BREAKING NEWS: Russian Canoeists Missing in China Rescued Alive!

Breaking News—Breaking News—Breaking News—-Breaking News

 

Reuters has reported within the last 30 minutes that two of the six missing Russian Canoeists have been rescued in China.  The two members of the Russian team were rescued after nearly three weeks of search and rescue efforts revealed little. 

Alexander Zverev was the first member to be rescued today, and on a television news program he proclaimed that he had thought the other five members of the team had died in the canoe accident three weeks ago.  Zverev survived with very little food, if any, for three weeks in the deep gorges of China.

Just hours after Zverev’s miraculous recovery, news hit the Russian Television station Vesti-24 that another member had been found alive.  Andrei Pautov, 28, had as well, survived.

The six members of the Russian canoe expedition took off three weeks ago along the Yurungkatz River for what was suppose to be a routine canoe trip.  Two seperate canoes took the riders down the river, then tragedy struck.  The first canoe carrying two members capsized.  There was no hope.  The follow-up canoe grabbed their comrades out of the river and left them on the bank, dead.  The other four continued on.  On down the river the second canoe, as the first, capsized as well.

Last weekend, three bodies were recovered.  Two on the bank and one from the river.  With the rescue of the two Russians today, a renewed effort may be placed into the search that had long lost hope of a successful recovery of anyone being found alive.  Somewhere, Someplace.  There is still one member of this team not found.  Let’s all hope and pray that he will be brought home as well and hopefully alive.

 

An Adventurist Editorial: The Stephen Fossett Debates

We should have all seen this one coming from a mile away–

Going into days 5 and 6 for the ongoing search of legendary adventurer Steven Fossett, people are starting to take their focus off of the search and more onto the debates surrounding these types of events when they occur–

First it began with how great of an adventurer Steven Fossett is.  Over the past few days this focus has slowly moved to the motives of a “Risk-Taker” and if Stephen Fossett’s family should be charged for the search currently taking place.

Both of these items are highly debatable and both of them generally always surround a high profile search, especially if the person involved was also a part of anything that has a certain risk-factor to it or has been the focus of media attention in the past.

Personally, I began taking notice of these debates around December of last year when three climbers became lost on Mt. Hood.  The ensuing search, that garnered massive media coverage, soon became a debate for a cause. 

It may be the cause of the general media’s focus to always provide something new to a highly viewed (and rated) story.  Running out of new leads, they hop back on the bus and get everyone involved in raging debates that once again spark interest to previous stories of the same general nature.

Two questions always emerge:  Should the families of the person being searched for have to pay for this service?  And secondly–the risk involved.  How could they do this to their families and loved ones?  What is it about risk that triggers these people to always endanger their lives? Read more

BREAKING NEWS: ADVENTURIST STEPHEN FOSSETT’S PLANE MISSING

BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS

Stephen Fossett Missing!  September 4, 2007

 

Stephen Fossett, the man who single-handedly flew a hot air balloon around the world in 2002 to set a world record, is missing.  The FAA has announced that Mr. Fossett took off in his single-engine Balanca yesterday morning at 8:45 am but failed to make it to his destination.  Search efforts for the missing plane are currently being undertaken.

Stephen Fossett, 63, from Beaver Creek, Colorado is a world famous aviation adventurer.  After his successful 2002 flight around the world in a hot air balloon Stephen would undertake a few more high-risk challenges in the efforts of pushing the boundaries of aviation.  In 2005, Fossett became the first person to fly a plane around the world without refueling and is also credited, along with his co-pilot of setting the mark for the world’s highest altitude reached in a paraglider–50, 671 ft. in August of this year.

Stephen’s big noteriety in the aviation field though still remains his 2002 Hot Air Balloon flight that took him 19, 428.6 miles around the world.  Fossett had tried the feat previously 5 times, with more press building for each successive attempt.  Two of the failed attempts resulted in Mr. Fossett having to be rescued after the Balloon went down in treacherous waters of the Ocean.

According to FAA personnel, Fossett had failed to file a flight plan.  This has hampered the Civil Air Patrol, who is in charge of the search and rescue, from being able to find Mr. Fossett’s plane.  It is known that Stephen Fossett was planning on flying from a private airstrip south of Smith Valley in western Nevada, but didn’t return as he had planned.

A friend of Mr. Fossett’s tipped the authorities off to the missing plane and a search is ongoing.  The search is being coordinated by the United States Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center in Langley, VA with help of the United States Civil Air Patrol.

According to the online Encyclopedia site Wikipedia, Stephen Fossett holds or has held 116 different world records in five different sports, of which 80 are still standing.  Mr. Fossett was also the founder of his own Securities company based out of Chicago, IL–Marathon Securities. 

More from Wikipedia regarding todays news:

According to CNN News, the search for Fossett began about six hours later (from time of take-off). He was flying in a single-engine, Citabria Super Decathlon — a plane capable of aerobatics — with tail number N240R, according to CAP. Fossett, though, had no parachute, which is required for aerobatics. There has been no sound from the plane’s emergency locator radio beacon, which goes off if there is a hard impact.

Fossett took off on Monday with enough fuel for four to five hours of flight, according to Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia S. Ryan. Yerington is south of Carson City, near the California border.

^[7] There is speculation that Fossett made an unplanned landing, possibly crashing, in western Nevada.^[8] A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson noted that Fossett apparently did not file a flight plan.^[9][10]

^{Please note that this information is from Wikipedia and cannot be confirmed as altogether factual at this time.}

 

 

The Next Big Thing: The Adventurist Teams Up With Adventure Sports Weekly

The old saying goes –when opportunity knocks, you had better answer the door.  Well, in a sense I have answered the door.  A couple of days ago Editor Wina Sturgeon from Adventure Sports Weekly contacted myself and was interested in discussing what I do here at The Adventurist.

After a lengthy discussion about our sites, our future goals, and what we are both looking to achieve, it became real evident that we have more than a little in common.

Adventure Sports Weekly is destined to not only be the first of it’s type on the Internet, but also a leader in the Adventure Sports industry.  Adventure Sports Weekly, the Brainchild of Editor Wina Sturgeon, who many of you might know through her extensive Olympic coverage for Sports Illustrated,  will be the first Online Magazine devoted solely to the Outdoor sporting world. 

I have been very open and straight-forward with all of you, my readers, about trying to put together the best site on the internet dealing with Adventure.  Keeping that in mind, we have decided in a sense to team-up.

Over the course of the next few days and weeks ahead The Adventurist and Adventure Sports Weekly will be sharing some content.  Their dedication to the sanctioned sports side of the outdoor world, IE..Mountain Bike Racing, BMX, Skateboarding, Climbing ect..will actually be bringing something to the table that I have desperately been wanting to add.  Adventure Sports Weekly offers top notch sporting news live from the field, allowing for exclusive coverage and content that just isn’t found anywhere else on the Internet.

I will also be working with Adventure Sports Weekly offering new articles, and maybe even a weekly column I have in the works in the world of Adventure.

This is a very exciting opportunity for myself personally.  I have dedicated myself to the Adventure world and writing.  With Adventure Sports Weekly I now have the opportunity to not only garner a bigger readership, but to also bring about a new direction….a bigger direction that hopefully will help build upon what I have already been able to do.

The adventure sporting field is getting ready to explode.  I have done this now for almost a year, and just about daily there are new sites emerging.  More coverage is being given in the media to these athletes that have pretty much remained under the table.  Just a couple of years ago, you would have never had the opportunity to see JEEP: King of the Mountain on a nationally televised program.  It is building.  It is growing.  More people are noticing and the money is slowly starting to come into these fantastic outdoors sports.

I am happy to say that I am very comfortable in knowing that I have aligned myself up with perhaps the leader in news coverage for these types of events.  Hopefully this relationship will flourish and all of us involved can bring even more exposure to the great athletes and sporting events throughout the years to come.

So what exactly does Adventure Sports Weekly bring to the table?

• It is ran by one of the top Sports Journalists in the world.  Editor Wina Sturgeon has written for Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, to only name two.  She has nearly 40 years of experience at being at the top of the game.  She knows how to do things, and do them right.
• Experience.  Being a leader in the sports writing industry, Wina Sturgeon brings her vast knowledge to a growing field.  She automatically brings  her credibility and dedication to an area that has been lacking in national coverage.
• National Coverage.  Simply put.
• Adventure Sports Weekly is currently the only publication of its kind on the Internet.  It is new with a very big potential in the future to not only lead the way, but to be THE way.
• Future.  Adventure Sports Weekly is currently developing a system to bring top-notch video coverage of these sporting events as they happen–this will make it not only the leader in the Adventure Sports industry, but will also raise the bar on what the internet can bring to you, the viewers.
• Credibility.  I have been straight-forward in telling all of you my eventual goals of writing in this industry full-time.  This gives me a great opportunity to work with some of the best people in the industry and hopefully build on what I have already been able to accomplish.  It is a fantastic opportunity and one that I never would have been able to do without all of the continued support and guidance from you, my readers.  So THANK-YOU very much!
• Oh yeah– and Lastly, Adventure Sports Weekly is FREE.  Can’t get much better than that.  All the great news coverage and articles are completely free to you the reader.  Eventually this will also include the great video coverage that is currently in developement.

I am hoping to recieve your continued support and that you will enjoy what the future has in store.  The Adventurist will still be covering everything it normally does…with a bonus of adding new content from time to time from some very special events.  Also, if you enjoy my writing, keep your eyes peeled to Adventure Sports Weekly, as I will be bringing some further exciting articles their way in the very near future.  Let’s all show Adventure Sports Weekly our support in what they are trying to achieve and welcome them in to The Adventurist family.

Harassment on the High Peak: When an Everest Guide Does You Wrong

For many of us, coming up with the $40-50,000 to take a once in a lifetime gamble on Mt. Everest seems like a lifetime away.  What if you spent that kind of cash only to be told that you weren’t climbing?  What if you spent that kind of cash, the guide tells you “No Go”, then deliberately grabs your belongings and scatters them throughout camp?  While he is at it, he might as well do it in front of not only your team, but a film crew to boot and show the whole world how worthless you really are..

This is the news coming from Betsy Huelskamp.  Many of you may remember Betsy as the tough and rugged mountain climbing biker chic that began an Expedition this year with Russell Brice’s Himex Team.  If any of you followed the Expedition’s climbing blogs on Everest this season, then you would have probably thought of Betsy as Himex did:  slow, didn’t know anything about mountaineering–including how to put her crampons on…as well as a bit self-involved.

Well, Betsy has decided to fight back.  The picture she paints is quite different than what Himex would have you believe.  She breaks down everything from the beginning stages where she first contacted Russell Brice about joining the expedition, and Russell seemingly accepts at a reduced rate of nearly 50%–to the final decision to not let her go for the summit push, and the subsequent temper tantram that ensued and left Betsy’s belongings scattered throughout the camp.

If this sounds like odd behavior coming from a guide on Mt. Everest, then perhaps you should reevaluate who you align yourself up with for that big Everest Adventure. Read more

Cyclists Help at Minneapolis Bridge Collapse

With the tragedy that unfolded lastnight in Minneapolis, Minnesota–thousands upon thousands of people have been left stranded from their homes and places of business, as one of the few bridges to actually go into Minneapolis collapsed.

A few momments after the collapse, as rescue workers were being triggered to the scene–some people on bicycles had already arrived…some being emergency personel themselves.

Minneapolis has long harbored an outstanding program for the inner-city bicyclist.  One addition this city has made was the addition of a cycling bridge that spans the Misissippi River…Just a few short feet away from where the Bridge collapsed lastnight.

Within a few minutes, Bicyclists were seen jumping into the river to try to help.  Others were trying to find ways to reach the lower reaches of the bridge collapse on bike, as no vehicles could actually make it down the steep embankments.

BikingBis has been covering the cyclists involvement in this tragedy, and there are some really interesting stories coming out of this.  Head on over there and catch up on the latest.

All these guys (and gals) should be thanked for stepping up and helping out in this tragic incident.  Our thoughts and Prayers are with all the families involved in this very scary incident.

Shark Attack on a Sea Kayak

No, this isn’t a reference to a new Dr. Seuss book–this is actually a true story. 

On July 21, Dan Prather was out doing a little fishing on his sea kayak along with 16 other people.  They happened to be fishing a remote island about a mile south of San Francisco.

Suddenly Dan was in the water.  He surfaced to find the front end of his sea kayak lodged in the mouth of what he thinks was a Great White…so what does Dan do?  He climbs right back on his Kayak…then falls back off once again.

Dan finally makes it back on to his Kayak for the second time, and it seemingly scares the shark away.

This is a great story coming by way of Canoe and Kayak Magazine.

When Dan finally high-tailed it back to shore (the shark had punctured a small hole in the front end of the kayak)..a fellow fisherman asked him if he had any luck fishing, he said, “Yeah, caught a shark…”

Swing on over and read this interesting and ARTICLE.  I think that this is one fishing trip where I would have been glad to get the smallest catch.

Official Michael Reardon Memorial Set For August 18, 2007

A special service to celebrate the life of Michael Reardon, who tragically disappeared off the coast of Ireland two weeks ago, will be held on August 18, 2007.

This special service will be taking place at Malibu Creek State Park located 4 miles south of highway 101 on Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road, 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, California.

This will be the “Official” Memorial and Service for Michael Reardon.  Everyone is invited, but guests are being asked by the family to dress very casually in jeans or shorts and sneakers or flip-flops, Michael’s preferred style of dress.

Marci and Nicki, Michael’s wife and daughter, will be attending this special ceremony, as will many family members and friends. 

If you can attend to show your support for this great family in these trying times, please make plans for August 18.

As far as I know, this is the first report of this Memorial Service anywhere else in the world, and as such, it is requested that you pass this information along as far and wide as you possibly can.  This family deserves this special time and the more people involved, the better.  Michael touched alot of lives through his own.  His number 1 love in life was not climbing, but his family.  It is time to show them all the appreciation–

Jon Krakaur vs. Anatoli Boukreev

Alright, now I have got your interest.  Just about everybody in the climbing world knows of the Mt. Everest tragedy that the above title speaks of…May 10-11, 1996, 12 people perished in perhaps the worst climbing accident in history.  Much has been published, this story has been well publicized–yet to this day it still draws condescending and conflicting emotions.

Jon Krakaur, the bestselling author of Into Thin Air, and Anatoli Boukreev, author of the responding bestseller The Climb, have both pitched their versions of the story– Read more

Man vs. Wild, Bear Grylls, and the Discovery Channel Disclaimer-

Two hours after posting an article on “The Fall of Bear Grylls” by The Adventurist,  a post has come up from Reuters, the world-wide syndicated news agency, calling into question Bear Grylls antics on Man vs. Wild.

The Reuters Reporter, Andrew Wallenstein, has actually went to Discovery Channel and questioned them on their program..here is part of The Discovery Channel’s Response:

Discovery Communications has learned that isolated elements of the ‘Man vs. Wild’ show in some episodes were not natural to the environment, and that for health and safety concerns the crew and host received some survival assistance while in the field.

Moving forward, the program will be 100% transparent and all elements of the filming will be explained upfront to our viewers.  In addition, shows that are to be repeated will be edited appropriately. Bear Grylls is a world-class adventurer and a terrific talent.

So it sounds to me like the Man vs. Wild, will now be the Man vs. Wild–with a disclaimer.  At least this will be a little bit of acknowledgement towards the fact that they, as well as Bear Grylls, have been leading the public to believe that everything that happened on the show–was indeed truthful, when in fact, some aspects have been set-up.  It is also noted though, that Discovery Channel plans to stick by Bear Grylls and his Man vs. Wild television show.

What is even a little more amusing are the comments that people are writing in about this article.  I will share a couple of them now as well:

From Wackytraveler:

Of course the Bear Grylls show is staged. In one episode, he parachutes into a rain forest. Next, we see him demonstrating how to extricate himself from the tree in which he’s landed. So, did he just happen to land exactly where the camera crew was posted; or did he land in the tree for hours until the video crew could reach him; or was he hoisted into the tree in order to be filmed? As long as a full camera crew follows him around in the “wilderness” his survival experiences won’t be genuine. Watch SURVIVORMAN Les Stroud, also, on Discovery, who films himself in the wilderness. He’s the real deal.

From Dennsnyd7:

Some of the situations were a little dramatic and hard to believe and others were simply not true. ie. A piece of steel wire cannot be magnatized by rubbing it in your hair. If the leaf compass did in fact work the wire was already magnatized before he rubbed it on his hair. I hope no one would be foolish enough to try some of the things he proposes in the name of survival. Check your facts people and don’t believe everything you see in the movies.

So now this has erupted into a much larger debate, and I am sure more will be coming out about this situation.  As of this time, Bear Grylls remains amazingly quiet and has not commented on these new allegations, or the fact that his show will now be disclaimered and edited–so as to not fool the audience.  Will be very interesting to see how this all pans out in the future…

(Editor’s Note:  At this time, the news article being discussed is found on the AOL News Service.)

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