11-Year Old Climber Summits Elbrus in Quest for Seven Summits

Last week I posted a story about Tyler Armstrong, the 11-year old mountaineer who has designs on climbing Everest next spring. In that article I questioned whether or not such a young climber should be attempting to climb the world's tallest peak which is dangerous enough for full-grown adults. But while I was busy pontificating about Tyler's ambitions to become the youngest to accomplish such a feat, he was in Russia adding another mountain to his resume. The young man – climbing with his father – successfully summited Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe.

Tyler's expedition took five days to complete, culminating with a successful summit day on August 9. This was the third of the Seven Summits that he has climbed, with Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua already under his belt. The 5642 meter (18,510 ft) peak was seen as a bit of a warm-up for Everest next spring, as it gave Tyler the opportunity to work on more technical aspects of mountaineering, including rope skills and walking with crampons.

In order to climb Everest in 2016 Armstrong will need to get special permission from the Nepali or Tibetan governments. Both countries instituted minimum age requirements back in 2010 when Jordan Romero became the youngest person to climb Everest at 13 years old. Before Tyler can even start to climb the mountain, he'll need to plead his case just to get a permit. It will be interesting to see how officials from either country react to the petition.

Regardless of whether or not he gets to climb Everest, you do have to respect and admire Tyler's drive. While he is of course hoping to climb all of the Seven Summits at some point, he isn't doing it just to selfishly try to reach that goal at a young age. The young man is using these climbs to raise funds to fight muscular dystrophy, and he hopes to eventually reach a goal of $1 million for the Cure Duchenne organization.

Incidentally, yesterday I wrote a story about how Jon Krakauer admitted that climbing Everest was the "biggest mistake" of his life. In that post I wrote that Krakauer's reveal came after he received a question about climbing Everest from a young climber. It turns out that climber was Tyler, who was inquiring about Krakauer's experiences on the mountain back in 1996. I'm guessing he wasn't expecting the response that he got from the best selling author, who did just about everything he could to dissuade the 11-year old from climbing the mountain. We'll see if those words had any impact on Tyler, or his ambitions to climb in the Himalaya next year.

Ueli Steck Wraps Up 82 Summits Project in Just 61 Days

The Swiss Machine – Ueli Steck – has wrapped up his ambitious summer project to climb 82 peaks in the Alps in 80 days. And true to form, he did it quicker than expected, knocking off all of the mountains on his list in just 61 days.

Ueli launched his bid back on June 10 with German mountaineer Michi Wohlleben. The plan was to climb all 82 4000 meter (13,123 ft) peaks in the Alps in 80 days, and to travel between them using only human power. The two men would walk, ski, paraglide, and mountain bike from one mountain to the next before climbing up to the summit. Wohlleben only made it up four of those mountains however, suffering an injury on the descent a few days in. Steck continued on without him, but was joined by several other partners along the way.

One of those partners was Dutch climber Martijn Seuren, who was also attempting to summit all 82 peaks. He slipped an fell to his death back on July 22, bringing an unexpected dose of tragedy to the project.

Known for going fast and light in the mountains, Ueli pressed on once again. And on Tuesday of this week he knocked off the final mountain on his list. That brought his total number of days in the Alps this summer to 61, which is actually one day shy of the record for climbing the 82 peaks. That record was set by Italian climbers Franco Nicolini and Diego Giovannini back in 2008.

What's next for Steck? Only time will tell. After his very difficult and lift threatening solo-summit of Annapurna a few years back, he has expressed little interest in returning to the Himalaya. But, he seems to be having fun climbing in the Alps, and enjoying the challenges he is finding there. Perhaps we'll see similar projects out of him in the future. It certainly is fun to follow his adventures.

Video: Scenes From the Tromsø Sky Race

The 2015 edition of the Tromsø Sky Race went down last week, with top trail runners from around the world descending on Norway to take on an epic mountain running challenge. The video below gives you an idea of what this race is about, sharing two-minutes of footage of the runners as they make their way along a trail that looks both challenging and beautiful. This is not a race for beginning trail runners to say the least, but it is a rewarding experience for those who take part.

Tromsø SkyRace 2015 from TromsoSkyrace on Vimeo.

Ueli Steck Attempting 82 Peaks in 80 Days

It has been awhile since we've heard anything out of Ueli Steck, the Swiss climber who never ceases to amaze with it daring mountain expeditions. But if you know anything about Ueli, its that he's always planning something, and often it is a project that is unexpected. Take for example his latest pursuit, during which he is attempting to summit 82 European peaks in just 80 days.

Ueli calls this undertaking his #82summits project. Together with German climber Michi Wohlleben, Ueli is spending his summer attempting to reach the top of all of the 4000 meter (13,123 ft) mountains in the Alps, which number exactly 82. But simply climbing those mountains isn't enough for the "Swiss Machine." He is also traveling between them by mountain bike, paraglider, and skis.

Steck and Wohlleben are currently a little more than half-way done with their summer-spanning expedition, having knocked off about 50 of the peaks so far. If they are successful in their bid, the duo will have biked more than 965 km (600 miles), and climbed more than 91,400 meters (300,000 ft) in just 80 days. As National Geographic Adventure points out, thats the equivalent of summiting Everest 26 times in less than three months.

Of course, Ueli knows the Alps very well, having grown up there, and climbing in them since he was a boy. It is also where he made his reputation for going fast and light on his climbs, perfecting his style on some of the most famous mountains in the world.

The #82summits project may be one of the last of Steck's storied career. In the Nat Geo article he talks about moving on to other things. He says that he'll always climb, but that he doesn't have the desire to try things like his solo-summit of Annapurna from a few years back. Steck says that he thought he might die on that climb, which is not something he is willing to risk again.

You can follow Ueli and Michi on their adventure on Ueli's website and on Facebook. The two-men aren't done yet, and there are still plenty of mountains to go before the end of the summer. It should be interesting to see if they can complete this epic project on schedule.

Video: A Beautiful Timelapse From the Alps

Tomorrow is a rest day in the Tour de France, and after that the big mountains of the Alps will test the riders at long last. To get an idea of what the peloton will face, check out this beautiful video, which features timelapse imagery from Europe's most spectacular mountain chain. Some of these peaks will make a dramatic backdrop for the final few days of the race, which promise to be exciting ones.

Look it was good!! _ Alps from Jojune on Vimeo.

Red Bull X-Alps is Underway

One of the coolest races in the world is underway in Europe, where the 2015 Red Bull X-Alps is unfolding at a brisk pace. The event, which is now in its seventh year, pits athletes from around the world against one another in a unique format that is unlike any other competition that I am aware of.

The race begins in Salzburg, Austria and requires racers to cross the Alps on their way to the finish line in Monaco. To do that, they'll trail run and climb to the top of mountains, then deploy their paragliders to cover as much distance as possible before repeating the process again. The route includes ten individual checkpoints that the racers must pass through along the way, but other than that, they are free to choose which ever path they want.

This year there are 32 athletes from 18 countries taking part in the X-Alps. Amongst them is Shrivel Maurer, the three-time defending champ of the race. Maurer is off to a good start once again this year, as he has already won the Salewa Brenta Trophy that is awarded to the first racer to reach the midway point of the race at the fifth checkpoint. He now has 626 km (389 miles) to go to reach Monaco.

For the first time ever, there were two women taking part in the X-Alps, although Yvonne Dathe of Germany was eliminated yesterday after failing to make a time cut-off. That leaves American Dawn Westrum to carry the torch for female competitors moving forward, and I'm sure she'd love to reach the finish line to become the first woman to do just that.

It will still be a few days before the first racers reach the floating finish line on the Mediterranean Sea. You can follow all of the action as it unfolds at the X-Alps official website, which includes live tracking of the current positions of each of the athletes. The video below also serves as a good introduction to the race.

Video: Where in the World Are You - Quest #52

Our friend Richard Bangs is back with a new Where in the World Are You? video. As usual, Richard takes us off to an interesting destination and gives us clues that help us identify just where exactly he is. In this case, we get some scenic cliffs, a long coastal roadway, and beautiful countryside. As usual, I won't spoil the location. You'll just have to watch to find out.

Video: 33,000 Feet Above Mont Blanc

The Soul Flyers are a team of skydivers, BASE jumpers, and wingsuit pilots who make precision jumps all over the world. In the case of this video, three members of the squad jumped out of a plane at 33,000 feet (10058 meters) over Mont Blanc in Europe. Their descent was captured on GoPro cameras, with some beautiful scenery of both the sky, and the mountains below, making an appearance throughout the clip. This is high altitude sky diving over an iconic mountain, and thanks to their tiny action cameras, we get to go along for the ride.

Video: Paddling the Jura Mountains on a Rainy Day

Located in the Western Alps, the Jura Mountains are known for being remote and rugged. The region falls into the watershed of both the Rhine and Rhône Rivers, making it an excellent place to go kayaking, particularly on a rainy day. That's exactly what the team of paddlers in this video found when the set out to explore some of the waterways there. The discovered some epic drops – including some beautiful waterfalls – and great whitewater to test their skills. The four-minute video is filled with some excellent action, set in a beautiful location. What more could you ask for?

Just another rainy day in the Jura mountains from No Travel Without Kayak on Vimeo.

Video: Extreme Athletes Ski and Climb Seven 4000 Meter Peaks in 24 Hours

Speed skiing is a sport that is gaining in popularity, particularly in the Alps in Europe. Recently a pair of extreme athletes – Beni Hug and Tony Sbalbi – decided to test their skills by speed climbing and skiing seven 4000 meter peaks in a single day, setting a new record in the process. Over the course of the day, they climbed an amazing 7000 meters (22,965 ft), as they chained together a route that passed over ten total mountains, including the famous Moench and Jungrau peaks in Switzerland. The video below gives us a brief look at what turned out to be a very long day. As you'll see, it was exhausting work.

Video: The Peak - A Visual Tribute to the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn stands 4478 meters (14,692 ft) in height, and is one of the most iconic mountains in the entire world. Its distinctive look has served as an inspiration for adventure for centuries, and even though it was first climbed back in 1865, it still lures many mountaineers to this day. This video is a visual love letter to that peak. It features striking imagery from the mountain itself, and the surrounding landscapes. While we often cover far flung expeditions to the Himalaya, the Andes, and other mountain ranges on this blog, the Alps remain one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet with plenty of fantastic adventures still taking place there to this day. Enjoy this short film, and marvel at one of the most famous mountains on the planet.

Thanks to the Adventure Journal for sharing this.

the Peak from Christian Mülhauser on Vimeo.