Everything else

A 3G wireless Internet hub was installed at the Mount Everest basecamp in Nepal to help trekkers and climbers communicate on and around the world’s highest mountain. . The facilities were installed by Ncell a private Napali telecom company and will provide residents of the area and visitors with the conveniences of the web, including...

Confession: I fantasize about catching a train to some remote place and disembarking into the wilderness. Like they did back in the day.. Who’s they? Back in what day? I don’t know. Stop asking questions – you’re ruining my fantasy.. Part of the attraction is the connection to an idealized time past, when all an...

As of Sunday, March 21, Andrew Skurka, a 28-year-old long distance hiker and runner was 180 miles into a bold attempt to ski, hike and raft a unprecedented 4,700-mile loop through Yukon and Alaskan wilderness.. Nine days into his trek, which started in Kotzebue, Alaska, Skurak reported skiing quickly along a snowy trail. The...

Dragon carving from a temple in Yunan, China. . The dentist grinned at me. He was missing teeth. Several teeth.. He stood in front of a small, sturdy building in a dusty town in southwestern China, sharpening some kind of pointed tool on stone wheel. Like his stone-block office, he was short and sturdy,...

Two lucky skiers taking in the none-too-shabby scenery of Whistler Blackcomb. Photos by Gordon Metz.. Arriving in Whistler, I felt a “wow” coming on.. It’s very apparent upon approach that you are going to have a good time. I entered Whistler Village through a large, brick yard that is generally being crisscrossed by boots, whatever...

Map of the National Trail System in 2008. The system grew by 31 trails this year. Click on the map to enlarge.. Thirty one new trails in 15 states were added this week to the National Trails System, a federally managed network of trails, according to an announcement by federal officials.. The 716 miles of...

It’s a little difficult to describe America’s Great Outdoors, the Obama administration initiative to revisit America’s conservation policies, mostly because it’s such a huge topic.. In launching the initiative this spring, Obama invoked President Theodore Roosevelt, who in 1908 held the first White House conference on conservation.  So broadly speaking it’s about conservation and everything related to...

Venturing into the backcountry, be it a nearby weekend in a state park or a trek across the Himalayas, requires a special kind of competence. The wilderness is, by definition, wild, lacking the basics conveniences of civilization we take for granted — food, shelter, doctors, road signs.. The key to surviving and thriving is understanding...

Benafsha, a young Afghan woman, tops out on the new Skateistan rock climbing wall in Kabul, Afghanistan.. Not all news from Afghanistan is bad.. The capital of the war-torn country, Kabul, just got its first indoor climbing wall, installed at a facility run by Skateistan, a non-profit that runs skateboarding and educational programs for Afghan children.....

R. Kelly yodelling. Need we say more?. When my family gets together at holidays, talk inevitable turns to YouTube. Somebody will say, “Did you see that video of [insert funny/strange/disturbing topic here]?” Before you know it we’ve all been circled around someone’s laptop for an hour howling in laughter or disgust.. This Christmas, in addition...

Fewer children participated in outdoor sports and activities in 2009 than in 2008, but a steady drop in youth participation in recent years appears to be bottoming out.. Among children ages 6 to 12 years, 62 percent participated in some form of outdoor recreation in 2009, a decline of 2 percent from 2008, found the...

Gert Boyle sporting the Born to Nag tattoo featured in Columbia Sportswear’s 1980s ad campaign.. Gert Boyle, the 86-year-old matron of Columbia Sportswear isn’t just tough – she’s crafty. When a would-be kidnapper forced his way into her home in West Lynn, Oregon, on November 10, Boyle set off a silent alarm under the pretense...

New U.S. park policy would put limits on setting new fixed climbing anchors. . New regulations proposed by the National Park Service seek to limit the placement of fixed climbing anchors and the replacement of aging anchors in wilderness, including iconic climbing areas such as Yosemite, Zion, Black Canyon, and Rocky Mountain national park.. The...

Sprinter vans, with their spacious insides, have always seemed like a perfect adventure vehicle, except for one detail: no four-wheel drive. Mercedes-Benz has now remedied that issue by releasing a 4×4 Sprinter in Europe — they will hit the market in 2014.. The company is planning to release the 4×4 models in the United States...

If you’re looking for a . spirited conversation, go chop some bolts off a famous mountaineering . route. And by “spirited,” I mean prepare for a verbal smack down.. Case in point: the recent ascent of Patagonia’s jagged peak, Cerro . Torre, by 21-year-old American, Hayden Kennedy, and 24-year-old . Canadian, Jason Kruk. The pair...

Seeking to put some numbers behind the notion that natural coastlines have economic and recreation value, Surfrider Foundation has released the results of a study that found that 80% of Oregonians visited the coast last year, generating an estimated $2.4 billion in expenditures.. The survey of 4,000 Oregonians investigated participation in . activities such as...

Life is not about sailing along without a stumble or fall. It’s about experiencing those mishaps with a smile, maybe even a laugh, before picking yourself up from the dirt, dusting off your pants and moving on to your next adventure.. The worst travel experiences make the best stories. So here are ten travel mistakes...