Famed mountaineer Conrad Anker, who is part of the PQ climbing team, has joined forces with The Conservation Alliance and Timex Expedition to launch the Return To The Outdoors initiative which is designed to inspire people to pursue outdoor adventures and reconnect with nature.
The Return To The Outdoors website encourages us all to share our stories  of what draws us to go outside and explore the world around us. By writing about, or video taping, your own adventures you can win some cool gear and possibly inspire others to venture outside as well. Conrad shares what inspires him in the video below.
The Chinese Olympic Torch Team on Everest finally reached their goal today, standing on top of the highest peak in the world, with the Olympic Torch burning brightly. The team’s lone female member, a Tibetan woman, carried the torch to the actual summit, where the rest of her teammates celebrated, unfurling Chinese and Olympic flags.Â
The climb was not without controversy however, as the entire North Side of the mountain, was shut down to all other teams this season, and the South Side of Everest, which falls in Nepal, had severe restrictions placed on it until after the Chinese Team completed their goal. Today those restrictions have been lifted and the South Side teams have begun their own summit bids.Â
The following video from Reuters shows the triumphant Chinese on Everest as they light the specially designed Torch and hold it aloft.Â
SPOT Satellite Messenger™ Enhances Premiere Adventure Race Experience with GPS Mapping and Real-Time, Leader Board TrackingÂ
MILPITAS, CA (April 23, 2008) – SPOT Inc., the pioneer behind the award-winning SPOT Satellite Messenger, today announced its sponsorship of the Primal Quest Montana Expedition Adventure Race. Called the “The World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition,” Primal Quest 2008 Presented by SPOT is scheduled to take place in Big Sky Country, Montana June 23 through July 2, 2008.
Primal Quest fans can follow their favorite teams at www.ecoprimalquest.com, through real-time GPS tracking and custom leader board technology provided by SPOT allowing for up-to-date viewing on SPOT enhanced Google Maps™. This technology is based on new SPOT services that allow users to broadcast their location and messages to others over the web.  The SPOT satellite messenger will be worn by each of the 70 plus teams of adventure racers during the 10 day, multi-sport competition.
“We have been looking forward to the innovative technology that SPOT is bringing to Primal Quest for many years,” said Don Mann, Primal Quest Director “SPOT is a lightweight personal satellite messenger that won’t slow the racers down and will provide continuous position updates of the teams along the Primal Quest course making it the most interactive Primal Quest in history.”
Here’s a video that I came across a week or so back and forgot about, but a friend was kind enough to remind me of it earlier today. It’s a first person perspective of a couple of hikers exploring the El Camino del Rey in Spain. The name means “The King’s Pathway”, and the trail offers access to a popular climbing location, but just getting there is part of the adventure, as you’ll see.
John Wilton-Davies has announced his intentions to go solo, and unsupported, to the South Pole later this year. Of course there always a number of explorers each year that make that expedition, and a few even go solo and unsupported as well. However, once John reaches the South Pole, he’s only halfway to his destination!
That’s right, he’s not only going to the Pole, but he’ll also turn around and return to Hercules Inlet where he began. Solo and unsupported the whole way. It what is being called the Last Great Challenge, John hopes to become the first man to ever accomplish this amazing feat. He predicts that it will take approximately 77 days to make the historic round trip journey on skis, pulling his sledge behind him.
Of course, my personal favorite section is his gear list which has a complete run down of all the equipment he plans on taking with him. When looking this over, keep in mind that he’ll be pulling it all behind him on a sledge that will be 2 1/2 times his own body weight. He’ll also need to average roughly 20 miles per day, through some of the most in hospitable terrain on the planet, in order to stick to his schedule. Piece of cake!
You may remember John from his solo and unsupported 2006 expedition to the South Pole. Back then he reached 88.5Âş S before running out supplies and time. He truly gave it everything he could, and came up just a bit short, but clearly he learned a lot, and feels he has unfinished business at the bottom of the world, and he’s going back with a vengeance.
Good luck John! We’ll be following your adventure and rooting for you come November.
The Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine has written a nice profile of the Primal Quest Sprint Series. Here’s an excerpt:
It’s been called one of the most difficult athletic events in the world, and now a little piece of it is coming to the South. Primal Quest is an annual high-profile expedition-length adventure race that finds the toughest competitors shelling out thousands of dollars to tackle some of the toughest terrain in the country. Past events have taken racers into the Utah desert and the remote San Juan Mountains of Colorado for over 400 miles of mountain biking, climbing, trekking, and paddling. But running an event of this magnitude—coverage has included spots on ABC and ESPN—is no easy task, and last year race organizers considered ending the event for good. Suddenly to the rescue came Don Mann, a former Navy SEAL and adventure racing pioneer from Virginia Beach, Va., who formerly owned promotion company Odyssey Adventure Racing, which produced the epic BEAST of the East adventure race. Mann sold Odyssey with no intention of returning to the sport, but out of nowhere, opportunity came knocking.
Front Royal, Virginia – Production company Race Day Films, LLC announces sponsorship of the Primal Quest Sprint Series.As a part of sponsorship, Race Day Films will shoot the first ever Primal Quest Sprint Series race on 10 May at Pocahontas State Park, Virginia.
“We are very pleased with our new relationship with Primal Quest,” said Race Day Films founder John Stann.“The Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race is heralded as the “World’s Most Challenging Human Endurance Competition”, and I am sure the shorter, faster Primal Quest Sprint Series races will be incredible too.”“We are also proud to support the Virginia film industry by shooting at Pocahontas State Park,” added Director Kevin Hershberger.
The Wend Blog, official blog for Wend Magazine posted this amazing video clip of snowboarder Terje Haakenson making the first descent of Peak 7601 in Alaska. Terje is delivered to the summit via a helicopter and then rides a near vertical face down the side of the mountain. It’s a crazy and thrilling ride to be sure. I’d have probably made it down about three meters while still on my board. The rest of the “first descent” would be on my face. Enjoy!
