A Black Diamond in Red China? Equipment Maker Moves Production Overseas

For years, Black Diamond has been a leader in the manufacturing of climbing equipment, and good equipment at that.  Black Diamond has recently announced that some of it’s product line will now be made in China. 

Among American climbers, this has started an uproar.  First, there is the quality issue of the equipment–being made in China, will quality issues be forthcoming?  Secondly, this has opened up a whole can of worms for the US vs. China made products.  China has been in the headlines recently for a few “noteworthy” quality issues..ie..lead paint on toys..  Thirdly, is it right for a company that has prided itself on it’s environmental focus to pick the most unenvironmental friendly atmosphere in the world to produce it’s products, and last but not least, who is exactly producing these items–slave labor..ect..

As you can see, this is a very touchy subject.  Many people that have been fans of Black Diamond for years are spouting their dissapproval for this move.  I actually ran across this conversation taking place at the forums on MountainProject.

The very cool thing about this discussion is that Black Diamond and a couple of other personnel that work for various other equipment makers have chimed into the discussion.  People want answers to these questions, and Black Diamond has taken a note to do something about it.  I think this is great!  Finally someone that will listen and at least address these very concerning issues.

I have never seen a company step forward and publicly address these kinds of questions, on such an open medium.  Even if I don’t believe in the practice of shipping our jobs overseas, at least they are answering..Got to give Kudos to Black Diamond for these efforts. 

I am going to be keeping an eye on this one for awhile and see how it comes out…The Good:  Black Diamond is talking about the issues. The Bad:  Part of production has moved overseas.  The Ugly?  China has the worst Environmental laws in the world.  Will be interesting to watch.

What are your thoughts?  How do companies moving overseas effect your views of the product?  Do you actually look into the issues when thinking about new gear..ie..where it is made, who is making it, and the future effects of where it is made on the environment..Chime in and tell me your views by posting a comment…

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.

Summit Stones: Giving Back Adventure Joy

DSD over at Summit Stones & Adventure Musings has been embarked on a quest to bring a little bit of light to all of us Adventurers.  The mission is what it is..

DSD has seemingly been placing these very artistic stones where ever the adventure takes us..and part of the fun is discovering where they are found….Somehow DSD gets there first…haha

Nobody is really sure who DSD is..the website is pretty vague, only giving in to the cause:

My ‘Profile’…?

After being asked about this a few times in comments, I still am of the opinion that my profile is really not what this Blog is about…

I’m simply another average adventurer you might meet out on the trail, see wandering across the backcountry, maybe say hi to as we paddle towards each other, or share a few jokes at a common belay station…

What DSD does though, on the site, is emblazen that adventure spirit in all of us.  Those brightly colored stones, when found, become something more…a piece of an adventure….a wondering of who…it drives us to get out and find another, wondering where the story will lead.

The stones have been found in various places of adventure…mountain tops, trails, ect., and now these findings are also making their way across the web.

A recent topic in a forum on Outdoorsy.com brings this search and findings to light.  It is entitled “A Summit Stone.”

It is nice to know someone like DSD exists.  Someone who has embarked on the challenge of giving back something they consider small, yet has such a big place in our hearts.

As if the Summit Stones are not enough, DSD has also put together a very well written Website discussing this journey of Adventure that we all share.  Here is just a small piece…

Adventure is not just about the choice of activity, nor only about wilderness talent, or just one’s outdoor skills, and is not really at all about age… I used to think that to be an adventurer it was necessary to bag summits, count climbs, record stats, accumulate kayak exploits, even tally up many epics… but that kind of collecting, while serving a purpose, doesn’t always sustain us…

Adventure can be about being the person you want to be in a geographic place… as in what we may find in Geomancy… and that gets us closer to the essence of being an adventurer… as in what is reflected in our attitudes, desire, enthusiasms, and motivations… These things are more about energy, feelings, and emotions…

The next time you are wanting a heightening of spirits–something to really make you think—something to give you that new, refreshing bit of drive….head on over to Summit Stones and Adventure Musings, you won’t be disappointed.

The next time you are heading up that trail or looking over that mountain, remember that all great things won’t be seen above…take a momment to look down…perhaps you will even find a Summit Stone at your feet…

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.

Swiss Avalanche Kills 6 Climbers

Some sad news coming from Switzerland today as it is being reported that six climbers have been killed in a massive avalanche taking place on Jangfrau Peak in Central Switzerland.

The Swiss Army has not confirmed who the climbers are at this time, but they are questioning that perhaps it could be members of their own team.  The Swiss Army is reporting that they had two teams of three new recruits that had been training in the area at the time of the accident.

Jangfrau Peak stands at 13,642 feet high.  The climbers had reached a height of 12,470 feet when new snow gave way beneath them and sent them plummeting to the valley below.

The bodies of all 6 climbers have been recovered and official word as to who they are is still waiting to be released.

For the Associated Press News Story on this tragic event, Please click HERE.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Body of Christine Boskoff Found

In December of 2006, two high profile climbers Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler went missing in the Sechuan Province of China.

The subsequent news of this event shook the climbing community to it’s foundation.  At the time in December 2006, much of the world was focused on three lost climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon and the ensuing Rescue mission that eventually turned into a Recovery.

Charlie Fowler, a world reknown climber and photographer, along with Christine Boskoff, a World class climber in her own right and subsequent owner of Mountain Madness, one of the world’s leading mountain expedition companies,  set out to claim some unchartered peaks in China.  A vacation they had been planning on for two years.

The two soon dissappeared and an all out search effort ensued in China with little media coverage.

On December 29, 2006 Charlie Fowler’s body was found on Genyen Peak, but there were no signs of Christine.

On January 2, 2007 the search for Christine Boskoff was essentially called off with her being presumed dead.

On July 8th 2007, Everest is Ours, A Blog discussing Mt. Everest and the Climbing world made a post about the continued search for Christine Boskoff.  You may find that HERE.

Also this month Climbing Magazine, which I am a subscriber also ran a story about Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler and the continued efforts to find Christine.

Today it is being reported by Mountain Madness President Mark Gunlogson that Christine Boskoff’s Body has been found near where Charlie Fowler’s was found last December.

Here is Mountain Madness’ Complete Press Release:

SEATTLE July 9, 2007 – The body of accomplished US climber Christine Boskoff was found in the mountains of southern China on July 3rd, local China time.  The search and recovery team supported by Mountain Madness, the Seattle-based adventure guide company owned by Boskoff, resumed their search for Boskoff last May on the remote mountain peak of Genyan Massif in Sichuan Province. 

Last November, Boskoff and her climbing partner Charlie Fowler, also a renowned high-altitude mountain climber, were on a personal climbing expedition in Sichuan Province when the pair failed to return to the U.S.  Fowler’s body was recovered on December 27th, and search crews ceased their efforts to search and recover Boskoff until the spring due to winter weather.  Both are believed to have died in an avalanche.

“We resumed the search and recovery efforts for Chris once the weather improved and rock fall hazards lessened,” said Mark Gunlogson, president of Mountain Madness.  “This latest news brings closure to what was a great loss for her family, friends, Mountain Madness and the climbing community.  Chris lived life to the fullest and she died doing what she loved best in one of her most favorite places to climb.” 

“Chris established a legacy as one of the most successful female high altitude mountaineers in history, having climbed six 8,000 meter peaks including two successful ascents of Everest. She brought her tremendous climbing experience, unique humility for someone so accomplished, and love of the mountains to Mountain Madness and its many clients where she built one of the world’s foremost climbing organizations. We will miss her enthusiasm and infectious smile, but will continue to draw upon her spirit as we move forward,” said David C. Jones, Mountain Madness board member. 

A memorial fund to benefit Room to Read has been set up in Boskoff’s name to benefit school children in Nepal.  Boskoff was a former board member of the non-profit organization that helps establish schools, libraries and other educational infrastructures in developing countries.  Room to Read is building a school in Nepal in Boskoff’s honor.  Donations to the Boskoff memorial fund, as well as surplus funds from the Boskoff-Fowler search and recovery fund, will go to support the school in Nepal and scholarships for girls throughout the country.

“She was passionate about climbing and her love of the people and the cultures she traveled to, especially the children of Nepal and we’re honored to be a part of this lasting memorial for Chris,” said John Wood, founder and chief executive officer of Room to Read.  “She was selfless in pursuit of our mission and passionate in her belief that children throughout the developing world should have access to great schools, teachers, libraries and books.”

To support the Boskoff memorial fund donations can be made at www.roomtoread.com or by sending a check to: 

Room to Read – Mountain Madness Appeal
The Presidio
PO Box 29127
San Francisco, CA 94129

About Mountain Madness:
Founded in 1984, Mountain Madness is an adventure guide travel service and mountaineering school based in Seattle, Washington.  The company provides adventure-guided expeditions in Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania, as well as courses in rock climbing, avalanche and skiing.  For more info: www.mountainmadness.com

Contact:
Mark Gunlogson
Mountain Madness
206-937-8389
markg@mountainmadness.com

(Editor’s Note:  This article was compiled from information obtained from the following sources:  The Adventure Blog, the Everest is Ours Blog, and the MountainMadness Website as well as information contained here in The Adventurist.)

If you would like to catch up on the search for Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler, you may do so by clicking the following link for The Adventurist’s full coverage.

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