Indonesian Digital News Archive

Yesterday I posted an update on West Hansen's Amazon Express expedition, reporting on the team's progress along the Earth's mightiest river. Today, EpicTV follows that up with an interview with kayaker Rafa Ortiz, who joined West on the Amazon for a brief time. In the interview, Rafa talks about their experiences in the early whitewater sections high in the Andes Mountains. For Rafa, this was his first experience with expedition paddling, so much of it was new to him as well. The interview is accompanied by some great photos from the journey as well, which give us an opportunity to see what the remote Peruvian Andes - the source of the Amazon - actually looks like.


EpicTV Interviews: Rafa Ortiz Back From The Amazon from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

The news in the adventure community has been dominated with stories from Manaslu this week, where a massive avalanche took the lives of numerous climbers in Camp 3. One of the climbers who was there and was fortunate enough to survive the accident is Glen Plake, a world class skier who had intended on making a ski descent of the mountain. Yesterday, our friends over at EpicTV were able to connect with Glen in Kathmandu via Skype, while also being joined by his wife Kimberly in studio. In that interview, which you'll find in the video below, Glen shares his very personal story of survival while he still deals with the loss of his two friends and climbing/skiing partners Greg Costa and Rémy Lécluse.

EpicTV Weekly 22: Manaslu Avalanche: Glen Plake's Story from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

A couple of weeks back I posted a story about Ueli Steck's latest adventure in which he climbed three peaks in the Alps and paraglided off of them in the same day. On August 18, the Swiss climber first went up the Jungfrau, glided over to the Monch, summited and the flew to the Eiger. After a quick ascent of that classic peak, he then descended by paraglader and was home for dinner later that day. The whole expedition took in the neighborhood of 14 hours to complete, which sounds like quite the epic day.

Now, our friends over at EpicTV have posted an interview with Ueli in which he goes into detail about this little project. Steck talks about the conditions necessary for this type of endeavor, saying the weather needs to not only be good for climbing but flying as well, which adds another dimension to this challenge.

Listening to Ueli is always interesting, in part he comes across like he doesn't even know that he is Superman. He's quite nonchalant about his accomplishments and that is no different here. I also happen to love his "just do it" attitude and creativity in the mountains.

Another great interview from EpicTV. Keep up the great work guys!

Ueli Steck 3 Peaks from EpicTVAdventure on Vimeo.

The crack team of bloggers over at CheapTents has turned out yet another good interview to round out the week. This time they've turned their attention on professional adventurer and expedition manager Tim Moss, whose book How to get to The North Pole... and Other Iconic Adventures I reviewed awhile back.

Amongst his numerous adventures, Tim has hiked across Patagonia, swam the length of the River Thames and made first ascents in the Altai Mountains of Russia. He has also circumnavigated the globe in 80 days using 80 different forms of transportation, trekked the Wahiba Desert in Oman and climbed in the Bolivian Andes. Oh yeah! He's also been the logistics manager on more than 100 other expeditions as well.

In the CheapTents interview, Tim talks about his inspirations for pursuing adventure and which of his many exploits has had the greatest impact on his life. He also talks about the toughest decision he's ever had to make on an expedition, which destination has left the best impression on him and how he finds ways to add adventure into his daily life. Moss even provides some advice to would-be adventurers who are thinking about their own expeditions. His best advice? Simply just get started.

As for his favorite pieces of gear, which is always one of CheapTents most intriguing questions. Tim says he loves his Helly Hansen base layers that he has owned for more then ten years. He says he's used them on numerous adventures and they have always performed brilliantly. By coincidence, I happen to own a pair of base layers from HH as well. Haven't had them quite as long as Tim, mine are probably more like six years old, but they are fantastic and have gone with me to many places too.

Enjoy this interview as we head into a weekend. Perhaps it'll inspire you to have an adventure of your own.

This past spring Mark Jenkins was part of the National Geographic/North Face climbing team on Everest. That group of climbers originally had their sights on the West Ridge but thanks to some unusual weather, which included drier and colder than normal conditions, the team abandoned that approach and went up the standard South Col route instead. Jenkins, along with his his teammates, reached the summit, and he is currently putting together a story about the climb for National Geographic magazine. That story isn't due until 2013, but Nat Geo Adventure managed to catch up with Jenkins recently and posted an interview on their blog.

In the article Jenkins talks about how crowded Everest has become since guided expeditions started to become popular in the 1990's. He also discusses ways that the climb could be safer and advocates requiring those attempting the world's highest peak first earn some experience and skills on another Himalayan mountain. Mark also shares his thoughts on keeping Everest cleaner, pondering why "Leave No Trace" isn't the de facto standard for climbers.

Mark touches on the mainstream view of Everest and how the non-climber sees it as the "ultimate trophy" in the climbing world. He says that there will always be people who want to test their skills on the mountain and therefore it could always be crowded, but in the mountaineering community it is looked on a bit more skeptically. Everest is seen as a "very surreal experience" according to Jenkins.

It's a good interview with a man who isn't afraid to share his thoughts on the annual spring circus that is Mt. Everest. I had the chance to hear Mark speak as part of a panel at Outdoor Retailer a few weeks back and made some very interesting points. He pointed out that there are in the neighborhood of about 15 routes to the summit of Everest and yet each year everyone crowds into the two main routes instead. Mark rightfully pointed out that there is still plenty to do on the mountain, but most climbers don't really want to risk exploring one of the lesser known routes when they can join the stampede to the top along the usual paths.

If you're an Everest fan, you'll definitely want to read what he has to say in this story. Can't wait to read his full article in NG mag next year.

The CheapTents Blog continues their string of great adventure interviews today, this time turning their sights on polar explorer and photographer Phil Wickens. This past January, Wickens led a team of climbers and skiers to Antarctica where they took on 13 peaks along the peninsula, claiming first ascents on eight of them. Phil also documented much of the expedition through his fantastic photography as well.

In the interview, Wickens talks about his early inspirations for adventure (he was a Cub Scout!) that led him to becoming a mountaineer and polar guide. He also discusses his work with the British Antarctic Survey and goes into some detail on the Antarctic expedition, touching on his favorite moments as well as some of the dangers the team faced. Phil even shares some thoughts on shooting photography in the polar regions of our planet.

As for his favorite pieces of gear? Phil says his skies and ice axes are amongst his favorites, because without them he wouldn't be able to play as hard as he does. Seems like a good reason to love any piece of gear to me!

Check out some of the action from the Antarctic expedition below, then head over to CheapTents and read the entire interview.


The Ascent and Descent of Mt Banck from Phil Wickens on Vimeo.

A few weeks back I posted a story on the Brazil 9000 expedition which involves adventurers Aaron Chervenak and Gareth Jones traveling north to south across Brazil on foot, canoe and bike, covering more than 9000km (5592 miles) in the process. The journey is set to begin in a few months and they expect it to take roughly 15 months to complete.

Today, the CheapTents blog, which is always a great source for interesting stories, has posted an interview with Aaron and Gareth. The two men discuss their inspirations for the Brazil 9000 expedition, their previous experience in the Amazon and what they expect to find as they traverse the remote regions of South America. They also talk about their training as they prepare for the epic journey, what they're most looking forward to on the road and what they expect to be their biggest challenges.

Being a gear blog of sorts, CheapTents always asks their interviewees about their favorite gear and Aaron and Gareth are no exception. This is always one of my favorite sections in a CP interview as I'm often curious about the gear that adventurers take with them on their travels. In this case, Aaron says that he loves their Ally canoe made be Bergans of Norway, calling it "the best collapsible canoe on the market." For his part, Gareth gives the nod to his Arc’teryx Naos 85 backpack, which he lauds for its ability to comfortably carry heavy loads over long distances and for the fact that it is waterproof. Something that will no doubt come in handy in the rainforest.

This is one of the upcoming expeditions that I'm looking forward to following the most. Aaron and Gareth intend to use social media to the fullest while traveling which hopefully means we'll get plenty of updates and lots of information from them in the field. It's going to be one amazing journey to say the least.