Mammut's #Project360 Takes Us Up Iconic Mountains Without Ever Leaving Home

An ambitious new undertaking from Mammut is giving armchair mountaineers an opportunity to climb some of the most iconic mountains in the world without ever having to leave those armchairs.

The gear company sent top climbers up major peaks such as the Eiger, El Capitan, and the Matterhorn while wearing specially built camera systems that captured their routes in full 360º images. Those images were then stitched together and placed online, allowing us to take a virtual expedition up those same mountains from the safety of our homes.

Dubbed #Project360, the website hosting these virtual climbs is now online and accessible by the general public. In addition to the mountains listed above, it also offers a virtual climb of Mt. Elbrus – the tallest peak in Europe – and Rübezahl, a massive frozen waterfall in Switzerland. The Mönch – another iconic European peak – is listed as "coming soon."

These virtual climbs work much like Google Street View in that it gives viewers the opportunity to move up and down these mountains, and pan the camera around 360º to get a better view of the landscapes. The result is an opportunity to see what these climbing routes are like, and just how high up they actually are, to better appreciate what climbers must overcome on the way to the top.

This is definitely a fun and impressive way to kill some time on your computer without fear of altitude sickness or vertigo. You can check it out for yourself by clicking here. And if you want to know more about how the project was created, watch the video below.

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.

New Speed Records Set on Matterhorn and Half Dome

Continuing my attempt to catch up on some of the bigger adventure stories that took place while I was away, I have details on attempts at speed records on two of the most iconic mountains in the world – the Matterhorn in Europe and Half-Dome in Yosemite National Park.

First, back on April 22 Swiss climber Dani Arnold successfully set a new record on the 4478 meter (14,692 ft) Matterhorn when he raced up its North Face in just 1 hour, 46 minutes. That bests the previous record set by fellow countryman Ueli Steck by 10 minutes. To put that time into perspective, ExWeb says that most good alpinists will require approximately 8-10 hours to complete the same route.

Arnold took the Schmid Route to the summit, free-soloing without ropes the entire way. The climber says that while he didn't feel he was going particularly fast, he was able to find a good rhythm on the ascent, which allowed him to speed up the mountain at a steady pace. That seems like an understatement when you consider his accomplishment. Climbing the Matterhorn is a classic mountaineering challenge, but to do so in record time is impressive indeed.

This speed record is another reminder of just what a force Arnold is on the mountaineering scene. Back in 2011 he broke another record of Steck's by going up the Eiger 20 minutes faster than the "Swiss Machine." While Dani hasn't gotten the same level of attention from the press that Steck has, he is certainly one of the best climbers working today.

Meanwhile, Dean Potter faced an entirely different type of challenge on his attempt to set a new speed record on Half Dome. According to the Adventure Journal, the climber/BASE jumper used a combination of trail running, fast hiking, and rock climbing to reach the top, and descend back down, in just 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 52 seconds. That effort shaved six minutes off the previous record set by Kyle Williams just last September.

While on his speed attempt, Potter carried no food or water with him, but instead simply went up wearing just a pair of shorts, socks, and running shoes. That is outdoor adventure in its purest form, and is also an impressive feat on a route that almost any reasonably fit person could follow.

Both of these speed records are impressive and inspiring in their own right. Congratulations to both Dani and Dean for completing these challenges.