Olympic Champion Sets World Record in 15K
The 24-year-old runner Tirunesh Dibaba, from Ethiopia, has set a new 15-kilometer world record of 46:28 in a road race in the Netherlands, the IAAF reports. Despite not having run a road race since 2005, she broke Kayoko Fukushi's 2006 record of 46:55. Dibaba is the current Olympic champion of the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Outside magazine has its own resident runner, associate editor Justin Nyberg, who just ran a 2:35:28 at the New York City Marathon. You can check out his blog, The Running Man, for details.
--Aileen Torres
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November 13, 2009
New Snail Named After Steve Irwin
Dr. john Stanisic, a Queensland Museum scientist, has named a newly discovered species of rare Australian tree snail in honor of the famous conservationist and T.V. personality, Steve Irwin, says the Environmental News Network. The snail, Crikey steveirwini (seriously), can be found in the mountainous regions of north Queensland's Wet Tropics near Cairns.
"It was the khaki colour that immediately drew the connection to the late Crocodile Hunter," Dr. Stanisic told ENN.
--Dave Costello
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Cool Video: Playboating
freestyle 2009 from pion stephane on Vimeo.
Here is a cool video documenting some playboaters absolutely ripping it, courtesy of Kayak Session. These guys can throw down. You can see the film by Pion Stephane above.
--Dave Costello
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Lab Rat Workout: The Perfect Pull Up
Outside's Lab Rat, Nick Heil, shows you how to do the perfect pull up, with an overhand grip.
--Aileen Torres
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Alpinist Tomaz Humar Stranded on Langtang Lirung
Slovenian Tomaz Humar, one of the most accomplished and audacious high-altitude solo climbers in the world, has been stranded since Monday on Langtang Lirung, a 23,710-foot peak in the Langtang Himal of Nepal. Humar, who has some 1,500 ascents to his name and been the recipient of several mountaineering awards, apparently used a satellite phone to call a friend to say that he was injured. There is some confusion as to how injured Humar is—he likely has a broken leg and ribs, but may have back injuries as well—and where, exactly, on the mountain he is, although he is believed to be stuck at an altitude of about 20,670 feet somewhere on the southern face of the peak. Humar has not been heard from since Tuesday, when he placed a call to basecamp and sounded "very weak."
Rescue attempts are underway, but have been progressing slowly due to bad weather. On Tuesday, a helicopter dropped off four Nepalese climbing Sherpas at basecamp, who were able to look for him above Camp 1 on Wednesday before being forced back to basecamp due to a snowstorm. And earlier today, three rescue climbers from Switzerland, along with some of Humar’s relatives, have reportedly arrived to aid in the search, but haven’t been able to ascend the peak due to bad weather.
This is not the first time that the 40-year-old Humar, who is married and has two children, has needed to be rescued. In 2005, a Pakistani military helicopter plucked Humar from Nanga Parbat. You can read more about the controversy surrounding that rescue, and his subsequent solo ascent of the 26,040-foot east summit of Annapurna here. Peter Maas wrote a feature story about Humar for us in 2002, which you can read here. You can also check out our online gallery of images that accompanied Maas's story, and a highlight tour of some photos from his memoir, No Impossible Ways.
More details about the current rescue can be found here, and we’ll update you as soon as we have more info. —Sam Moulton
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Missing Hunter Found After 2 Weeks
Travis McMahan was found alive after getting lost and spending 14-days alone in the Big Horn Mountains, according to the Billings Gazette. After losing his way in a snowstorm near his campsite at the Buffalo Creek Campground area, McMahan, who had been out scouting for elk, estimates that he was within 30 yards of the campsite when he encountered a mountain lion. He promptly turned around, planning on circling around to the other side of the camp, but came across Buffalo Creek, and followed it the wrong way. He broke into a cabin a couple days later and found two dehydrated meals that he survived on the rest of his time in the mountains. After two weeks, hallucinations set in and he decided that no one would arrive before he starved to death. He followed the creek upstream, and ran into his Dad, who had gone out with a search party to look for him one last time before another snowstorm was forecast to hit.
Read the full story at The Billings Gazette.
--Dave Costello
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November 12, 2009
Fabrizio Zangrilli on Latok II and Guiding K2
Mountaineer Fabrizio Zangrilli recently stopped by Outside's office in Santa Fe to talk about his experience guiding 10 clients up K2 this past fall. Few alpinists have a resume to match. Zangrilli has been climbing for 22 years, has led more than 20 expeditions in the Karakorum and Himalaya, has led world class rescues, and has spent at least one year of his life on K2. He broke down the anatomy of the mountain and the special challenges of leading a large group. We covered Zangrilli's new venture before the climb and we were glad to hear—though he didn't reach the summit due to deep snow at the top—that his entire team remained safe. You can get an idea of the climb in this K2 gallery.
The 37-year-old Boulder, Colorado climber did not return home immediately after the expedition. Instead he volunteered to participate in an incredibly difficult rescue mission on Latok II in Pakistan. A Spaniard fell and broke his leg while attempting to summit the peak in August, and authorities called upon Zangrilli, who was already acclimatized and had a very unique set of skills, to help with the rescue. The team struggled against bad weather and a shortage of supplies. (Some resupply efforts were less than ideal as goods were dropped into a swamp from a helicopter traveling at high speed, leaving broken crates, wet sleeping bags, etc.) Though Zangrilli and his crew made a valiant attempt at rescue, poor weather forced the team to turn around 300 meters from the victim. Extreme conditions would have jeopardized the team's safety had it continued. A sad ending, but a necessary decision in what was an undeniably bold and courageous effort.
To hear a summary of Fabrizio's summer in his own words, check out fabriziozangrilli.blogspot.com.
--Aileen Torres
Photo by Fabrizio Zangrilli
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International Adventure Film Fest Starts Today
The International Adventure Film Festival starts today and runs through Sunday, November 14th in Boulder, CO. Over 30 movies in three days, the festival is sure to be packed with workshops, parties, and great prizes. Buy a three day pass for $50 at www.adventurefilm.org and get early seating as a bonus. Check out some of the most anticipated adventure films of the year such as the Patagonia sponsored Signatures.
--Alison Kelman
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Video: Time Lapse of the Northern Lights
If you've never witnessed the dancing colors of the Northern Lights, or even if you have, this time lapse video clip captures the lights like you've never seen them before. Produced by National Geographic, this clip was taken in Norway over the course of a single night.
--Alison Kelman
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Cement Companies Aim to Lower Carbon Footprint
Cement production contributes 5% of earth's global carbon dioxide emissions, creating one ton of CO2 per ton of cement made. ENN reports that cement companies are currently working to decrease these numbers by replacing some of the popularly used Portland cement with fly-ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. In addition to eliminating emissions, fly-ash is said to produce a stronger concrete that is easier to work with.
--Alison Kelman
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