Afghanistan, the Wakhan-Corridor

This is probably the shortest post on this blog, ever. Check out this stunning trek to a country with a very bad brand.

Mt. Elbrus Climbing – Some Questionmarks Arise

…but nonetheless, we are optimistic!

Approaching Elbrus summit with the lower, eastern summit in the background

It’s been written at several places that Islamic terrorists killed foreigners and exploded bombs at ski resorts near Mt Elbrus. The area is currently closed for climbing.

That’s bad news for the thousands who want to climb the peak every year. Like us. We have a fun and very successful Mt Elbrus climb every year. It’s set to take off early July. We may postpone it to August, however. We really hope the Russian secret service will be able to clean out the area and make it safe again. It’s really a question of prestiege for them as well, since the 2014 Winter Olympics are set to take place in nearby Sochi.

Let’s hope for things to settle very very soon! Needless to say, we’ll keep you updated.

Top 4 Reasons You Fail to Climb the Peak of Your Dreams – Part I

Approaching the summit of Rysy in the High-Tatras

To kick things off for the new year, the boys and girls at ClimbBigMountains.com have decided to compile a list of some observations from the past 5 years. On what? Why people we know have failed to reach their desired summits. We’ll leave out the obvious ones, like bad weather because you can help that with a little planning. The list has a few surprising items and tips on how to overcome them…  Here is part 1 with a very much overlooked reason: More »

Ueli Steck going for speed record again

Via Mountain Hardware: This time, our hero, Ueli is going for a speed climbing record on El Cap. Watch some preparatory footage here:

Alex and Uli speed climbing The Nose on 5.20.10 from Chris Falkenstein on Vimeo.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is how Ueli made himself a brand name in speed solo climbing:

Avalanche shovels – which ones are useless?

I don’t get it. Who was it that came up with the idea of making avalanche shovels out of plastic? Have they ever seen an avalanche from up close? I don’t dare asking whether they have tested these shovels at all…

How fast will this thing break?

More »

What Happened on Peak Lenin

Hey, I’m back from my first big mountain. Things went not quite the way I planned. Anyway, I need to get back on my feet, get life organized and I’ll be with you with the report on what happened on this 7100 meter monster. Thanks for your patience.

Search called off after Tragedy in China

American climbers [tag-tec]Johnny Copp[/tag-tec], [tag-tec]Micah Dash[/tag-tec] and [tag-tec]Wade Johnson [/tag-tec]were tragically killed in an avalanche in the Sichuan Province of China during their attempt of climbing Mount Edgar.

The blog at climbing.about.com recently informed us that the search has been called off, after locating the bodies of Johnny Copp and Wade Johnson. Micah Dash is reported to be still missing. This story has been all over the news, as the party of three were well known in the climbing community. I found this incredible video featuring Dash and Copp on the spectacular site of photographer/filmmaker Jimmy Chin. What’s really shocking in the video are the last few minutes, where the two talk about risk and tragedy in mountaineering, with pans of Chamonix’s mountaineering memorial site. Ironically, the film was shot and edited in great part by Wade Johnson.

Our condolences to the friends and family of the three alpinists.

Micah Dash and Johnny Copp segment of “The Sharp End” from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.

Here is a tribute video from Black Diamond’s blog:

Tribute to Jonny, Micah and Wade (updated) from Ben Alexandra on Vimeo.

Say, where are you climbing?

The tourskiing season is coming to an end here in Europe and everyone is seriously starting to look at their climbing targets for the summer.

Thus came the idea of the survey – who is going where? I’m dying to find out – and I bet you are too – what’s hot and what’s not this year… Let’s focus on the birthplace of mountaineering for now – Europe, more specifically, the Alps. If you want, we can do similar a survey for you Americanos and Americanas as well afterwards

Right after we get enough data, I’ll share the results – which may be surprising…

So, here we go…!

Can You Be a Climber Without Being a Mountaineer?

A friend and I were talking last night… He’s a great [tag-tec]alpinist[/tag-tec], having bagged several difficult routes in Europe and getting to 6600 meters on the shivering, cruel North Face of [tag-tec]Khan-Tengri[/tag-tec]. He went on a small climbing vacation to Croatia’s [tag-tec]Paklenica[/tag-tec] National Park – a paradise of bolted single- and multi-pitch rock routes.  With his girlfriend, a novice climber, they did a few routes where – after topping out, you could opt to hike back on steep, rocky trails to the foot of the wall instead of rapelling.

Great weather in late autumn and a ton of people [tag-tec]climbing[/tag-tec]. But what became apparent to them is the inadequacy of a bunch of sport climbers to… actually hike. It was a disgrace. More »

Georgia Adventure Travel – What’s Up in Tbilisi These Days?

OK, this is the first real blogpost on this blog, fellas. These days, I can’t help thinking about one of my favorite cities on the planet I’ve visited so far: Tbilisi, [TAG-TEC]Georgia[/TAG-TEC]. I had made the trip about a year ago, looking to summit – just a 3 hour “hold on to your asses” busride from the capital.

Tbilisi took me totally unexpected with its culture, art scene and the atmosphere in general. You’ll be surprised at the number of modern art galleries you’ll find downtown with really awesome works. And the post on Sheila’s blog highlighted the sulphur underground baths – a really cool experience, even for someone coming from Budapest. Which is probably the world capital for not only porn, but yes, BATHS.

You would probably have trouble flying into Tbilisi nowadays, as Putin and his clan bombed – among other places – the airport. But life is back to normal now, or so the news inform.

A word of caution: if traveling to the Caucasus, forget the 2004 Lonely Planet book. If you’ve bought it already, use it to heat your stove. It’s totally outdated. They’re working on a new edition – this Austrian dude we met in Kazbegi (the village under the mighty Kazbek) even stayed with one of the authors at a hostel. But that edition isn’t out yet. If you’re looking for a good guidebook for the region, try a Bradt Guide.

Oh, the food is awesome – try some Khinkhali and rinse it with local Vodka!