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.
Climbers Paddle to Winter Wonderland: A cold spell in January created a wonderland of ice formations in Squamish, British Columbia. Adventure photographer Jimmy Martinello spotted the incredible ice landscape while hiking and immediately mustered a team of ice climbers.
Climbing Germany’s Highest Mountain in Birkenstocks: A viral video shared by a German mountain guide shows an unidentified tourist climbing Zugspitze in Birkenstocks. Though he might have taken a cable car most of the way, climbing any of the route in sandals is irresponsible.
This follows reports of a Chinese climber attempting to summit the Matterhorn without appropriate gear just a few weeks ago. Two wild examples of how not to climb a mountain.
The rules of thru-hiking
Does Your Thru-Hike Count if You Miss a Few Kilometers?: Hitchhiking, taking a ride, or leaving the route for a few miles is relatively common during a thru-hike. A detour can leave some hikers disappointed, as though they have not truly completed their route.
Mary Skylis and Michael Brekkie took on the Appalachian Trail together in 2015. One is a purist who thinks missing a few miles on your thru-hike degrades its integrity. The other sees the official route as more of a guide than a strict map to follow.
The World’s Most Extraordinary Tiny Hotel Rooms: The world’s first capsule hotel opened in Osaka, Japan in 1979. Over time, the tiny hotel rooms have spread. From a sleeping pod that hangs from the side of a cliff to a nook between bookshelves, this list contains eight of the most extraordinary mini-hotel rooms you can find.
Free Spirit Spheres on Vancouver Island. Photo: Tom Chudleigh
Flash floods in the Grand Canyon
Hiker Dead After Flash Floods Hit Grand Canyon: Heavy rains have flooded sections of the Grand Canyon National Park, killing one hiker and injuring several more. Chenoa Nickerson’s body was found 20 miles from where she went missing, at mile 176 of the Colorado River by a rafting group.
Over 100 tourists needed to be rescued as floods washed through campsites and hiking trails. Those on the trails said it went from a relatively calm morning to a life-or-death situation.
Bikepacking Norway’s Best Gravel: Josh Reid and his cycling partner take on the “Of Milk and Navvies” bike-packing route in Norway. The 383km journey combines two of the country’s most popular gravel cycling routes: the Mjolkevegen (the Milk Road) and the Rallarvegen (the Navvies Road). Taking the duo through valleys, mountain passes, and cattle pastures, the ride concludes at one of Norway’s longest fiords.
The end of a climbing career
Alannah Yip Didn’t Have a Picture-Perfect Career Ending. And That’s OK: Alannah Yip is one of Canada’s most successful competition climbers. She was the only female climber on the Tokyo Olympic team, but she didn’t make the cut for Paris. Here she talks about everything that happened in between: losing funding, changing coaches, living with alopecia, and falling in and out of love with competition climbing.
Man Left Behind By Co-Workers on Hiking Retreat: A group of 15 co-workers on a hiking retreat in Colorado split into two groups. One group went to the summit of Mount Shavano, the other hiked towards the saddle. Somehow one man was left behind. He summited alone but got lost on the way down. A storm hit and he struggled against freezing winds and rain. At 9 pm, a search and rescue team set out to try and find him.
