Best Belay Photos

There's a forum topic on SuperTopo with many photos of "Sketchy Belays." Here are a couple I thought looked fun.

135 MPH On A Bike

New record for speed on a production mountain bike set by the guy who crashed so hard 10 years ago on a volcano. More info here.

Another Warm, Sunny Day

What a beautiful sunny day! The sun's shining on another warm spring day in Minnesota. Well, at least in my imagination. I looked out our windows this morning and tried to believe I was seeing this:

I will go through the next few days pretending I am biking in the sun instead of trudging through the wet snow. 

Cave Climbing In Columbia

A new area in Columbia is being developed for climbing with 2,000 foot limestone walls and a huge cave with climbable stalactites. There's a video trip report below - skip to the 6:15 to hear them describe the mountain. And skip to the 7:15 to see them walking into the cave. The town they're in is called LaFlorian. 

Drink Beer To Feel Good

News you can use - if you drink some beer, you crave more. Who knew? I hope they didn't spend too much money to learn that.

"There were significantly increased levels of dopamine on the beer scans compared to the Gatorade scans. Subjects said they craved more beer after tasting beer, while not many said they wanted to drink more Gatorade after drinking the sports drink. This was in spite of the fact that many participants said they preferred the taste of Gatorade."

Camping Is Inherently Dangerous

A tree fell on a boy and injured him while his family was camping. They are suing the Forest Service because: "'The tree was clearly dead — had been dead for years — and was within eight feet of the fire ring, and within 48 feet of the Forest Service road,' said Eric Rossman, their attorney in Boise, on Wednesday."

It was Joyce Kilmer who said "I think that I shall never see a poem as dangerous as a tree." 
Be careful outdoors folks; pretty much everything in Nature is out to get you. So stay indoors and read poetry. 

Salt Mines

From aquamarine salt lakes (left) to salt "waterfalls," (below) a group of photos from around the world of salt mines. 

Living Close To Nature

This is part one about a family isolated for more than 40 years in the wilderness of Siberia. They certainly learned how to live close to nature. More videos of her story here.

Developing A New Route In Yosemite

Alex Honnold bolts and climbs part of a new route in Yosemite. This is part 2. More info here. 

Use Your Feet Or "Look Ma, No Hands"

Usually, in climbing, more effective footwork helps us climb harder routes. This woman has very effective footwork. She's thinking outside of the Sox! shoe by flying a plane with only her feet. Her lucky shirt reads, "Look Ma, No Hands."

Mountain Climbing In Peru

Using donkeys to carry their loads, climbers get to the base of a Peruvian mountain. At base camp, they have a hot tub with all the latest electronics. This a part two of a four part series.



Peru Expedition episode 2 of 4 - Road to Basecamp from vincent van beek on Vimeo.