xpdnews

Training for the Pacific: Part 1

Sarah Outen — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:09:39 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

A little montage from training today. Gulliver is due out of captivity/Customs on Monday, and then the wet training begins!

Friday Photo: Rain in the Amazon

jamesborell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:12 +0000

We visited the Amazon in the dry season. Every day the water levels in the lakes and rivers would drop several inches, as daytime temperatures soared to the high thirties. Never the less, it’s called the rainforest because it rains, and when it rains it pours. It’s a difficult thing to photograph, because rain and [...]

50-Plus Explorers Report Antarctica Was Smooth Sailing

Jeff Blumenfeld — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:21:00 +0000

On Nov. 16, a team of five adventurers flew to Antarctica (See EN, December 2011). The team was led by Richard Weber (Canada), and included Chris de Lapuente (Britain); Kathy Braegger and Ruth Storm (USA); and Michael Archer (New Zealand). The team started skiing from the Ronne Ice Shelf at a location called the “Messner Start,” 900 km from the South Pole. After Braegger and de Lapuente dropped out due to sickness and infection, after 38 days, Weber, Archer and Storm reached the Pole. Storm returned from the Pole by aircraft.

After a frustrating period waiting four days for wind, Weber and Archer started their kite-skiing journey 1130 km back to the edge of the continent. Both spent ten days kiting and another three days waiting for wind. Most kiting days they covered about one degree of latitude (110 km). Their best day was 240 km.

They reached Hercules Inlet on the 57th day, January 17, 2012.

Weber reports, “Traveling across Antarctica is in many ways boring - endless white, no wildlife, the Messner Route has almost no mountain scenery. Yet, Antarctica is so vast, huge, pristine (except for the U.S. base at the South Pole), and snow surfaces are always changing. From the start to the South Pole the climb is almost 10,000 feet but it is mind boggling to think that all that climbing is on top of ice.

“The kite-skiing was often frustrating because of a lack of wind and the fact we did not have all the correct equipment. At the same time, when the wind was good, flying across the surface of Antarctica was an amazing, exhilarating experience. We are a couple of men aged 50 plus, with limited kite-skiing experience, yet we covered over 1130 km in ten days of kiting. This year other kiting expeditions completed amazing treks, thousand of kilometers in short periods to time. No question: kite-skiing will become more and more popular in Antarctic and other parts of the world where conditions are right.

Weber concludes, “I feel that I am incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to traverse this unique landscape at the bottom of the world.” (For more information: www.WeberArctic.com).

Expedition Update:Latest News

jamesborell — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:09:38 +0000

Members Expedition 02/02/2012 10:06 We are now settled on the beach at the mouth of the Wadi and have spent the morning scrambling up the Wadi to make an initial assessment of what wildlife there might be. Our great hope was to find signs of the Arabian Leopard We passed pools of water left from [...]

AtlanticRow AlastairHumphreys.com – 5th phonecast

Alastair Humphreys — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:40:16 +0000

Listen to my latest phonecast

Getting to Know Russia

Earth Odyssey — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:55:13 +0000

In Nevelsk on the west coast, I rested up in an old, brick hotel for a few days to treat my toe and readjust my gear. Footsteps and chatter and snapping of locks echoing through the corridors like an old prison. From my fifth-level room I looked out over the marina at ... Read on »

Power Your Bike Tour With The SON Dynamo Hub

Friedel and Andrew Grant — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:46 +0000

For a constant source of power on the road and bike lights that never run out of charge, the SON Dynamo hub should be at the top of your bicycle wish list.

Jungle Jamming Xpedition!

cabrct — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:48:34 +0000

Ok, so we’re heading off on another Big wall adventure!

On February 5 we leave to go big wall jamming on the mythical Tepui’s of Venezuella. We’re going on a search for first ascents and virgin walls in the mighty jungle. Besides the difficulties of climbing and jamming, there will be all the interesting animals like snakes, spiders, scorpions, crocodiles, monkeys etc… and we sure hope they will like our music.

We’re heading out into the jungle for 45 days of autonomy. The team consists of the usual suspects Sean Villanueva and Nicolas Favresse (nicolasfavresse.com), but also Stephane Hanssens, a strong young Belgian climber and drummer who was with us the previous expedition to Baffin Island featured in “Asgard Jamming” (DVD available for sale on this website). Furthermore Jean-Louis Wertz a very talented climber, experimental singer and professional photographer will be coming with us. Check out his website to see his work! (jlwertz.be)

Obviously we’ll be bringing all our musical equipment and we look forward to developing a new repertoire with the local indigenous people and all the wild creatures we hope to encounter.

Our first objective is a Tepui called Amuri, which might just have one of the most overhanging big walls around! We’ve heard rumours of a 600m waterfall, with overhanging vegetation and scorpions that climb 9a+…

Stay tuned on www.xpedition.be or our Facebook page for the music and climbing progress of this expedition.

We would like to thanks all our sponsors who are joining us in this jungle adventure: The Belgian alpine club, Patagonia, Julbo, Five Ten, Black Diamond, Seeonee, Sterling ropes, Beal, Belclimb.be, Petzl, Careplus , Katadyn, Nordisk, Boreal, Crux, AVS aviation.

A Mark of History

Lucy Russell — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:54:38 +0000

It’s taken us four days and 93 miles, but we’ve finally managed to cross the little town of Dallas. It was a tad larger than some of the other places we’ve been through so far.

During our time in Dallas, we were treated to the life of luxury by Liz and Ed Morgan, who managed to cross the U.S. in 2008…and not via the shortest possible route like us either! You can read of their, more interesting, trip here (http://www.trailjournals.com/WalkingWest08). Their hospitality meant that not only did we not have to carry our bags whilst walking (as they ferried us back and forth each day), but also that we had real food each day. That’s right, we had to sacrifice the Domino’s pasta bread bowl (seriously, who thought that making crockery out of bread was the future!?) for proper food in shades other than beige. We also had the joy of finding out that we weren’t the only two people on earth who found the width of hard shoulders or the placing of mile markers interesting.

One thing we’ve noticed a lot of whilst walking is the ubiquitous ‘historical marker’. These are roadside plaques commemorating the fact that something once happened somewhere near the location of the plaque. These markers are usually accompanied with great fanfare; a notice upon entering the city limits that there are historical markers in the city (our excitement begins to grow at this point); a sign a mile in advance, warning you that you’re getting dangerously close to the site of a momentous event in history; and finally, a sign across on the other side of the road, telling you that you are in the presence of history. After reading the marker, you usually find out that there used to be a building where you were standing, but that building no longer exists. And when it did exist, moderately interesting stuff happened there; such as it serving as a town hall, or even someone’s house. Woo!

A few days ago, our route did take us directly passed a pivotal site in U.S. history; the assassination spot of John F. Kennedy. We were thrilled to see a historical marker in the vicinity, but alas! It was about something completely different. Obviously, Kennedy isn’t yet deserving of the honour of the plaque. Fortunately though, Ed was on hand to explain where we were. The plaque obviously couldn’t take the heat.

We have also now departed from Highway 80, which we had roughly followed since Tybee Island. We’ll now be alongside Interstate 20 for the next several hundred miles. I’m sure this is the sort of thing that Dylan was talking about when he sung that the times they are a changing.

Setting Out

Earth Odyssey — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:34:14 +0000

When I arrived in Japan in January ’08 after the long cycle through South East Asia and China, it felt like being on R&R; I could relate to people on level ground, no longer a freak-show and I could let my guard down. Now I awaken to new cultures, face new challenges. The holiday is ... Read on »