Video: Fresh Powder in the Himalaya

One doesn't usually think of India as a snowboard destination, but when pro-rider Elias Elhardt traveled to that country he discovered that the Indian Himalaya offer some of the best snowboarding imaginable. At that point, the trip went from an opportunity for cultural immersion to an incredible backcountry adventure on some of the highest mountains on the planet. This video is just a short clip from an upcoming ski and snowboarding movie, but it offers some amazing views of some remote places that few people ever see, let alone snowboard. Great stuff for sure.

Video: Exploring the Himalaya by Motorbike

Looking for a dose of inspiration to pursue your adventurous ambitions? Then look no further than this video, which features five French women who set out to traverse the Himalaya by motorbike. What started out as a whim turned into a grand adventure, taking them into some very remote, and spectacularly beautiful, areas. This is just Part 1 of their story. If you like what you see, you can check out Part 2 and Part 3 as well. Truly great stuff.

L'équipée en Himalaya - Episode 1/3 from l'équipée on Vimeo.

Video: Official Trailer for Meru - Climbing the Shark Fin

If you only watch one video today, make it this one. It is the official trailer for the film Meru, the film that documents the 2008 ascent of Meru Peak along the Shark's Fin that was completed by Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk. The trio spent days moving up the 6660 meter (21,850 ft) peak located in Himalaya of India. Their expedition has become the stuff of legends, and now the full story will be told. The trailer looks fantastic, with some images that are both incredibly beautiful and tension-inducing all at the same time. This was one of the most difficult climbs attempted, and the film will bring us all of the details directly from the men who did it themselves. I can't wait to see this.

MERU Official Trailer from Jimmy Chin on Vimeo.

Video: Cloud Symphony - A Timelapse Journey Through England, Scotland, and the Himalaya

This video seems like a fitting way to close out the week. It features some amazing landscapes from England, Scotland and the Himalaya of India and Nepal, shot in timelapse. In each of these settings, the clouds in the sky overhead add a level of beauty and drama, as they drift by, twisting and turning in the wind. This if five minutes of pure bliss, set to a rousing soundtrack.

Cloud Symphony from Awhelin on Vimeo.

Video: Adventures in Enthralling India

Shot over a five-week period in India, this video takes us on an adventure that spans the entire country, from the Andaman Islands to the Himalaya. It features beautiful imager of a country that has a dizzying array of landscapes, and a culture that is rich with history and tradition. If you watch closely, you may just see the exact point when the filmmaker destroyed his Canon 600D camera by dropping it into the Indian Ocean. Ouch!

Adventures in INDIA - Sand To Stone from Basti Hansen on Vimeo.

Himalaya Fall 2014: Brits Depart Makalu Base Camp, First Ascent in the Indian Himalaya

As the fall climbing season in the Himalaya slowly grinds to a halt, we continue to receive a few updates from the mountains. At this point, there are only a matter of days left before the season begins to shift, but there are still a few bits of news to share.

First up, the British Tri-Services team posted a dispatch from Makalu indicating that they have now departed Base Camp on the Southeast Ridge, and are making their way back to Kathmandu. They report that poor weather continues to be the norm, with heavy snow, and rain, making it challenging to trek through the mountains once again. They are still a few days away from KTM, and the porters carrying their gear are a couple of days behind the climbers, but they expect that they should be on their way back to the U.K. by next week.

A few weeks back, the Slovenian team of Aleš Česen, Luka Lindič and Marko Prezelj became the first men to climb a new route on Hagshu, a 6657 meter (21,840 ft) peak in the Indian Himalaya. The team completed the climb in alpine style, first making the ascent of the North Face, then traversing the mountain to the main summit. While that was the main objective of the expedition, the trio first acclimatized on two other nearby peaks, making first ascents on both Lagan (5750 m/18,865 ft) and Hana's Men (6300 m/20,669 ft). It is safe to say that this was a successful expedition, considering they made first ascents on three peaks, and did all of them in light alpine style. Well done, and congratulations to the team.

Finally, there continues to be no word from Lhotse on the progress of the Korean Team. A few days back we received word that they were heading up to Camp 4, where they intended to stash gear in preparation for a summit push to come. Since then, there have been no updates, but presumably everything is going according to plan. The team has been on Lhotse for nearly two months now, and have faced bad weather and avalanches almost since the day they arrived. But time is running short now, and if they intend to make a summit bid, it will have to come soon. Hopefully we'll get an update over the weekend.

Various reports continue to indicate that the weather has been poor in the Himalaya once again. It has been a tough season there, and not an entirely successful one. Hopefully things will improve in the spring, when more teams head to the mountains, and Everest becomes a hive of activity.

More updates coming soon, as warranted.