Drop-Dead Gorgeous Photos From the Dawn Wall

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's Dawn Wall project may be over, but we'll be continuing to hear about it for some time to come. Case in point, Outside Online has posted some amazing photos from the climb that have to be seen to be believed. While Tommy and Kevin struggle for two and a half weeks with the climb, they were shadowed by some of the best climbing photographers in the business, and the results were spectacular. Check out the entire photo gallery, with 14 stunning images, by clicking here.

And should you, for some reason, think that this expedition won't leave a lasting impact on the climbing world, check out this article from Nat Geo Adventure. It gives us five reasons why the Dawn Wall Ascent has pushed climbing forward. Written by climber Andrew Bisharat, the article helps to put Tommy and Kevin's accomplishment further into perspective.

Winter Climbs 2014-2015: Lonnie is Off Denali, Team Drama on Nanga Parbat

We're barely two weeks into 2015, and it has already been an historic year for winter climbing. With Lonnie Dupre's successful summit of Denali, he has now become the first person to climb that mountain solo in the month of January when it is the coldest, harshest days of all. Meanwhile, over in Pakistan, the three teams currently on Nanga Parbat have pressed forward, while a fourth squad continues to try to clear logistical hurdles.

We'll start with an update from Denali. After reaching the 6168 meter (20,237 ft) summit this past weekend, Lonnie was able to make the descent back to Base Camp with little difficulty. Retrieving his gear as he went down, Dupre managed to return to BC on Wednesday, where he had hoped for a quick airlift back to Talkeetna to start his celebration. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, and even though two planes took off to retrieve him and his gear, neither of them were able to land Kahiltna Glacier due to high winds. With the mission to retrieve him aborted, he was forced to settle into his tent for one more night and wait for calmer weather.

Yesterday, the conditions were much more conducive for the aircraft, they were able to land and retrieve the mountaineer/polar explorer from his chilly campsite. Lonnie is now safely back in Talkeetna, where he is thawing out and relaxing, while enjoying sharing his tales of the climb with the locals. His website promises more updates on the summit push, as well as video from the ascent too. Stay tuned for that post, as I'm sure it'll be quite the tale.

Over on Nanga Parbat there seems to be a bit of a drama brewing between Italian climber Danielle Nardi, and his campmates Tomek Mankiewicz and Elisabeth Revol. Tomek and Elisabeth departed Base Camp a week ago to establish several higher camps, and have apparently decided that they are now going to attempt to push up towards the summit. They have made this decision without consulting Danielle or without being in communication at all, as they are traveling with just a satellite phone. In a post to his website, Nardi has said that the cooperative expedition is now over due to this lack of communication between the teammates, although he says he will continue to provide support for Tomek and Elisabeth out of a sense of obligation for their safety.


It seems that the trio of climbers had planned on working more closely with one another on their eventual summit bids than was previously thought, and now Danielle feels that he has been left out of those plans. The lack of updates from Tomek and Elisabeth – who refused to take a radio with on their ascent – has left Nardi to read about the duo's progress on the Internet, rather than hearing directly from them. Considering they had planned the project together, it now seems as if he is the one who has been left behind.

As for their part Tomek and Elisabeth have now established Camp 4 at 7000 meters (22,965 ft) amidst fluctuating weather conditions. High winds have been buffeting the mountain over the past few days, although very little snow is reported on the Diamir Face. The forecast is expected to improve over the weekend however, and the two climbing partners may take the opportunity to move up even higher. So far, they are happy with their progress and can see a good line to the summit, but the blisteringly cold conditions are making it very tough. (Update: It now appears that the two climbers will go down from Camp 4 to BC. How this will impact future plans remains to be seen.)

On the Rupal side of the mountain, the Russians team of Nickolay Totmjanin, Valery Shamalo, Serguey Kondrashkin and Victor Koval have started their second rotation up the mountain. They had been back in BC at the beginning of the week where they were resting and waiting out the weather. On Wednesday they started back up the mountain but there have been few updates on their progress ever since. Presumably they are heading put to stock Camp 2 and possibly press on to C3 as the weather permits.

Finally, ExWeb is reporting that the Iranian team that had hoped to be on Nanga by now has hit a snag with Pakistani immigration. Apparently there have been some issues with their visa, and the squad is trying to work through the situation so that they can proceed with their expedition. Hopefully they'll get over those bureaucratic bumps soon, and can proceed to Base Camp.

Video: Running the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Race

A few weeks back the inaugural Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 km race took place in South Africa, drawing top endurance runners from across the planet. The event challenged those athletes to not only cover that daunting distance, but deal with more than 4400 meters (14,435 ft) of elevation gain along the way. The stunning South African landscapes made for a dramatic backdrop, to this grueling race, which looks to be a fantastic new event.

The video below is a ten-minute short film that gives viewers a glimpse of what the Ultra-Trail Cape Town is all about. It is a great piece of work that not only shows off the event, but also some of the fantastic adventure opportunities that South Africa has to offer. Registration for this year's event opens on January 27.

Video: Kayaker Drops 35 Meters Over Keyhole Falls

Professional Kayaker Aniol Serrasolses recently traveled to British Columbia, Canada to paddle the amazing looking Keyhole Falls. His hope was to drop this legendary waterway, which features an approach down a narrow canyon, and whitewater that gushes over the falls at more than 3000-cubic meters per minute. The video below captures that 35 meter (114 foot) drop in stunning fashion and from multiple perspectives, including from within the cockpit. Not for the faint of heart, this one will certainly get your heart pumping.

Video: Climbers Weigh in on the Dawn Wall Climb

Now that the Dawn Wall climb is officially complete, EpicTV has spoken to a few other climbers to get their take on Tommy Caldwell and his relentless efforts to scale the toughest big wall on the planet. The video below provides some insight and perspective on that accomplishment, with top climbers sharing their thoughts.

8 Things No One Tells You About Climbing Nanga Parbat in Winter

At the moment, there are at least three teams on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, with another on the way. All of them are attempting to achieve the first winter summit of that 8126 meter (26,660 ft) peak. Over the coming weeks, they'll endure incredibly challenging weather conditions, including temperatures that will drop well below freezing. High winds will buffet them as they climb to ever increasing heights, and heavy snows will make their lives miserable at every step of the way. In short, it is a brutal environment for anyone to climb in.

Few would know that better than Ian Overton, an American who joined two Hungarian climbers (David Klein and Zoltan Acs) to attempt a winter ascent on Nanga a few years back. Ian wrote a piece for Cracked.com last week that discussed his experience there, an expedition that he called "the most indisputably batshit thing I have ever attempted." In that article, Ian shares the wisdom he gained along the way by listing 8 things that nobody tells you when you about climbing a mountain.

As you can imagine, the list is filled with interesting insight on both Nanga Parbat and mountaineering in general. For instance, coming in at #8 on Ian's list is the fact that one in four climbers  never come back from the mountain. Yep, that's right. Nanga Parbat has a death rate of about 25%, which puts it right up there with K2 and Annapurna as one of the most deadly peaks in the world.

I won't spoil the entire list for you, as it is well worth reading the article on your own. But some of the other topics that Overton touches on include begging sponsors to help cover gear, falling into crevasses, surviving an avalanche, the effects of altitude, and much more. It is an interesting read, and  will provide some good insights into what kind of conditions the current teams on Nanga are dealing with. (Hint: It isn't a walk in the park.)

Ian's story not only includes text about his experiences, but plenty of images as well. They help to convey the challenges he faced even more fully. He also followed up the story with an interesting interview with ExWeb too, sharing his thoughts on writing the story, the current expeditions on Nanga and the challenges they face, as well as his own plans for the future.

Both articles are insightful and worth a look for anyone into mountaineering.

Mission Accomplished on the Dawn Wall!

The biggest news in the world of outdoor adventure today is without a doubt the successful completion of the Dawn Wall climb by Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson. The duo reached the summit of El Capitan at 3:25 PM local time yesterday after spending 19 days on what many have called the most difficult climbing route in the world.

The Dawn Wall – so named because it is the first granite face to catch the morning sun – is a massive chunk of rock that stands 3000 feet (900 meters) in height. It has been climbed previously of course, but all other ascents were aid climbs which use ropes, pitons, and ascenders to move up. Caldwell and Jorgeson are the first to do it using only their own physical abilities. Their ropes and protection were only place to prevent them from falling.

For the two men, this is the end of a quest that started more than eight years ago. Scouting the Dawn Wall and trying every pitch took many days and previous attempts fell short of the goal. This year, Tommy and Kevin were determined to get to the top, and although it wasn't easy, they were able to accomplish something that many thought was impossible.

After finishing the climb yesterday Jorgeson said “I hope it inspires people to find their own Dawn Wall, if you will. We’ve been working on this thing a long time, slowly and surely. I think everyone has their own secret Dawn Wall to complete one day, and maybe they can put this project in their own context.”

When they finished yesterday a crowd of well wishers were on hand to greet them. The Dawn Wall climb has captivated the world over the past few weeks, with even non-climbers getting pulled into the drama. The final pitches of the ascent were even streamed live on television and the Internet, with millions watching as Tommy and Kevin made history.

Neither man is ready to discuss what projects are next on their schedule, nor should they. They have just complete an amazingly difficult expedition, and it is time to rest, reflect, and recovery. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about their efforts in the days ahead, but for now these two men should simply experience the moment.

Congratulations to Tommy and Kevin on an amazing job, and for inspiring all of us to pursue our dreams.