Video: Bagging the First Ascent of Saser Kangri II

In September of last year, climbers Steve Swenson, Mark Richey, and Freddie Wilkinson made the first ascent of Saser Kangri II, the second highest unclimbed peak in the world at that time. Located deep in the Karakoram range, the mountain stands 7518 meters (24,665 ft) in height and includes a formidable 1700 meter (5577 ft) face that had to be overcome to reach the summit. The men have now released a film of their climb, entitled The Old Breed, which debuted last week at the American Alpine Club's annual dinner. The trailer for that film can be found below and it looks amazing.


The Old Breed from Cowboy Bear Ninja on Vimeo.

Video: Climbing Nanda Devi East

Located in a remote area of India, Nanda Devi is considered one of the most beautiful and challenging mountains in the world. Its companion, Nanda Devi East, stands 7434 meters (24,389 ft) in height and is the subject of the fascinating short film you'll find below. The video was shot a couple of years back by a British team that traveled to India to not only climb that peak, but also a 6322 meter (20,741 ft) unclimbed mountain known as Changuch. The 13-minute film chronicles that expedition, mixing in history, culture, and plenty of amazing views.



The 2009 British / Indian Nanda Devi East & Changuch Expedition from Rob Jarvis on Vimeo.

impossible2Possible Team Completes India Youth Expedition

While I was away playing in the Caribbean over the past few days, the youth ambassadors from impossible2Possible were finishing up their seven day run across India. The expedition, which was a big success, came to an end today when the four runners completed their 270km (167 mile) journey across Rajasthan and the arid Thar Desert.

As is always the case with any i2P project, the goal is to use adventure to help inspire and educate students in classrooms all over the world, and the India Youth Expedition was no exception. The focus this time out was to demonstrate the importance of exercise for our overall health, but also how it can impact non-communicable diseases such as Type II diabetes, obesity, and even cancer. According to a 2002 report from the World Health Organization, about 50% of the world's disease burden is now from non-communicable diseases, which is a radical shift away from infectious diseases like malaria or yellow fever.

The message that the youth ambassadors and the i2P crew were hoping to convey is that exercise and a good diet can help alleviate the dangers of non-communicable diseases, keeping us healthier and happier for longer. That is an important thing to impart on young students, who can start to learn about leading a healthier lifestyle now and incorporating that as they get older.

Congrats to the four runners, Emma Cook-Clarke, Jessica Kenny, Harshveer Sign Saluja, and Patrick Doughty, for completing this impressive run. Well done!

impossible2Possible Gears Up For Youth Expedition To India

The impossible2Possible team is gearing up for their latest youth expedition, setting their sights on India this time out. As usual, the organization will take a group of young people to a remote and challenging destination, where they'll spend a week traveling by foot throughout the region.

On this particular expedition, ultra-athlete Ray Zahab will be joined by four youth ambassadors as they attempt to run across the Thar Desert, a dry an inhospitable place that is known to have sand dunes that reach as high as 150 meters (492 ft) in height. Located along the border of India and Pakistan, the Thar is amongst the largest deserts in the world, but isn't well known outside the region.

Ray, along with runners Emma Cook-Clarke, Jessica Kenny, Harshveer Sign Saluja, and Patrick Doughty, will attempt to cross the Thar in just one week. In order to do so, they'll need to cover 290km (180 miles) on foot, averaging roughly a marathon a day for seven straight days.

While all i2P expeditions are a great adventure in and of themselves, they also have key educational goals in mind as well. In this case, the team will be exploring the topic of World Health and the importance of quality, affordable health care to people around the globe. For many, health care simply isn't an option, either for lack of money or facilities. It is estimated that one million people die each year in India alone because they lack access to health care, and the i2P team will be spreading the word about that very topic as they interact with classrooms as part of their Experiential Learning Program.

The team will leave for India this week and will begin the expedition soon there after.

Video: Paraglider vs. Vulture

Here's a scary video to start the day. It features a paraglider floating above the Indian Himalaya, when he collides with a vulture, who becomes entangled in the glider's netting. Fortunately, the man is able to deploy his emergency parachute, allowing him to land semi-safely, at which time he still has to deal with the bird.

The paraglider is Russian but the video includes subtitles. Some of which will leave you laughing. I'm just glad that everyone was able to walk away in one piece.

Thanks to Gadling for sharing this video.

All-Star Team Climbs Meru's Shark's Fin

An all-star team of climbers, that includes Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk, successfully sumitted the North West Face of the Shark's Fin route on Meru Peak in India last week. The mountain, which stands 6660 meters (21,850 ft) in height, is located in the Garhwal Himalaya, and had never been climbed along this route before.

The Shark's Fin is well known in mountaineering circles for its diverse challenges. It begins with a typical Himalayan snow and ice route, but then turns into a tough vertical wall of rock and ice, before giving way to an extremely tough overhanging headwall that would be challenging at any altitude. In short, it is an intense mix of technical rock climbing and high altitude, alpine style, mountaineering.

The team of Anker, Chin, and Ozturk first attempted this route back in 2008, but were forced to turn back 100 meters below the summit. This time, things went a bit better, as they even managed to top out a week ahead of schedule. That didn't meant the climb was easy, as in addition to the technical difficulties of the climb, they experienced some rather high winds and snow as well.

You can read the expedition dispatches at the Never Stop Exploring blog, which is the official blog of The North Face, the sponsors of the expedition. Of course, there are also some fantastic pictures from Chin as well.

This is an amazing job out of a great team of climbers on a really tough route.