In this Editor’s Note, we’re going to be candid and frank, we’re talking about mountaineering/climbing and why many sportsmen in this field have issues making their romantic relationships work.
If your reason for being alone is because you don’t want to fight or constantly decide between love and climbing, then you don’t really want to be alone. You just don’t want to have to choose, which is different.
Swedish mountaineer Fredrik Sträng has made it safely to Islamabad, Pakistan and is on track to commence K2 2017.
Sträng is in good spirits and keeping good company, excited about the days ahead. Sträng now begins the daunting task of organizing the gear and food he arranged to have shipped to Islamabad on 04, June, prior to his arrival.
On Everest, it’s possible to import some of your food from the nearby villages, many mountaineers and expedition teams often count on getting their fresh vegetables, bread and fruits from them; however, on K2, that’s not an option. If you’re climbing on your own, or as part of a private team without the reliability of commercial expedition food planning, you’re going to want to spend just as much time planning your meal supply as you do on gear planning. It should be noted that if you’re going to want fresh bread, it’s recommended to bring your own supply of ingredients and bake it yourself, chapati style in a pan. We have a great Bannock bread recipe for this. When climbing K2 be sure to have:
Mountaineer Fredrik Sträng heads out to K2 on June 12, 2017, after nearly ten years of absence from the mountain since the 2008 K2 Tragedy that killed 11 mountaineers.
On 3, June, Sträng was ready, packing his gear for his K2 expedition and gave everyone a glimpse of 60% of his gear, which he laid out and gave a tour of. His gear included the Swedish flag, two Petzl ice axes, Olympus Mons La Sportiva high-altitude boots, a Primus Lite XL stove pot and Out Meals dehydrated ready-to-eat meals.
K2 is undeniably the King of Mountains; climbing it is a dream aspired to by only the toughest, wildest and fit of mountaineers, even so, many die trying in the attempt. First ascended by Achille Compagnoni on 31 July 1954, the mountain has since sprouted various routes across its faces that lead to the top. Whether or not you’re crazy enough to attempt it, you’re not getting anywhere without a road map.Mountaineers usually take one of these ten pre-determined routes to the peak of K2.
YouTube is an entire resource for some of the best K2 docs out there. These are some of the best ones we’ve found.
K2: The World’s Most Dangerous Mountain, Mountain Men: The Ghosts of K2, K2: The Killer Summit, K2: The Savage Mountain, Fatal Altitude: Tragedy on K2
In the case of the missing Hillary Step, we still are no closer to knowing whether or not the landmark is intact. So far, we have seen that various western mountaineers, including Kenton Cool and Tim Mosedale, claim that the rocky outcrop near the summit of Mount Everest is either completely gone or altered in some way.
But officially, the Hillary Step didn’t disappear, collapse or crumble.
Let’s take a closer look at why there is so much confusion.
A controversy has arisen during Everest2017 over whether or not the famous Hillary Step outcrop on Mount Everest has collapsed.
This week climbers, including the experienced climber Kenton Cool, stated that the rocky outcrop near the summit of Everest called the Hillary Step had collapsed and was no longer visible on the mount. Cool, who has ascended the mountain 12 times, spoke in a video interview with BBC and stated, “It didn’t look, to me, as if it was the Hillary Step of old.”
Dr. Roland Yearwood, 50, from Alabama died on 21, May within the Death Zone of Everest during the 2017 season.
If you’ve just made the mad dash to the top and succeeded, or even if you didn’t, you may be looking for some relaxation. An 8-hour trek from Everest Base Camp can get you to Hotel Everest View just 30.9 km. (19.2 mi.) away; here enjoy food, relaxation and the best view any hotel boasts.
Everest2017 marks the 21st anniversary of the 1996 Everest Disaster that killed 8 climbers including Adventure Consultants leader Rob Hall and Mountain Madness leader Scott Fisher on May 10, 1996. This day remains with everyone in the mountaineering community as a tragic unfolding of events that began on the 10th with an epic storm and would not end until the 12th. In its path, the storm left 8 climbers dead and one clinging to life, left for dead and only being saved by a tenacious wife who would not give up on him.
More stories of violence on Everest this evening as reports come in about a South African man who was nearly killed on Everest by climbers for allegedly purposefully avoiding payment for a necessary $11,000 (€10,104) permit that is required to climb the mountain.
Ryan Sean Davy says he was “treated like a murderer” when he was found cowering in a cave hiding, all in a bid to obscure his presence and not have to pay the $11,000 climbing fee the Nepalese Government imposes on climbers to reach the world’s highest peak.
Ueli Steck, one of the most revered mountaineers of his time, died on 30, April 2017 while on a Himalayan expedition on Mount Nuptse. He was 40 years old.
Enjoy the memory of Ueli Steck by watching the awe-inspiring videos that made one of the greatest mountaineers a household name:
When we think of Mont Blanc, we think of excellent climbing, amazing views and incredible snow-capped peaks, but little know about the dark history of Mont Blanc and the once-thriving towns it destroyed in 1892 after the Mont Blanc Massif released a hidden lake within the Tête Rousse Glacier upon the town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and the small hamlet of Bionnay.
Ueli Steck, one of the most revered mountaineers of his time, died on 30, April 2017 while on a Himalayan expedition on Mount Nuptse. He was 40 years old.
On 04, May 2017, Ueli Steck was given a ceremonious burial service in Khumjung, Nepal. The mountaineer was cremated, and in attendance were only close family and friends who mourned his death for over three hours. The ceremony took place in Tengboche Monastery in true Nepalese tradition. It was reported that some of his ashes were spread in Nepal, and the rest, taken to Switzerland to be dispersed by his family.
Ueli Steck’s life ended as the first casualty of the 2017 Everest Season. Steck died near the base of Nuptse at Camp 1 after falling 3,280 ft. (1000 m.). He had climbed the sister mountain of Everest to acclimate himself to the altitude before traversing Everest and Lhotse in May along with the rest of the mountaineering teams who make their summit assaults around 10 May.
Cultures around the world have folklore tales that go back as long as their people have been in existence, some of these talk about Earth’s creation, others, about the meaning of native food and natural remedies; on of these is the story of Chhaang, a native Himalayan drink popular in Tibet and Nepal that is used to cure the Mountain Cold or Khumbu Cough.
Could climate change affect outdoor sports that rely heavily on safety, like climbing? One new study by Arnaud J.A.M. Temme published in a geographical journal, Geografiska Annaler, and based on research done by Wageningen University, says this could be the case.
More particularly based on climbing activities in the Alps, the author used previously published mountain guides to dissect the possibility of melting permafrost contributing to the loosening and falling of rocks on mountains.
David Rockefeller dies on March 20, 2017, at the age of 101.
One of the most iconic members of an infamous American family, David Rockefeller’s name was synonymous with business, like his grandfather, John D. Rockefeller from whom he inherited most of his wealth.
Part of those contributions came in the form of donations and the support of environmental programs and research that benefit the Earth and the outdoor sport community.
Royal Robbins, a legendary rock climber who helped define the rules of engagement for the sport, dies on Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at the age of 82.
Born in 1935, Robbins grew up in Southern California much like most other working-class children spending segmented years between trailer parks before learning how to climb in the early 1950s. His first tackle was Tahquitz, a granite crag that includes nearly featureless sections across its routes and is notorious for loose rock on its North Side. His daring first run would be a testament to his audacious achievements in the future, which struck awe in his followers.
No one is born a mountaineering expert, not even those who are born to be mountaineers. Because of this, there are many enthusiasts who run into medical terms they either don’t understand or have never heard of altogether. Here’s a rundown of some common high-altitude sicknesses and what to do if you come across them. Consider this High-Altitude Sickness Lesson 101.
Bread is a carb that most hikers and climbers want to have in their pack, in cases where fresh bread is not accessible, as is the case when climbing K2, a flatbread that can be cooked in a shallow pan is the only alternative. Here’s a quick and easy bannock-style bread that can be made with minimal, non-perishable ingredients while camping.
Most mountain enthusiasts have heard of the term “Seven Summits,” but not all of them understand what the Seven Summits are, as there are 4 variations of the list. The Seven Summits are the 7 highest mountain peaks within each of the 7 continents – Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, with the variations having to do with disagreements about the placement of mountains on continents and continental shelves. We won’t get into that now, for now, we’re focusing on the Seven Summits list as according to mountaineering legend, Reinhold Messner:
Alex Honnold, arguably the world’s greatest free climber and center of a climbing controversy, has been featured in a series of television specials profiling his epic achievements. In the February issue of Rock and Ice magazine, he’s featured in an interview spread covering his feelings about death, which seems to have become the hanging topic over Honnold’s head – “Does he know he will most likely die doing what he’s doing?”
Everest may be on every mountaineer’s bucket list, but true mountaineers know the prize lies on the summit of K2, or Karakoram 2, the savage mountain, the brutal mountain, the “King of Mountains.” At just 800 ft. shorter than Everest, K2 is the world’s second highest mountain; and while Everest is the tallest, it does not compare in any measure to the brutality that is an expedition on K2.
By measure of ratio, the death count on K2 is much higher than that of Everest, with well-documented mountaineering disasters in 1986, 1995 and the most recent in 2008; the 2008 disaster has been known as the most controversial of all. For every 100 mountaineers that attempt a summit on K2, 29 will die. Only 306 climbers have succeeded, 80+ have perished. Compared to Everest’s 5600+ summits and around 300 deaths, K2’s reputation, which is all but impossible to describe in words, is accurately captured by something as simple as numbers.
K2 was dubbed “Karakoram 2” in 1856 by T.G. Montgomerie, the name stuck.
France, a country with glorious history, indulgent cuisines, unparalleled romance and a top-level mountaineering community; this is where we all want to go. If you’re here, you’re probably looking to do some climbing on Mont Blanc or somewhere in the Alps, which feature some of the best ice climbs during peak season. While you’re here, be sure to check out the cuisine, and this guide in our Travel & Culture column will prepare you for what you’ll encounter if you’ve never gone there before. (See our Explore/Europe column for more great articles about this region.)
The Seven Summits are the 7 highest mountain peaks on each of the 7 continents – Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. The Seven Summits were first completed in 1986 by Patrick Morrow. However, the definition of the Seven Summits differs on how you view the borders of the world map, particularly with the difference being held within Europe and Australia since some don’t view the location of mount Elbrus in Russia as part of Europe or view Indonesia as part of Australia. This difference results in 4 possibilities for the Seven Summits:
If you’re over 50, you might want to cross “climbing Everest” off your bucket list of things to do. The governments of Nepal and Bengal have proposed new rules that will limit access to the mountain from climbers over 50 and novice climbers, however, new talks say the age limit has been increased to 75. While most understand the Nepalese and Bengalese Governments’ reasons for wanting to limit the amount of climbers on Everest, most mountaineers and alpine experts doubt the restrictions will pass for a few reasons. According to their proposal:
Denali, the highest peak in North America and also a highly controversial mountain – its name has been the source of much debate over the past four decades. Denali was first ascended in 1913; back then it was called Mount McKinley, but today, we know this majestic peak by its native name, Denali, but that did not come without much fight, in fact, the state of Alaska, where Denali is located, began proceedings with the Unites States Federal Government to get the name changed to Denali in 1975, but before we go there, let’s rewind to 1896 when the mountain was first unofficially named by a gold prospector as Mount McKinley. After forty years of non-stop appeals, the mountain was officially renamed “Denali” on August 30, 2015, by Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell.
On May 10, 1996, four groups of climbers set out to summit Mount Everest – one group led by Rob Hall of Adventure Consultants, another led by Scott Fischer of Mountain Madness, an expedition organized by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and a Taiwanese expedition. The day would turn out to be the single most disastrous event in the mountain’s history, killing 8 and injuring others after an unexpected blizzard ravaged the climbers, trapping them high on the mountain.
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