The Longest Climb: from the Dead Sea to the summit of Everest

by Kraig Becker on

Many adventurers are driven to go to extremes. They visit remote places and seem to revel in the challenge and suffering that goes along with those expeditions. Back in 2006, a team of climbers from the U.K. took that philosophy to new limits, when they set out on an expedition that began at the Dead Sea and ended on the summit of Everest.

The team began their adventure at 1385 feet below sea level on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan, where they climbed aboard their bikes and proceeded to ride all the way Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain. The journey took more than six months to complete, and they faced about every type of weather imaginable along the way.

Upon reaching Everest, their challenges were just beginning of course. They still had to face the tallest mountain on the planet, and all of the difficulties that that entails. In the end, they reached the summit, located at 29,029 feet, having chalked up 30,414 feet of elevation gain along the way.

To get a taste of their journey, check out the video below, as the team goes from the lowest point on Earth to the highest, completely under their own power.

Climate change bugs climbers on Everest

by Kraig Becker on

In another ominous sign of global climate change, climbers on Mount Everest are reporting that they are finding house flies in Base Camp for the first time. According to this story from The Guardian, the insects began appearing earlier this year, catching mountaineers, including the Sherpas who call the Himalaya home, completely off guard.

Everest BC sits at 5360 meters (17,585 feet), an altitude that was considered too cold and in hospitable for most bugs in the past. But the appearance of the insects was just another indicator of the impact of global warming on the Khumbu Valley, which has seen its glaciers recede at a rate of 10-20 meters per year. Further evidence can also be found in the mountain villages, where water sources are running dry, forcing inhabitants to hike miles each day for supplies.

These changes are having a direct impact on the tourism to the region as well. Each year, hundreds of climbers come to Everest to make an attempt on the world’s tallest mountain, and hundreds more trekkers make the hike up to Base Camp, taking in the mountain scenery that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. But with water supplies dwindling, there is less for the visitors to the Khumbu to drink as well.

Worse yet, the warming is changing the summit of the mountain itself. In the article above, Dawa Sherpa, a mountain guide who has reached the top of the world twice, says that in years past, as many as 50 people could stand on the summit of Everest. Now, fewer than 18 can be at that point at the same time, thanks to the shrinking of the cornice. Worse yet, it is likely to get smaller still in the years ahead.

Climb a mountain for charity in 2010

by Kraig Becker on

The details for the 2010 Summit For Someone program were announced late last week, and registration has gone live this morning, allowing for experienced and aspiring mountaineers alike to climb a mountain for a cause next year. The program, which is sponsored by Backpacker Magazine, has become an annual fund raising event for Big City Mountaineers, an organization that enhances the lives of at risk urban kids by introducing them to a variety of outdoor activities.

The concept behind Summit For Someone is simple. You select a mountain that you would like like to climb from a list of iconic peaks, that includes the likes of Denali, Rainier, or Whitney, amongst others. Each mountain has a dollar value attached to it, and when you fill out the registration, you are committing to raising that amount of money for the Big City Mountaineers. Climbing Rainier, for instance, requires a pledge of $4000, while the more remote and technical Denali is $7500. You can choose to pay for the climb yourself or recruit your friends and family to sponsor your climb, but either way, the cash is going directly to a great cause.

Once you’re locked into your climb of choice, you’ll also receive a gift card for MountainGear.com that will help you pick out some of the equipment you’ll need for your adventure. The value of the gift cards also vary depending on the mountain you select. For instance, using the same two examples above, Rainier would garner you $800 in gear, while Denali nets you $1200 in loot.
For 2010, the Summit For Someone program has added a couple of new destinations and other options. One of the new mountains is Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, which will offer a technical climb very different from some of the other alpine challenges. Also, aspiring mountaineers who would like to build the skills necessary for future mountain adventures may want to sign up for the beginning mountaineering course that will take place in Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you’re starting to plan your 2010 adventures and the thought of a climbing expedition sounds enticing, than perhaps a Summit For Someone climb will be the perfect fit. Not only do you get to challenge yourself on an outdoor adventure, you’ll be doing it for a great cause as well. The trip will be rewarding on a number of different levels.

Paraplegic Athlete Climbing Kilimanjaro

by Kraig Becker on

Paraplegic athlete Chris Waddell is in the process of doing something spectacular. He is attempting to become the first person to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro without the use of his legs, and as of this writing he is camped at 18,000 feet, and preparing for the final push up to the summit.

Back in 1988, Waddell suffered a terrible skiing accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. But he was determined to get back on the slopes, and less than a year later he did, using a monoski to return to his passion. Two years later he was named to the U.S. Disabled Ski team, and he has since gone on to win 12 medals over four Paralympic games, making him the most decorated male skier in the event’s history.

Not content to just ski down the mountains however, Chris wants to climb them as well. To do so, he has devised a specially designed hand cart lovingly called the Bomba, which can maneuver over large obstacles while Waddell uses his arms to “pedal” it up hill. The Bomba is a unique, one of a kind, vehicle built to put Chris on top of Kilimanjaro, which at 19,340 feet, is the tallest mountain in Africa.

Chris is hoping that, through his climb, he can remind the world of all the amazing things that the disabled are capable of. He hopes to, once again, demonstrate that just because someone is “para” that it doesn’t mean that they have to lead a disabled life, and he is sending that message not only to those of us who can walk, but to the 21 million paraplegics in the world as well.

If everything goes as planned, Waddell and his team should reach the summit of Kilimanjaro sometime today. Keep an eye on his blog for updates from the summit. That last 1300 feet will be incredibly challenging for him, with a difficult route to the top, mixed with some snow, and the effects of altitude, but Chris has proven time and again that he can defy the odds when his goal is in sight.

Good luck today Chris!

U.S. Congreswoman’s husband dies on remote Himalayan peak

by Kraig Becker on

Clifton Maloney, the husband of U.S. Representative from New York Carolyn Maloney, has died while climbing in the Himalaya. The millionaire investment banker was 71 years old, and was on Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, reaching 26,906 feet in height.

Maloney was described as an avid adventurer who was into running, sailing, and climbing. He had competed in the New York City Marathon on 20 occasions and climbed all over the world. After successfully summitting Cho Oyu, he gained the distinction of being the oldest person to achieve that feat.

Following that successful summit, Maloney and his team descended to one of their prepared high camps to rest after a long day at altitude. Reportedly he told one of the other climbers “I am the happiest man in the world. I just climbed a beautiful mountain” before crawling into his sleeping bag for the night. He never woke up, and at this time the exact cause of his death is still unknown.

Located just 12 miles west of Mount Everest, Cho Oyu falls on the border between Nepal and Tibet, and despite its height, it is generally considered the easiest of the fourteen 8000 meter peaks. Because of this, there are numerous guided expeditions to the mountain each year. Maloney was climbing as part of one of these professional expeditions.

Maloney is survived not only by his wife, but two daughters, his mother and sister.