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Hazel Findlay and Emily Harrington are tackling big walls this month in Morocco. These two ladies are planning on taking on a 3,000 foot route in the Atlas Mountains from the ground up, a month in Morocco would test anyone - doing it on a vertical plain offers a unique perspective. Follow their exploits and updates through the end of June here at www.neverstopexploring.com/blog/morocco
It's Hazel and I'm going to write you a little blog about the last few days :-)
We started off the trip on the wrong foot with a bout of sickness. A few days in, and we were feeling a bit down with no good routes under our belt, a bit of rain and dodgy stomachs.
The next day we decided to ignore our toilet troubles, pack our bags and try an 18 pitch 5.13 up Tagoujimt and Tsouiannt, which is the same wall that our main objective Babel is on. The route is called Fantasia and it is fantastic. Beautiful orange rock followed by a three-hour descent, watching the sun set over the most spectacular scenery.
It was a long day and we were tired but our spirits were high. We had a rest day and then did another route called Shucran up Oujdad. With these two routes done we have a lot more confidence for climbing Babel.
Although we understand that we may fail to send, at least we know that we can give it a really good try and whatever happens it will be a long day of really good climbing and that's what we like!
Hazel Findlay and Emily Harrington are tackling big walls this month in Morocco. These two ladies are planning on taking on a 3,000 foot route in the Atlas Mountains from the ground up, a month in Morocco would test anyone - doing it on a vertical plain offers a unique perspective. Follow their exploits and updates through the end of June here at www.neverstopexploring.com/blog/morocco
Last Summer Mike Hopkins spent 10 days in the backcountry outside Bralorne BC exploring first descents and sick new lines in addition to testing some of the 2013 Mountain Bike line for The North Face... Here are some of the best images from that trip and his blog update from last September post trip.
It’s been way too long! No excuses. First up, what happened to summer?! Some how September snuck in the mix and I’m not sure about you, but I’m not so happy about it. Summer’s been treating me too well, making me not all that interested in the winter months that stand on the doorstep. Perpetual summer bring it on!
The answer to waltzing away from Crankworks early lies in one magical little word … Bralorne. For months I have been working on a project alongside The North Face and Sherpas Cinema, and on August 17 it was time to put that plan into motion. I packed the truck, prepared for 8 days of camping, and made my way to Kamloops to pick up the other athlete who would be saddeling up for this adventure. While putting this project together, it was suggested that we bring along another rider so I wouldn’t be standing atop these massive lines fearing for life itself all by my lonesome. And so, I made the natural choice and brought along someone I had never met. I made the selection off what I had learned on the internet (not always the best way of making a decision, but in this case it was dead on) and after hitching up a couple ATV’s I picked up Matty Miles and we made way of the mountains.
On the Eastern edge of the Coast Mountains lies layers of peaks seemingly undecided in which direction to reach. Some tower skyward, others have given way to gravity and pressures of time, beginning their slow top-down degradation. This tectonic playground is home to one of mountain biking’s most exciting environments. It is one of the only places that truly blurs the lines between skiing and riding a bike. We traded the confides of trails for steep open faces and tight coulouirs of rock. There is only one way I can put it into perspective… It’s what Alaska is to skiing, but for biking. The goal of this project was explore the uncharted potential of the area, and chalk up a few first descents. And oh buddy, did we accomplish our goal. I could write a novel about this trip but I won’t. I am just going to dangle the carrot. Having Shperas Cinema, the most talented production team in the game covering all the angles, and Blake Jorgensen capturing each turn of the excursion moment by moment, it would be rude for me to lay all the details of the trip in a spoiler blog. The film and imagery we captured even blows my mind so I figured we better do it justice with a proper release. Although you have read this far so instead of leaving you so the least I can do is give you a couple insightful tasters… Insanely Beautiful Landscape, Float Planes, Snow, Alpine Base Camp, scaling sketchy rock walls with Bikes, fastest moments ever on a bike (and my back brake was fully locked), Helicopters, 2500 ft. first descents, escaping lightening stroms, flipping quads, bush whacking, Snow Roads, Breakfast laps, carving, roosting, countless “High-Fives”, close calls, Gnarly drop-in’s, epic sunsets, the most scenic bathroom of all time, feeling like a pioneer, wicked crew … Trip of a Lifetime!! The Carrot has officially been dangled.
Huge Thanks to Everyone who saw this trip through, especially The North Face, Sherpas Cinema, Blake, Matty… insanely stoked!
This June, nine mountaineers will attempt to become the first all-African-American expedition to climb Denali (a.k.a. Mount McKinley) in Alaska. Their goal goes way beyond making history on North America’s highest peak. Their ultimate objective is to inspire people of all colors, young and old, to get more engaged in the great outdoors.
Dubbed Expedition Denali: Inspiring Diversity in the Outdoors, this National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) expedition, with support from The North Face and others, will happen. How many people know about it—how far the team’s inspiration and awareness reaches—is another matter.
Through a Kickstarter campaign that ends on Friday at noon EST, Distill Productions is raising funds to create a powerful, far-reaching documentary on the team’s journey to the top of North America’s loftiest, most iconic summit. This project will impact future generations in countless ways—for example by addressing nature deficit disorder, fighting our obesity epidemic, raising interest in preserving our great wild places, and proving the universal accessibility of outdoor recreation. The one-month Kickstarter campaign is an all-or-nothing program, so the final push to $107,500 is imperative. Pledges are incentivized by prizes that directly relate to the expedition and the film, including gear donated by The North Face. People interested in making tax-deductible contributions to the production of the film can do so here.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) creates, enhances and protects great mountain bike experiences. Our local groups — IMBA's mountain bike chapters, clubs and patrols—help care for the trails you ride by donating nearly a million annual hours of volunteer service to public lands. We work in partnership with land managers, conservation groups and other recreational users as we promote sustainable trail building and riding practices. IMBA is a membership-based 501 3 c non-profit organization with programs in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and elsewhere. Learn more by visiting www.imba.com or facebook.com/IMBAonFB.
The North Face is a member of IMBA and provides additional support for special events and the Subaru IMBA Trail Care Crew--traveling trainers who teach sustainable trail building, lead volunteer workshops and work with land managers on specific MTB projects around the country. http://www.imba.com/tcc
IMBA Annual Fund 2013 from IMBA on Vimeo.
To learn more about the Explore Fund visit www.ExploreFund.org, applications for 2013 grants are open until May 1st.
Through our 4 Club locations in Salt Lake and Tooele Counties in Utah, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake serves over 4,700 kids each year including 1,300 teens. We have nearly 500 members attending the Club daily. We provide low and no cost programs in neighborhoods where kids need us most to ensure we reach our intended population. The members of our Clubs represent some of the neediest and most underserved youth in our state: • 69% are from low-income families (with some Club sites as high as 97%) • 35% come from single-parent homes • 47% are ethnic minorities (with some Club sites as high as 85%) Our Clubs reside near some of the world’s best outdoor opportunities: hiking and rock climbing in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains, skiing and snowboarding in the “greatest snow on earth,” fishing and whitewater rafting in scenic lakes and rivers, and just exploring Utah nature and wildlife. Unfortunately, while some tourists from all over the world spend fortunes on Utah vacations, many low-income kids from Salt Lake City and the surrounding area are unable to access or afford the outdoor activities only miles from their homes. Also, due to urban lifestyles and sedentary habits so prevalent today many kids do not even know about the opportunities they are missing.
Club Adventure is an exciting and popular program designed to connect our Club kids with the outdoors and nature. Each year we collaborate with multiple community partners to provide snowboarding trips, canoeing and river trips, and outdoor climbing events. Our Club members have also gone ice skating, indoor rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, hiking, and even snorkeling at the Bonneville Seabase. Every month more and more Club kids are experiencing outdoor programs and staying fit through Club Adventure.
One of the major goals of Club Adventure is to overcome barriers to getting our Club members outdoors. Unfortunately, cost is often one of the most significant hurdles preventing many of our kids from outdoor participation. Even relatively low cost activities like hiking are too far out of reach for kids who can't afford proper equipment or don't have the support and supervision of a responsible adult.
Club Adventure exists to fill these holes. Grant funds from The North Face Explore Fund will be used to cover the rental costs of mountain bikes, canoes, and climbing equipment. Funds will also be utilized to transport our kids to and from outdoor activities, and to cover the fees associated with guides and instructors to keep them safe.
The North Face Global Team athletes Hilaree O'Neill, Emilio Previtali, Guilia Monego and Johnny Collinson set out on March 8 to climb and ski the 6000m White Sail peak in Northern India's Manikaran Valley. The following is a first hand account of their travels and adventures during their expedition.
Holi. Images of inebriated, partying Indians crowding the streets to the bursting point, throwing handfuls of colors everywhere flitted through my mind. We drew up a war plan in advance: wear harnesses, and tie together so we don't lose anyone... Especially the girls.
Reality of the festival turned out to be much different than expected. As Happy, our Indian liaison officer, explained with an infamous Indian head wiggle "I think maybe Holi is very different in different regions. Some places the people are very drunk, some places it is more serious."
Where we were, in Kasol and Manikaran, it seemed to be more of just a day off to enjoy interacting with everyone. It could be compared to Christmas I suppose, while everyone celebrates it and gives/ opens presents, not many people think about why we actually are celebrating it.
For Holi, everyone runs around splattering colors on everyone in sight, but we never (or I never did at least) really learn the spiritual qualities and purpose of the holiday.
So for us, we boarded a public bus at the hotel and jostled our way up the mountain road between cars, and blasting through hordes of motorbiking, orange clad Sihk men. We arrived in Kasol around 11 a.m., and began perusing shops, finding trinkets and anxiously wondering when Holi would "start".
Boom
As soon as we purchased our very own baggies of colors, we seemed to become magnets for the stuff. "Happy Holi," was said by the more gentle crowds, and a face full of color- smeared into mouth eyes and nose- followed by a squirt gun dousing was issued by the rowdier fellows.
By 2:00 we all had bloomed into Easter eggs. Especially Giulia and I. And the best part was your colors changed every second, blue to pink to yellow to green. And instead of maybe alienating us for being foreigners, it seemed the locals doused us even harder, involving us in their culture and holiday as much as possible.
Then before anyone was ready, the much-anticipated Holi was over and we stepped inside our "Tourist Travel" bus to begin the long journey home. And just because we started home didn't mean India was finished with us yet.
Closed roads forced us away from the bumpy highway onto rather alarming "side roads" (I'm sure they would be marked 4x4 in the states). 14 hours later we pulled into the IMF headquarters amidst worries of missing gear and heatstroke. The lull and brittle rattling of lopsided ceiling fans buzzed us to sleep.
March 29th (my 21st birthday) was spent in the streets of Delhi, among vendors and swaths of people until finally the airport beckoned. With only about six places to stop and get your skis checked, then two military checks, and four itinerary checks (glad we printed em) it was on to an 18-hour flight to the USA. Missed flights and other such delicacies plagued to journey, but finally we reached home, with memory banks full of goodies and ready to go back for more.
The North Face Global Team athletes Hilaree O'Neill, Emilio Previtali, Guilia Monego and Johnny Collinson set out on March 8 to climb and ski the 6000m White Sail peak in Northern India's Manikaran Valley. The following is a first hand account of their travels and adventures during their expedition.
March 12 - Anjin, Jonny and myself took off from the Himachal lodge in Manali first thing in the morning. The flight lasted about 20 minutes and by 7:40am we had feet on the snow, on the Chota Shigri glacier at about 14000ft.
We were in charge to recon the glacier and find a good location to set up the first camp that would be our base for the next few days of acclimatization. The rest of the crew was joining us in the afternoon, with the rest of the gear and with the load we were planning to leave at the high camp located at about 18000ft.
Jumping on a heli was quite a shocking experience. Leaving behind all the chaotic traffic noises and old style vehicles on a fast modern B3 heli out towards the loneliness and silent mountains was a great contrast and a drastic way to leave the civilization. I felt relived, though, when I found myself seated on that seat. It was the beginning of the adventure and all the traveling hustle till that point started to make sense.
When we flew over the first snowy mountains I checked my altimeter and was already showing 13000ft. It was a good test for all of us to gain in such a short time 7500ft of elevation and forced our bodies to get used to it. Not getting altitude sick was surely the first challenge we had to face.
As we touched the ground on the fairly flat glacier we tried to find a good and safe spot to pitch the tents, where we were protected from weather and avalanche hazards. The left side of the glacier was surrounded by steep high mountains, mostly rocky and scour, and the right side was delimited by lower mountains, covered in what looked liked stable snow pack, typical of the east facing slopes warmed up by sunny weather.
We decided for an elevated spot near some granite boulders in the middle of the glacier, and we all felt comfortable with it.
Digging platforms and setting up tents I started feeling the altitude right away. Every fast movement, every long lasting effort was followed by short breath and headache, that would have stayed with me for an entire first week.
The low temperatures and the cold katabatic wind of the early morning shade surprised us and made us cold and stiff till 10 o’clock when the sun finally lit our camp and raised drastically the temperatures. I always get amazed how the sunlight makes a huge difference in temperature in just a few minutes.
From day and night, and from sun to shade, even at high elevations you should expect to be hot in a t-shirt under the 18000ft sun and a few hours later slide inside your -20° sleeping bag and just feel right with it!
A few hours later, as scheduled, the pilot visited us again bringing in the rest of the group and leaving a heavy load at 18000ft. As the helicopter flew out for the last time that afternoon I realized how quiet and remote that place was, and how we would not see anybody else for the next 2 weeks. It was a peaceful feeling.
The next day we went on an acclimatization recon up the gentle slope of the glacier. A good way to stretch the legs, get the lugs to work hard and shuttle some gear on a cash that we would have retrieved in few days. The last forecast we heard leaving Manali was calling a good storm with 20 inches of snow for the next day, so we were ready to spend another day at the low camp.
When we woke up outside the tents there were already 15 inches on the ground and it didn’t stop for a second all morning. By the afternoon we passed the 20 inches forecasted and it was still snowing hard. Spending the time between the kitchen tent, and lying flat on our mats reading books, the time seemed to have slowed down. The only noises around were the intermittent rumble of avalanches nearby, which were scary and frustrating. First because, sucked in the cloud we couldn’t see further that few hundred feet around camp and second because we couldn’t do much about it or move anywhere else.
At one moment, as I was lying in the tent, the rest of the group standing outside witnessed a huge avalanche that came down from the right side slope. That same mountain that didn’t look threatening only 2 days before, now with all that new snow, became the biggest danger for out lives. The slide got bigger and bigger, and was increasing speed down the slope and as it hit the flat bottom it just missed the camp and the debris arrived at a ridiculous close distance from our tents! It was so big and close that we got swept by its wind and I felt the whole tent shaking like under a strong gust of wind. I was happy at that point that I didn’t witness it. It would have made me frightened and hopeless more than I was already and needed to be. At that point anyone of us was strongly hoping to see no more snow falling from the sky.
March 14th - Finally during the night it stopped snowing and by the morning it was clearing and announcing a nice day. The storm dumped at least 35 inches in 24 hours - more than what we needed and hoped, but at least we knew that from then on we would find some good powder to ski.
As the tents dried under the sun we slowly dismantled camp and prepared the sleds to be pulled up the glacier. The uphill wasn’t steep but with the heavy load, every inch of inclination more made the sledfeel 20 pounds heavier and a hopeless load to carry up, especially when braking track on fresh snow.
The wind hopefully had compacted down the majority of the fresh snow, making the traveling not as painful as expected. We moved a few miles uphill till we felt comfortable to set up the next camp and rest for the night. At this point not all of us felt good.
Still acclimatizing, the general pace was slow, but a few upset stomachs and breathing problems made us a little concerned and cautious. Jonny seemed to be the one suffering from short breath more than others and his few coughs were making him concerned.
We knew that the goal for the whole team was to all feel good, and it was key that nobody would have to go down in low elevation to recover since there was nothing lower! Our way out of the mountains was the other big unknown point of the entire expedition and surely would have been a tough mission, not to be faced by someone suffering altitude sickness.
Moving the camp every day was a risk and more demanding than leaving a set base camp. It forced you to carry a heavier load every day and involved time and energy to break down and build up camp daily, but on the other hand it was the only way to move on those glaciers and get closer to the objective.
March 15th - The pass.
After the usual morning routines and the first Italian coffee in the mug, we were on route to get to high camp where the heli dropped us the extra gear we needed to power up our team. As we got closer to the pass Sara Unga La, 16500ft, our exit door from the high glacier, we realized that Jonny was losing ground, and quickly fell at the back or the caravan.
Hilaree, feeling strong and concerned about his health, decided to turn around to look for him, while the rest of the group was establishing camp to prepare hot drinks to support them as soon as they would get there. Immediately Hilaree realized the gravity of the situation. Jonny was suffering the first symptoms of pulmonary edema. The group was called to make an important decision for the safety of Jonny and the rest of the crew.
Emilio didn’t doubt a second about what to do: a helicopter evacuation was the only intelligent thing to do and surely the safest. Jonny had to be taken down in elevation first thing the next morning but there were no good possibilities of getting him low enough on skis. The heli was the only chance, and thank god we had that option!
Arranging the heli pick up using the illegal sat phone (in India) was a risk that we had to take, and it worked out great. 7:30 a.m. the next day Jonny was flying out together with Emilio to Manali.
The decision to fly Jonny down was followed by the decision to send one of us down with him to help and check on him once in Manali. Emilio kindly volunteered to be that person and left with Jonny sadly leaving me and Hilaree, the only other skier of the team.
Once the heli took off with the boys, Hilaree, myself, Anjin, Chris and Jay were the members of the team that were counting on with the expedition and to keep the focus on the objective: skiing the White Sail.
We arrived at the high camp the day we started to be surrounded by incredible ridges and peaks. The view over the horizon was getting better and better each meter we climbed and we couldn’t ask for better weather.
The night was a bit tough to rest properly. The body wasn’t still used to the altitude and the cold temperatures were making the sleeping quite uncomfortable. The morning sun, though, was changing the frozen camp into a nicer place, livable and cozy. It was time to concentrate on the objective.
Ultrarunner Lizzy Hawker had a great article today in the New York Times which showcases her ability to run and succeed at the world's toughest races. From April 15th:
Lizzy Hawker had just finished running a nine-stage race through some of Nepal’s wildest trails when she learned that her flight back to Katmandu, about 200 miles away, was canceled because of bad weather.
So instead of waiting for the next flight, she ran there.
There were no cheering fans, other competitors or prizes. Instead, Hawker, a 36-year-old British ultrarunner, was intent on beating her time over the same route from 2007, which was 74 hours 36 minutes nonstop. Few cared if she broke her record or abandoned her effort. The competition was with herself.
“I try to focus on running the very best that I can, literally moment by moment,” Hawker said. “If I’m in pain or tired, I don’t have to fight it. I can be in myself, in the environment. It’s amazing what you can do running moment to moment.”
About halfway through the run, where her route turned from trail to road, Hawker met her friend Roger Henke from Katmandu and three other Nepalese runners. Their van held food, water and a back seat for napping. Late in the second day, Hawker was nauseous and having problems with coordination, Henke said.
He recalled, “Having retched out the last bit of liquid from the previous stop, she’d say, ‘Would it be O.K. if I lay down just a bit? Hope you don’t mind,’ with this very British teatime politeness.”The van followed Hawker through the last leg of the run, with Henke and the runners taking turns running alongside her.
“Throughout the three days, she slept maybe four and a half hours, never more than 50 minutes at a time,” Henke said.
She set a personal record to Katmandu from Everest Base Camp of 71 hours 25 minutes.
...To read the rest of this article please go to The New York Times website.
Urban Peaks supplements funding for underprivileged, urban youth to participate in rock climbing and challenge course activities. In just under two years, Urban Peaks has been able to fund climbing programs for over 400 students, introducing youth from low income, often single parent homes, and/or students with behavioral or social disabilities to the world of climbing, offering these youth an opportunity they might otherwise not have. Thanks to the North Face Explore Fund Grant, Urban Peaks was able to enrich these youth’s lives by providing funding for them to be able to participate in rock climbing activities
An 80 person Big Brother Big Sister group participated in a rock climbing program at a local climbing gym; upon entering the gym, the youth looked up at the 50 foot walls with a mixed bag of emotions. Some looked at the walls with sheer excitement saying, “I’m going to conquer that wall and climb all the way up!” While others felt a little trepidation, “oh, that’s so high, I’m scared of heights!” Upon completion of the three hours of climbing, all the students were proud of their own, personal, achievements. Whether it was getting to the top of the wall, or getting two moves higher than they expected. All the youth left proud of reaching their personal goals.
At the end of a rock climbing and challenge course program for a Boys and Girls Club group, an instructor commented, “It’s over already? I have never seen these kids so engaged!” When asked what the students are usually like, the instructor responded “apathetic teenagers”. It was great to see some natural talent in these kids who have never climbed before. When the students went through the Challenge Course, it was inspirational to see how, when some of the elements really challenged the students, they endured and found their strength to get through that element and onto the next.
Urban Peaks strives to raise funds to continue to introduce these youth to climbing, to build self-confidence, learn new things and learn ways to challenge themselves and overcome fears. Urban Peaks continues to work with Big Brothers Big Sister groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, as well as various non-profits and public schools in the Boston area, and hoping to reach northern New England.
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