The Outdoor Adventure: A Pair Of Adventure Interviews

We have a couple of good interviews this morning of two very interesting adventurers who have spent a lot of time on mountains and in very cold places.

First up, my friends at CheapTents.com are making it a habit of posting excellent interviews with some fascinating subjects. This week they put polar explorer Lonnie Dupre under their microscope, discussing such topics as what inspires him to go on his adventures, what his biggest weakness is, and why he decided to attempt Denali in January. Even for a guy who has been to the North Pole twice and circumnavigated Greenland, that was a tough expedition.

Once you're done getting to know Lonnie better, head over to Adventeer to check out their interview with  mountaineer Meagan McGrath. I've written about Meagan's adventures a few times, most notably when she went to the South Pole, but also on her Seven Summits climbs as well. In her interview, Meagan discusses her motivations for climbing, what it was like going to the South Pole alone, and how she manages to self-fund her adventures. She also goes into detail on the Seven Summits and shares which of those peaks was her favorite as well.

Both are good reads and highly motivational. If you're finding it difficult to get your energy going this morning, both Lonnie and Meagan may provide some inspiration. At the very least, they'll give you something to think about heading into the weekend.

The Outdoor Adventure: Ocean Rowing: Roz Nears The Finish Line

Today marks the 150th day on the Indian Ocean for Roz Savage, who set out from Australia in April and at long last is closing in on Mauritius, her finish line for yet another epic ocean row. She is expected to make landfall on Tuesday, October 4th, and when she does, she'll become the first woman to have rowed solo across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.


While each of the three ocean rows has had its share of challenges, the Indian Ocean presented one that Roz hadn't dealt with before, namely pirates. Pirate activity in the region has increased greatly in the past few years, and for that reason alone she kept her course and location a well guarded secret. Those of us who have been following Roz's adventures over the past few years have been use to following her progress on the "Roz Tracker," but on this expedition that was disabled on her website, leaving us wondering where exactly she was out on all those miles of open water. That question was answered today with a press release posted to her website.

As of this morning, she has just 104 nautical miles to go until she's done. If conditions stay favorable, she should have no problems completing the row early next week as scheduled, and my guess is that its no coincidence that she's arriving in Mauritius, a place that is greatly threatened by climate change.

After spending all of those days out on the world's oceans, Roz has become a dedicated environmentalist, and has even launched an Eco-Heroes program to create grassroots efforts to take care of the planet. One of the places that could feel the effects of climate change the most is Mauritius, where rising sea levels will have an impact on the island nation.

Watch for an official announcement on Roz's arrival on land early next week and wish her well on the final leg of our journey.

The Outdoor Adventure: Explorers Club Now Accepting Student Grant Applications

The Explorers Club is now accepting student grant applications for 2012. The program gives students, high school through grad school, who will be conducting individual scientific or exploration research projects the opportunity to receive funding to support their work.

The awards programs fall into two categories, Youth Activity Fund and Exploration Fund. The former is designed for high school and undergrad students, while the latter is for graduate, post-graduate, doctorate and early career post-doctoral students. The amount of the award generally falls between $500-$1500, but can go as high as $5000 in rare circumstances.

For more information on the grants and the process for applying click here. You'll also find the application form and lists of past winners on the same page.

The deadline for submitting your application is November 15. Grant winners will be announced in April.

The Outdoor Adventure: Himalaya Fall 2011: New Summit Bids Underway!

Extremely bad weather shutdown all summit bids last weekend, but the new week brought clear skies and generally good conditions. That has also brought on a new round of summit bids, with most teams now starting to move up their respective mountains, with an eye on topping out this weekend. They're also in a race against time, as the jet stream begins to move over the region.

Yesterday we received word from Manaslu that the Altitude Junkies and Himex Sherpa teams were joining forces to dig out the fixed lines, which were buried under snow earlier in the week. They hoped to get everything ready for another summit attempt, although the teams were a bit reluctant to say when that bid might happen. Today we learn that they are now eyeing next Tuesday or Wednesday for their final push, and although the weather pattern looks better, they are now expecting much colder temperatures. If they do plan to summit on the 4th or 5th, they'll start the ascent as early as tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, the improved weather over the Himalaya has kicked things into high gear on Cho Oyu. The IMG, Adventure Lovers, and Jagged Globe teams have all started moving back up the mountain, and all are reportedly in Camp 2. Conditions are said to be good, although the deep snow is slowing progress considerably. Still, if they stay on pace, and the weather remains good, expect summits on Sunday.

IMG also has a team on Shisha Pangma, and they've also preparing for a new summit bid as well. The Sherpas climbed to Camp 1 today to dig out the tents and prepare for the arrival of the climbers, who are set to begin their ascent tomorrow. That would conceivably put them on schedule to summit on Tuesday of next week, provided everything goes according to plan. 

ExWeb chimed in with the news yesterday that a Polish team climbing on Makalu was already in Camp 3 on that mountain, with plans to head up to C4 today. If that milestone was reached, than it is likely that tomorrow will be summit day for the 7-man team.

Finally, in the same story, ExWeb reported that an unnamed Czech climber died on Cho Oyu a few days back. The cause of death isn't known, but the body was apparently found hanging in the ropes. The man was an independent climber, but aside from that no one even seems to know his name. As always, condolences to friends and family. 

The Outdoor Adventure: Nat Geo Adventure Interviews Kayaker Jesse Coombs

National Geographic has posted an interview with kayaker Jesse Combs on their Adventure Blog today, in which he talks about making huge drops off waterfalls, such as 96-foot Abiqua Falls, which he went over in April. The video for that drop has recently shown up on websites once again, despite the fact that we featured it here on the Adventure Blog just days after it happened.

In the interview, Jesse talks about what the experiencing of making a big drop like Abiqua from the moment he gets into his kayak to the moment he breaks the surface after the drop. He also touches on the dangers of running these big falls and the injuries they can bring on, his dream kayak trip, and the best paddling adventure he's ever been on.

The interview is a good one and offers some insights into the world of paddling these big falls. The current record for a big drop is 186-feet, but Coombs says he believes someone will try to break that record soon.

And it case you missed it the first time, here is the video of Jesse going over Abiqua Falls in April.

The Outdoor Adventure: Gear Box: Camelbak Marathoner Hydration Vest

It has been a very long, very hot summer in Texas. Today will actually be our 90th day of the year in which temperatures will top 100ºF/39ºC. While that record heat hasn't deterred me from my regularly scheduled runs, it has reminded me of the importance of staying hydrated while out in the sun and recently I've been using a new hydration vest from Camelbak to do just that. Yep! You read that right. Not a hydration pack, but a hydration vest.

The new Marathoner was designed from the ground up to be the perfect hydration solution for runners. It is lightweight, weighing in at just 12.7 ounces, made from breathable fabrics, and allows runners to carry plenty of water. The included hydration bladder stores up to 2 liters of water and two harness pockets on the front can support 24 ounce bottles. Those same pockets can also carry snacks or other items you want to keep close at hand while on the go. A second storage pocket is located on the back and is great for carrying keys or other small items.

The Marathoner's unique design is a lot more like a vest than a traditional hydration pack and when I first started using it, I was worried about how it would feel while on a longer run. Fortunately, it as easy to adjust the fit and after a mile or so, I barely remembered that I had it on. I was happy to find that once I had the narrow belts pulled tight, the vest stayed snugly in place, moving with me as I went about my run, even after I built up quite a sweat.

Another concern of mine was how much warmer I'd feel while using the vest in the summer heat, but once again, I was relieved to find that my fears were unfounded. What little fabric there is on the Marathoner is very thin and an air channel along the back helped to keep me as ventilated as possible, even when he mercury climbed into the triple digits. Wearing the vest was warmer than simply going shirtless of course, but it wasn't a dramatic difference and the quick access to water while on the move, more than made up for any slight discomfort. I also learned to add ice cubes to not only help keep the liquid cooler on longer runs, but it also helped to reduce the overall temperature of the vest as well.

Perfect for long distance training or trail runs, I predict the Marathoner will become a favorite piece of gear for runners upon its release. The bad news is, it won't be available until February, but with an MSRP of just $100, I think any runner will want to add it to their gear closet. It makes staying hydrated incredibly easy and that will not only help you run further, it'll help performance as well. Keep an eye out for this one. I highly recommend it.

The Outdoor Adventure: Kayaking Video: Rider of the Year

We seem to have a bit of an aquatic theme going today, but the kayakers amongst us will be happy to see this one. Below is a video of the winners of "Rider of the Year" awards courtesy of Tribe, a company that specializes in making active clothing for whitewater kayakers. For the second year in a row, they've handed out awards to their picks for the top paddlers around in categories such as "Best Male," "Best Female," and the always popular "Best Drop."

The video below highlights those winners in grand fashion and I thought it was fitting to include it amongst the stories on stand-up paddling today, just in case we forgot what traditional paddling looked liked.



Rider of the Year II Awards Video from Tribe Rider on Vimeo.