Travel video news

It's the age old question �� who is faster, the skier or the drone? Okay, maybe not, but it still makes for a fun video. In the clip below, pro skier Victor Muffat-Jeandet races a drone piloted by two-time World Drone Racing Champion Jordan Temkin down the slopes at the Snowbird resort in Utah in an effort to see who is faster. You'll have to watch to see who won, but it sure is fun seeing this epic showdown unfold.

There is an interesting news story making the rounds that suggest that the provincial government in Tibet could ban all vehicles going to Everest Base Camp that aren't powered by electric motors. The new rules could be in place as early as next spring, requiring all mountaineers, support teams, guides, and even visitors to use electric vehicles when driving to BC on the North Side of the mountain. Those who follow the Everest climbing scene closely already know that it is possible to drive to Base Camp in Tibet, as opposed to trekking to BC on the South Side in Nepal. The trek actually requires roughly ten days to complete, while those climbing from the north can simply get in a vehicle and be at camp within a few days, taking stops to help acclimatize to the change in altitude along the way. This is one of the reasons many have favored climbing from the Tibetan side of the mountain, which is also less crowded than the more popular Nepali route up the South Col. Additionally, the ...

Listen up underwater explorers, researchers, and filmmakers. If you've been wanting to add a remotely operated vehicle to your inventory of tools, National Geographic and OpenROV may be able to help you out. The two organizations have joined forces to give away 1000 underwater drones to help others who are focused on revealing the secrets of the deep. Next year, Nat Geo and OpenROV will launch what they call the Science Exploration Education (SEE) program, which is designed to help advance our understanding of the Earth's oceans. As part of that initiative they'll be handing out a remotely operated vehicle that has been specifically built for use underwater. Priced at $1700, this undersea rover comes equipped with cameras, lights, and a propulsions system. The entire unit sits at the end of a 25 foot (7.6 meter) tether, that allows a pilot on the surface to control where it goes and what it sees. The rover itself was developed by OpenROV and built from the ground up to be...

One of the great things about my job is that I can do it from just about anywhere. Well, that is provided I have a few essential tools at my disposal. For instance, I need a source of power to keep my electronic devices going and it doesn't hurt if I have a some type of Internet connection either. I'm not unique in this approach however, as now more than ever you'll find freelancers, road warriors, and other mobile creative types choosing jobs that can take them to the far side of the planet, where they can still effectively get things done. If you're one such person, or ever wondered how we work while on the go, Outside magazine has a story for you. It lists 7 essential tools for working off the grid , providing everything you could need to stay in the wilderness for an extended period of time and yet still manage to not get fired. The gear listed in this story plays a crucial role in accomplishing that task, although most of it would also prove useful on other advent...

As an avid runner, cyclist, and outdoorsmen in general, I love wearing a watch that can keep track of my activities levels on a daily basis, but especially during a workout. For me, my day-to-day timepiece of choice is an Apple Watch , in part because it does a great job of reminding me to stay active, but also because of all of the other features it brings to the table, most notably displaying notifications, granting me access to my calendar, allowing me to respond to texts, and a host of other things. So when I got the opportunity to test out the new Sunnto 9 fitness watch, I was worried that I'd miss all the things that Apple Watch provided for me. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about at all, as the 9 offers much of the same functionality, along with more features for fitness tracking and much better battery life. Suunto is well known for creating excellent watches for use in the outdoors, and the 9 is no exception. It is built tough enough to survive in the harshest of cond...

Now that the fall Himalaya climbing season is starting to wind down, we'll turn our attention south to Antarctica where in a matter of a few weeks the first skiers will be setting out for the South Pole. As with every Antarctic season there will be a number of fascinating expeditions to follow, some more traditional than others. But this year, there will be an interesting vehicle-based journey to follow as a husband and wife team set out to drive an electric vehicle to the very bottom of the world . Dubbed the Clean2Antarctica expedition, the plan is for Liesbeth and Edwin ter Velde to travel 2400 km (1491 miles) on a round trip journey that begins at the Antarctic coast, goes to the South Pole, and then back again. They are expecting the entire trip to take about five weeks to complete, with plans to get underway sometime in November, which is traditionally when the Antarctic season truly gets underway. But what makes the Dutch couple's adventure such a unique one is that the...

If you read this blog with any regularity, you probably already know that Jackery makes some of my favorite portable battery packs and power stations for keeping our devices charged on the go. In fact, I reviewed the company's Explorer 240  back in June and found it to be one of the lightest, toughest, and most versatile chargers around. But just when I thought they couldn't make a more appealing portable power station, along comes the new Explorer 160 , an even smaller and more affordable option that doesn't compromise on performance. I first got a look at the Explorer 160 at the Outdoor Retailer show back in August. When I laid eyes on it the first thought I had was "its so small!" At first glance, the Explorer 160 looks a lot like the Explorer 240, and that's by design. Jackery is creating a family of products that share many of the same features and capabilities, but in varying degrees of sizes and batteries. To that end, the 160 weighs in at just 3.7 poun...

Alex Honnold's  Free Solo  documentary is rolling into theaters now, but before you head out to see it on the big screen, check out this amazing clip which helps to put his climb truly into perspective. Captured using a 360� camera, we start by joining Alex out on the trail, then proceed to El Capitan to follow him up the rock race. The 360� technology allows us to look around, getting a sense of the landscape that he is traveling through, not to mention the stunning heights to which he is climbing. If you're looking for new perspective �� literally �� on this impressive climb, this video will give it to you.

Now, more than ever, portable power sources play an important role in keeping our devices functioning while on the go. Whether that means running errands around town, flying to the far side of the planet, or venturing off the grid into the backcountry, chances are you can use a portable charging solution from time to time. If you happen to be a mobile professional who requires plenty of power to keep all of your technology running, particularly in remote places, your options can be a bit more limited. But thanks to a new option from Omni Charge , the search for the perfect power station may be over. The new Omni Ultimate ranks as one of the best portable power stations that I've ever seen, not just in terms of features and battery size, but also in durability and ruggedness too. This charger has been built from the ground-up for use in the outdoors, and as a result it can take a beat and still keep on functioning. The Ultimate is IP54 rated for dust ant waterproofing, meaning that...

We've written about how a high-tech device known as lidar has helped archaeologists locate lost cities and other ancient structures in the past, but those findings were small potatoes compared to what is going on in the jungles of Guatemala at the moment. A team of researchers say that the laser-powered technology has helped them conduct the largest survey of the region ever, and what they found is simply stunning. Lidar is typically mounted on an aircraft and uses lasers to map the surface of the planet from above. Those lasers can actually penetrate the thick jungle canopy to see what sits underneath, giving researchers a better understanding of what man-made structures may be lurking there covered by hundreds �� or even thousands �� of years of growth. According to a new study published in Science magazine , a recent research survey completed in Guatemala was the largest use of lidar ever. When the survey was completed, archaeologists had mapped 61,480 distinct structures unde...

Drones have become useful tools for filmmakers and photographers for sure, but they are having a significant impact in other areas too. For example, in this video we get a look at how they are being used by search and rescue operators, making it faster and easier to scan remote areas in times of an emergency. We all know that in a SAR operation, minutes can make the difference between life and death, and these flying camera platforms can help shave off time when looking for missing people in remote areas.