Have a winter adventure of your own in Vancouver

by Kraig Becker on

Planning on heading to the Winter Olympics in a few weeks? Looking for something to do while you’re not busy with the curling match between Switzerland and Denmark? Perhaps you’d enjoy a little outdoor activity of your own while visiting beautiful British Columbia? Then you’re definitely headed to the right place, as Vancouver Island is one of the best adventure travel destinations in the world, no matter what season you go.

For winter adventures, the options are nearly endless. The snow begins falling on Vancouver Island in November and tends to stick around until late March, with the surrounding mountains remaining covered in the white stuff until well into the spring. Once the snow does start flying however, the local ski resorts, Mount Washington and Mount Cain, open for business offering great skiing and snowboarding for the beginner and the experienced snow bum alike. Mount Washington is the larger of the two, and more centrally located, and although Mount Cain is smaller, it is also a bit more remote and often less crowded. Both offer plenty of great runs, but if you’re more in the mood for cross country skiing, then go with Mount Washington, which has more than 34 miles of groomed trails and gets as much as 30 feet of snow annually.

If sliding down (or around) a mountain with skis strapped to your feet isn’t your cup of tea, then head to Vancouver’s West Coast to take in one of the other popular winter activities – storm watching. The raw power of the Pacific Ocean is regularly unleashed on the shoreline, with eight to ten foot waves smashing against the rocks, high winds pounding the cliffs, and copious amounts of snow and and rain blowing in off the water. Fortunately, there are a number of great viewing spots out of the gale force winds. Check out the Snug Harbour Inn or the Pacific Sands Resort for great views of nature’s raw power on full display.Vancouver Island is an incredibly beautiful place with mountain vistas and thick forests that are fun to explore year round. But the best way to visit the backcountry in the winter is on snowshoes, which are not only incredibly fun, but a great workout too. It’s the perfect way to spend the day away from the crowds and noise of the Olympic Village. But for a really amazing snowshoeing adventure, check out the Lantern Light Cross-Country and Snowshoeing tour around Mount Washington. This excursion hits the trail after dark, with a blanket of twinkling stars overhead and nothing but lanterns to light the trail ahead. It’s an experience you won’t soon forget.

There are plenty of other options for outdoor winter adventures on the island as well. For instance, snowmobiling is a popular pass time, with hundreds of miles of logging roads and backcountry trails open for exploration. Alternatively, consider packing a four-season tent and warm sleeping bag to go camping while you’re there, as there are camp sites open even in the winter months.

These activities are just a taste of what Vancouver Island has to offer, and once you get a chance to experience it all for yourself, you’ll want to book a return trip in the summer. When the snow melts, there is an entirely new set of outdoor activities to entice you to come back. From hiking to sea kayaking to mountain biking, Vancouver is equally intriguing in the summer as it is in the winter.

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New glaciers discovered in European mountains

by Kraig Becker on

British geographers from the University of Manchester have discovered four previously unknown glaciers while on a recent expedition to the “cursed” Prokletije mountains of Albania. The discovery was published in the December issue of Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, ahead of a full scholarly paper to be released later this year.

The newly found glaciers are located unusually low on the mountains,, beginning at roughly 6500 feet. But despite that, their existence has gone unnoticed for so long because the region has been embroiled in war and chaos for decades. Over the past decade some semblance of order has been achieved in the region, and it has allowed expeditions to explore the mountains more fully. The peaks are considered cursed by the locals, so few have ever ventured up their slopes.

The researchers from the university were completely surprised by their discovery. They suspect that other than a few local shepherds, no one else was even aware of the existence of the glaicers. They were also surprised to find them at such low altitudes and so far south. Glaciers at the same latitude are generally found much higher on mountains, but ample snow fall and cool temperatures all year long, help to feed these patches of snow.

By all accounts, the Prokletije mountains are said to be quite beautiful, offering good opportunities for trekking and backpacking throughout the area. The discovery of the glaciers is likely to make the region even more appealing to adventurous travelers looking to visit an area that has been mostly off limits for years.

Nokia Green Explorer — discover a new way to be an eco-friendly traveler

by Scott Carmichael on

During my visit to the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, I came across an interesting eco-friendly product from mobile phone maker Nokia. Their “Green Explorer” site is part destination guide, part eco-friendly guide, and part mobile guide service. The site covers all continents, and offers content from Lonely Planet, the WWF, UNESCO, routeRANK and TripSketch.

The end result of these 5 companies working together is a single “portal” of eco-friendly travel information, user submitted guides and photo galleries of each destination. The guides cover the basic things you’d expect, but adds information like the UNESCO world heritage locations, WWF eco facts and a green trip planner which allows you to calculate the most eco-friendly way to get there.

Because the site is part of the Nokia OVI labs, you can even tag locations and routes, and save them to your Nokia phone. Combined with the recently announced free navigation service and Lonely Planet guides from Nokia, you can turn your phone into an eco-friendly GPS unit. Add the Nokia CO2 offset application and you can create a pretty impressive green travel companion.

The user submitted content on the Green Explorer site is pretty limited, but the site is still quite new (and in beta phase). Once more people start adding their own content, the Nokia Green Explorer has the potential to turn into something very impressive.

Explore the Arctic with Hurtigruten Tours

by Katie Hammel on

Spitsbergen is the “last stop before the North Pole,” a cold, remote landscape of snow, ice, and arctic wildlife. And you can explore it with Hurtigruten, an adventure tour company.

While some of their longer tours may be prohibitively expensive for a lot of travelers (9-day tours cost around $5000 per person). they do offer a much more affordable 6-day Polar Encounters cruise starting at just over $1300 per person, plus airfare.

Passengers on the cruise will go ashore twice per day with an experienced guide, looking for glaciers, fjords, seals, whales, walruses, and polar bears. Stops include the towns of Longyearbyen, Barentsburg and Ny-Alesund, which vary in size for two thousand to less than two dozen residents.

Hurtigruten also offers cruises around Norway, Greenland, Antartica, the Baltics, and Western Europe.

[via Camels and Chocolate]

Return to the void with Simon Yates

by Kraig Becker on

Touching the Void is one of the most well known, and loved, mountaineering books of all time. It is so popular in fact, that it spawned a film of the same name. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, back in 1985 British climbers Simon Yates and Joe Simpson went to the Peruvian Andes to climb Siula Grande, a 20,814 foot peak. On the descent, Simpson fell, and broke his legs, which is usually a death sentence on a remote mountain. Yates did his best to try to bring his partner down, but eventually, thinking his friend was dead, he was forced to cut his rope while Joe dangled over a cliff. Simpson fell another hundred feet into a crevasse, but miraculously survived the fall. He then proceed to drag himself down the mountain over the course of the next several days, and in the process, spawned one of the great survival stories of the past 25 years.

Now, Simon Yates is heading back to the Andes as part of a trekking tour, and we’re all invited to go along with him. U.K. based adventure travel company World Expeditions is hosting two treks this fall along the legendary Huayhuash Circuit in Peru, with Yates serving as a guide. This will be the first time he has trekked through the region since that fateful trip back in 1985.

Some of the highlights of the trek include visits to ancient Inca ruins, an acclimatization day in Huaraz, and 13 days of trekking through the Cordillera Huayhuash and Blanca ranges of the Andes. Trekkers will climb as high as 16,400 feet while taking in spectacular views and absorbing plenty of local culture, in an area of Peru that still remains a bit off the radar of most travelers.

Of course, the real highlight for those making this trip will not doubt be the hike to base camp on Siula Grande, the very peak that made for such a dramatic backdrop for Yates and Simpson. We’re told that we can expect to hear first hand accounts of the events that took place on that mountain all those years ago, with Simon giving his personal account of what he saw and felt. It will no doubt be a moving and emotional experience for all, and a once in a life time opportunity for fans of the book.

The first trek, scheduled for September 4-22 is already sold out, but there are still openings to join the second trek, which runs from September 25 – October 13. To join the adventure, head on over to the Wold Expeditions trekking page to reserve your spot and to find out more information.