The Sierra Nevada Mountain range can be treacherous for hikers hoping to cross in early summer, when freezing temperatures and deep snow still linger. In this video, we bundle up, grab our ice axes, and brave the steep slopes of the Sierras. We find that melting snow, buried trail, and rushing rivers add a thrilling dimension to the breathtaking beauty of this mountain wilderness.
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: The Desert — When the going gets hot
Walking the the 700-mile-long desert section of this long-distance trail can be uniquely challenging. Extreme temperatures, long waterless stretches, and high winds test the mettle of even the most experienced hikers. In this video, we give tips on how to travel safely through this spectacular but harsh environment, from the Mexican border to the foothills of California’s tallest mountains.
Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: The Gear
On a long-distance hike like the Pacific Crest Trail, what you carry on your back is everything.
This summer, my girlfriend Katie and I walked the 2,663-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. The journey took us across the Mojave desert, over the remote, snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, and through a spectacular and constantly changing wilderness landscape.
We found that three carefully chosen big-ticket gear items — our backpacks, sleeping bags, and tent — went a long way toward making our journey possible. In this video, we talk about “the big three,” give tips for selecting and caring for gear, and explain why the right gear is crucial to a successful long-distance hike.
16-year old girl climbing tallest mountain in Antarctica
While most girls her age are more concerned about which boys will be asking them out this weekend, Crina Popescu has loftier goals in mind. The 16-year old Romanina girl is currently in Antarctica, where she is climbing Mt. Vinson, the tallest mountain on that continent. If successful, she hopes to go to Everest in the spring and take a shot at becoming the youngest woman to complete the Seven Summits.
Standing 16,050 feet in height, what Vinson lacks in altitude it makes up for in challenge, due in no small part thanks to the extreme weather. Temperatures on the mountain can plummett well below zero, with -30 degrees Faherenheit not being unheard of. Throw in high winds and heavy snow fall and you start to see the difficulty climbers face. Additionally, due to the very low barometric pressure as you get closer to the South Pole, the altitude actually seems much higher than it actually is. Fortunately, the weather is fantastic on Vinson at the moment, which means a number of climbing teams, including Crina’s, are preparing to make summit bids.
The teenager has plenty of mountaineering experience under her belt, despite her young age. She has already climbed in the Alps, the Himalaya, Iran, and beyond. Vinson also marks the sixth mountain in her Seven Summits bid, which is an attempt to climb the tallest mountain on all seven continents. With Vinson out of the way, Everest will remain the only obstacle left in her quest.
If the weather holds, look for the Romanian teen to take her countries flag to the summit this weekend.
[Photo credit: Crina Popescu]
Outdoor athlete skis and climbs 2 million vertical feet in one year
Outdoor athlete Greg Hill finished off a vary busy 2010 last Thursday by completing his quest to climb and ski 2 million vertical feet in a single calendar year. The final run came on the slopes of Revelstoke Mountain, located in British Columbia, Canada, not far from where Hill calls home, while a group of friends and family looked on.
Hill’s grand ski adventure got underway on January 1st of last year when he started his quest to hit the magical 2 million feet mark. That quest would take him all over the world as he scrambled to ski as many days as possible over the course of a 365 day period. In order to reach his lofty goal, Hill would need to ski, and climb, an average of roughly 5480 feet each and every day of the year.
It turns out he actually hit the slopes about 270 days of the year instead, which is a big increase from his previous high of 145 days in a single year. Over those 270 days, he averaged about 7400 feet of climbing and skiing in all kinds of weather including howling winds and blowing snow
. His biggest day on the slopes was a 12-hour marathon that saw him cover 23,000 feet both up and down. Hill also made 8 first descents, which in skiing vernacular means he became the first person to ski down a mountain face. Along the way, He also summited 71 different mountains, which is an impressive number in and of itself.
It is difficult to put into perspective exactly what Hill accomplished in his year-long adventure. It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and stamina to climb and ski 2 million feet in such a relatively short time, but it requires a bit of luck as well. One wrong turn on the skis or a slip and a fall while climbing, and the entire thing could have been over. Still, none of that happened, and Hill stayed healthy and focused throughout the year, even when it looked like he was falling well off the pace. In the end, he not only reached his goal, but he did it with one day to spare.
Just in time to enjoy the arrival of a new year and some much deserved rest. Knowing Greg, he probably went skiing instead.
[Photo credit: Tommy Chandler/Backcountry.com]