Motorola Sponsoring an Attempt at the World’s Highest Cellphone Call

by Justin Glow on

From Engadget, “In a rather silly publicity stunt sponsored by Motorola, Bader will attempt to climb Mount Everest in late May, and, weather permitting, place a phone call from the summit through a tower located in China that has a clear line of sight to the north side of the peak.”

I can see so many ways that this can go wrong for Motorola: Motorola Sponsors Everest Death. Motorola Sponsors Dropped Call From Mt. Everest. I wonder who he’ll call? Motorola better make sure it’s someone from their team, otherwise in a few months we’re going to hear things like, “yeah, it came through but there was horrible reception!” in the news.

U.S. Geological Survey Bench Marks for Sale

by Neil Woodburn on

If you’ve ever summited a peak in the United States, you might recognize the little metal tag to the right.

The U.S. Geological Survey has affixed these buttons atop mountain peaks throughout the United States. Each “bench mark” is stamped with the name of the peak and its elevation above sea level.

Occasionally, very bad mountain climbers will pry the tags off as souvenirs for having summited. But now there is a much better alternative. GeoSitu.com prints pewter replicas of the bench marks. Those who have conquered a particular peak can then go online to purchase a memento of their accomplishment. Pretty cool!

The Mt. Rainier example above is 3.25 inches in diameter and costs $34.95. It’s a little pricey, but hey, it’s better than stealing!

Grain Silos As Ice Climbing Walls

by Willy Volk on

If you want to practice your ice climbing skills, strap on your crampons and head to Iowa. Although Iowa does boast Hawkeye Point — towering over the rest of the State at a mighty 1670 feet — the farming state is relatively flat. So what are people climbing? The only tall, vertical faces in Cedar Falls: grain silos.

Each winter a local man, Don Briggs — a physical education instructor at the University of Northern Iowa and an accomplished climber himself — hoists hundreds of feet of garden hose to the top of four empty grain bins, turns on the spigots, and lets the water cascade down, forming 70-foot-tall ice climbing walls, Iowa-style. According to Briggs, the ice is up to four feet thick, and it constantly changes shape as it melts and refreezes.

To satisfy the needs of the hundreds of climbers Briggs’ silos see, he converted one of the farm’s outbuildings into an equipment shed, and a cattle barn became the climbers’ lounge.

The silos, when covered with ice, are amazing and gorgeous. To see a few stunning shots of the climbing walls, check out Iowa Farmer Today or the LA Times, two papers which have probably never before been mentioned together.

Ice Climbing in the Gym

by Neil Woodburn on

Interested in trying your hand at ice climbing but don’t want to bother with the cold? Or, the ice, for that matter?

The Lincoln Park Athletic Club in Chicago offers a 40-foot-tall simulated ice sheet composed of self-healing “closed cell” foam. Slam your ice ax and crampons into the foam and it heals up a moment later.

Cost is $20 a day and climbers must first be certified by the club.

The only problem is that it is located outside, so if you want to try it out in the cold Chicago weather, you may as well go and find the real thing.

Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip

by Jamie Rhein on

Suppose you have time-lots of it. Let’s say you have 44 weeks. Perhaps you’d like to go overland from Morocco to South Africa by way of Egypt. Here’s a travel adventure that will take you through 10 game parks, various cultural and historical landmarks, and enough thrills like rafting and tandem sky diving that you’ll have stories to tell for years. Countries not typical as tourist hot spots are included in the mix. Angola, for example, has only allowed tourists in since 2004.

In Angola you’ll see Portuguese influenced architecture and gorgeous beaches besides the 3rd largest statue of Jesus in the world. The other countries in this multi-stop, pack-in-variety approach are: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRCongo Zaire, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The highlights of this tour calledTrans Africa. Europe–CapeTown-Nairobi-Istanbul read like a cross between an outdoor wilderness experience, a cultural bonanza and a journey through an African history book. Read the itinerary and you might find yourself chomping to take this trip on. I sure am. R&R opportunities and the chance to luxuriate are built in. Africa Travel Center also offers shorter version African adventures where only parts of this trip are included.

* photo taken in Benguela, Angola by zokete.