Kayaking Nonstop Across The Atlantic

A 64 year old man completes the first solo nonstop kayak across the Atlantic. He looks tired.

“After 98 days, 23 hours, 42 minutes at sea, Doba and his custom 23-foot-long, 39-inch-wide human-powered kayak landed at Acaraú, a city on Brazil’s northeast coast. The trip covered some 3,320 miles in all, and Doba became only the fourth known person to accomplish such a feat, and the very first to do it nonstop.”

Design A Shirt & Win Some Money

Your brain’s been marinating fantastically creative slogans. Now you can win some money with them. (At least a Prana gift card.)

We Can’t Do This Right Now…

But in a few months, we'll be able to sail thru the air and land in a lake. This video is a “Winger of the Weekend” from Black Diamond’s Journal.

Climbing “Fluttery Hearts”

Alex Johnson writes about her climbing of “fluttering hearts” boulder climbs in Bishop. Here’s a photo of her on one of the tall and scary, AKA fluttery heart, routes.

I Finally Got My Grigri 2

Can’t wait to try it out on a skinny rope. BTW, I paid the extra $1o so when I use the new Grgri, I can climb one full grade higher. How neat is that?

Using A PAS

A guide talks about how she uses her PAS and demonstrates it below.

Metolius PAS: Exum Guide Becca Roseberry demonstrates the PAS from Weston Walker-Knoblich on Vimeo.

Leading Mixed

Some wild looking mixed climbing as seen from above.

Palenville Coronary from Chris Lamme on Vimeo.

Sandstone Ice Report- Fat, Phat Ice

Despite the warning on the news to stay indoors, Johnny Mac, Dr. P. and I headed up to Sandstone to get on some ice. Yes, the temp was zero. we all hiked up to the rim and set 3 top ropes and hiked down to climb the 3 most amazing ice routes in the history of the world. I am so serious.

Dr. P's was a great warm up route, All 3 of us started our tool swinging on it. Johns was the BEST, a chimney with 3 roofs to pull. I made it all the way to the top of that one, twice! As did the boys, yep both of them. It was a very sweet and stemmy climb. The route I set was tuff, Thin on one side, Chandelier on the other. Dr. P was that man to climb it, so he did.

We made a new rule. No kissing the biner when you get to the top in temps like this. I'm just saying. Also I had my first experience with the screaming barfies, wow that hurts, as the blood flows back into your hands. I guess I must have been over gripping. Apparently sufficient kitchen passes were not procured for this event, so no photos were taken. What happens in Sandstone, stays in Sandstone.

“For All You Wannabe Big Wall Climbers”

As the guy says 1:30 minutes into this video, “For all you wannabe big wall climbers out there, this is how we do it.” A short video of a recent winter climb of 1 16 pitch aid route on El Cap. Story here.

Practicing Falling

Here’s a way to practice falling that’s NOT a good idea. Yes, you can trust your friends to catch you, but in this case, it’s best to be the second person to test the system, not the first.

More Spray Ice Climbing

From this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated is the photo of Will Gadd climbing on that big waterfall in Canada. You can get a sense of the size of the icicles by looking at how tiny the little red climber is in the center right of the photo.

Here’s A Slick Way To Keep From Hang Dogging

This is what we did the first few years I went climbing – you made several loops around your waist, tied a bowline and started climbing. When you fell, you usually wanted to get down quickly – not hang on a route and have multiple takes.

(I have noticed older climbers belaying using their brake hand in a palm up fashion, instead of the more common and safer palm down fashion. Because we always did a body belay – put the rope around the belayer’s back – you would naturally use the palm up position to brake the rope around the belly of the belayer.  Easy to show, harder to describe.)

Anyway, there are a lot of old school ways of to make emergency harnesses in this article. Including this diaper sling which we used as an upgrade to the rope around the waist shown above.

Separate Reality

A report on a recent climb of “Separate Reality” by a Mummut athlete of a famous roof climb in Yosemite first climbed in 1978.

“As I sqauted in the perch at the top of the corner I looked out the roof to the jug at the end. The river rushed below. And I pulled into the crack, inspired to be part of the lineage of climbers who had set sail before me. I slipped out a little more than halfway out the roof. My palms pumped out from the jamming. I didn't onsight it but I was completely blown away by the aesthetics of this climb. I lowered down and Ron pulled the rope as I unlaced my shoes. I took a drink of water as I looked up the canyon at the ice-covered walls. I felt honored to be there, in the ampitheater-like setting getting an upclose view of the canyon below. A few more sips and I relaced my shoes, tied back in and topped out the climb.”

Building A Home In An Hour

Here’s the traditional way to make a home out of snow. You need some snow, a walrus ivory knife (which he licks to put a glaze on it) and some experience. (The actual building of the igloo doesn’t start until about 7 minutes into the video. In the first few minutes, he digs into a fox’s den and pulls out a pup.) The whole process of igloo building takes them an hour. In the next video, he adds a window.

Or you can do it the modern way which is described here

“It starts with a dance. Still strapped into snowshoes, we trace a circle six feet in diameter in the snow and begin stomping. The idea is to compress layers of powder, slush and ice into a uniform pack, from which we'll quarry blocks for the igloo. We stomp on for a good 10 minutes, circling round in a snowshoe-clad jig and getting stares from cross-country skiers whooshing by.”

What Do You Take For 5 Days of Climbing In Patagonia

Two climbers attempting a first ascent of the West Pillar of Cerro Pollone.in Patagonia describe the 20 - 25 lbs of gear they will take for 4-5 days of climbing.