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.
Viral OnlyFans Model Rescued on Mount Whitney Hike: Kamryn Renae, a viral OnlyFans model, had to be rescued while attempting to summit Mount Whitney during her Pacific Crest Trail journey.
Renae became severely ill from a water source, vomiting repeatedly. She was unable to descend and spent a freezing night on the mountain at around 4,000m before other hikers helped her down. Search-and-rescue crews eventually evacuated her by helicopter.
Lessons of a Landslide Detective: Alaska geologist Bretwood Higman identifies and monitors unstable mountainsides. Higman argues that Alaska’s mountains are becoming increasingly unstable, with landslide-generated tsunamis occurring roughly ten times more often than a decade ago.
Higman has now developed a low-cost monitoring system that sits in a mason jar. He hopes the equipment will act as a warning system before disaster strikes and help vulnerable communities to prepare for landslides.
Higman attaches his monitoring equipment to a rock in the Portage Pass, Alaska. Photo: Corey Arnold
Trapped by a boulder
A Mount Hood Climber Was Trapped Beneath 16,000lb Boulder: A climber became trapped beneath a 16,000lb boulder near Timberline Lodge on Oregon’s Mount Hood. The climber stepped off the trail to let other hikers pass, which triggered a small rockslide. The slide sent a massive rock onto his lower body, pinning him in place.
Rescue efforts involved nine agencies, including technical rescue teams, air medical crews, and surgeons. Rescuers spent two hours constructing a complex system of wedges, ropes, and lifting equipment to gradually raise the boulder and free the climber.
Why Do Seaside Crags Still Have So Many Bad Bolts?: Ageing and corroded stainless steel bolts are an issue in coastal climbing areas worldwide. Marine corrosion can weaken gear, causing bolts to fail without warning. Climbers are now pushing for old bolts to be replaced with titanium ones.
However, replacing gear on routes is logistically challenging because of how titanium bolts are fitted. There is also the question of who should do the work and who is responsible for maintenance at the crags.
Traversing the Crosson ridgeline. Photo: Roo Streba
A multi-disciplinary Alaskan expedition
Old School Adventure in the Alaska Range: In 2025, Roo Streba and Shawn Jordan completed a nine-day, 160km traverse of the north side of the Alaska Range. They combined ski mountaineering, trekking, and packrafting.
After abandoning a more ambitious plan to climb Mount Foraker because of deteriorating weather, they adapted their route to cross the three peaks of the Mount Crosson group. During their traverse, they also completed the first ski descent of the group’s northwest ridge.
RIP to These Backpacking Trends: Over the years, many once-common backpacking items and trends have disappeared as gear and technology have evolved. From alcohol stoves and self-inflating pads to outback ovens and bandanas, this Backpacker article reflects on eight once essential items that have now been replaced.
Mario Conti on the West Face of Cerro Torre in Patagonia, 1974. Photo: Ragni di Lecco
Legendary Italian alpinist found
Farewell to Mario Conti: The remains of legendary Italian alpinist Mario Conti have been found. Conti went missing in November 2023 while walking in the woods near his house. Months of searches ensued, but there was no trace of the 79-year-old. This week, a hiker came across his remains in a gully just two kilometres from the mountaineer’s home.
Conti was a celebrated member of the Ragni di Lecco mountaineering club and took part in the first ascent of Cerro Torre’s west face in 1974.
Our Best Friend Fell 60m To His Death: In 2023, Matty Belcher, Brandan Smith, and Jack Carne were climbing Glyder Fawr in Eryri (Snowdonia). Just 10m from the summit, a rock came loose in Carnes’s hand, and he fell 60m to his death.
Smith and Belcher returned to the mountain a week later with Carne’s father, who wanted to see where his son had died. The experience forged an unexpected bond between them, and the three have since taken numerous hiking trips together, including scattering Carne’s ashes on Tryfan, a mountain he had always wanted to climb.
