and adventurer is featured next.

Jimmy Chin in Grand Teton: National Parks Epic Challenge from National Park Foundation on Vimeo.

Himalaya Fall 2013: Second Round of Summit Bids Underway

After successful summits across the Himalaya last week a brief period of bad weather fell across much of the region. But this week things are clearing up and a new weather window is seems to be opening. These improved conditions are allowing a second round of summit pushes as climbers on various mountains make their move to top out. Over the next few days we should see more summits as the fall climbing season begins to heat up once again.

One of the most active mountains during last week's round of summit bids was Manaslu, where it is estimated that approximately 60 climbers topped out. Amongst them was Alan Arnette who posted a brief account of his summit bid on his blog. Alan calls the summit of Manaslu the scariest spot he has ever been in his climbing career, which includes Everest, thanks in no small part to its narrow approach ridge which had a drop of over 3000 feet (914 meters) on either side. As always, Alan provides good insights into climbing on the big peaks, but this dispatch was a bit short due to technical issues. He promises a longer account of the climb once he has returned home.

The work isn't wrapped up on Manaslu just yet however as more teams are making their summit bids this week. A number of international climbers, including teams from Romania, Spain and Italy, amongst others, are headed to Camp 3 today and should be looking to top out on Thursday of this week provided the weather remains cooperative. As the 8th highest peak in the world, Manaslu provides plenty of opportunities for sharpening mountaineering skills for preparation for a higher peak, such as Everest, in the spring.


On Cho Oyu more teams have begun their push as well. The Amical Alpin squad has moved up to Camp 3 where they are joined by a group led by Adventure Peaks. If all goes according to plan, both teams should make their final summit bids tomorrow.

Similarly a second round of summit attempts are underway on Shishapangma as well. 74-year old Carlos Soria is in Camp 3 today and should make his push to the top tomorrow or the next day. Rich Emerson of the Ski Shishapangma expedition has launched his second summit bid on the mountain as well and hopes to top out tomorrow or Thursday. If conditions are right he'll also make a ski descent too.

Over on Lhotse things are starting to develop. The Korean team that joined Italians Edmond Joyeusaz and Federico Colli on that mountain have begun building a makeshift route through the Khumbu Icefall, which should makes things easier and safer on that section of the climb. That team has also established Camp 1 and has spent some time their acclimatizing. For their part, the Italians have returned from Gorak Shep and are back up the mountain as well. They should be in Camp 2 today as they work towards getting their bodies ready for their own summit push to come. If they are successful, they also hope to ski back down the mountain.

Finally, Ueli Steck and Don Bowie have checked in from Annapurna. In a very brief message Ueli says that he went as high as 6000 meters (19,685 ft) last Friday but weather conditions shifted and heavy snow began to fall. As of this dispatch he and Don were back in ABC and waiting for conditions to approve. Hopefully we'll get more news soon.

That's all for today. Hopefully we'll have more news on summits tomorrow.