Free-Solo Climbing? Magazine Looking to Interview YOU!!

Would you like to be interviewed for a magazine?  A good friend of mine is currently seeking Free-Solo Climbers to interview for an upcoming magazine with Free Solo Climbing as the focus of this special issue.

With the recent death of Michael Reardon making headlines around the world, it has brought this sport into the headlines like never before.  Want to speak out and be a part of this experience?  Send a short note to my email in the box below.  (It goes directly to my email)

As if this isn’t cool enough, there is going to be a Michael Reardon tribute, photos, and interview, with the tribute written by myself, as well as an interview with the man known as “Spiderman”, Alain Robert–who has scaled some of the world’s toughest climbs, as well as tallest skyscrapers…YIKES!

Let me be absolutely clear.  I am currently looking for Free Solo Climbers (Only) to take part in a special magazine dedicated to this sport.  If you are a Free Soloist..Contact me!  Through this process, the goal is to help demystify a sport that gets a lot of bad press.  This could very well be a crucial piece of the puzzle in the sport we all love.  Now get to writing….

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Italian Climber Stefano Zafka Missing on K2

Italian Climber Stefano Zafka has gone missing in harsh conditions on K2.  He had been climbing with the Mountain Freedom Expedition, who made a successful summit of K2 on Friday. 

During his descent, Zafka apparently has gotten lost due to disturbing weather conditions high up.  He is without any radio communication.

Zafka’s misfortunes began on Friday when he was reported as missing.  He never showed up to Camp 4.  On Saturday, his teammates decided to go ahead and descend to K2 basecamp because the weather was deteriorating so rapidly.  They left behind a tent at Camp 4 in hopes that Zafka could eventually make his way to this bit of safety.

There has still been no word on his where-abouts at this time.  Climbers have been debating trying to make a run up K2 to Camp 4–but the weather is extremely dangerous, especially above the 20,00o foot mark.

K2 currently holds a 24% death rate.  The highest of any mountain.  One in four perish while trying to successfully summit, or descend this massive Pakistani peak.

Let’s all hope for the best out of this situation, but the one question I have is…He is climbing with a team.  Why did they descend without him?

Sometimes, as things seem to be getting better with climbing ethics, we are still running into these “avoidable” situations.

It is very unfortunate and we hope for the best.

K2 Summits, New Route on Gasherbrum II, and more..

Over the past week most of my time has been used covering the recent Michael Reardon tragedy.  This is not to say that nothing was happening though, but I felt that I had the opportunity to do something for Michael and his family and friends that other sites just couldn’t do.

To get back up to pace, I will be offering a synopsis of what has been going around in the headlines.  So let’s jump right in…

Avalanche on Gasherbrum II

On July 19, a massive avalanche was reported from Gasherbrum II.  The Amical Team, hoping for a summit push, was suddenly buried in snow.  One member died in this tragic incident, another member was unable to be located, and the rest of the team suffered various degrees on injury.

Hirotaki Takeuchi, a member of the devestated Amical team, reported in to ExplorersWeb about the incident saying that the group got swept up in the avalanche and carried down 300 meters to the seracs. 

Other teams on GII soon went up and helped in a massive search and rescue which resulted in Hirotaki and others being able to survive this ordeal.  Much credit is given to these teams in their efforts for this rescue between Camps 2 & 3 on Gasherbrum II.

Italians Summit Gasherbrum II, Establish New Route

Karl Unterkircher, Daniele Bernasconi, and Michele Compagnoni made alpine history today as they successfully summited Gasherbrum II via a new route–The North Face.

The team had been climbing for the past three days, and began a successful push for the summit a bit earlier today.  This is great news following the tragedy on GII earlier this week with the Amical Team.

For more on this story, please stop by The Adventure Blog for more information.

Massive Summits on K2 Today

Around 3:30 Pm today reports started circulating that the first team to reach K2’s summit this season had arrived.  That was just the beginning though…17 more climbers would soon top out on what many people claim as the world’s deadliest mountain.

Over the years, K2 has had a total of 269 summits.  That is right, 269.  In Comparison, Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak as well as most publicised, had well over 500 summits….this year alone.  K2 has also claimed the lives of 69 people in the process, giving it a death-to-success ratio of 24%.  One in four have died trying to bag this coveted peak.

For more on the list of successful K2 summiters today, I will refer you to ExplorersWeb for the complete story.

On a sad note, a yet unnamed Sherpa took a tragic fall and perished during today’s activities.  The Sherpa, who was working with the Korean Men’s Team, slipped and began to fall.  Two climber’s close to him tried to grab him as he came by, but they were unsuccessful in their attempt.  More details on this tragic incident will be expected in the coming days.

BREAKING NEWS: FAMED AMERICAN SOLO CLIMBER< MICHAEL REARDON DEAD AT 36

BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS

Famed American Climber Michael Reardon, 36, has died in Ireland.  He was taking part in a special shoot for an American Climbing magazine, had just finished his climb and was standing on a rock shelf–when a wave knocked him off and into the sea.  Michael was unable to get out of the water.  The Coast Guard immediately put out an alarm, but as of this time, Michael Reardon has not been found and is feared dead.

Michael’s wife Marci and 13 year old daughter are scheduled to arrive in Ireland some time tomorrow.  Michael was scheduled to leave back for the states today.

This story is still developing.  As far as I know this news has not hit the US newswire at this point.

If you don’t know Michael Reardon, Please follow the following links to learn more about this incredible climber–

Climber Reaching for New Heights

Interview with Michael Reardon

From Wikipedia

I will be updating you when more is known.  At this time, it is rumored that Michael Reardon was doing a shoot for Climbing Magazine.  No word has been mentioned from their site at this time.  Efforts continue to try to locate his body, but it is being called a recovery mission at this time.  He was staying with a close friend in Ireland when this tragedy struck.  His friend has been on the Irish News Services discussing these tragic events

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Marci and his daughter, as well as their family, friends, and associates.  Micheal Reardon will be greatly missed in the climbing world, but his legacy and never-give-up attitude will be with us forever.

Lewis Gordon Pugh SWIMS at North Pole

Lewis Gordon Pugh, 37, A british adventure swimmer, has become the first person to ever swim at the North Pole.  Doing the stunt to bring awareness to Global Warming in the Arctic, Pugh dove into the 29 degree water.

His swim lasted aproximately 18 minutes and 50 seconds and went for a distance of 0.6 miles.  The water, at 29 degrees, is the coldest known temperature that a human has ever been able to swim in.

I hope my swim will inspire world leaders to take climate change seriously. The decisions which they make over the next few years will determine the biodiversity of our world.

I want my children, and their children, to know that polar bears are still living in the Arctic. These creatures are on the front line up here.

I am obviously ecstatic to have succeeded, but this swim is a triumph and a tragedy: a triumph that I could swim in such ferocious conditions but a tragedy that it’s possible to swim at the North Pole.

Pugh’s swim was conducted in a free-flowing waterhole.  The hole was used to demonstrate the effects the climate has been having on the arctic.  He went on to explain that over the next years, waterholes like these will become more prevelent in the Arctic.

Lewis Gordon Pugh is best known for having swam on 5 of the seven known continents of the world, as well as being the first person to ever swim the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord.

Documentary on Mt. Rainier Looking for Cast and Crew!!

This is a callout to all of you that have ever pictured yourself’s as Brad Pitt or perhaps Angelina Jolie…there may even be a Grizzly Adams hiding in there some place…

Anyways a member of CascadeClimbers is currently in the process of lining a few individuals up to help him shoot a documentary on Mt. Rainier from August 3-6, 2007.

The documentary will be a satirical look at climbing entitled “How to Successfully….or Unsuccessfully Not Climb Mt. Rainier”.  Could be interesting.

Thatcher, who is trying to put this all together, is looking for a few more people to join his film team.  He currently has a script  (Yes, it will be scripted) in roughdraft form that he would be glad to email you if you are interested.  Also, to find out more with this current project, as well as the day-to-day schedule of events to take place with this documentary, you made read more at this post on CascadeClimbers.

As if this all wasn’t enough, I also can provide you with his email if you would like to contact him.  (I also have his home number, but am refraining from putting it up–I am not so sure that he needs the Viagra spammers calling his number from the web.  I hope he appreciates my kindness.  Haha.)

Anyways, if this interests you in the slightest, make contact with Thatcher as this seems like a pretty interesting project…and hey…look at it this way…if it bombs, you still get a few nice days of climbing out of it..

Here is his email:  thatcherk1@gmail.com

Lincoln Hall “Dead Lucky” on Everest

 

Lincoln Hall Was Dead

May 25, 2006 will go down as one of those days in mountaineering history where nothing seemed to be going right–but then the miracle happened..

Stranded in the death zone, 250 meters from Mt. Everest’s famed summit…Lincoln Hall was lost.  A group of Sherpas climbing with Hall made the decision to descend without him.  If they stayed, they would die as well..but if they left they would have a chance, but Lincoln Hall would perish.  They left.

Lincoln Hall was a famed climber from Australia. He already had one Everest summit attempt to his credit in 1984–that attempt ended with him turning back near the summit due to illness. In 2006 he was heading back–not for himself, but as a favor–he was going to be a cameraman on a new documentary about Everest.

After reaching the famed Everest summit, Lincoln Hall began his descent.

High on Everest’s slope, Lincoln Hall came down with Pulminary Edema–a climber’s worst nightmare.  The lungs slowly fill with fluid, cutting off your ability to breathe, leaving you with a slow gurgling death in freezing temperatures.  Not a fun way to die–

The decision to leave Lincoln Hall high on Everest is nothing new.  When a Climber goes down in the death zone, it is pretty well known that your chances of getting back down are slim to virtually none.  Are you to die as well, or walk away?  It is just a part of mountaineering. 

Lincoln Hall’s death was broadcast the world over.  This report comes from ExplorersWeb and goes through a momment by momment synopsis of what occured on this tragic day as it was happening.

A day later, ExplorersWeb released another report.

Lincoln Hall was Miraculously Still Alive

Lincoln Hall had survived a night with Pulmonary Edema.  A climber heading towards the summit had noticed Lincoln Hall and made a dispatch to camp.  A massive rescue attempt was enacted and underway.

Lincoln Hall was eventually rescued and brought back to safety.  He was partially blinded, suffering from pulmonary Edema, and had frostbite on both of his hands and feet and part of his face.

But he had survived.

Lincoln Hall ended up losing his fingers to frostbite and eventually had to have them amputated.

His story is the miracle.  He was one of very few people to ever come out of the death zone after 24 hours alive.  He was reported as dead.  Friends, family and associates all thought he was dead. Lincoln Hall was the only one that knew he was still alive.

Dead Lucky

Lincoln Hall has just published a book about this whole ordeal called “Dead Lucky”–which promminently features a photo of him on the cover lifting his hand, with amputated fingers, and a smile on his face.  He, as well as the world, knows why this momment could bring a smile–He was Alive and lived the tale that he has now had published.

This is not Lincoln Hall’s first book, as a matter of fact it is his eighth book. He was already an acclaimed Mountaineering journalist–but on the evening of May 15, 2006–it all became so very real.  This is his first attempt to put this whole story together and try to come to grips with what could have very well been a tragedy.

I encourage all of you to pick up this book and find out what true survival and the will of man can accomplish.

 

This book was released in May 2007 through Random House Australia.  It has a cover price of $34.95

China vs. Mother Nature: The Quest for Artificial Weather

Who controls the weather?  This debate, in a round about way, has been taking place for centuries.  When the weather was unbearably dry, ancient Indian nations would come together and perform their “Indian Rain Dance” to try to persuade the Gods to open up the skies–

Step ahead a couple of centuries to the present.  A lengthy article in the Asian Times Online goes into detail about how China has been in the process of manufactoring weather since 1958.  No, this isn’t science fiction.

China has seemingly developed a way to not only make it rain when it wants to, but to also control such things as hail storms. If you are still questioning the validity of all of this, The Chinese Government has stated that their methods have already been used to control the weather for such international events as the 1993 East Asian Games and the 1999 Horti-Expo in Yunnan..and next up on the list?  The 2008 Olympic Games to be held in Beijing.

So How Does This All Work?

It would be alot easier to explain that China just hits a button, but actually it is a rather large scientific process.  To bring it down to scope, the basics of the process involves firing rounds of silver oxide ammunition into the clouds.  The weight of the silver oxide will cling to the water in the clouds and bring it back down to the ground.

This is a pretty interesting and scientifically proven method that just happened to be developed by the United States in the 1940’s and 50’s–but we lost interest in this on the belief that Mother Nature usually wins..

China has went on to take this research and expand significantly on what has been known about weather formation.  Each of the Chinese Provinces now has it’s own Artificial Weather Modification Base.  This is all controlled by the Chinese Government and they say when to enact the weather changing science.

The Artificial Weather Modification Department boasts over 32,000 chinese employees, as well as 7,100 anti-aircraft guns, 4,991 special rocket launchers and 30 specially equipped aircraft to help in this process.  This is a large expenditure, but the thoughts behind it’s development can not be taken lightly.  It was original enacted to help with the issue of drought that plagues a big size chunk of China.

There begs to be a couple of questions asked though…Silver-Oxide is a known polutant and poison in large quantities, how will this affect China in the future?  They do mention that the silver oxide they use is in such small quantities to not have an effect on the environment, yet what happens as it builds up over the years?

Another question?  If China can do this, why has this idea not been exported to the likes of Countries in Africa that could definately use this technology for both water and food, which they are currently suffering a major crisis with?

In a way though, this all seems pretty much amazing to me.  If the United States would seemingly begin to use this technology, perhaps we could gain control of the massive wildfire outbreaks in the West, or they could broadcast a report of Artificial Rain on the news and we would all be guaranteed of knowing just when to bring the ol’ umbrella…

What are your thoughts?

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The Adventurist: A Call to All Outdoor Writers and Photographers!

I have just put the finishing touches on a new “Submit & Contact” Page here at The Adventurist.  I am hoping that this new feature will be accepted and used by all of my great readers.

This page goes into detail about a few things I am looking for here at The Adventurist–and ways you might be able to get involved.

Do you love Adventure Writing or perhaps Great Outdoors Photography?–Help me share your incredible talents with a much bigger audience!

Head on Over to the “Submit & Contact” Page, found on a tab right up above this article, and Share your Adventures with the World!

Also, if you are looking to put me to work, there is info there as well….

Cheers-

J. Alan Hendricks, Editor

Global Warming and Mt. Everest: Is Everest Shrinking?

Global Warming has become a huge subject around the world as of late.  If, indeed the world is in a warming crisis, perhaps the ones that should know are the Climbers.

Today, in the Asian Journal Online, Reggie Pablo speaks out about this current issue and how it relates to Mt. Everest.  He, for one, should know.  Pablo recently summited Mt. Everest on May 17 as a member of the Asian Trekking International Expedition.

Pablo goes in to some detail about why he thinks Mt. Everest is starting to feel the effects of global warming:

“Mt. Everest used to accommodate 45 climbers on its summit. Now, it can accommodate only 15.  I want to confirm that global warming is real.”

Pablo is credited with being the 7th Filipino to ever Summit Mt. Everest.  He feels it is his duty to step up and tell the world what is taking place, and climbing has given him a special advantage.  He can actually see and report on what is going on in the world’s mountains.

The effects of Global Warming on Mt. Everest are not new though.  This season we witnessed quite a few people talking about how the ice was getting softer in places, and completely gone in others–but it remains to be seen if this can be attributed to Global Warming or just the cycles that our Earth has went through for millions of years.

There are as many skeptics as there are believers and this is sure to be a hot topic around the world in the coming years.  People are starting to speak out.  They want confirmed evidence of rising temperatures–Proof that we are destroying our own world.

What are your thoughts?  Click the headline and post a comment.

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