Here at ExWeb, when we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the wider interweb. Sometimes we’re a little too plugged in, and browsing interesting stories turn from minutes into hours. To nourish your own adventure fix, here are some of the best links we’ve discovered this week.
Four Stories From The Russian Arctic: Russian photographer Evgenia Arbugaeva’s images of isolated figures in harsh terrain look like something from the deep past or icebound legend. They reflect life on the margins way up in the frozen fringes of the Russian hinterland.
Bikerafting the Brooks: Alaska’s remote Brooks Range is the highest mountain range within the Arctic Circle. Experienced bikerafter Steve ‘Doom’ Fassbinder attempts to traverse this rugged terrain on two wheels.
Junko Taibei, the First Woman to Climb Everest and the Seven Summits: Junko Tabei preferred to be known as the 36th person to climb Everest, despite the fact that her achievements — becoming the first woman to summit the world’s tallest peak and the first to climb the Seven Summits — called for more than just remarkable skill and fitness.
The Northern Soul: In today’s modern world, is it possible to live off the land — to live a life of freedom and self-reliance — and still be connected to the world at large? Outdoor writer Padraig Croke spent some time with a young couple who run a homestead and a dogsledding company in Sweden, to see how they balance their lives and livelihood.
Hard climbing at altitude on Baruntse
72 Hours In Hell
A Case Study in Suffering and Survival: The exhausting demands of putting up a hard new route on Baruntse’s West Face (7,129m) was the toughest of high-altitude veteran Marek Holecek’s life. As regular ExWeb readers know, it was a true epic.
Young, Dumb, and Broke: Why do outdoorsy types suck at money? It’s not just the gear purchases — it’s how we think about the future. Here’s one adventure journalist’s guide to getting your financial $hit together, no selling out required.
The Himalayan Peak Off Limits To Climbers: Climbing on Machhapuchhare is forbidden, a rarity in a country like Nepal. The country has embraced mountain tourism so enthusiastically that even the world’s highest point gets overcrowded. This is not news to many of you, but a good write-up of the backstory nonetheless.
Return The National Parks To The Tribes: As the coronavirus pandemic has shone a harsh light on social and ethnic inequalities in developed countries worldwide, it seems the right time to ask who should own our wilderness areas? The Atlantic argues that the jewels of America’s landscape should belong to America’s original peoples.
