When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
Alex Honnold Will Free Solo a Skyscraper in 2026: In a joint project with Netflix called Skyscraper Live, Alex Honnold will free solo the 508m Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan. While the exact date of this hair-raising climb has not been announced, we do know it will be in early 2026. It adds to the growing body of Netflix live event content. For Honnold, it offers another opportunity to reach beyond the world of climbing enthusiasts and into the mainstream.
A Wild First Ascent in Idaho: Climber and river guide Matt Ward had often gazed at the steep wall overlooking the Salmon River in Idaho and dreamed of making a first ascent. The problem was accessing it.
Last year, Ward teamed up with Ky Hart to attempt the previously unclimbed Redside Wall in Idaho’s Impassable Canyon. In some ways, the climb was the easiest part. To get there, they had to hike 35km and then swim 5.7km downriver through Class III rapids, all while fully loaded with gear to circumvent the tight permit restrictions.
The research team hauls sleds across the Renland Icecap. Photo: Pablo Durana/National Geographic
Arctic collaboration
Arctic Ascent: Glaciologist Heïdi Sevestre recounts her experience on a Greenland expedition that fused elite climbing with scientific research. Teaming up with world-class climbers, Sevestre helped lead 18 experiments on Greenland’s remote Scoresby Sund. The team drilled rock cores in Pool Wall, installed permafrost temperature sensors on the face of Ingmikortilaq, and used ground-penetrating radar on the Renland Ice Cap to map its internal structure.
Colin Haley Makes First Winter Ascent of Patagonia’s Aguja Standhardt: One of the world’s most accomplished Patagonia climbers, Colin Haley knows you have to make the most of good weather windows. Just six days after his success on Cerro Torre, Haley headed back to the Torre Massif to take advantage of more good weather, his sights on another winter first. The result? Haley has achieved the first winter solo ascent of Patagonia’s Aguja Standhardt, climbing the Exocet route.
Trekking Scotland
Scotland End to End: John Fleetwood recounts his solo spring trek across Scotland from Cape Wrath to Berwick-on-Tweed. He called it a “grand highlights tour” that linked some of his favorite places, summits, lochs, woodlands, and coastal scenery. Over 22 days, he covered 816km and ascended more than 30,000m.
Artist Creates Mushroom Kayak and Crosses The Catalina Channel: Blending art and science, Los Angeles artist Sam Shoemaker has successfully grown and paddled a mushroom kayak across the Catalina Channel. Using mycelium harvested from the mushroom Ganoderma polychromum and a hemp substrate within a fibreglass mold, Shoemaker nurtured the living vessel over several weeks before drying and sealing it. It took him 12 hours to make the 42km open-water crossing from Catalina Island to San Pedro.
Sam Shoemaker in his mushroom craft. Photo: Jordan Freeman/Fulcrum Arts
From paralysis to the Pacific Crest Trail
Man Told He Would Never Walk Completes 4,264km Trek: At 13 years old, Will Baxter was told he would likely never walk again after suffering a sudden brain hemorrhage that left him paralyzed down his left side. Eleven years later, he has completed the 4,264km Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. The 24-year-old spent five months trekking across deserts, glaciers, and 58 mountain summits, covering up to 40km a day and going through five pairs of shoes.
The Perils of Letting AI Plan Your Next Trip: Planning itineraries using tools like ChatGPT is becoming more common. This can lead to entirely fictitious destinations, bizarre itineraries, and logistical nightmares.
Two travelers were dropped off at a rural road, ready to hike to a canyon that does not exist. Luckily, a local trekking guide overheard them chatting and intervened. Others have created itineraries that take them to the Eiffel Tower in Beijing, or stranded themselves atop a mountain served by a gondola because they trusted the ropeway station times provided by ChatGPT.
