Travel video news

This week's episode of The Adventure Podcast should be of particular interest to regular readers of The Adventure Blog as we welcome polar explorer Eric Larsen  to the show. When I envisioned creating a podcast about outdoor adventure and exploration, having guests like Eric on was what I hoped to do and this interview certainly lived up to �� and exceeded �� my expectations. When I spoke to Eric he was in Punta Arenas, Chile preparing to leave for the Antarctic, where he will soon begin his attempt to set a speed record skiing to the South Pole. We talk about how he got started on his cold-weather adventures, what it's like to ski for hours at a time in the Antarctic and Arctic, what his strategy is for chasing the speed record, and much, much more. But before we get to the interview with Eric, my co-host Dave Adlard and I share the latest adventure news, with stories from the Himalaya, the Karakoram, and Antarctica. We also talk about the recent crowning of the adventure rac...

A month or so back I told you about an all-start team of European climbers who were planning an expedition to Pakistan this winter to attempt a first ascent of K2 during that season. At the time, the group was still putting together their funding and making plans for how they would approach this epic challenge. Now, thanks to an interview with one of its members, we have a better idea of what their plans entail. ExWeb has posted an interview with alpinist Artem Braun who will be a part of the team that is made up of mountaineers from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. He indicates that the team has received its preliminary permits for the expedition and are now planning on starting the climb in January. Braun says that the squad is in its final preparation stages with everyone preparing to travel to Pakistan soon. To prepare Base Camp for their arrival however, a group of porters has already reached the mountain and is setting up a base of operations there. In the interview, Bra...

If you're looking for some interesting reading today, check out Explorers Web's great interview with climber Denis Urubko , an extremely talented mountaineer who also has a bit of a controversial side. The Russian-born climber, who is now a Polish citizen, is known for his blunt approach to dealing with teammates and the press. Last year, as part of the Polish Ice Warriors team that made a winter attempt on K2 he also famously went AWOL when he disagreed with team leader Krzysztof Wielicki's approach to the expedition, striking off on his own for the summit. That bid ultimately failed, and Urubko was dismissed from the squad and went home. Now, he's telling his side of the story while sharing wisdom from his numerous expeditions. For those not familiar with Urubko, he has climbed 8000-meter peaks on 21 different occasions, including two in the winter. Most of his expeditions are done without supplemental oxygen as well, and he is amongst the strongest alpinists in the ...

The autumn climbing season in the Himalaya isn't even officially over yet and already we're turning our attention towards the winter. The harshest season of all requires a tough, determined team on pretty much any mountain, but when it comes to climbing the last 8000-meter peak to be summited in winter, it demands a higher level of focus and the ability to endure plenty of suffering. ExWeb is reporting that a team of all-star climbers from Eastern Europe are preparing to travel to Pakistan in December to make an attempt on the first winter ascent of K2. The squad will be led by Vassily Pivtsov from Kazakhstan who has summited all 14 of the 8000-meter peaks. He'll be joined by fellow Kazakhs Vitaly Akimov and Ildar Gabbasov, as well as Russians Roman Abildaev, Vitaly Akimov and Eugeny Glazynov of Russia, and Mikhail Danichkin from Kyrgyzstan. The group is filled with veteran climbers who have not only spent a lot of time on big mountains all over the world, but have endured...