Bill Streever Gets Cold
Bill Streever is fond of the cold, so much so that he wrote an entire book about it, Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places. But this isn't really an homage; it's more of an explanation of frigid phenomena. The author comes off clearly as a scientist--as well he should, that being his day job--but he doesn't throw a bunch of facts and figures on the page. Instead, he takes you along a year-round, worldwide tour of the lowest temperatures, telling amusing stories and offering intriguing asides and explanations throughout. It's a good way to get schooled, without getting frozen. Check out a conversation he had with Outside Online, below.
--Aileen Torres
What's your day job?
I run BP's Environmental Program on the North Slope of Alaska, so I'm the guy who looks after caribou and whales and seagulls, and plants, and those kinds of things on the North Slope.
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September 11, 2009
Glacier Surfing
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September 10, 2009
The North Pole's 100 Year Old Controversy
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the dueling claims made by Robert Peary and Frederick Cook that they alone were the first to reach the North Pole. Both men have since been proved to be fame-hungry exaggerators, and many agree it is unlikely either of them reached the pole at all. Cook shot himself in the foot by faking an ascent of Alaska's Mount McKinley, and Peary's own teammates refuted his polar claim. The debate continues today however, with National Geographic backing Peary and Smithsonian Magazine supporting Cook. See the full story at the adventure life.
--Alison Kelman
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April 24, 2009
Man Survives Three Days in Greenland's Arctic
In a feat to match Han Solo and Luke Skywalker's overnight bivy in the ice desert of the planet Hoth, an American contractor survived three days alone atop Greenland’s Arctic icesheet, 260 miles from the nearest land.
Without a Tauntaun to kill and crawl inside, the man was forced carve a shelter into the two mile thick slab of ice and ceaselessly move his body to keep the blood pumping through his limbs. Temperatures fell to ten below zero.
On the evening of April 15 the as yet unnamed 38 year old heavy equipment operator for a National Science Foundation logistics contractor disappeared from the NSF’s Summit research station, a dot atop the peak of Greenland’s massive, empty icesheet located near the center of the island.
A slew of international agencies and rescue services, including the Danish Air Force, the US National Guard, and even NASA, mobilized to find the man, who was recovered on April 18 shaken but alert.
The NSF has not released details about how the man became lost or how far he was from the Summit station when he was rescued. He is currently recovering in a hospital in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
--Sean Brander
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March 26, 2009
Lost Hillary Footage Discovered
A lost film and a radio interview with the legendary Sir Edmund Hillary has been found. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first men to summit Mount Everest and live to tell the tale. The media was recovered and donated to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at Aoraki Mount Cook on the south island of the mountaineer's New Zealand homeland.
The 16mm black and white film, shot in 1957 or 58, depicts Hillary preparing for an Antarctic expedition. It was recovered during a routine rummaging-through of the offices of machinery company CB Norwood, who supplied tractors for the expedition.
The radio interview with ABC Australia dates to August 1953, a few months after Hillary's Everest climb. In the interview Hillary discusses his historic ascent, reputedly sheepish and unprepared for the media attention that would follow him on and off for the rest of his life. Hillary died in 2008.
--Sean Brander
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March 07, 2009
How To Follow The Iditarod
The 1000-plus mile Iditarod kicks off tomorrow morning, but with a new twist on the 35-year-old race. The satellite communications company Iridium has outfitted mushers with specialized tracking beckons that will add a new level of interactivity for fans– follow mushers progress at www.iditarod.com– and more safety for racers. The now-mandatory IonEarth device is a reinforced and lighter version of the same technology used to track airplanes. It includes a mini GPS and will use satellite technology to transmit position, heading, speed and temperature every 15 minutes.
"This application not only brings the race into the homes of fans all over the world, it also simplifies our logistics and has the capacity to save lives," says Stan Hooley, executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee.
As much safety as IonEarth will add, racers and their 12-16 dogs will still have to fight sub-zero temperatures and blinding winds. The harsh winter conditions are enough to knock even the fiercest competitors out of the race. The racers to watch this year include Sebastian Schnuelle, who just won the Yukon Quest, and two-time Iditarod winner Lance Mackey. Outside will be following the race as it unfolds.
--Kyle Dickman
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February 12, 2009
Antarctic Tourism Drops
Not even Antarctica is impervious to the effects of the economic downturn. The number of annual visitors is predicted to fall from the record breaking 46,000 visitors who went in 2007 to 36,000 in the 2008 season, according to International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
"It's been impacted by the recession," Steve Wellmeier, executive director of the association. He projected that the number of tourists could rise back to around 43,000 next season but visitation numbers may not rebound to last year's levels until 2011 or 2012.
Many conservationists are calling the fall in visitation good news for the environment. The more people who visit, the more stress is placed on the penguin and seal populations that attract tourists. There is also the increased likelihood of accidents. In 2007, the MV Explorer became the first cruise ship to sink off the Antarctic coast. Environmentalists and some nations want to put a cap on the number of tourists to protect visitors and the wildlife.
"We're talking about a continent that is larger than Australia and we're talking about a number of tourists that would fill a football stadium," Wellmeier said. "Seriously, is this a number for concern?"
Wellmeier said there was no evidence that tourism damaged Antarctica. But temperature increases linked to global warming could give new seeds or diseases, brought inadvertently by tourists, a better chance of colonizing the world's last big wilderness.
"We aim to leave only footprints, take back only photos and memories," said Keith Heger of PolarExplorers, who leads trips to the South Pole and up Mount Vinson (weather permitting).
--Kyle Dickman
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January 08, 2009
South Pole Quest: Heading Home
After completing their journey in world record time, Ray Zahab, Richard Weber, and Kevin Vallely left the South Pole and arrived last night at Patriot Hills, the airstrip where they first began their Antarctic adventure. Weather permitting, they are planning to fly to Punta Arenas, Chile on January 10 in an Ilyushin transport plane (see photo). From there, it will take them 2-3 more days to arrive back home in Canada. The team wanted to thank all their supporters and sponsors, including Iridium, Gatorade, Procurement Magazine, and Crocs.
--Micah Cratty
Outside Online is has been tracking the progress of adventurers Ray Zahab,
Richard Weber, and Kevin Vallely as they try and break broke the record for
the quickest unsupported, unassisted expedition to the South Pole. Check back for daily updates and click on "Polar Adventure" to see all the posts.
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January 07, 2009
South Pole Quest: A New Record!
Ray Zahab, Kevin Vallely, and Richard Weber arrived at the geographic south pole last night in a record time of 33 days, 23 hours, and 30 minutes, almost 6 days off of the old record! The team had planned to call in updates throughout their last day of travel but thought the phone might freeze. Once they reached the pole, after traveling 24 nautical miles, they called in a brief message and got some much needed sleep in their tent. I'll post more photos and info from the guys once they wake up.
--Micah Cratty
Outside Online is tracking the progress of adventurers Ray Zahab, Richard Weber, and Kevin Vallely as they try and break the record for the quickest unsupported, unassisted expedition to the South Pole. Check back for daily updates and click on "Polar Adventure" to see all the posts.
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South Pole Quest: Making Up for Lost Time
The trio took advantage of a break in the poor weather yesterday and traveled an unprecedented 30 nautical miles (34.5 statute miles) in 20 hours. "What a beautiful day it's been," said Ray Zahab, "incredibly sunny, but cold." Today marks the team's 33rd day of consecutive travel, and they could reach the South Pole this evening or tomorrow. Todd Carmichael set the current world record of 39 days, 7 hours, and 49 minutes last month. Carmichael also became the first American to complete the trip solo.
In earlier dispatches I have noted that the sleds the men drag behind them have lightened as they eat through their stores. As of late, however, any gains in performance from the decrease in weight have been offset by the lack of oxygen due to their current elevation of about 10,000 feet.
--Micah Cratty
Outside Online is tracking the progress of adventurers Ray Zahab, Richard Weber, and Kevin Vallely as they try and break the record for the quickest unsupported, unassisted expedition to the South Pole. Check back for daily updates and click on "Polar Adventure" to see all the posts.
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