This Week's Missing Links, June 1
The coolest links I didn't post this week, until now.
Adventure
A sherpa's view of the Everest traffic jam. The New York Times
Adventure without a cause. Adventure Journal
On the legacy of Sarah Burke. ESPN
Do our mothers still have dreams, hopes, and journeys to make? Of Souls and Water
Here's your missing World War II submarine. Now, where is our check? Sydney Morning Herald
They went skiing. Vimeo
Schleck receives a slightly used Tour de France yellow jersey. Velo News
Who is Ryder Hesjedahl and how is he feeling right now? Outside
A world-class explorer accused of having an expedition partner fake an accident for TV. The Daily Mail
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Gear Nerds Win: Introducing Our Summer 2012 Buyer's Guide
The wonky tech talk can get pretty heavy around here. Personally, I can go on for hours about air permeability, fabric denier, and how the number of lumens in a headlamp isn't the whole story. But it's not just me. There's so much geeking out in the halls of our Santa Fe headquarters that Buyer's Guide art director Edie Dillman thought it would be amusing to illustrate some of the more colorful remarks [see print edition].
But we walk the walk, too. Recently Aaron Gulley, who oversees Outside's bike coverage, asked me if I could recommend a daypack in the 20- to 30-liter range with beefy suspension. It was an odd request—most packs that size don't have much structure—until he explained what he intended to use it for. He was assembling his kit for the AZTR: a 700-mile self-supported mountain-bike tour that bisects the state of Arizona. Right around mile 620, you run into a slight hiccup called the Grand Canyon. Because it's a national park, there's no mountain biking allowed. So like the handful of other crazy mofos participating in this year's AZTR sufferfest, Gulley will have to complete a 20-plus-mike rim-to-rim hike with a bike strapped to his back. After several shakedown sessions in the hills around town, Gulley decided on Osprey's Stratos 24—just in case you've got a daylong bike portage in your future.
—Sam Moulton
@moultonsam
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Summer's 10 Best Family-Friendly Outdoor Festivals
Big air, bigger views kick off this weekend in Vail. Photo: Teva Mountain Games
With long days and warm nights, summer is festival season. But if you want more from your weekend than sitting on your butt on a blanket, swilling beer, and listening to live music, check out these 10 family-friendly outdoor festivals that put the emphasis on adventure.
Summer Teva Mountain Games
Vail, Colorado; May 31-June 2
Stand-up paddleboarding, mud running, freestyle mountain biking, and slacklining are just a few of the events on tap this weekend in Vail at what’s arguably the standard-setter for summer sports festivals. The mountain mash-up attracts elite athletes, local die-hards, and weekend warriors from across the country—and the mix is what keeps it fresh. Kids can take a shot at any of the events, but the youth bouldering contest and XC bike race breed are where the next generation of rippers can be found. Plus: adventure flicks, gear demos, free yoga, casting clinics, and big-air contests for dogs round out the action. www.tevamountaingames.com.
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The Fall and Rise of Kayaker Jason Craig
Canoe and Kayak magazine just put out a beautiful companion video to go with their feature story on kayaker Jason Craig. On March 20, 2011, the 17-year-old went over a 30-foot waterfall on California's Dry Creek, struck a rock, and shattered his pelvis, smashed his spine, and ruptured his dural sac. Fall and Rise: Jason's Story details his accident and recovery.
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Win $100,000 for Your Ski Video
If any skiers ever needed motivation for learning video, they have it. On Thursday, Teton Gravity Research announced a new online video contest with a grand prize of $100,000, called The CoLab. Athletes will upload their videos to tetongravity.com, users will vote on edits, and judges will award the winner a whole lot of money.
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Road Bike Meets Freestyle
If you watched the Amgen Tour of California, you might have seen a catchy advertisement from Spy Optics that pitted outgoing U.S. national road racing champ Matthew Busche against freestyle rider Mike Montgomery. The ad starts with footage of Busche racing down an asphalt road before cutting, as if we're going inside Busche's head, to scenes of what looks like Busche doing tricks and flips on a jump course. In fact, that's Montgomery (dressed up to look like the road race champ) doing all the stunts.
With the ESPN X Games and the Teva Mountain Games, we've gotten used to seeing athletes with more skill than fear pulling physics-defying stunts. But the sight of a biker doing doubles and backflips on a production-model road bike is still a bit breathtaking. Which is probably why Spy decided to release this behind-the-scenes documentary, with even more stupefying footage.
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Expedition Watch: The Shackleton Epic
James Caird in surf. Photo: Frank Hurley
In 1916, after losing his boat The Endurance on an expedition to Antarctica, Ernest Shackleton and five crew members hopped in a row boat named the James Caird and set off on an 800-mile journey from Elephant Island, Antarctica, to South Georgia Island. He left behind 22 crew members in his last ditch effort at survival. Shackleton and co. spent 17 days at sea in the 23-foot wooden boat before landing on South Georgia. Then, Shackleton and two men crossed miles of mountainous terrain to get to a whaling station. After arriving and getting a boat, he returned to Elephant Island on his fourth attempt and rescued the rest of his crew. "It is perhaps the greatest survival journey of all," says Tim Jarvis.
Jarvis is a 46-year-old Australian/Briton who hopes to recreate Shackleton's double using only period gear. He's created a replica boat, gathered replica clothing, and assembled a core of salty cohorts. The only modern equipment he'll bring will be emergency rescue gear. Here's the kicker: He's still looking for few more good men and women to join him—via the Internet. This actually isn't so far off from what some believe Shackleton did to find crew for his expeditions—he allegedly used newspaper classifieds. If you want to join, read on for details of the journey and what Jarvis wants in a crewmate.
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May 31, 2012
Kayaking Off a 189-Foot Waterfall in a Borrowed Boat
Rafa Ortiz on Palouse Falls. Photo: Lucas Gilman/Red Bull Content
Let’s get this out of the way. Tyler Bradt kayaked off Washington’s 189-foot Palouse Falls first. That was in 2009, and he stayed in his boat the entire time. On April 25 of this year, when Mexican kayaker Rafa Ortiz dropped off of the lip of the same waterfall and hit bottom, the turbulence ripped him out of his kayak, stripping of him of his chance to officially tie Bradt’s world record.
Now, let’s refocus. Ortiz won't make excuses, but the truth is, it wasn’t his kayak. He borrowed the boat from a friend because the kayak he specially ordered to run big waterfalls didn’t make it on time. He went for it because the weather was turning and there was a team of roughly 25 people waiting for him to drop. So, after only three days of serious prep, spurred forward by a not-so-subtle hint from a trailing camera crew, he took off. But we’ll let him tell the tale.
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A Road Trip Timelapse From the Window of a Rocket
What would it be like to ride a rocket at super high speeds just above a really long road?
That's the question Giacomo Miceli, a creative coder, computer scientist, and self-proclaimed entreprenerd from Rome, asked himself as a child. He decided to find out as an adult by using pictures from Google Street View.
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The Fight for Malibu Beach
Surfrider Beach in better days. Photo: Bill Parr
Malibu’s Surfrider Beach should be a busy place tomorrow. A long-delayed restoration of the polluted Malibu Lagoon—the estuary that feeds the famed surf break—is finally scheduled to begin after a year of conflicts and court battles that have pitted scientists who favor the cleanup against residents and celebrities who don’t. The restoration, backed by the California Coastal Commission and the state parks department, is intended to clear water that’s long been stagnant and polluted due in part to filled-in land that has prevented the estuary from cleaning itself naturally. But many local surfers and residents think the lagoon is just fine, and that the cleanup will wreck the famed wave at Surfrider Beach.
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