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Climbing

Photos show effects of climate change on Everest

by Kraig Becker on Jul 21, 2010

A new series of photos from the Himalaya reveal the undeniable effects of global climate change on the glaciers there. This is especially evident on Mt. Everest, where comparative shots from 1921 show just how much the Rongbuk Glacier has retreated over the past 89 years.

Filmmaker and mountaineer David Breashears made the journey to Everest’s North Side, where explorer George Mallory once took a very famous photo of the mountain. Standing in the very spot where Mallory once shot his image, Breashears took a new one, and the differences between the two are startling. In the earlier photo, a thick layer of snow and ice stretches far down the valley, but in the one taken by Breashears, the glacier has withered dramatically. In fact, the Rongbuk has lost more than 320 vertical feet since Mallory shot his photo.

Over the past few years, Breashears has visited a number of other famous mountains throughout Nepal, Tibet, and Pakistan as well. While there, he took similar photos, and each case he discovered a significant loss of glacial ice, which is particularly troubling considering that the Himalayan glaciers are the Earth’s largest sub-polar ice reserves. The loss of that ice has already had a direct and profound impact on the mountains and the people that live there, many of whom now have to walk for hours each day just to find fresh water.

Breashears has taken his collection of photos and created an exhibit known as Rivers of Ice, which just went on display last week at the Asia Society, located in Manhattan. The photos will be open to the public to see until August 15, giving visitors a chance to witness the changes for themselves.

[Photo credit: AFP]

Climbing management plan in the works for Arches National Park

by Kraig Becker on Jul 19, 2010

Arches National Park, located in eastern Utah, not far from Moab, is a very popular destination for climbers and hikers who come to explore the unusual rock formations and deep canyons. The park is famous for its more than 2000 natural rock arches carved out of the sandstone by millions of years of weathering and erosion.

The most famous of those formations is Delicate Arch, a 52 foot tall monument that actually appears on Utah’s license plates. The geological phenomenon seems aptly named, as even though it is made of rock, it is also easily damaged. This was illustrated all too clearly back in 2006 when rock climber Dean Potter scaled the Arch and his ropes left grooves in the sand stone face.The park service quickly responded by restricting climbing within the park, much to the dismay of the climbers who frequented the place.

Now, more than four years after Potter’s controversial climb, the park service is finally working on a formal plan to manage climbing within Arches. That plan has a few basic goals that include protecting the park’s natural resources for future generations to enjoy, while still allowing climbers access to those resources in a safe way that doesn’t damage the rock. The plan also strives to protect the plant and animal life in the park, while engaging the climbing community in a cooperative stewardship program that helps to protect those natural resources as well.

The management plan has a long way to go, as it has just entered the public scoping period in which the park service calls for input from the general public. Moving forward, they’ll also try to define a code of ethics for climbers in the park, clearly define routes, institute a permitting system, and plan out their rescue operations considerations, amongst a host of other issues.

Arches is indeed a spectacular destination for outdoor enthusiasts looking for amazing scenery while they hike or climb. This plan will ensure that visitors to the park will continue to have access to the great natural resources available there, while using them in a safe, ethical way. If you have an opinion on the direction that this plan should go, be sure to weigh in with your thoughts now. You’ll find more information on how to do just that by clicking here.

[Photo credit: Palacemusic via WikiMedia Commons]

New adventure festival celebrates South African explorers

by Kraig Becker on Jul 18, 2010

What do you get when you mix the Banff Film Festival with TED Talks in a celebration of adventure and exploration? You get an all new adventure festival called FEAT that will make its debut in Johannesburg, South Africa later this year, promising us “1 night, 12 adventurers, Seven minutes each.”

FEAT, which stands for Fascinating Expeditions & Adventure Talks, is being billed as the ultimate armchair adventure experience, and with good reason. The festival will feature 12 outstanding explorers, all of which are from South Africa, who will have exactly seven minutes, no more and no less, to share an experience from a recent expedition. This format means that the speakers will have to stay on topic, remain focused on their message, and tell their tale quickly if they hope to share these important elements from one of their adventures. What they share is completely up to them. It could be something they learned about the world around them or even something they learned about themselves, but no matter what it is, they have just seven minutes to convey that experience through their own words and a some carefully selected photographs.

Some of the guests for the evening include Kyle Meenehan, who once circumnavigated South Africa on foot and Mandy Ramsden who is the first African woman to climb the Seven Summits. They’ll be joined on stage by Pierre Carter, who is hoping to paraglide from the top of the highest mountain on each continent and Riaan Manser, who has ridden his bike around the entire African continent and circumnavigated Madagascar in a kayak as well.

Tickets for the event will go on sale Monday, August 2nd, at Computicket. The actual event will take place on October 7th at the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, and if you’re going to be in the area in early October, I highly recommend you plan on taking part in the festivities. It seems like it is going to be a fun and fascinating evening.

Obamas visit Acadia National Park this weekend

by Kraig Becker on Jul 17, 2010

Last summer the First Family spent some of their vacation time in Yellowstone National Park, one of the most popular and iconic parks in the entire U.S. system. It seems Barack, Michelle, and the girls enjoyed their visit so much that they decided to check out another one of the amazing national parks, this time opting to spend the weekend in Acadia National Park, just outside Bar Harbor, Maine.

The Obamas arrived in Bar Harbor yesterday and had a full day of activities already planned. Upon arrival, they immediately went for a bike ride along a secluded trail that had been cleared by a team of park rangers and the Secret Service. After that, it was off to the top of Cadillac Mountain, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside from its 1530 foot summit. Later, the foursome would explore Frenchman Bay by boat, although that tour was cut short when bad weather moved in. The rest of the weekend will be filled with similar outdoor activities, with some quiet relaxation mixed in as well.

Acadia is a wonderful destination for those looking for an active escape. The park offers great road cycling routes, fantastic sea kayaking, and some of the best hiking in the northeast. For the more adventurous, the granite cliffs make for great climbing and the backwoods camping offers plenty of peace and solitude, even when you don’t have your own Secret Service agents to clear the area.

If the park is good enough for the First Family, it’s probably good for yours too.

[Photo credit: AP/Charles Dharapak]

Travel + Leisure picks the best tour operators and safari outfitters

by Kraig Becker on Jul 13, 2010

A few days back we told you about Travel + Leisure magazine’s picks for the world’s best hotels, which are part of their annual World’s Best Awards in which T+L readers select the very best in travel from around the globe. Other categories in the survey include selections for best cities, islands, airlines, and more.

Of particular interest to adventurous travelers are the magazine’s selections for the Top 20 Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters which shines the spotlight on some of the best adventure travel companies in the world. The selections are a result of readers ranking the various companies in six unique criteria including staff/guides, itineraries/destinations, activities, accommodations, food, and value. Respondents to the survey were asked to rate the the characteristics from 1 to 5, with 5 representing an “excellent” rating and a 1 delivering a “poor” score. The averages of the component ratings were then used to assign each of the tour operators a ranking on the Travel + Leisure list.

The best tour operators and safari outfitters in the world, according to the readers of Travel + Leisure are:

Each of those are excellent adventure travel companies with a wide variety of options, allowing travelers to visit remote and spectacular places around the world.