Video: Norway - Home Of The Northern Lights

The only thing you need to know about this video is that it was shot in Norway and captures the Northern Lights in spectacular fashion. That pretty much says it all. Enjoy!

Home of The Northern Lights - NORWAY from Ole C. Salomonsen on Vimeo.

Video: Skiing Through The Trees

Speaking of ski movies. Check out this great little video that was captured with an action cam of some sort and features skiers Candide Thovex and Aziz Benkrich zipping through trees at high speed. They're definitely braver (not to mention more skilled!) than I am. The POV camera certainly enhances the sense of anxiety you can get in close proximity to these trees. I run like this one would probably leave me in the hospital.

Video: Epic Skiing From 'Days Of My Youth'

With winter now just officially a day away, I'm sure we'll be seeing plenty of great skiing and snowboarding videos soon. The clip below is the trailer for just such a film, entitled Days of my Youth, and featuring a plethora of professional skiers. It isn't scheduled to come out until next fall, but judging from what is shown here, it looks like it is going to be amazing. Still, Fall 2014 is an awful long time to wait. For now, we'll have to just settle for what we've got here.

Antarctica 2013: Turning Points

As we head into the weekend – and the first official day of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere – the Antarctic teams continue to plod away towards their goals. For some, the South Pole is now in sight, and a few more days of hard skiing will bring them to the finish line, or in some cases the half-way point. But there is still much work to be done, and the season is far from over yet.

No more is this evident than with the Scott Expedition, where Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere are now on their 57th day out on the ice. It has not been an easy one, and morale takes a hit from time to time, but they continue to press ahead as best they can. Yesterday they dropped their final supply depot, and they are now down to just one sled, which should help them to go a bit faster as they head to 90ºS. The duo are now approaching the 88th degree and will be attempting to cover more ground each day. From here on out, they intend to ski 9-10 hours per day, as opposed to their 8-8.5 that they have been doing so far. This will allow them to cover a bit more ground, and hopefully still complete the journey on schedule. Once they round the Pole, they should make better time on the return trip, as they'll be going down hill and carrying less of a load. But incredible weariness will have set in as well. For this team, which it seems we've been following forever, the end is still a long way off.

Meanwhile, I made an error in reporting on Richard Park's speed record attempt a few days ago. I mistakenly read his "distance travled" for "distance remaining" and was way off on the average distance he would need to cover in order to reach the Pole in his allotted time. Richard has been putting in some excellent days and covering impressive distances, but he still has a very long way to go and just eight days left to attempt to break the record. He is currently covering about 45 km (24 miles) per day, which is faster than anyone else currently skiing in Antarctica. But as of two days ago, when he last posted an update, he still had 650 km (405 miles) to cover if he hoped to break the record. At the time, that meant he needed to ski 65 km (40.5 miles) per day. That just isn't going to be possible over that final stretch. It has been a valiant effort, but surface conditions and weather haven't been favorable almost from the start.


Chris and Marty Fagan, the husband and wife team on their way to the Pole, reached an important turning point today – quite literally. As many of you probably know, when you start at Hercules Inlet, there are a number of obstacles to clear before you actually turn due south. Namely some crevasse fields and mountain ranges, that impede progress. The Fagans have, more or less, gone past those obstacles now and can point their skis directly towards 90ºS. This has already made it easier for them to ski, as the wind comes from the south and creates sastrugi on the ground that are hard to cross over, but much easier to run parallel to. I would expect these two endurance athletes to pick up the pace some in the day ahead.

Both physical and mental fatigue are starting to take their toll on Geoff Wilson, who is kite skiing to the South Pole. As such, his pace is often dictated by the wind, covering impressive mileage on one day, and making little progress the next. Still, he has the Pole in sight as well with just 314 km (169 miles) to go. If the winds are in his favor, and surface conditions are good, he still hopes to finish by Christmas.

If anyone is suffering out on the ice at the moment, it is probably Daniel Burton. The American who is attempting to ride his bike to the South Pole has been struggling the past few days to hit his intended mileage, sometimes riding longer than he had expected to ensure that he hits his goals. If all goes as expected, he should cross the 83rd degree today, which means he is making slow, but steady progress. It also means he still has a long way to go if he hopes to succeed. He has achieved one milestone though, setting a new record for most distance traveled on a bike in the Antarctic.

Finally, and update on veteran polar explorer Antony Jinman's progress, who I've mentioned a few times but haven't followed as closely as I should. As expected, Antony is doing an impressive job on his march to the South Pole. He's now 18 days into the expedition and has covered more than 211 miles (390 km). That has been a sure and steady pace for him over the first few weeks of the journey and he seems well poised to reach the Pole in a few weeks time.

Thats all for today. Expect to hear word about the first Vinson climbs soon. It seems most of the mountaineers are in transit now and should start their ascents soon. Things are only getting busier in the Antarctic as the holidays loom.

Pacific Ocean Row: Fedor Konyukhov Returning To Chile

It has been a rough week for some of the adventurers we've been following lately. Yesterday we learned that the Dark Ice Project has been cancelled, only to find out later that Pacific rower Fedor Konyukhov is returning to land as well. You may recall, a few days back he launched his attempt row solo across the Pacific, departing from Valparaise, Chile with the intention of crossing the ocean all the way to Brisbane, Australia. But four days in, he has suffered a set back is on his way back to shore.

According to a post on his website, Fedor suffered a failure of his solar charging system on Tuesday, with both of his onboard batteries running out of juice. Those batteries power a number of systems on  his custom built rowboat, and without the solar panel to recharge them, he would never have a chance of crossing the Pacific. His GPS devices, satellite phone and other electronics all require the batteries to function properly.

After he called for assistance, his support team back on land chartered a boat to go out to tow him in. He should be back in Chile today, as he had only made it about 40 miles from shore when he ran into trouble. According to his website, he has been using a manual satellite phone to stay in contact and has several handheld GPS devices to call in his coordinates. His team was en route on Wednesday, but so far there haven't been any updates on their progress. They do say the situation is under control and that Fedor is not in any danger.

Once back on shore, the entire electrical system will need to be examined and repaired before the Russian can attempt to set out again. How long that take remains to be seen. Considering the voyage was suppose to take more than six months, it's just a good thing he wasn't further out from shore when the malfunction occurred. Hopefully he'll be back rowing soon.

Video: Nanga Parbat In Winter

With the winter climbing season about to begin, it seems this year most of the focus will be on Nanga Parbat, the 8126 meter (26,660 ft) mountain located in Pakistan. Nanga remains one of just two 8000-meter peaks yet to be climbed in the winter, with the other being K2. With three teams heading to the mountain, I thought it was appropriate to share a video of what they can expect. The 4-minute clip below gives you an idea of what the Polish team endured last year on the mountain. Conditions will be similar this time out. Cold and snowy about sums it up.

Video: KUOTA - A Passion For Cycling

The video below is essentially a commercial for Kuota bikes, but it might as well be an endorsement of why we love to ride as well. It is beautifully shot and manages to capture the spirit of a great ride in just two-and-a-half minutes. It definitely makes me want to get out on my bike today, which is fortunately possible with the nice weather we're having here in Austin. I hope it inspires you some too. Enjoy!

KUOTA | Kom 2014 from Valerio Musilli on Vimeo.