"7 Summits + 2 Poles" project news

Hello! This is Alex Abramov from Antarctica. Today we managed to get out from the Union Glacier base and to start our route. So, we are now on the way to the South Pole!  We feel great, everything is OK, excellent, we all are alive and well. Today, we made 8 kilometers. It was just the first day, we had to use our work. So, tomorrow we have to go for 12 kilometers. Goodbye!

Season opened, as usual, on November 15. The number of tourists, climbers once again increased, by 10 percent. This occurred despite a significant increase in the cost of permits. Weather was good at first, but in December spoiled. Most climbers returned home without the summit, because of the strong winds

Many climbers asked for help from rescuers during the first period of the season. Mainly these were minor incidents.

The most significant rescue was in early December. Eliana Caamano, a girl-guide, hired by the U.S. company Mountain Trip, tried to climb to the top with a disabled Afghan war, 29-year-old American, Neil Duncan

 Eliana and Neil did not reached the summit because of bad weather and fatigue. On the descent they were hit by a snowstorm, gave a signal for help and stay for a night in the region of Independencia. A group of four young rescuers went to meet them. They went half night, and it was not in vain. Neil lost his sight (snow blindness), was in very poor condition. Only the use of artificial oxygen and medication has helped him gain strength for further fight for life.

The next day a large group came up for the rescue, it was about 25 people went out from the camp Plaza de Mulas. By the joint efforts they managed lowered Eliana and Neil to the Nido de Condores camp. From there, a helicopter was able to pick them up to Horcones.

At the end of the year there was a bad case with a Japanese mountain climber. At Plaza de Mulas Rangers suddenly noticed that 34-year-old Minoru Kawada does not come out of the tent third day. Opening it, they found a Japanese climber unconscious. He was urgently transported to the hospital inMendoza, but doctors do not guarantee that he can be saved. So far, he's in a coma.

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Colorado man among two mountaineers killed on Argentina climb

By Kirk Mitchell
The Denver Post

An avid climber and adventurer, Eric Nourse traveled to Alaska in 2006 to tackle Denali. (Photo courtesy of Candee Nourse)
When planning how to summit 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Greeley resident Eric Nourse, as usual, chose the riskiest route.

On Saturday, the decision had terrible consequences. He and longtime friend David Reinhart of Lake Oswego, Ore., died, likely from complications of altitude sickness. Only Eric's twin brother, Greg Nourse of Portland, Ore., survived.

"He never wanted to die. He's just a large risk- taker," Greg Nourse said of his brother.

Greg Nourse spoke Tuesday via Reinhart's satellite phone from Mendoza, Argentina, where Eric Nourse's body was taken for an autopsy.

Reinhart met the Nourse brothers at a fraternity at Oregon State University in the late 1980s. They shared a taste for extreme adventure, and for the next 23 years they often traveled together to the Alps, Denali or the Andes in South America.

Eric Nourse, 41, had a Greeley flooring business. Whenever he could, he was in the wilderness: kayaking, rafting, scuba diving, skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking, hunting elk.

The twins and Reinhart would plan big trips for months. In 2004, the Nourse brothers rode motorcycles through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize for two months. They climbed Denali twice.

Eric Nourse was full of life, said his wife, Candee Nourse.

"He could climb a tree like a monkey. There was something that was not quite human about him," she said.

Candee Nourse said she never worried previously about her husband going into danger because he was never worried, but this time was different. It wasn't that the South American peak was a technically difficult climb.

"He said, 'It's the weather. It gets brutal, and it takes lives,' " she said.

The three friends reached the "high camp" tents at 19,200 feet in elevation on Mount Aconcagua by Thursday. They considered going on the Polish Traverse but decided to take the more challenging route up the face of the Polish Glacier.

At 4 a.m. Friday, the three embarked for the summit with Eric Nourse leading the way under a full moon.

The glacier was almost all ice with little snow for traction, and it was much steeper than they had anticipated. They had not carried enough ice screws and snow pickets along for the longer ice climbs.

"It was more taxing and time- consuming," Greg Nourse said.

They didn't reach 22,000 feet in elevation until after dark. Reinhart was suffering from altitude sickness and couldn't go any farther.

Eric Nourse said he was going to summit the mountain in the moonlight, find the less challenging trail down the mountain and get help.

Greg Nourse said his brother climbed another 600 feet and searched for the trail down.

Climber Eric Nourse sets off on his 2006 Denali climb in Alaska with gear in tow. (Photo courtesy of Candee Nourse, The Denver Post)
When he couldn't find the trail, he climbed down the steep north face of the mountain.
"It was basically a sheer cliff," Greg Nourse said.

The decision slowed Eric Nourse considerably. The next morning, 10 hours after his brother had left, Greg Nourse strapped his friend to an ice wall and climbed the mountain to find the easier trail down.

He waited near the summit for 2½ hours before the first climber of the day reached the peak so he could ask how to get down the mountain. While there, he called Reinhart's wife, Char, who set into motion an emergency response in Argentina.

"It was a really emotional phone call. She knew we were in trouble," he said.

Six hours later, Greg Nourse made it back down to the high camp. His brother limped into camp 90 minutes later, exhausted. Argentine EMTs advised Eric Nourse to climb down the mountain and not sleep. The oxygen content in his blood was dangerously low. Porters offered to carry their equipment down the mountain for them. But Greg Nourse said his brother felt that would have been admitting defeat.

"Eric wouldn't have any part of that. We carried our gear up the mountain, and after a little catnap he would carry it back down. He was never concerned about dying," Greg Nourse said.

Minutes after Eric Nourse went to sleep in his tent, emergency workers tried to rouse him. His heart rate dropped. When it stopped, they tried to resuscitate him.

But he was dead.

It took another 2½ days before porters reached Reinhart's body on the glacier. Reinhart had somehow climbed another 150 feet up the mountain before collapsing.

Happy New Year !

Best Wishes !

Follow your dreams, climb high, be happy, enjoy your life, love your love, be yourself !

Yours friends from Moscow,

With respect and love,

7 Summits Club

Hello!  Alexander Abramov reports from Antarctica. Our team of five people going on the route Last Degree.   Today is  December 30, and  tomorrow, December 31, in the morning, we want to fly out  the route to celebrate the New Year  on the way to the Pole. All is good. Food, tents ... Today we practiced how to put up tents, assorted products, poured gasoline in cans, all equipment prepared. We will try tomorrow morning to fly the route.

 If not, we'll have to meet the New Year inAntarcticawith the team of ALE. It is also good, here there are a lot of young, beautiful girls. Good bye! Next time we will   contact you from  to route. Bye!

Kyodo MOSCOW — Renowned climber Haruhisa Watanabe is believed to have died Wednesday morning when his bicycle was run over by a car in northwest Russia, his relatives and Foreign Ministry officials said Thursday.

Haruhisa Watanabe

The ministry informed his father, Hiroyasu, that the victim was "almost certainly" Watanabe, who in 2004 became the youngest Japanese climber to scale the tallest peaks on seven continents at age 22.

The Japanese Embassy confirmed that the passport and an identification card from Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka Prefecture found with the body belonged to Watanabe, 31, who was traveling in the Murmansk region.

The embassy is considering sending staffers to the hospital where the body was taken after the accident. It will then be transported back to Japan.

Watanabe's 57-year-old father confirmed he received a phone call from the ministry Thursday morning but said, "I do not want to believe it until I see his face."

The Tass news agency reported that the car was being driven by a 56-year-old man at the time of the accident.

It is thought that driving conditions were hazardous because of poor visibility since the sun barely comes up for most of the day in the area Watanabe was cycling in, carrying such items as a tent and sleeping bag, local media reported.

Watanabe claimed the seven-continent climbing record in June 2004 after traveling to Alaska and scaling Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America.

7summits.com

Elbrus    -   Vinson   -   Everest

Alexander Abramov met in Punta Arenasa  a new group. They went through all the procedures and are ready to take off at Union Glacier. Their program is Last Degree on ski.

Edward, Alex, Sergei, Roman in a briefing before leaving for Antarctica.

Another member, Vitaly, is waiting for the group at Union Glacier.

44-year-old guide of expeditions of 7 Summits Club on Everest, our great friend Noel Hanna is 5-time Everest summiter. He is a records man for Irish. A former cop, Noel mow is focused on sport.Marathonrunner and mountaineer, he is a fitness instructor, guide and also earns from advertising.

The magazine Mountain Pro published an article, that gives concise and accurate advices to those who are going to climbMount Everestfrom Noel….

Read Online .......

Our friend and partner Noel Hanna, Northern Ireland based adventure sports trainer and endurance athlete finished his project named 7 SUMMITS TO SEALEVEL. It means climbing Seven summits of the world's highest peaks, followed by seven arduous and top-speed descents to Sea Level. Almost five years, seven continents, thousands of column inches in media coverage - and one goal in sight, a new entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

http://7summits-club.com/newsarchive/all_1/date_2010_1_18_1/item_1570/

During the descent from the summit of Vinson, the weather turned bad. Severe storm accompanied climbers to the High camp. It was very cold. The next morning, there was not any possibility of going down. Only by noon the wind calmed down and the group went down to the base camp. It was Christmas. The next morning, December 26, the Rangers suddenly gave the command to gather. And soon the plane landed, it took the group to the camp Union Glacier, where the festival continued.

This is Olga Rumyantseva. From the summit ofMount Vinson. Today we climbed it by all team. Dima Sokov closed Seven Summits climbing this ... Here in a fog, we can not see anything at all. Now we start to descend. Hello!

Team: Anatoly Stegney, Vitaly Simonovich, Dmitry Sokov (44 years, the city ofYuzhno-Kurilsk) and Alexander Lozhkin. Guide Olga Rumyantseva.

Everest calling film students!

$100,000 for the best film.

KATHMANDU, Dec 5: PartyNepal Outdoors will be hosting a global film competition called “Let’s Go Everest,” targeting film students from around the world.

The press release states that it will also mark the Diamond Jubilee of the ascent of Mt Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary. A global TV channel is also partnering with PartyNepal for this competition.

During the press meet, Shree Gurung, Director of PartyNepal, informed that 108 students from 108 different countries will be coming toNepalon an all-expenses-paid trip for 25 days.

The students will then be free to make their films on any of the four categories: travel and adventure, people and culture, tourism and economy, and environment.

Shree Gurung (C), Director of PartyNepal, along with Dawa Sherpa (R), Team Leader, and Deebas Bikram Shah (L), General Secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, addressing the media about the global film competition, ‘Let’s Go Everest’, during the press meet held at Red Carpet, Durbar Marg on Tuesday.

Their films will have to be submitted within 30 days from the trip. The films will be judged by online voting and by two judges, one of whom will be a representative of PartyNepal.

A winner will be selected from each category and they will be presented with camera equipments and other accessories as well as an internship with the global TV channel. The winner of the best film award will receive a cash prize of US$100,000 along with an internship with the channel.

Dawa Sherpa will be leading the team of students on their trip to Everest. Expressing his full commitment, he said, “It’s an attractive way to bring together everythingNepalhas to offer.” The four categories were all connected to him, one way or another, he said.

According to Gurung, PartyNepal is arranging with global agencies to select a film student from a recognized university from each country. The registration for the competition, which is free of costs, will have to be made online and will start from early next year.

http://nepaloutdoors.com/partynepal/home.php

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PartyNepal is a pioneer and no doubt the most successful event management company in Nepal, our history dates back nine years and during our tenure we have bagged a lot of rewards, recognitions and have proved our self synonymous to hip and happening. Our expertise comes after nine years of largest concerts, loudest parties and lavish events. Beside our expertise on event management we are also responsible night-out informatics via our popular website www.partynepal.com ; Our website not only include pictures from our events but also is equipped with event listing; recommended bars, clubs, restaurants, lounges profiling and even the event listing hence our website is a complete directory for those who seek life during or after routine.

Event Management: We are not only pioneers in professional event management services inNepalbut also synonymous in qulity events.

Brand Launching & promotion: One of the most effective ways to launch a product is to have the physical participation of customers and our events have always maintained the best reputation on Brand launching and promotion via our innovative ideas and strategies.

Corporate events: From entertainment to groom up sessions, we offer highly motivational and recreational seminars, sessions and events.

Multimedia production: Our In-house multimedia production handles all the multimedia production related services. which includes, Photography, Videography, Graphic Designs, Corporate documentaries, TV Commercials etc

Web Development: We are now equipped with all kind of web development services from web designing to web developing.

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Director Baltasar Kormakur Talks EVEREST Movie Based on 1996 Accident;

Hopes to Be Filming This Summer

After HBO’s THE MISSIONARY by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub.

While director Baltasar Kormákur (The Deep, Contraband) is busy in post production on next summer’s 2 Guns starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, that doesn’t mean he’s not planning future projects. As we’ve previously reported, Kormakur is going to direct the HBO pilot for The Missionary, which would take place during the 1960s and center on an American missionary (Benjamin Walker) who gets caught up in Cold War intrigue while helping a young woman escape East Berlin. He told me the plan is to film this April inHungaryand a few days inEast Berlin, and after the project wraps, he hopes to make Everest (which is a working title).

According to Kormakur, the film recounts the story of an accident onMount Everestin 1996. When I asked him the size and scope of the project, he said, “It’s a very, very big movie with a medium budget.” To make it look as real as possible, he plans on filming onMount Everest, traveling as far up the mountain as he can with actors. They will also film on a glacier for three months. For more on the project hit the jump.

Before getting to today’s interview, if you missed Kormakur talking about his film The Deep (Iceland’s official Academy Award selection for Best Foreign Language Film), click here. Here’s what he had to say about 2 Guns and here’s The Missionary.

http://collider.com/baltasar-kormakur-everest-movie-interview/212820/

Baltasar Kormakur Time Index:

Says his next project after The Mission will likely be Everest (working title). It recounts the story of an accident onMount Everestin 1996.

0:45 - The Deep was deliberately filmed, but Kormakur restrained his filmmaking so it would not get in the way of the story. Everest will be similar, but he may have to “open it up” to deal with the spectacle ofMount Everest.

3:20 – He is considering all types of actors for Everest, but suggest the big parts will go to movie stars.

3:50 – Says, “It’s a very, very big movie with a medium budget.” He will film onMount Everest, travelling as far up the mountain as he can with actors. They will also film on a glacier for three months.

4:45 – They are still figuring out the plan, but Kormakur hopes to film summer into autumn because the conditions are more accommodating.

5:10 – Stephen Daldry was attached to write this story a while back. Kormakur brought on young writer Justin Isabel.

6:10 – Kormakur gives the synopsis. It is a well-known storm that hit Everest climbers in 1996

--

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson (born 27 February 1966) is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is known professionally as Baltasar Kormákur.

He is best known for directing the films 101 Reykjavík, Hafið, A Little Trip to Heaven (starring Julia Stiles and Forest Whitaker), and a film based on the book Mýrin (Jar City) by Arnaldur Indriðason. His father is the Spanish painter Baltasar Samper.

For his film Mýrin, he won the Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2007.

His 2012 film The Deep was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards.[1]

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Into The Mind Of Dave Mossop: Heel Pieces

By Ryan Dunfee | December 3rd, 2012

“Heel Pieces” is a column by Ryan Dunfee published twice a month on TetonGravity.com. In each entry, Dunfee tackles one of the top ski news stories of the moment in an effort to provide insight behind the hype. This week, Dunfee caught up with Sherpas Cinema director Dave Mossop to learn more about the production company's much anticipated action sports film “Into The Mind.”

Into The Mind Of Dave Mossop: Heel Pieces

The skiing internet was awash last week with fans and industry figures alike all trying to outdo each-other in stating their enthusiasm for the Sherpas Cinema trailer for "Into The Mind" that features Imagineer-level visual trickery, cinematography that would make the producers of "Planet Earth" cough up a lung, and explosive action shots set to a soundtrack of electronic and tribal beats. While the combined effect sent most into a social media sharing hysteria with captions written in caps lock, this author saw only two filmmaking phenomena historically doomed to fail: getting action sports athletes (namely skiers) to reveal anything remotely insightful from their "Minds," and casting multiple sports, in this case skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and white-water kayaking, in the same film. I took Sherpas director Dave Mossop to task on how exactly he hopes to transcend boundaries a second time with "Into The Mind."

Ryan Dunfee: It’s a historical fact that no skier in history since Ernest Hemingway has ever said anything remotely insightful. By going “Into The Mind(s)” of skiers, what do you hope to reveal to the world? That they are all stoked, love skiing with friends, and feel they need to work hard to get shots?

Sherpas Cinema director Dave Mossop: Any real mountain person knows that skiing and snowboarding isn’t always stoke and fun with your friends. It’s about challenge, perseverance, freezing weather, shit conditions, and a lifetime of enduring injuries, and even death. Yes, skiing is fun, extremely fun, but it also comes with all of humanity’s many emotions. We want to show that living a ski or snowboarding lifestyle is one of the greatest lives on Earth, and that all these emotions play a role in taking you to your ultimate potential.

RD: Can you explain, mechanically, how you guys achieved those motion sickness-inducing rolling circle shots?

DM: Stick, camera, tape. This is all you need. Tape camera to one end, pivot stick on other end.

RD: You highlight a diverse selection of athletes skiing, surfing, snowboarding, and kayaking. Traditionally, cross-sport movies have never performed very well. How do you plan on breaking the mold this time around?

DM: We'll be trying to not make it lame.

RD: What can viewers who’ve seen All.I.Can expect to be the same or different, stylistically or otherwise, this time around?

DM: We learned a lot during the making of All.I.Can., and we want to bring that knowledge to the table. We can’t stop being who we are, so you’ll see our personalities come through as always, but we hope to evolve to a higher level of storytelling. ITM will take a slice from the avalanche safety message of The Fine Line and the environmental consciousness of All.I.Can, but those aren’t what this is about. This will be new.

RD: What are you guys doing in the filming, interviewing, etc. that is going to do a better job of getting to some deeper emotional or psychological understandings that other filmmakers have been able to accomplish before? Are there other films, inside of skiing or outside, that influenced the approach to Inside The Mind?

DM: Well, we’ll probably just avoid interviews entirely. Actions speak louder than words.

Our work is, of course, inspired and heavily influenced by dozens of incredible artists. Films that pop to mind include: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malcovich, Inception, Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Baraka, Dark Side of The Lens, Nostalgia, There Will Be Blood, Stranger Than Paradise, Jacob’s Ladder. And great directors like Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Tarantino, Ron Fricke, Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky, Chris Cunningham, Dziga Vertov, Wim Wenders, Wes Anderson, The Cohen Bros, etc.

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To Stand Above the Clouds. Rex Pemberton's record breaking climb of Mount Everest. At Twenty one years of age, mountaineer Rex Pemberton set off to become the youngest Australian to climb Mt Everest. This story is inspirational.

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Warren Miller Entertainment joining forces with Al Gore

Jason Blevins

The Denve rPost

Al Gore says he was drawn to moviemaker Warren Miller's team as film crews and athletes reported alarming loss of snowpack around the world.

The Lower 48 scenes from Warren Miller's "FlowState" are telling. The Canyons segment could have been filmed in July. The Northstar footage — all terrain park — works to avoid shots showing swaths of dirt flanking the snow.

While theAlaskaandJapanshots are exceptionally snowy, theU.S.shots in Warren Miller Entertainment's 63rd annual ski film reflect what was one of the driest ski seasons ever recorded. So it makes sense thatBoulder's WME recently joined forces with Al Gore's The Climate Reality Project.

With "FlowState" footage fromSvalbard,Norway, showing shrinking glaciers and receding sea ice, the partnership will harness Warren Miller's captivating videos and athlete power to grow awareness of climate change.

The idea is that the athlete involvement in the "I Am Pro Snow" campaign and a soon-to-launch Warren Miller/Climate Reality Project effort will help galvanize skiers and snowboarders toward thwarting the effects of climate change as they see images of their beloved snow melting away.

Gore took the stage Saturday night at the "Flow State" 6 p.m. showing, saying his group was first drawn to Warren Miller's team as the film crews and athletes began reporting alarming loss of snowpack in mountain ranges around the globe. Gore said the dwindling snowpacks can be connected to rampant wildfires in the West, the country's lingering drought and Hurricane Sandy's ravaging of the East Coast.

"It's happening everywhere, and we've got to do something about it. A lot of politicians are scared of big oil and big coal," Gore said. "I would like to think all the skiers and snowboarders together can make up big snow and put some counterpressure on this and say we really have to do something."

Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

This is Rumyantseva Olga from Antarctica. Today we went up to the High camp on the Vinson massif. In general, all groups are up here, because tomorrow's forecast promises the best day. Although forecasts are not very true recently. We decided to go out tomorrow for a climb. So keep your fists for us and wish us luck! Bye!

Since our last review, a plan of Denis Urubko and Alexei Bolotov was specified. Denis Urubko was interviewed by Spanish magazine Desnivel.

He, in particular, tried to clarify a route of a planned attempt on Everest. Climbing route should be in the sector between 1975 Bonington route on the center of South-west face and Polish (Kukuczka - Czok) along the South ridge.

From the book of Jan Kelkowski "Mount Everest Massif"

This may be a line marked by N 33. There were attempts of all expeditions for the south-west face, before, in 1975 Nick Estcourt found a way up leading on the upper field leftsides. It was 5 or 6 unsuccessful attempts. N 32 – a line of an attempt of strong Czechoslovak team led byIvanGulfin 1987.

Well, here on the blog Denis posted New Year's greetings and reflections….

http://urubko-8000new.blogspot.ru/2012/12/happy-new-year.html

Here is the final part:

“Here only the analysis with the years has come. Also is, of what to think:

1. Speed-ascent on Sagarmatha without oxigen from the South keeps till now at a mark 1998 in 20 and a half hours. http://www.everestnews.com/everest1.htm And is possible to do faster?

2. New routes, as well as variants, on Chomolungma it is a lot of. All of them are made in the Himalayan style. Here there is a History of the Alpine style on the Everest. More precisely, the part of history very interesting: http://bask.ru/info/papers/everest_8848.html Is it possible by a new route, but in the Alpine style?

3. The winter ascension to the Everest was with oxygen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest But without oxygen it will turn out? Is possible by other route?

4. The traverse to next eight-thousanderLhotsehas been made with oxygen, and on usual ways… as a compromise. And whether there is a chance to do the «real» traverse without oxygen?

Such sports problems turn in a head since many years. And the answers to them can be the most simple - to try though something to make most. As in a mirror to see the reflexion on the verge of the present adventure. Whether it is a challenge?! To whom it is interesting? Come on please, register your self :)

Humbly – Marry Christmas, friends!

Happy New Year!”

The North Caucasian Mountain Club - is one of the organizations created by the North Caucasus Development Corporation. Its staff has organized the past autumn research and promotional jeep tours along so-called Alanian way. Alanian way - is, roughly speaking, a system of roads in a depression between the Lateral and Rocky ridges of the Caucasus Mountains. At different times, this communication system had known periods of revival and oblivion. If the project of system of mountain resorts in theNorth Caucasuswill become a reality, there must be laid normal roads. In the meantime, you can enjoy the pleasures of jeep adventure tourism. Route, by and large, can be maid from somewhere Gunib (Dagestan) to Adler (Black Sea), but now it is about standardizing of the way from Elbrus to Kazbek (central part). This year, journalists and representatives of tourism companies were invited in the tour.

For a short report on the trip from Alexei Orlov, please visit a site of Action Studio «WOOZILY» (un Russian)

During this trip some outstanding images of the Caucasus were made. Photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/woozily/

Studio «WOOZILY» promises for the New Year full version of a film aboutAlanian Way. While you can watch a trailer:

More about development of theNorth Caucasus. Construction of a multipurpose center near theairportofMineralny Vody. You could see the Director General of the North Caucasus Development Corporation Anton Pak.

Anton Pak’s Interview to TV ChannelRussia24

Site of the North Caucasus Development Corporation

http://krskfo.ru/

Missionand objectives

The North Caucasus Development Corporation (NCDC) was established in 2010 to develop the investment environment in the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD) by attracting investors and participating in investment projects in the district.

Our mission is to create a successful investment business to stimulate the economic development of theNorth Caucasusregion.

Our top priorities are to support the implementation of the government development program for the NCFD, raise investment for the district and create new jobs.

The economic potential of the district, which is based on its geographic location, its favorable climate and its natural and human resources – along with the government’s long-term strategic regional interests – create a platform for social and economic development as well as growing investment opportunities.

The Corporation has the following objectives for 2011-2015:

- support at least 120 investment projects in the NCFD

- build its own investment portfolio consisting of 30-40 projects

- raise at least RUB70bn in private investment (both debt and equity), which will create up to 35,000 new jobs

To achieve these objectives we are developing our investment and advisory business.

The Corporation is a brand-new structure for theNorth Caucasusdistrict that combines the interests of domestic and international investors on the one hand, and government authorities on the other hand, in order to guarantee efficient project implementation and increase return on investments in the district.

Before our team flew out to Antarctica, we asked them to share some of their thoughts regardingVinson Massif. The area around the mountain is a pretty unique place and a popular destination for adventure travelers, but for a number of reasons, including the extremely high cost, only a select few are able to make the trip. The rest of us can only experienceAntarcticathrough the words of others.

Now that the team is back in Base Camp, safe and sound, we would like to declare “Alpari: On Top of the World” a success.

About Vinson and Life

Lyudmila Korobeshko:

“I was the only one from the team that had already been to the summit of Vinson, so I had a pretty good idea of the difficulty and the danger that were in store for us. The toughest parts had to be going two weeks without a shower and dragging sleds filled with our own waste. Well, that and the cold, of course. Everything else was fun.”

This was Lyudmila’s second trip toAntarcticathis year. In January, she went on a ski expedition to the South Pole. Almost a year later, she returned toAntarcticato take a shot at the summit of Vinson. It seems that there are women out there that prefer endless fields of ice to endless beaches!

What can we say about our new world record holder, Lyudmila? She’s humble, strong and quiet. and she always wears a smile on our face. Earlier this year, Pearl Goings, a climber fromNew Zealand, appeared on the scene, going after the same Seven Summits record as Lyudmila. HoweverPearldropped out of the race on her third mountain. Lyudmila continued onward, making it through the seven peaks in just 300 days, shattering the old women’s Seven Summits speed record. In spite of her remarkable achievement, Lyudmila remains as caring and humble as ever. Each morning she makes the team tea and handles the expedition’s organizational matters.

Ivan Dusharin, 65.

Dreams do come true.

“I’ve wanted to visitAntarcticafor a long time now. After my team back inTolyatticlimbed Everest in 1992, we came up with another idea for an expedition: ‘From the South to the North Pole’. The idea was to make it to the South Pole, climb Vinson Massif and then drive along the world’s longest mountain system (the American Cordillera, which runs from South America to North America and is made up of a series of mountain ranges including the Andes and the Rockies) in a VAZ-Neva (a car produced back at the AvtoVAZ factory in Tolyatti, Russia, where Ivan worked at the time), climbing 16 of the more well-known peaks along the way. The final summit would have beenMountMcKinley. We didn’t go through with the expedition, but the dream never died.”

“I really hope everything works out for us on the expedition; that we make it through all of the challenges ahead; that the frigid cold ofAntarcticawon’t damage the warm friendship we’ve developed; that we will be able to complete our mission and get some sense of satisfaction from doing so. Wish us luck. And let’s hope my dream comes true. Until next time.”

Ivan Dusharin finally realized his dream of traveling toAntarctica– at the age of 65. As if the Honored Master of Sport hadn’t already garnered enough respect from the global climbing community! Ivan is the author of a number of books that are read by novice and experienced climbers alike.

Lyudmila wasn’t the only one from Team Alpari to set an individual record during “Alpari: On Top of the World”. When he reached the summit of Vinson, Ivan became the oldest Russian climber to complete the Seven Summits.

Maxim Shakirov is already planning his next climb. This year, Maxim will be ringing in the New Year atop one of the world’s highest peaks. This isn’t anything new for Maxim. He has been celebrating New Year’s on a different summit every year for more than a decade.

Maxim, asked what he was expecting from Vinson, answered, “Vinson? I’m expecting an entirely new experience. I’m hoping and also scared that Vinson will leave even more of an impression than McKinley and Kosciuszko.”

Maxim later sent us a voice message from Vinson Base Camp on December 13: “The mountain ridge was incredibly beautiful – probably as beautiful as inAlaska. It might have been even more beautiful. We were filled with emotion.”

It’s great to know that there’s always somewhere on the planet that can surprise you. What’s important is that you don’t miss out on your chance to visit.

Source: http://www.alpari-life.ru/en/antarktida-xolodno-tyazhelo-no-veselo/

Magellan monument

At Union Glacier

At basecampVinson

At the top

With an Alpari banner

Farewell to Vinson

All video of the project

http://www.alpari-life.ru/video/

The second group of the 7 Summits Club (Anatoly Stegney, Vitaly Simonovich, Dmitry Sokov and Alexander Lozhkin) with a Guide Olga Rumyantseva arrived in the Vinson base camp. After arrival in the Union Glacier they were almost immediately taken to the next plane. They flied to the base camp even without having dinner in UG. Now they made the first acclimatization outing. Everything is OK.

See photos from the first group.

Olga Rumyantseva

Coming from Antarctica to Punto Arenas, first of all Lyudmila Korobeshko sent us a photo report about their climb of Mount Vinson. Lyuda, Ivan and Max reached the top of Antarctica 11th of December. They finished their program "7 Summits for 300 days"

Lyudmila Korobeshko, Ivan Dusharin and Maxim Shakirov ended their travel to Antarctica, the last part of the program "7 summits for 300 days" (292 days 2 hours and 2 minutes). Climbing the Mount of Vinson, they made a new world speed record for climbing seven summits for women and for a team of three climbers.

 The "Alpari on top of the world" in Punta Arenas

Igor Stolyarov also climbed Mt. Vinson

Alex Abramov met Harry Kikstra in Punta Arenas

This morning, our second group flew to Antarctica. They are: Anatoly Stegney, Vitaly Simonovic, Dmitry Sokov and Alexander Lozhkin. Guide the group Olga Rumyantseva awaits them in Antarctica.

The weather is good, we hope that the return flight will be not delayed. We are waiting for the return of our team Alpari from Antarctica. They have to go back tonight.

I imagine how they want to celebrate the successful completion of the project “7 Summits for 300 days”!

We are waiting!

Alex Abramov from Punto Arenas

Alex Abramov met a new group of the 7 Summits Club inPunta Arenas. They came for the program Climbing Mt. Vinson. The team consists of: Anatoly Stegney, Vitaly Simonovic, Dmitry Sokov and Alexander Lozhkin. Our Guide Olya Rumyantseva awaits them in theAntarctica, at the Union Glacier base..

Today, the company ALE organized a briefing and our team listened all in pure American English. This was the first hard test.

Alex had a friendly conversation with Mike Sharp, co-owner of ALE.

Don Striker Named New Superintendent of Denali National Parkand Preserve.

The National Park Service has named Don Striker as Denali National Parkand Preserve's new superintendent.

Striker has been the superintendent atNew River Gorge National River,West Virginia, for the past five years, and brings a strong background in both business and resource management to his new position.

Since 2007, Striker has managed New River Gorge along with the nearby Bluestone National Scenic River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area. The parks annually see more than one million visitors, and include four visitor centers and more than 100 access points.

He has been instrumental in improving relationships with state government and local partners, building a large cadre of volunteers, and managing significant construction projects. Prior to working in West Virginia, Striker served as a special assistant to the Comptroller of the National Park Service, as superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial (South Dakota), as superintendent of Fort Clatsop National Memorial (Oregon), and comptroller at Yellowstone National Park.

"I am deeply humbled to have been asked to serve as the chief steward of one of our country's most spectacular and iconic parks," Striker said. "My wife, Gretchen, and I are excited to be moving toAlaska, a goal we've long held. We are really looking forward to becoming productive partners in our new community." Striker will move to Alaskain January.

NPS Alaska Regional Director Sue Masica said that Striker's accomplishments over more than 15 years with the Service position him well for theDenalijob. "Denali is a complex park, with many major business and resource decisions coming up. Over the next couple of years, the park will be looking at implementing its new road management plan, rebidding the main concession contract and continuing to work on a variety of wildlife issues with the State of Alaska and others. Don brings the talents we need to lead the Service on these issues."

Denali National Park and Preserve is Alaska's most recognized park, hosts more than 400,000 visitors every year, and encompasses more than 6 million acres that includes Mount McKinley, North America's highest peak. Striker replaces Paul Anderson, who retired this fall. Jeff Mow has been the acting superintendent.

Source: http://www.nps.gov/dena/parknews/new-supt.htm

Alaska-permafrost

Hope we can get permission and establish monitoring site at West Buttress!!

We need finalizeDenaliproposal very soon for next summer (June). Idea is that to install (just) temperature sensors on air, ground surface and ground with Iridium based satellite datalogger simmilar like Kilimanjaro setting.

Around 14K Camp (medical Camp) is another candidate (picture below). But steep and narrow open sky for satellite communication…

We try to develop 3D visualization material for 100 years glacier & permafrost history on Kilimanjaro working with Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology of theRussianAcademyof Sciences

http://ffky.edublogs.org/category/alaska-permafrost/

Permafrost book

http://issuu.com/permafrostbook/docs/permafrostbook/99

Kilimanjaro permofrost