Other adventures featured in the Adventure blog include French doctor and explorer Jean-Louis Etienne flying solo over the North Pole in a hot air balloon and the Siberian Express Expedition in which Kevin Vallely and Ray Zahab ran the entire length of the frozen Lake Baikal.

The Adventure Blog includes updates on long duration expeditions, such as Ed Stafford’s 4000 mile trek along the entire length of the Amazon River and Mark Beaumont’s cycling expedition along the Trans-American Highway from Alaska to the tip of South America.

Many adventures include an additional motive to raise awareness and money for particular causes and Kraig always includes this important part of the adventure in his write ups.

Kraig Becker has also written posts about our interviews with polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer and adventure racer Ian Adamson.

Now Kraig himself has been interviewed on the Adayak website. In the interview Kraig tells us how he became the Adventure Blogger, about his favourite adventures, his passion for the outdoors and his recent hike up to Mount Everest Base Camp.

You’ve been blogging for over 4 years on The Adventure Blog… what’s the background on your site and how do you keep it going?

I started the site after having a conversation with a friend who insisted that there were no more great adventures to be had, and that everything had been done. I told him that there were plenty of amazing men and women still doing adventurous things if you looked hard enough. The blog is an extension of me looking hard enough and sharing those stories with others.

The Adventure Blog is definitely a labor of love, but I enjoy writing it. Through the blog I’ve had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people, visiting some amazing places, and witnessing some amazing things. I continue to have a passion for writing, travel, and adventure, and that inspires me to keep going.

The full interview is on the Adayak website whilst Kraig has written a summary on The Adventure Blog.

Google Trike

In their quest for information Google are not satisfied with knowing what our highways look like. Recently they have made some off road excursions on Google Trike. With enough pedal power, the trike can get to many places inaccessible by car. Using Street View it is now possible to see around the grounds of a number of National Trust properties in the UK.

Google Trike can go where the Google Car cannot. Source: Flickr by artberri.

Google Sherpa-Cam

There are only so many places a three wheeled pedal cycle can get to. The next development for Google Street View will involve getting off the trike and moving onto mountain trails, which will require leg power alone. For this Google are developing the Sherpa-cam. Prototypes are currently being trialled in the Lake District and in the Nepalese Himalayas.

It is not clear whether Google will take images of the whole of the Lake District or just the routes up the most popular mountains, such as Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, The Old Man of Conniston and Blencartha. One of the main problems that the Google Sherpa-Cam team face is the weather.

We have to wait for days when there is a high cloud base. There is no point hiking up a mountain with a heavy camera when all that can be seen is grey cloud!

Google Sherpa-Cam prototype on the trail to Everest Base Camp. Source: Flickr by Ilkerender and artberri.

Eventually we hope to take Sherpa-cam right up to the summit of Everest. Most people are not able to climb the summit themselves and so we believe that there will be a huge demand to see the entire trail to summit. Only once we are sure that the technology is fully functioning will we make a bid for the summit. Sherpa-Cam is heavy and once we have entered the death zone above 7000 m the risk to human life is high. We do not want to take any chances and so we will need a very experienced mountaineering team to help with this project.

What do you think of Sherpa-Cam?

Of course, there are many spectacular mountain views in many parts of world, but is it really necessary to have a street view of mountain trails? Google think so, but what do you think? Like the government who want to microchip walkers, are Google going too far? Click on the comments below and let us know!

The Khumbu Icefall at Everest Base Camp is the destination for Khumbu teams 1,2 & 3. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage

The Royal Navy Khumbu Challenge is currently under way in the Nepal Himalaya. This is particularly special expedition, since it is the inaugural expedition for Project Fortitude. Project Fortitude is a Royal Navy / Royal Marines initiative which will help service personnel who have been physically injured or who are suffering from psychological injuries. Through Adventure Training, Sport and Challenging Activities Project Fortitude can bring “Opportunity, Challenge, Focus, and Belonging” to injured personnel, which will help with long term rehabilitation. The Khumbu Challenge was officially launched last year by Prince Harry.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge

Five teams are taking part in Khumbu challenge: the Main Team, High Altitude Development Team and Khumbu teams 1 ,2 & 3, with the support of the Rear Link Office in Khatmandu. Altogether there will be 88 personnel taking part in the challenge, about 18 of whom have been injured or traumatised in Iraq or Afghanistan and who are undergoing rehabilitation. Khumbu is the name of the region in the Nepal Himalaya where the exercise is taking place.

The main team arrived in Nepal on the 23rd of September. The aim for the main team is to climb Ama Dablam (6,812 m), which will involve rock climbing, ice climbing and mixed rock and ice climbing. The name Ama Dablam means “Mother and Pearl Necklace.” The main team are all experienced climbers.

Khumbu Challenge Main Team will climb Ama Dablam, one of the most challenging climbs in the Himalaya. Source: Flickr by stevehicks.

The High Altitude Development Team are in the Khumbu to gain experience of high altitude climbing. They will be climbing the summits of Island Peak (6,182 m), Pokalde (5,806 m) and Lobuche East (6,117 m).

Khumbu teams 1, 2 & 3 include personnel who are undergoing rehabilitation. They will be trekking to Everest Base Camp (5,600 m) and climbing to the summit of Kala Pattar (5,545 m), which offers excellent views of Mount Everest and a 360-degree panorama of peaks including Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Kantenga, Thamserku, Tawatse, Pumo Ri, and Changtse.

For Khumbu teams 1, 2 and 3 the challenge will last about three and half weeks in total. Expeditions up to high altitude require acclimatisation in order to prevent altitude sickness. This means that when increasing altitude it is necessary to take rest days. These rest days do not include strenuous activity and only small increases in altitude. Therefore not every day will be a day of hiking.

After flying into Kathmandu, the journey to Khumbu begins with a scenic flight into Lukla airstrip, which is at altitude of 2804 m. From Lukla the hiking can commence. The administrative centre of the Khumbu region is a village called Namche Bazaar (3440 m), which is also at the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.

It will take nine days of trekking and acclimatisation to reach Everest Base Camp from Namche Bazaar. Below Namche Bazaar there are pine forests, climbing above Namche Bazaar the scenery becomes more mountainous with less greenery. Climbing higher the scenery becomes more rocky and mountains, with snow, glaciers and moraine. Everest Base Camp is situated at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall.

Typical Himalayan Mountain Scenery. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

The settlement of Gorak Shep, high in the Himalayas. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge will doubtless be a tough and awesome experience for all personnel involved! Good luck to all taking part!

More details about mountaineering Exercise Khumbu Challenge can be found on the KC09 Website.

Climbing and Mountaineering in India

Climbing and mountaineering have a long tradition in India. The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) regulates foreign expeditions and promotes climbing and mountaineering in India. Last November, 2008, the IMF was addressed by the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, at its golden jubilee celebrations. We recently contacted Colonel Ravinder Nath of the IMF, who has provided us with information about the activities of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and about the climbing scene in India.

Indian Mountaineering Foundation Interview

CheapTents.com: What are the main functions of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: The Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), the apex national body for mountain exploration, has the objective of organizing, supporting and providing a base for expeditions for mountaineering, sport climbing, and trekking at high altitudes.

It seeks to promote, encourage, support and execute schemes for related adventure activities and environmental protection work in the Himalaya. IMF co-ordinates climbing in the Indian Himalaya, organizes national and international conferences, training, environmental-cleaning camps and climbing competitions.

IMF is closely associated with the Ministries of Sports, Home, Defence, Tourism and Environment of the Govt of India.

Zanskar Vally in the Himalayas, India. Source: Flickr by CortoMaltese_1999

CheapTents.com: What type of expeditions do the Indian Mountaineering Foundation provide funding for?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: The IMF sends its own mountaineering expeditions and provide funding to Indian mountaineering expeditions which go to the Himalaya. There are 5-7 IMF sponsored mountaineering expeditions and about 80-100 Indian mountaineering expeditions which go to the Himalaya.

CheapTents.com: How popular are mountaineering and climbing in India?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: Mountaineering and climbing are very popular in India and its popularity is increasing among younger generation. More and more people enjoy mountaineering and climbing during their vacations. To boost mountaineering in India , 30 Day Special Casual Leave is permitted by Govt of India for trekking/mountaineering expeditions.

The Himalayas, Kangchenjunga Mountain. Source: IMF

CheapTents.com: Are there any climbing walls in India?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: There are at least 40 climbing walls in India. Mainly, they are in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bikaner, Darjeeling, Uttarkashi, Nainital, Jammu etc. There are four climbing walls in Delhi itself.

CheapTents.com: How does the IMF promote mountaineering and climbing in India?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: IMF organizes annual Sport Climbing Competition in India which is generally held in November. IMF conducts Liaison Officers Course. IMF interact with International Mountaineering Organisation, like UIAA [International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation] and IFSC [International Federation of Sport Climbing].

CheapTents.com: Who are the big names in Indian mountaineering and climbing?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: There are numerous eminent mountaineers in India. However, some of the eminent ones are Maj HPS Ahluwalia – President Indian Mountaineering Foundation, Shri Nawang Gombu, Capt M S Kohli, Col N Kumar, Shri Dorjee Lhatoo, Ms Harshwanti Bisht, Col Balwant Sandhu, Ms Bachendri Pal, Ms Santosh Yadav, Shri Gurdial Singh, Shri Sonam Wangyal, Ms C P Aitwal, Col H S Chauhan.

CheapTents.com: What is the National Sport Climbing Competition and how long has it been running?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: National sport climbing competition is held very year in the month of November. Prior to that we hold zonal competitions. India has been divided into five zones for National Sport Climbing Competition. There is a good participation of 150 boys and girls in this competition. For last few years South Zone has been dominating in this competition.

Mountains in Kashmir. Source: Flickr by giant rebus

CheapTents.com: Besides the Himalaya, are there other regions in India where mountaineering / climbing is popular?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: Most of the expeditions go to Himalaya i.e. different States like J & K [Jammu and Kashmir], Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

CheapTents.com: How does the IMF help foreigners to do mountaineering in India?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: All foreign expeditions are regulated by IMF. On their arrival they are briefed and Liaison Officer is detailed by IMF with them. On termination of expedition they are de-briefed and Liaison Officer gives his Report.

CheapTents.com: Can foreigners subscribe to the IMF publication “The Indian Mountaineer”?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: Foreigners can subscribe the IMF publication Indian Mountaineer. The subscription rate is Rs 2000/-.

CheapTents.com: How does the IMF promote environmental awareness to mountaineers and climbers?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: For the last few years IMF has been sending at least 1-2 Environmental-cum-Cleaning Expeditions which remove non-degradable material from the camps. Apart from this IMF also holds classes/lectures/talks for environmental awareness. Recently IMF published posters on environment awareness and distributed to Indian States.

Zanskar Valley Shepherd. Source: Flickr by CortoMaltese_1999

CheapTents.com: How does mountaineering and climbing affect local people living in mountainous areas of India?
Colonel Ravinder Nath: Mountaineering and climbing make impact on the locals as it provide to some of the locals short term employment as more and more people visit mountains for climbing/mountaineering /tourism.

CheapTents.com: Thank you Colonel Ravinder Nath for answering our questions and providing an insight into climbing in India and the role of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation.

More information and contact details can be found on our previous post about the Indian Mountaineering Foundation Museum.

Mountaineering and Climbing Interviews

The CheapTents.com blog features many exclusive interviews with climbers, mountaineers and other people who enjoy the outdoors. If you enjoyed this interview you might like to read our interview with Steve Long, Chief Officer for the Mountain Leader Training Association, Judith Safford, Director of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA), Pro Ski-Mountaineer / Climber Alison Gannet or Pro Explorer and Adventurer Mikael Strandberg.

And if you’re inspired to do some mountaineering or climbing, you can visit CheapTents.com for your outdoor gear!

Guys that did this just last week, are now featuring on our blog, and we will be following their progress over the coming year.  And we couldn’t be more happy to support them! Here’s what they’re getting up to…

The UK Everest Challenge email

As an outdoor shop we like a whole lot of outdoor sports, mountain scenery and the associated activities with the wilderness, camping and of course a big challenge.  So, when an email from Darren Edwards, part of the UK Everest Challenge, landed in our inbox, we thought why not, and anyway, it’s for chaarity!

We decided to help promote Darren’s and Bryn’s efforts because of their organisation to succeed…they were very well motivated, knew how to achieve their goals, what they would have to put themsevles through, why they were doing it and were clearly very focussed:

Transforming our bodies in to running, scrambling and hiking endurance
machines in only ten months time is a daily challenge all on its own
[I've lost 2 stone in two months as it is!!].

Everest is a long way away

Have you ever wanted to climb Everest?  Thought it’s a long way to go for an 8,848m (29,029 ft) climb, when there’s a whole lot of mountains in the UK already…add a few of those together and you could bag quite a few thousand metres of mountain anyway!  Well Darren and Bryn had just this very thought!  they are focusing themselves on taking on some of the toughest routes, highest peaks and spread right across the England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The peak of Mount Everest is 8,848 meters (29,029 ft) above sea level and is one of the worlds most breathtaking regions. Climbing Everest takes many thousands of pounds in permits, training, equipment, insurance and travelling expenses. There’s a great article here, about the cost of an Everest climb.

So would it not make more sense to give all the money to charity rather than spend it on climbing the greatest peak? and this is where the idea for a UK based Everest Charity Challenge was born.

This makes a whole lot of sense to us, and hopefully it does to you too.  But what does the challenge entail?

So what exactly is the UK Everest Challenge?

2 guys: Darren Edwards and Bryn Posey

2 packs: 25kg backpacks

5 days: in just 265 days time!

10 peaks: see the list below

Darren and Bryn will be doing this mammoth trek up-and-down 10 peaks, with a 1 man support ‘team’, to take the 3 Peaks Challenge one step further, by taking on some of the UK’s largest peaks in just 5 days.  This means a whole lot of travel , trekking and motivation to take on such a mean feat!

UK Everest Challenge: The Mountains

The UK obviously doesn’t have an Everest laying about but it does have some of the most breath-taking scenery available anywhere in the world (in my humble opinion anyway!).

These are the mountains that Darren and bryn are going to climb to raise money for their charities…

So that means 4 in the Lakes, 2 in Snowdonia, 1 in Brecon Beacons, 2 in Scotland and 1 in Northern Ireland…even traveling between all these places would be a massive achievement in such little time!

The hard work and motivation in their preparations

Darren and Bryn are clearly very motivated in their efforts to help raise money for their charities, and are making multiple sacrifices, and it’s really difficult to sum-up their motivation better than through this statement:

Where every other word mentioned in the news seems to be about ‘credit crunch’ or once again drumming it in to us that we all need to ‘tightening up our financial belts’, it probably feels the wrong climate to raise money for any worthy causes. But if we all thought like that nothing would ever get done!

Personally I’ve done some house keeping of my own to help me fund this challenge, less beer, less hair cuts and I’m buying a bike to save on my travel bills, this small, but growing list goes on.

Both Bryn and myself are passionately committed to our charity challenge. It will be very rewarding come the end of August 2009, when we look back over our achievements and the money we’ll be able to give to charity. I guess we’ll have a warm, humble but proud feeling inside, that only comes from when you really push yourself to do something for others far less fortunate than yourself.

Darren Edwards

Personally, I think their dedication to their goals is what will make them succeed in spectacular fashion.

The UK Everest Challenge Charities

The charities that have been selected for this challenge are by no means ‘randomly selected’, they have been chosen on the grounds that they are both personal to Darren and Bryn and also far-reaching in regards to the money that they hope to raise…£8,848 (or more!).  by supporting the UK Everest Challenge, you will be supporting:

…certainly worthy of such an incredible effort.

Support UK EC

It’s all the little things people do that make a difference, so maybe you could forward this link to other people that you know who might be interested in supporting these guys, or maybe post about it on your blog or website and proudly wear the “I’m supporting the UK Everest Challenge” badge on your website…anything you can do to support these guys would be appreciated.

If you would like to support the UK Everest Challenge by making a donation, follow the link through to their site for more details.  And don’t forget to stay tuned for ongoing updates from the UK Everest Challenge team on the run up to the events!

Share

We love it when people share their interests and contribute, if you would like to feature on the CheapTents.com blog, then please feel free to contact us, or share your comments below…

Click this link for an update on Exercise Khumbu Challenge.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge is an armed forces mountaineering expedition to climb peaks around the foothills of Mount Everest, Nepal. Taking place in October / November 2009 it will involve 85 personnel from the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, including those wounded or traumatised in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Prince Harry is the royal patron of Exercise Khumbu Challenge, which he launched at Devonport Naval Base earlier this month.

Among the personnel taking part in the mountaineering exercise are Marines Ben McBean and Mark Ormrod. Both of whom were injured in Afghanistan and have lost limbs as a result of their injuries. Marine McBean is looking forward to the challenge and said that:

“This expedition will show that even if you are injured fighting in Afghanistan then there is still a future in the Royal Marines. We are not forgotten, but can still work in the marines and also undertake a strenuous mountaineering challenge.”

Sir Jonathan Band, military patron of Exercise Khumbu Challenge said:

“This is a fantastic challenge. Some of these people have suffered some really rough luck serving their country doing what they can in the war. Now they will be facing this huge mountain, I wish them all the best.”

We would also like to wish all the team members every success for what will be tough yet rewarding challenge. These brave personnel are an inspiration!

More details about mountaineering Exercise Khumbu Challenge can be found on the Royal Navy Website.

Kevin Thaw is a technical whiz on expeditions around the world.  Summiting Everest is one thing, but then imagine being given the task of dealing with communications too!  Considering there aren’t any phone boxes up there or internet cafe’s it’s quite a responsibility…

Chatting to your mates on top of Mount Everest is possible though, just follow these tips provided by Kevin Thaw in an interview with the timesonline.co.uk…

1. Keep your mobile under your armpit or in your pocket – the cold wears the battery down faster
2. Avoid hard drives in flavour of Flash memory – there’s no problem with ‘diminishing air cushions’
3. Don’t breathe on touch-screens – the steam will freeze
4. Use a geo-stationary, rather than an orbital, satellite – the signal is interrupted less
5. Fashion a pointer so you don’t have to take your gloves off when you type
6. Use POP, rather than web, e-mail – it’s ‘more seamless’
7. Use AA batteries, lithium rather than alkaline. They last longer
8. Create a new e-mail account, so you get less time-wasting spam
9. Get an iPAC pocket PC – they’re the only ones that take all memory cards
10. Use an old-fashioned car cigarette lighter adapter to connect devices to a battery pack for charging.

If you enjoyed this, then you might also enjoy the CheapTents.com in-depth interview with prolific climber Kevin Thaw.

Your thoughts…

Do you have any tips on how to look after your gear and technology when out and about?  Let us know by posting your comments below...

It must be altitude sickness?!

Reaching almost, 4,000m on his way-up to Everest’s Base Camp, James Thomas was greeted by a the painted wooden sign, pointing the way back to Llandudno

James Thomas had reached almost 4,000 metres on his way to Base Camp when he was greeted by the painted wooden sign pointing the way back to Llandudno, in north Wales.

James said:

“It was a pretty bleak and barren spot and the last thing I expected to see was that. At first I thought the altitude must be getting to me!” the 21-year-old told the North Wales Weekly News.

Base Camp & Mount Everest Facts

Base camp at 5,600m metres (18,370ft) stands at the foot of Everest on its southern side, deep in the Himalayas.  from this location many travellers, trekkers and climbers who take refuge in the relative civilisation that is the Mount Everest’s lunar landscape.

• Nepalese name: Sagarmatha, meaning Goddess of the sky
• Tibettan name: Chomolungma, meaning mother Goddess of the universe
• Mount Everest was named after: Sir George Everest in 1865 ,the British surveyor-general of India. Once known as Peak 15
• First recorded ascent: May 29,1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary, New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese, via the South Col Route
• Actual location: Latitude 27° 59′ N, Longitude 86° 56′ E.  The summit straddles the border of Nepal and Tibet.