Video: The Toughest Swimming Race You've Ever Seen

Swimming isn't a sport I write about a lot on this blog, and if I do it is usually because someone is covering an especially impressive distance, or it is part of a major triathlon. But in this case, it is worth pointing out the insane event that is the Redbull Neptune Steps, a race that sends competitors on a 420 meter sprint swim up the Maryhill Locks in Glasgow, Scotland. The swimmers must make their way up stream, then climb up eight different locks on their way to the finish line. To say that this looks exhausting would be an understatement. It is also safe to say there aren't many other events like this in the world.

Video: Climbing the Monolith in France

The Monolithe de Sardières is a massive rock tower located in Savoie, France. It stands 93 meters (305 feet) in height, and is a good challenge for rock climbers. Recently, Laurene Sibue and Xavier Gaboriaud climbed the Monolith and carried a GoPro camera with them as the went. As you can imagine, the views were pretty amazing, as you'll see in the video below. Drones were also used to collect some dramatic shots, which only makes the clip that much better.

Video: Flying the Aura 2 Wingsuit

After not having a good wingsuit video for quite some time, we now have two in one day. This seven-minute clip is a promo for the Aura 2 suit from Squirrel, which just went into production a few days ago. While it is used to sell the product – which most of us will probably never buy – it does feature some beautiful shots of pilots putting the new suit to the test in some beautiful locations. If you like BASE jumping and wingsuit videos, this will be pure bliss for you. Truly some fantastic footage on display here.

Squirrel >> AURA 2 from squirrel on Vimeo.

Video: Wingsuit High Five

We've seen some footage from this clip before, but now we get the full picture. It features a wingsuit pilot zipping down the French Alps in an attempt to give a foam hand a "high five" as he flies by. The video conveys an amazing sense of speed as he flies through the mountains with reckless abandon. This is one of the more impressive wingsuit videos I've seen in awhile, and will definitely provide a jolt of adrenaline for you today.

Video: Adventure is Calling (Part 2)

A year or so back I posted a video that was made by three friends who quit their jobs to go off and travel across the U.S. for two months. Along the way they captured some amazing images of their journey and turned it into an inspirational short film called Adventure is Calling. Now, one of those travelers is back with a second video that continues on the theme of delivering inspiration to travel. This three-minute clip offers some stunning timelapse images from across the U.S. and Canada that will quite simply take your breath away. These are some of the most compelling outdoor settings that you'll find anywhere, and if you don't feel inspired to go find an adventure of your own after watching this, you should probably check yourself for a pulse. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Adventure Is Calling II from Shane Black on Vimeo.

Video: Climbing Manaslu Part 2 - The Summit

Last week I posted the first video from Alex Barber's climb of Manaslu last year, but didn't get the chance to share his second. That was a major oversight on my part because it includes the most important part, Alex reaching the summit of the mountain. You'll find that in the video below, which shares more of his solo expedition without oxygen.

At the moment, Alex is in Base Camp on Annapurna and preparing to make his first acclimatization rotation once the weather permits. He'll be attempting a solo, no O's summit on that mountain this spring as well.

Manaslu: The Summit (Part 2) from Alex Barber on Vimeo.

Video: Down Hill Mountain Biking in the Wilds of Africa

One of the great things about mountain biking is that it can take you to some amazingly remote places. Take this video for instance which follows a team of pro mountain bikers as they travel to Africa to explore some of the more wild areas there by mountain bike. They find some surprisingly good downhill to test their skills on along the way, as they barrel across the open landscapes. It looks like a fun place to go for a ride, and I certainly know I'd love to do some mountain biking in Africa.

Video: Flying Through the Trees at the Panamericano Mountain Bike Race

Ever wonder what it is like to be a mountain bike racer on a tricky downhill run? Than have a look at this video, which is a POV shot of Marcel Gutierrez taking part in the 2015 Panamericano Cota held in Colombia. To say there is little room for error would be an understatement as he blasts down a narrow trail at breakneck speeds, dodging trees all the way. This is scary just watching this ride, I can't imagine actually trying to do it myself. If you're looking for a shot of adrenaline today, this will certainly provide it.

Video: Force - Climbing in Patagonia with Mikey Schaefer

Patagonia is legendary for its opportunities for adventure. This is particularly true when it comes to climbing and mountaineering. This short film takes us to that iconic place with climber Mikey Schaefer, who gives us a real, honest look at what it is like there. This is an incredibly well done documentary that assembles clips from from more than a decade of climbing in southern Chile and Argentina. In the video Mikey takes us on some of his most harrowing adventures, and gives us a profile of an amazing place that he has come to love.

Thanks to the Adventure Journal for sharing this. Great stuff as always guys!

Mikey Schaefer and FORCE from Patagonia on Vimeo.

Video: Skiing A Rad Couloir in Norway

The Øksehogget Couloir in Norway is the scene for this harrowing video that follows a bold skier down a wild, narrow chute. The couloir was named the raddest in all of Norway last year, and it only takes one look at it to understand why. It runs at an angle of between 45º and 50º, at an elevation of 600 meters (1968 ft), delivering a wild ride along the way. Don't try this at home kids. The results could be bad.
Beating your sluff in a tight spot from Nikolai Schirmer on Vimeo.

Video: Mt. Fuji in Timelapse

In Japan, there are few sites more revered than Mt. Fuji, a massive stratovolcano that stretches 3776 meters (12,389 ft) in height. Each year, thousands climb up to its summit on a grueling hike that provides an immense sense of satisfaction, along with some amazing views. In this video, we get a great look at the mountain through a series of timelapse photographs. In all, more than 14,000 images were collected and assembled to create the three-minute video, and I think you'll agree that it was worth the effort.

MOUNT FUJI 4K - TimeLapse from damdiver on Vimeo.

Video: Drone Over Nepal

We have another short – but sweet – drone video today, this time from Nepal. The opening footage shown in the clip was shot around Kathmandu, giving viewers a sense of what that city looks like from the air. But later we head out to the Annapurna region, where the DJI Phantom 2 drone captures great shots of the countryside, as well as some beautiful looks at that far-off mountain.

Drone over Nepal from Fallout Media on Vimeo.

The National Park Service Invites You to Find Your Park

Yesterday, the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation announced a new initiative called Find Your Park. This new campaign is designed to help raise awareness with the public about the importance of America's national parks even as we draw near to the 100th anniversary of the Park Service in 2016.

The goal behind the Find Your Park campaign is to connect people to the parks in many different ways. For a lot of us, the parks aren't just a place, but a connection with friends and family as well. They illicit emotional responses on many different levels ranging from awe and wonder, to joy and contentment. The goal is to help others discover their connections with the parks as well, particularly young people who are visiting those places in fewer numbers.

First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Lady Laura Bush are co-chariing the Find Your Park effort. They are heavily focusing on finding ways of inspiring the younger generation to explore the parks more fully, and come to appreciate their value in new ways. There hope is that this campaign will help that process.

For me personally, the U.S. national parks represent some of the best outdoor landscapes found anywhere on the planet. They are spectacular settings that often have to be seen to be believed. Find Your Park is all about discovering those places that speak directly to you as well, whether they are in Yellowstone or Yosemite National Parks, or at the White House or places like Gettysburg. These are places that are natural, cultural, or historical wonders, and we should appreciate and protect them more. As the Park Service is about to enter its second century, that is exactly the goal.

Video: Utah's Desert Towers as Seen From the Air

Utah's desert towers are some of the most iconic places for climbers. Stretching hundreds of feet into the sky, this rock pillars have stood for thousands of years as monuments to geological change. Recently, climbers Brandon Fisher, Ken Schulte, and Luke Humphrey traveled to the Utah desert to climb some of the rock towers that dot the landscape there. They also took a drone along with them to capture some of their adventure. The result is this fantastic short film that will leave you breathless with its beauty. This is an amazing video of some of the most incredible landscapes in the entire U.S., and it should not be missed.

Video: Exploring Africa in a Kayak

This video is the first in a new series from the U.S. National Whitewater Center which will focus on the very human need to explore the world around us and uncover the unknown. In this first chapter professional paddlers Cooper Lambla and Tyler Allen travel to Africa to paddle some of the wild rivers there. There journey took them across Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, producing this wonderful six-minute clip of the adventure. It is a whitewater excursion like no other, in places where much of the landscape remains largely untamed and unexplored.  

EXPLORE. Chapter One from USNWC on Vimeo.

Video: Karun - Following Iran's Longest River Source to Sea

In the spring of 2014 adventurers Tom Allen and Leon McCarron traveled to Iran where they hoped to travel the length of the Karun – that country's longest river – source to sea. The 500-mile (800 km) journey proved to be more than they had expected, offering both insights into the rich history and culture of Iran, as well as the warm and friendly people that live there. But there were also plenty of challenges along the way, including brushes with disaster along that could have spelled the end of the entire expedition.

The video below is a short teaser trailer that gives you a brief taste of what their Iranian adventure was all about. If you find the clip intriguing, you can jump over to KarunFilm.com where you can watch the entire 15-minute documentary for free. I think you'll find it is more than worth your time to catch the entire thing.

And if you like what Tom and Leon have done with this project, they are also trying to get their next one off the ground at Kickstarter. The duo is not only hoping to wrap up production on their film about Iran, but produce another one about a journey they made through Patagonia as well. Find out more by clicking here.

Karun: Official Trailer from Tom Allen on Vimeo.

Video: Beautiful Iceland in Timelapse

We'll close out the week with this amazing three-minute short film that captures the spectacular landscapes of Iceland in timelapse. The settings look simply amazing, and should inspire some outdoor adventures for all of us as we head into the weekend. Enjoy!

Iceland 4K - shot on Nikon D800 from Macgregor on Vimeo.

Video: 2600 Miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 4 Minutes

When backpacker Andy Davidhazy set out to hike the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail he decided it would be a good idea to snap a selfie every mile of the hike. That added up to more than 2600 photos that notably mark his progress along the iconic route, but also showed his amazing physical transformation as well. The video below is a compilation of all of those photos, taking us along with Andy on the PCT end-to-end in just four minutes. It is a pretty impressive record of his accomplishment and definitely a fun way to document the journey.

Video: Building the Barneo Ice Camp

A few weeks back I wrote a post about the construction of the Barneo Ice Camp, a temporary base that is set up each spring at 89ºN on the Russian side of the Arctic to help facilitate travel to and from the North Pole. Apparently construction of this year's camp is still underway, but the video below – which comes our way courtesy of Quark Expeditions – gives us an idea of the effort that is made to build the camp to prep it for visitors each season. Those efforts include airdropping supplies out on the ice, and the first arrivals at the camp parachuting in to help build a runway large enough for big aircraft to land on it. It is a fascinating story about a place that only exists for a few short weeks each spring.

Video: The Moonriders of Zermatt

We seem to have a theme going with our videos today - mountain biking and Zermatt, Switzerland. In this beautiful short clip a pair of riders head out on fat tire bikes to ride in the mountains above Zermatt on an evening that is lit by a bright, full moon. The images they captured were spectacular, and it looks like an amazing time to go for a ride. For those that don't know, Zermatt is one of Europe's best outdoor playgrounds, with plenty of climbing, skiing, mountain biking, and other activities. I never would have thought to go riding there at night, but this looks amazing.

Moonriders from Christian Mülhauser on Vimeo.