Articles tagged “adventure travel”

Filter the Adventure Travel category by popular activities:

Biking, Camping, Climbing, Hiking, Paddling, Scuba diving, Skiing, Surfing

Terra Nova Expedition Ship Discovered

by Sean McLachlan on


The ship that gave the name to Captain Robert Scott’s ill-fated Terra Nova expedition has been found in the waters off Greenland, the Schmidt Ocean Institute reports.

The SS Terra Nova took Scott’s British team to Antarctica in 1910. They raced to be the first to the South Pole but were beaten by Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian team by only a matter of days. On their way back, bad weather set in and Scott and several team members died.

The SS Terra Nova continued to work in Arctic and Antarctic waters before finally getting damaged by ice and sinking off Greenland in 1943. A ship from the Schmidt Ocean Institute was testing its multibeam mapping echo sounders when it discovered the ship deep in the frigid waters.

The testing was being carried out in preparation for a undersea survey planned for next year. Who knows what else they’ll discover!

[Photo of Terra Nova expedition courtesy NOAA]

Video: Badlands National Park

by Kraig Becker on

Badlands National Park is one of the more overlooked destinations in the entire American park system. Located in South Dakota, the park features otherworldly landscape where you would expect to spot NASA’s Curiosity Rover. Instead, sharp-eyed visitors will catch a glimpse of a surprisingly diverse amount of wildlife, including bison, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep and the elusive black-footed ferret.

The video below captures just a hint of the beauty that you’ll find in the park, which is punctuated with interesting displays of light and shadows. If you haven’t ever been to the Badlands, I highly recommend it.


“Badlands National Park” from Matt Brass on Vimeo.

Police Urge Hikers To Learn Orienteering Instead Of Relying On Smartphones

by Sean McLachlan on

Police in northern Scotland have issued a call for hikers to learn orienteering rather than relying on their smartphones for navigation, the BBC reports.

Grampian Police have had to lead four separate groups to safety in the past week. The latest rescue included the use of mountain rescue teams and a Royal Navy helicopter to retrieve 14 hikers. The hikers were in the Cairngorms, a rugged mountain range with some of the UK’s tallest peaks.

Police said that the growing use of smartphone apps for navigation can lead to trouble. People are relying too much on technology without actually understanding the world around them. Police then have to rescue them at taxpayer expense.

Hiking with an app sounds to me like the antithesis of hiking. Basic orienteering with a map and compass is not difficult to learn. I’ve been teaching my 6-year-old and his brain hasn’t melted. Not only do a map and compass not have to rely on getting a signal, but they help you understand the land better and give you a feel for your natural surroundings.

So please folks, if you’re going out into nature, actually interact with it!

Voyage To Rapanui: Sailing 10,000 Miles Without GPS, Maps Or Compass

by Kraig Becker on

In these modern times most of us have become very reliant on technology – some would say a bit too much so. But no one will accuse the 24 sailors on the Voyage to Rapanui expedition of being too technology dependent. The group will soon set off on an ocean journey that will see them crossing more than 10,000 miles of open water without the use of any kind of modern navigational tool. That means they’ll be sailing the Pacific Ocean without GPS, a compass or even maps of any kind. Instead they’ll use traditional navigational techniques, which date back thousands of years, to help them find the way to their remote destination.

Each of the sailors on this journey are Māori – the indigenous Polynesian people who live in New Zealand. Their ancestors once sailed the Pacific Ocean using only the movement of the currents and the sun, moon and stars to guide them safely across the sea. These modern day explorers intend to do the same and recapture a bit of their cultural heritage in the process. Their destination is the island of Rapanui, better known as Easter Island, which is one of the most remote places on our planet. Locating it without navigational charts could be akin to finding a needle in a haystack, however.

The team will split into two crews of 12 with each crew manning a traditional double-hulled Māori sailing canoe. Sometime in the next few days they’ll set out from New Zealand and begin the long journey to Easter Island. Ironically they’ll be using social media to keep all of us updated on their progress with a Twitter feed, Facebook page and Google+ account all dedicated to the voyage.

[Photo courtesy of WakaTapu.com]

The Mountain Collective Offers Great Savings For Skiers

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday four of the biggest and best independent ski resorts in North America announced that they are joining forces to offer skiers and snowboarders unprecedented options for the coming winter. This new alliance, dubbed the Mountain Collective, provides access to some of the premiere ski destinations in the entire world at an incredibly affordable price.

The four resorts that make up the Mountain Collective include Alta in Utah; Aspen/Snowmass in Colorado; Jackson Hole in Wyoming; and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows in California. Collectively these resorts offer visitors over 16,000 skiable acres, 104 lifts and eight unique mountains to explore. The best part of the announcement is that you’ll only need to buy one pass to enjoy all four destinations.

The Mountain Collective Pass, which went on sale yesterday, provides two free days at each resort and a 50 percent discount on unlimited lift tickets once those complimentary days are used up. Additionally, pass holders will be able to take advantage of discounts on lodging as well, earning as much as 25 percent off their stay. Adult passes purchased before November 19 are just $349 and passes for children under the age of 12 are $229.

I know it is hard to think about ski season in the heat of August, but this is an incredibly good deal for lift tickets to some of the best ski resorts in the world. If you’re the kind of person who eagerly counts down the days to the start of the ski season, you’ll definitely want to take advantage of this deal.

[Image credit: Alta Ski Area]


Introducing The Mountain Collective™ from Aspen/Snowmass on Vimeo.