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.
How Antarctic Scientists Celebrated Christmas: While many of us spent Christmas at home or visiting relatives, a group of scientists on the Antarctic Peninsula celebrated in their own way. They added festive spices to their porridge and adorned their tent with woolen decorations, then set out on a six-kilometer ski to their research site on the Flask Glacier. After they finished working, they returned to their orange tent to make Antarctic ice cream and message loved ones thousands of kilometers away.
Surfers Return for Rare Big Wave Contest in Hawaii: Recently, the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational took place in Hawaii. The intermittent competition takes place sometime between mid-December to mid-March. The wave has to be 12 meters high for the contest to run — a rare situation. All 45 competitors and 25 alternates received just 48 hours’ notice. They then raced around the world to Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore. This year, Oahu local Landon McNamara won the event.
Spectators gather to watch the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. Photo: Marco Garcia
The debate over cutting switchbacks
On Style: In a thoughtful essay, Luke Nelson discusses the importance of style and ethics in trail running and in the mountains. This year has been spectacular for trail running, with many course records. But differences in style created controversy. Some saw cutting switchbacks as a non-issue; others wouldn’t dream of doing it. Nelson questions whether the tiny margins needed for FKTs are compromising people’s ethics and behavior.
Bears vs. Kayakers: Encountering a beat on a kayaking trip always makes for a memorable, though sometimes frightening, story. One woman abandoned her boat and swam to safety. Another pair were peacefully watching a polar bear when a walrus attacked them. Here are four of the best videos documenting kayakers’ experiences with bears.
A relationship fraught with danger
How to Love a BASE Jumper: BASE jumping is one of the most dangerous sports in the world, and dating someone who voluntarily jumps off of cliffs is not easy, as Dianna Boyer discovered. The first time she watched her boyfriend jump from a 120-meter cliff, she was a ball of nerves. When his canopy opened and she saw he was safe, she burst into tears.
One onlooker commented how rare it was to see a BASE jumper in a relationship, and Boyer now understood why. Being with someone who takes such risks is forcing her to reckon with the unknown but also how to live in the present.
In the Kingdom of Goldhorn: In this video, Katja Jemec and Daniel Neilson trek the Alpe Adria Trail in Slovenia. Every day, they take on a 20km section of the trail, which passes through national parks, over mountain passes, and along the River Soca. Each section is said to include a “magic place,” a landscape highlight.
The Biggest Hiking Controversies of 2024: Backpacker magazine rounds up this year’s most contentious hiking controversies. They range from the ethics of leaving behind tiny sculptures on the Pacific Crest Trail to whether attempting the Triple Crown with less than 1.5 kilograms of gear is impressive or idiotic.
Solo Hiker Rescued After Losing Trail in Snow: Patrick Bittman was attempting a sunrise hike on Mount Lafayette when he became lost in deep, blowing snow. He called for rescue. Seven hours later, they found the hypothermic Bittman.
