Video: Erik Weihenmayer Talks Paddling On The Rio Marañon In Peru

Adventurer Erik Weihenmayer is certainly one inspiring individual. Not only is he the first (and to date, only) blind person to climb Everest, he has also managed to compete in adventure races, compete in mountain biking events, and a number of other outdoor activities. He has even taken up kayaking, which must be terrifying for anyone who doesn't have the use of their eyes. Next year Erik plans to paddle the length of the Grand Canyon and as a training exercise for that expedition, he recently traveled to Peru to take on the Rio Marañon, which presents some similar challenges. In the video below, he talks about that adventure.

Thanks to Lou-Phi for sharing this video.

Rio Marañon with Erik Weihenmaye​r from peter gandesbery on Vimeo.

Winter Climbs 2014: Dujmovits Abandons Solo Nanga Parbat Expedition

Yesterday I posted an update on the winter climbing scene in Pakistan where several teams are hoping to make the first winter ascent of Nanga Parbat this year. So far those attempts have been stymied by bad weather conditions that have included high winds, cold temperatures and lots of snow. But with the forecast improving over the next few days, it seemed as if the climbers were preparing to truly get their acclimatization process under way at last. For one climber however, the risks on Nanga are just too great, so he has elected to pull the plug and go home.

As noted in my previous update, German climber Ralf Dujmovits was hoping to make a solo climb of the mountain and had recently arrived in Base Camp where he had been weighing his options for the best approach. What he found was that his intended route was far more difficult to find that he had anticipated and that it was was more dangerous as well. Ralf discovered that there were two massive ice towers precariously balanced just above where he would be climbing. He also estimated that it would take him approximately a day and a half to move past those towers, which would have been an awfully long time to be stuck under their shadow. So, weighing all of this information out and considering how fearsome Nanga Parbat is in the winter under the best of circumstances, he decided it was best to pull the plug on the expedition rather than tempt fate.

With the decision made, Ralf will now leave Pakistan and head for home. He knew that climbing the mountain solo in winter was going to be a major challenge no matter what, but the conditions even more dangerous than he had anticipated. I think the term "discretion is the better part of valor" is an apt one here.

This won't be the only solo attempt on Nanga this season however. Daniele Nardi will be arriving in Pakistan later in the month and he will attempt a solo summit along the Diamir face too.

Adventurer To Attempt To Swim Around Ireland

In my opinion, there are very few tests of endurance as grueling as a long distance swim. Spending hours in the water, generally isolated and alone, even with a support team, can be a mentally and

physically exhausting experience. Long distance swimmers burn calories quickly and are usually hungry and bordering on dehydration most of the time. It is a very tough activity, even for the hardiest of individuals, which is why I have enormous respect for those who take on such a challenge. Later this year, adventurer Ripley Davenport will attempt just such an undertaking when he will try to become the first person to swim around Ireland, covering a distance of roughly 850 miles (1367 km) in the process. 

The circumnavigation swim isn't set to get underway until sometime this summer, but the official website for the round Ireland swim is now online. Ripley says that he'll be swimming clockwise around the island country, starting at Derrynane, County Kerry. His route will take him out into the Atlantic Ocean before moving around the crown of Northern Ireland, through the Northern Channel, and turning south into the Irish Sea. From there, he'll swim across the Saint George Channel and into the Celtic Channel, as he once again returns to the Atlantic, and back to his starting location.

A support team will shadow Ripley aboard a yacht while he makes his swim and a paddler in a kayak will be close at hand at all times. Davenport will be in a wetsuit to help protect him from the chilling waters he'll face along the way and he'll carry a GPS tracker so we can all follow along with his progress as well. In preparation for the full journey, he also plans to make a 30-mile (48 km) open water swim in May as a prelude to the start of the challenge. 

Ripley will undertake his swim around Ireland in an effort to raise funds and awareness for MS Ireland, an organization that supports those suffering with Multiple Sclerosis in that country. Davenport was diagnosed with the disease back in 2011 and yet he continues to seek adventure at every opportunity. Being able to complete this swim will be an epic undertaking and a way of demonstrating that those with MS can still accomplish great things.

Good luck to Ripley. We'll be following along later this year. 

Video: Dreamscapes In Timelapse

If you're looking for a beautiful and inspirational way to kick off a new year, than look no further than the video below. It features some amazing landscapes captured in timelapse and the results are nothing short of spectacular. Definitely a great way to start 2014.

Dreamscapes from Jonathan Besler on Vimeo.

Video: Paragliding The High Atlas Mountains

In April of 2013, two friends set out to traverse the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco by paraglider. The video below is a short film of that journey, which took 13 days to complete. The dialog of the film is all in French, which makes it difficult to understand much of the time, but the footage more than makes up for it with stunning scenery along the way. This is a great example of a unique adventure and a very cool way to explore a new region.

Traversée du Haut-Atlas en "Vol-Bivouac" from Guigui on Vimeo.

Winter Climbs 2014: News From Nanga Pabat

The winter climbing season is now in full swing with most of the attention this year being focused on Nanga Parbat. As previously noted, there will be three teams attempting to make the first winter ascent of that 8126 meters (26,660 ft) peak, with all of them now on the mountain and taking a long look at the challenges that await them.

The Polish Justice For All Team, which has been in Pakistan the longest, is reporting that they have gone as high as 5500 meters (18,044 ft), where they have stored gear in anticipation of eventually shuttling it up to Camp 1. But poor weather, including high winds and heavy snows, have kept them in Base Camp for now. The forecast indicates that things should be improving over the next few days, which will allow them to push ahead with their acclimatization and scout their intended route up the mountain.

The North Face Team consisting of Simone Moro, David Gottler and Emilio Previtali are also in BC where they are awaiting improved weather as well. They arrived after Christmas but have quickly set up camp but have been stymied by hurricane force winds thus far. With the weather set to take a turn for the better, they'll hopefully be able to start their acclimatization as well.


Ralf Dujmovits hopes to make one of the most epic climbs in mountaineering history by going solo on Nanga above 5500 meters. After acclimatizing on Aconcagua in mid-December, he barely stopped home in Germany before heading to Pakistan. He is now on the mountain and reports that conditions are not great all around. His intended route passes below two precarious ice columns, which appear as if they could collapse at any time. Worse yet, conditions there are making for slow going, and his route would leave him in the shadow of those columns for a good day and a half of climbing, a risk he's not sure he wants to take at this point. The heavy snows have covered the intended route as well, which is making it difficult to spot. All of these challenges are in play, before he has even begun the ascent of Nanga, which is considered one of the most dangerous and difficult mountains in the world.

ExWeb is also reporting that Daniele Nardi will be heading to Nanga at the end of January and will be attempting a winter ascent as well. That is a bit of a late start to a winter climb, but should still provide plenty of time if conditions are right.

Finally, on a different note, Lonnie Dupre had been planning on having another go at a solo-summit of Denali in Winter, but has delayed that attempt until December of 2014. After three consecutive years on the mountain, he'll now take this January off and look ahead to next. As someone who has followed each of those previous expeditions, I'll miss following Lonnie's adventure this year.

More updates soon, as there will likely be more winter expeditions added shortly.

Antarctica 2013: Expedition Updates!

After a holiday hiatus, it is time to get back to work and caught up on everything going on in the world of adventure. That starts with checking in on the happenings in the Antarctic, where despite the holidays the teams have remained busy, including some reaching the South Pole at long last.

Chief amongst those reaching the Pole were the Scott Expedition, which arrived at 90ºS on December 26. That was the culmination of more 63 days out on the ice and was a major milestone for Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere. But, if you've been following their journey you already know that the South Pole was only the halfway point of the expedition. The have now made the turn and are headed back towards the coast, which will be their ultimate finish line. With that in mind, they are taking a rest day today and are still looking at another 770 miles (1239 km) to go before they are done. With the clock starting to tick on the current Antarctic season, they still have a long way to go as time begins to run short. Fortunately, the return trip should be faster and easier.

Also arriving at the South Pole was Aussie Geoff Wilson. He has been kite skiing to the bottom of the world for weeks now, and even though he arrived bruised and battered, he has also started his return journey. The winds will be more favorable on the way back to the coast as well, which should make that portion of the expedition much quicker. Still, Geoff has taken his share of lumps on the expedition so far, and he's not done just yet either.


Richard Parks is nearing 90ºS as well and should arrive possibly as early as today or tomorrow. There hasn't been an update from him in a few days now, but based on his average distances covered, he should be quite close. His opportunity to break the speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole has come and gone, but he is still putting in a tremendous effort as he nears the end of the expedition. It appears that he'll finish up in roughly 30 days, which is impressive to say the least.

As of yesterday, Lewis Clarke still had 269 miles (432 km) to cover in his bid to become the youngest person to ever ski to the South Pole. In recent days that has become all the more challenging thanks to the endless amount of sastrugi that are covering the ice. It has been a tough slog thus far and the challenges of the journey have taken their toll, but the 16-year old remains determined to reach the finish line and set the new record. That looks like it is still a couple weeks off however.

Antarctic mountain biker Daniel Burton continues to push forward in his quest to become the first to ride the full distance to the South Pole. In an effort to pick up the pace some, he has dropped extra gear and supplies and now looks to cover an average of 20 miles (32 km) per day. Adding in three rest days to the schedule, Daniel now estimates he'll reach the South Pole around the 20th of January. That is nearly three more weeks of hard riding before he is done. That date will also start to get close to the end of the season as well.

Finally, Chris and Marty Fagan continue their push towards the South Pole. The husband and wife team are now 206 miles out from their finish line, with the two endurance athletes making solid progress on a daily basis. They are dealing with more sastrugi as they near the end as well, but seem to be taking these challenges in stride and are moving forward with a positive attitude. At their current pace, they'll probably wrap up their expedition around the middle of the month.

That's all for today. I'll post more updates tomorrow and as news breaks.