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.
A 1,400km Bike Ride Along the ‘End of the World’ Trail: In March, Anastasia Austin and her partner cycled over 1,400km from El Chalten to Ushuaia, Argentina along the remote End of the World trail.
When the sheep farms and ranches of that area went out of business, conservationists began rewilding the landscape. For a month, the pair picked their way across Patagonia, speaking to old ranchers about their former life on the plains.
A Climbing Community Rises Up in Iraqi Kurdistan: More than 20 years after his father was killed in Iraq, Carson Langmack traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan to explore the growing climbing community that has emerged despite ongoing conflict in the region. Guided by local climbers, he visited crags in the Safeen Mountains and Mount Korek, where the group are developing routes.
As drone attacks, missile strikes, and airspace closures increased due to the Iran war, Langmack had to leave, but determined Kurdish climbers continued to expand the sport. It has created some semblance of normalcy in a region still heavily impacted by conflict.
A new Andes ski route
New Ski Descent in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Fay Manners and Marco Malcangi have completed a first ski descent in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. The line went through the col between Ranrapalca and Ocshapalca in the Andes.
A local guide cautioned them that glacial barriers had barred other climbers for decades, but the pair successfully navigated the complex glacier approach. They not only completed the first ski descent, but also made the first climbing repetition of the route since its original ascent by a Swiss team in 1980.
1,000 Miles to Tuk: The award-winning canoeing film 1,000 Miles to Tuk follows Niki Choo and Jared Gentz on a 1,600km journey from Haines, Alaska, to Tuktoyaktuk in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
From the start, they faced a series of setbacks. They had to cycle over 300km when a planned ski section became impossible. Then they battled logjams, storms, and dangerous river conditions.
The stress tested their relationship as they debated whether to abandon the expedition. Choo’s death in a 2026 avalanche gives the film added significance.
Assessing shark risk with AI
New AI App to Forecast Shark Risk: After learning that eight great white sharks had been tagged close to where he was surfing, AI developer Evan Valenti wondered if he could build an app that uses artificial intelligence and marine weather data to predict shark attack risk.
Using data from 1,600 shark attacks over 200 years, and over 30 environmental variables, including water temperature, visibility, chlorophyll levels and upwellings, the model identifies conditions that have historically been associated with attacks. It then assigns daily risk ratings for beaches around the world.
So far, Valenti’s system has correctly classified 89% of historical shark attack days as high risk.
An Illustrated History of British Retro Outdoor Clothing: Outdoor clothing is now commonplace among the masses, not just outdoor people. Max Leonard and Henry Iddon traced the history of British outdoor clothing from the 1953 Everest expedition to the turn of the millennium.
They looked at how innovations by mountaineers, textile engineers, and outdoor brands transformed specialist mountain gear into everyday fashion. Using archival photographs and interviews with industry pioneers, they show how outdoor clothing evolved from post-war wool and workwear into the brightly colored Gore-Tex jackets, fleeces, and expedition gear of the 1980s and 1990s, eventually crossing over into mainstream culture.
Mountain Equipment fleece advertising in the1990s. Photo: TGO
New long-distance trail in northern Europe
A New Long Distance Hiking Trail Launches in Europe: A new 350km long-distance hiking route, the Grande Randonnée de Pays, is set to open later this year. The trail runs across the French and Belgian Ardennes and is designed to be completed in 15 stages of about 23km each.
Inspired by the legend of Arduinna, the Celtic goddess and protector of the Ardennes forest, the trail winds through dense woodland, lakes, and historic towns.
The Patient Lady: Ernest Shackleton is one of the most celebrated figures in the history of exploration, but his wife, Emily Shackleton, has largely been forgotten. While he was gloriously suffering and surviving on expeditions, she spent much of her life supporting his ambitions from home. She raised their three children and managed the family’s affairs during his long absences.
Shackleton’s many long absences left the family facing years of uncertainty and financial hardship. Despite his mounting debts and the failure to achieve many of his polar goals, Emily continued to support his dreams, famously observing that “you cannot keep an eagle caged in the backyard.”
