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.
Above the Storm: In July, Bronwyn Hodgins, her husband, and four friends arrived in Greenland for 65 days of kayaking and big-wall climbing.
The first 35 days were extremely demanding. After paddling for up to 15 hours a day, they took on the granite wall at Qaersorsuaq. The group was attempting to establish a new route. But as they climbed, a storm descended. The storm trapped them for days in their portaledges.
The Case for Explorers’ Day: The second Monday of October can be a polarizing day in America. It has historically been known as Columbus Day, celebrating Christopher Columbus’s landing in the New World. Since the 1970s, some have organized a counter-celebration: Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
This author suggests replacing both with Explorers’ Day. He believes it would be a unifying holiday and points out that everyone is a descendant and a beneficiary of explorers in some way.
Drones fitted with new image-analysis software. Photo: Tom McNally
Homemade drones
Homemade Search and Rescue Drones: In 2023, experienced hillwalker Charlie Kelly set off to climb Creise, a Munro in the Scottish Highlands. Later, he messaged his partner to say he would not be back that night, but not to panic, he had extra layers and food.
Kelly never made it home. Initially, mountain rescue teams found nothing. But rescue workers from the Lake District, Dan Roach and David Binks, thought they could help. They had been working on new software to help drones identify missing people. Two drones and one hour later, they found Kelly’s body.
The Impacts of Climate Change on Mountaineering in the Ecrins Massif: Mont Blanc and the Valais Alps have been important study areas for the effect climate change is having on mountaineering. Now, researchers are applying the same techniques to the Ecrins Massif.
Using a 1974 topo guide as their baseline information, researchers have used GIS, statistical analysis, and interviews to assess the area. On average, each route is affected by nine climate-related processes, and nearly 25% of routes are now inaccessible in summer.
Stoned Temple Pilot (5.12a). Photo: AAC
Dealing with negativity
Learning the Power of Low Expectations: Ryan DeLena always thought of himself as a trad climber. Then he went to Rumney’s Northwest Crags, specifically Stoned Temple Pilot. It was his first 5.12a, a grade that always eluded him. Despite initial success on the crag, he was unable to recreate it.
Day after day, he went back, getting more and more negative after each failed attempt. How had he got to the top before? Why could he not replicate it? His expectations dropped so low he expected to fall. With this in mind, he decided he might as well change it up to see what would happen.
Daft Things Hillwalkers Do: Some things in life only make sense when you are on a hill. When did a single carabiner ever come in handy? Certainly not when clipped to the shoulder strap of a rucksack with no other climbing equipment to hand. Other common sights include maps flapping around people’s necks and middle-aged men striking the same conqueror pose, one leg raised on a rock.
Photo: Ales Cesen
Guiding in Antarctica
The Perfect Job in Antarctica: Slovenian mountaineer Ales Cesen is heading into his sixth season in Antarctica. An ex-competition climber, mountain guide, and two-time winner of the Piolet d’Or, Cesan was always looking for the next experience. Then he landed in Antarctica. He had never seen anything like it, and guiding tourists on the coldest continent was a stable job that paid slightly more than his work in the Alps or the Himalaya. His only advice to those considering it: be willing to work in sometimes miserable conditions.
Climbing After A Brain Injury: In 2019, Astra Lincoln was in a bike accident. Years later, she is still suffering from post-concussion syndrome. In 2023, there was a glimmer of hope as the endless pain started to lift. She booked a climbing trip with a friend. Before the accident, her life had revolved around climbing. Now, years down the line, she was forced to confront the shame she felt about her condition.
