Climber hopes to make solo summit of Denali in January

Standing 20,320 feet in height, Alaska‘s Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Due to its extreme weather conditions throughout most of the year, it is typically only climbed in June and July, when the short Alaskan summer allows for the best access to the summit. But in January, mountaineer and polar explorer Lonnie Dupre will attempt the unthinkable – a solo summit in the dead of winter.

The 49 year old Dupre is no stranger to cold climes. He has spent much of his adult life exploring the polar regions of our planet on foot or by kayak and dogsled. During his illustrious career Dupre has visited remote regions of Siberia, completed a Northwest Passage crossing by dogsled, circumnavigated Greenland, and visited the North Pole.

But a solo summit of Denali in January will be a completely different kind of challenge. In fact, only 16 people have ever reached the summit in winter at all, and it has only been successfully climbed in January on one other occasion when a team of three Russian mountaineers topped out back in 1998. Additionally, there have been six deaths on Denali as a result of attempted climbs during the winter.

As you would expect, January is the coldest month of the year on the mountain, but adding to the challenge is the perpetual darkness that shrouds the region during the long Alaskan winters. To avoid the cold, dangerous winds, Dupre plans to take shelter in ice caves that he’ll dig himself and won’t even carry a tent along on the climb, something that the Russian team did on their successful climb as well. He’ll also have to deal with 24 hours of darkness during his climb, which adds to the psychological challenges as well.

If everything goes as planned, Dupre should depart from his home in Minnesota today for Talkeetna, Alaska, where he’ll put the finishing touches on the preparation for his expedition. He hopes to reach the summit of Denali before January 31st.

[Photo credit: Bob Webster via WikiMedia]

Photo of the Day (10.19.10)

If you’ve ever thought that running up a mountain sounds like a good way to spend your weekend and you have some free time in the coming week, pack your bags & get to the State of Sabah on the island of Borneo. This Saturday & Sunday, the 24th annual Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon will be taking place, marking the last event of the 2010 Skyrunner World Series. The Skyrunner series consists of five major races throughout the year, each at a minimum altitude of 2,000 meters.

This photo, titled ‘end of the world’, was shot by Flickr user stefaniembutler on the plateau of Mt. Kinabalu (the highest mountain in Southeast Asia). The climbers dwarfed by the jagged rock formation and mountains far below make a great image; enticing enough to make me want to climb it… but run it? No thanks. Skyrunners, I salute you.

Have you stumbled upon a festival or competition that deserves some recognition? Do you have a hobby that’s cooler than Skyrunning? Share it with us! Submit your photos to Gadling’s Flickr Pool & it could be our next Photo of the Day!

Disgusting tourists use Uluru as a toilet

The otherworldly red rock of Uluru (Ayers Rock) that rises above a flat expanse of Australia‘s Northern Territory has long been considered a sacred site to the native Aboriginal people. Against their wishes, over 100,000 people climb the rock, which is just over 1100 feet tall, each year. Recently, the National Parks service proposed a plan that would close Uluru to climbers.

There were many reasons given for the proposed climbing ban, including the site’s significance to the Aboriginal people, increased erosion on the rock, and the danger involved in climbing the rock(it is estimated that around 35 people die while attempting to scale it each year). A guide for the Anangu Waai tour company has now cited another reason – people are using the sacred spot as a toilet. After they get to the top, they take a “bathroom break” out of sight before starting their descent. It’s an idea so revolting that you hope it can’t possibly be true, but the director of the National Parks has backed it up. He says that in busy times, the levels of E. coli at the base of Uluru reach dangerous levels as the filth washes down the rock with the rain.

The Northern Territory government opposes the proposal. If Uluru were to be closed to hikers, fewer people might visit, and the area’s tourism industry could suffer. As per usual, environmental and social ideals become tangled with economic concerns and the country’s Environmental Minister will have to consider both when he makes his decision on a 10-year plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which he says will be made “in due course”. Looks like it you want to climb Uluru, you should get there now….but please hit the bathroom before you go.

[via Times Online]

Half a century atop El Capitan

Fifty years ago, Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan was climbed for the first time. Today, we celebrate that milestone with a continuation of the initial effort. Let’s face it, nobody will ever be first again, but you can still be part of the tradition.

Once upon a time, El Capitan was thought to be insurmountable, due in large part to a 3,000-foot granite cliff. Warren Harding assembled a small team and invested 47 days over more than a year in setting up climbing hardware and logistics to get to the top. The final drive took 12 days. This led to the glory of being first.

Today, the climb is considerably different.

Six months ago, two climbers made the summit in a hair more than 2 ½ hours. Modern equipment, advanced dietary technology and improved clothing have made this possible. That being said, the view from the top remains the view from the top.

Check out the video after the jump.

Plane Answers: Runway numbers, climbs and descents, becoming a pilot

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Dave asks:

I am a frequent flyer on several airlines (SW, UAL, Alaska). I have been flying for 25 years but always wondered about the runway numbers. I am not a pilot, but I thought the numbers had something to do with compass readings. 14L was 140 degrees. Is that correct? If I’m wrong, what do they mean?

You’re absolutely right, Dave. The magnetic headings, minus the last digit, represent the runway number. So yes, runway 14 may be 143 degrees.

If there are parallel runways, they’ll name the left one 14L and the right one 14R. If there are three it’s usually 14L,C & R. And sometimes they’ll have a parallel that’s organized for example like Miami, as 8L, 8R, and 9, even though they’re all the same direction. 9 just happens to be further away and south of the terminal.

These same runways are named 27, 26L, and 26R going in the opposite direction. Also, contrary to what you might see on TV and in the movies, we call them two-six right and not twenty-six right.
Herbert asked:

I used to work for an airline, so I’ve done a lot of travel. But there’s one thing that I’ve never understood: What determines your rate of descent and speed? The same for take off, do you climb at the fastest safe speed at the highest rate of ascent? Does it save gas by getting to cruise level quickly or slowly?

We descend either at the airspeed ATC assigns us or the speed that the FMS computer calculates is the most economical, or at whatever speed we feel is a good compromise between on-time performance and fuel savings. Once we’ve decided on that speed, to start the descent the throttles are closed and we will come down at whatever rate, say 1500-3000 feet per minute, that the selected airspeed gives us.

Climbing is almost the same. We set the power at the maximum climb thrust, adjust the airspeed for efficiency or timeliness and we then climb at a rate of 1000 to 5000 feet per minute to our most efficient altitude, or whatever flight level ATC assigns us.

Getting to that cruise level as soon as possible and staying there as long as possible before starting our descent is the most efficient way to fly, generally.

Jean asks:

Hi Kent,

I’m 34 years-old with five children and it is my dream to become a commercial pilot. How can a man like me with no money accomplish my goal?

That’s a tough one, Jean. There’s no way to do it without any money unless you go the military route, and your age disqualifies you for that.

That said, I’ve had friends who were rather broke but they managed to fly a few hours every week to earn their private pilot’s license. They were still in college and managed to starve a bit in the process, though.

For them, it was possible to share the aircraft rental costs with friends and worked toward their commercial and flight instructor ratings.

After acquiring their instructor ratings, at least they didn’t have to pay to fly. In fact, flight instructors can make around $20 to $40 per flight hour. If you reach this milestone, you may be able to instruct on the weekends if you’re lucky to find a small airport nearby that offers flight training. After that, it’s a matter of building flight time and gaining some multi-engine experience (perhaps as an instructor) before landing a job at a commercial operator, whether that’s at a corporate flight department, a small freight operation or a regional airline.

This is the most common civilian route. Others have had good luck towing banners or flying traffic report aircraft for radio stations.

Like many career paths today, it’s not easy to land a job right away. And with the industry concentrating on shrinking to survive, now isn’t the best environment. And you might get stuck along the way either at the flight instructor level, or in a time-building job that doesn’t pay well.

But surely the hiring will turn around and you could be in a position to advance if that’s the case. You’ll have to take it step-by-step, but I assure you, each step along the way can be fun.

As for your age, I did talk about this a few months ago. I’ve heard stories of people learning to fly well into their 30’s who ended up at the airlines. And now that the mandatory retirement age has changed from 60 to 65, you’re effectively five years younger.

If you still want to do it, the first step is to check out this site: www.beapilot.com

Good luck!

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Friday’s Plane Answers feature.