The Outside Blog News Feed

Mountain Masochist Record Breaker

The News Team — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:24:12 -0500

Geoff Roes has broken the course record for the Mountain Masochist race, UltraRunning reports. It's a 50-mile run that is part of the Montrail Ultra Cup series. Roes clocked in at 6:27:55, beating out Dave Mackey's previous record of 6:48:31 in 2003. The winner for the women was Tamsin Anstey, who clocked in at 8:09:07.

The Mountain Masochist isn't just a race--it's also an excellent trail-running shoe. Check out our review of it, above.

--Aileen Torres

UN Says Climate Change Requires Big Money

The News Team — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:04:05 -0500

Yvo de Boer of the UN Climate Change Secretariat says that it will take an initial $10 billion a year from the most economically well-off countries for three years to help developing nations deal with the effects of climate change. "To my mind, rich countries must put at least $10 billion on the table in Copenhagen to kick-start immediate action," he said, according to Reuters. And this money would only finance the beginning: Boer says it will take hundreds of billions of dollars in ten to 20 years to deal with global warming.

--Aileen Torres

Silverton Mountain Adds Heli-Ski Options

The Powder Feed — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:48:58 -0500

Expert-only Silverton Mountain in southwestern Colorado has its fair share of die-hard followers—with good reason. It gets stupid amounts of snow, it has steep and alarmingly (in a good way) wild terrain, and the atmosphere is, well, let's just describe it as laid-back.

This mom-and-popper for the adventurous set, however, is poised to gather a few more devotees this season. They just leased their own helicopter and, after successful trial runs last year, are launching a full-blown heli-ski operation.

Now, in addition to skiing the one-lift hike-friendly area with a guide (or without a guide on certain days in December and April) skiers and snowboarders can opt for a heli lift to the peak of their choosing ($159); a full day of heli-skiing on untracked peaks and bowls otherwise unreachable from the area ($999); or a day of heli-accessed ski touring ($320), which includes a drop in the morning, guided touring all day, and a pick-up in the afternoon. Locations dependent on conditions and skier/snowboarder abilities, of course. For more info, go to Silverton Mountain's website.

--Kate Siber

How to Stay Healthy in Winter

The News Team — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:47:00 -0500

There are five things you can do to prevent getting sick during the winter season, according to Dr. Gillian Stephens of St. Louis University Medical Center:

1. Make sure you get enough sleep every night.

2. Don't go overboard with food--keep eating healthy.

3. Stay hydrated.

4. Exercise regularly.

5. Don't stress out too much--stay sane during the holidays.

--Aileen Torres

Couple Rescued By Cruise Ship

The News Team — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:11:29 -0500

The Seattle couple Christopher Miller and Brandy Meissner, along with their two dogs, were recently rescued from their 38-foot fishing boat in 40-foot seas by Princess Cruises' Golden Princess, according to Vagabondish. It's one of the largest cruise ships in the world.

The couple had been trying to cross from Seattle to Hawaii to start their own commercial fishing business. They are currently trying to track down what's left of their boat.

You can see a gallery of photos from the rescue on Seattle's local news station King5's website.

--Dave Costello

Semenya Keeps Gold Medal

The News Team — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:55:23 -0500

Caster Semenya will get to keep her gold medal in the 800-meter from this year's Track and Field World Championships in Berlin, says USA Today. The International Association of Athletics Federations ordered gender tests on the South African runner before the 800 final because of Semenya's muscular build and astonishing improvement in times. The South African Sports Ministry said today that Semenya will get to keep both her medal and prize money, and that the results of the gender tests will be kept confidential.

--Dave Costello

Kite Surfers Jump Worthing Pier

The News Team — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:02:40 -0500

Three-time British Kite Surfing Champion, Lewis Crathern, and Jake Scrace, jumped--while kite surfing-- the Worthing pier on the south coast of England. Check out the video. It's big. Winds gusting up to 40mph made the jump possible.

The pair had been planning the attempt for three years.

Courtesy of Wend.

--Dave Costello

Cycling Pushes for Gender Equality By London 2010

The News Team — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:03:53 -0500

The International Cycling Union will deliver a proposal to the International Olympic Committee that looks to create a gender balanced track race program for the 2012 London Olympics. The new program will give equal gold medal opportunities to both men and women. The Beijing Olympics held seven track events for men and only three for women. The ICU is risking angering cyclists, as the proposal may cut traditional races in order to create a gender balanced schedule.

--Alison Kelman

Video Clip: World Waveski Tour Reunion 2009

The News Team — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:28:03 -0500

Below is a video recap of leg two of day three of the WWT Reunion 2009. The first leg was canceled due to lightning, but the turbulent weather made for some great surf for leg two.

--Alison Kelman

World Temperature Predicted to Rise 6 Degrees Celsius

The News Team — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:17:51 -0500

The Global Carbon Project, based out of the University of East Anglia, led by Corinne Le Quéré, predicts that the Earth's temperature will increase by 6 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Research published yesterday showed that the ability of natural carbon sinks to soak up CO2 emitted by humans is declining. As a result, more CO2 stays in the atmosphere, increasing on average by 0.3%. Between 2000 and 2009 emissions rose by 29%. Le Quéré emphasized to BBC News the importance of talks in Copenhagen to halt the dangerous trend. See more at NewScientist.com.

--Alison Kelman