7 Summits Club company news - Page 285

Explore a huge photograph showing Everest in extreme detail. What looks like litter might in fact be base camp, and what you think is a speck of dust could be a climber. Click the green boxes to zoom to a panoramic photo.

Ed Douglas. guardian.co.uk, Thursday 20 December 2012

Filmmaker and climate-change campaigner David Breashears spent this spring taking around 400 images of Everest and its near neighbours from a vantage point above base camp through a 300mm lens. Now he's released them digitally stitched together to form one image.

The result is a stunning panoramic photograph of the Everest region – with a twist. You can zoom in on specific areas and see the roof of the world in extraordinary detail. From a distance small colourful dots mark the location of base camp. Zooming in, you can pick out each tent clearly – and a man bending down as he washes his face.

The high definition also allows viewers to examine the mountain's icefall – and even pick out climbers descending between terrifying ice cliffs and crevasses. Think of it as an extreme, alpine version of Where's Wally.

Everest itself is the highest summit in the picture (just to the left of centre), a black pyramid towering above its paler western shoulder. Zooming in, you can see in detail the peak's famous yellow band - a section of interlayered marble, quartz and semi-schist. To the right of Everest, at the head of the western cwm, isLhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world, that rises up from the south col. Right again is Nuptse, the third peak in the Everest horseshoe. Like the western shoulder of Everest, the rock here is granite.

Curling from between Everest and Nuptse is the Khumbu glacier, a chaotic river of ice flowing downhill splitting into crevasses and ice cliffs. The route up Everest climbs up the left-hand side of this, and several climbers are visible on the thin trail that snakes up this dangerous section. To the left of the Khumbu glacier's lower section, the small colourful dots become the tents of base camp, giving an indication of just how popular climbing Everest is these days.

Source >>>>>>>

Glacierworks Project

http://www.glacierworks.org/the-glaciers/pumori-spring-2012/

This fullscreen panorama was published in connection with the 50 year anniversary in May 2003, for the first who reached the top of Everest.

50 years ago May 29 1953 The top ofMount Everestwas reached for the first time by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

Since then 1.200-1.500 has climbed the top. Nobody knows the exact number. More than 140 climbers died on the way.

On May 24, 1989 the Australian photographer and mountaineer Roderick Mackenzie reached the summit. He was no 271 since 1953

He made which as far as I know is the only 360 degree panorama From the top.

Roderick Mackenzie made the image at the top ofMount EverestMay 24 1989. Below is in his own words his feelings of the event.

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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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

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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!

Alex Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko came toBoliviato climb the highest peak in the countrySajama. First, they visited the holiday of end of the world, which took place onLake Titicaca. It was a great festivities, attended by the president of the country. Then, for acclimatization, Alex and Lyuda decided to climb the mount of Huyana Potosi (6088m). It is located close toLa Pazand is the highest in mountain range of theCordillera Real.

The weather was terrible. Of course, you can not climb in these conditions. But we decided to go up. Our Guide was Felix - a typical Indian. He led us through the GPS, almost without visibility. The ascent was made from the shelter in 8 hours, that is very fast.

After studying the weather forecast, we decided not to climbSajama. Instead, we visited the famous Huyuni salt desert. There we will celebrate Christmas.

After that, we're leaving inSantiago. From there, Luda goes toMoscow, and Sasha inPunta Arenas, where he meets a new group of 7 Summits Club. He flies with the new group toAntarctica, for a ski trip to the South Pole.

Merry Christmas for Everyone !

Alex Abramov and Lyuda Korobeshko from Bolivia

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!”

PZA winter expedition to Broad Peak– it was declared team members.

On 21.12.2012 during a press conference at the Olympic Centre inWarsawmembers of the expedition were declared. They will attack this winter Broad Peak 8,047 m.

The expedition members: Krzysztof Wielicki (born 1950) – Head, Maciej Berbeka (1954), Adam Bielecki (1983), Tomasz Kowalski (1985), Arthur Malek (1979).

The expedition takes place in the framework of the Polish Winter Himalayan Mountaineering Sports 2010 – 2015 program (leader - Arthur Hajzer), who took over patronage of Mr. Bronislaw Komorowski, President of the Republic. The general sponsor is PKN Orlen SA.

Wielicki is fifth person climbed all 14-thousanders, in 1984 he climbed Broad Peakin 16 hours from base camp. Probably it is still the best time.

Another aged climber Maciej Berbeka was first in winter on Cho-Oyu and… Broad Peak. Yes … in the beginning of 1988 he was a member of big international expedition led by Andzej Zawada. They tried to climb K2, without chance. Then Maciej and Alex Lwow asked their leader for permission to climb Broad Peak in alpine style. They went with huge sacks, with three overnight on the slopes of BP. 6th of March Alex and Maciej went to summit push from 7300. At 7800 m Lwow decided to turn back, afraid of frostbiting. Berbeka continued climb and about 4 p.m. reached a summit. Later it became clear that it was lower peak, so-called Rocky or Antecima (8030m). The Main (Prinicipal) summit of Broad Peak left virgin in winter.

From Taternik 1988 - M. Berbeka

Another interesting news – it is a comeback to Himalaya of Elisabeth Rivol. She will try to climbNanga Parbat, joining Italian Daniele Nardi in the base camp service. Another team that will share their base camp service – it will Hungary/US expedition: David Klein, Zoltan Robert Acz and Ian Overton (US doctor). They plan to climb by so-called Moro – Urubko line.

Elisabeth Rivol

Daniele Nardi

David Klein, Zoltan Robert Acz

Another team (Polish): Tomasz Mackiewicz, Marek Klonowski and Piotr Strzezysz – is already on route. They left Ravalpindi for trek to the base camp in Pupal side of Nanga Parbat. They plan to climb the Schell route

Victor and Igor climbed Orizaba on the day of expecting of the end of the world. They are with local guides Alfredo and Israel, and they all reached the top first, in a very good pace. The weather was very good, a stunningly beautiful sunrise. Popocatepetl volcano reminded that it is the day of the end of the world. It noted by a very beautiful eruption. The descent was normal, the climbers arrived in jeeps to the city of Puebla, where they fell on the bed for sleep.

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"

Victor Bobok and Igor Charkashin had climbed the volcano of La Malinche (4500m) for acclimatization.

Next goal is Orizaba - the highest in Mexico. The weather was perfect.

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

We send to all our heartfelt greetings from the country of end of the world! We are moving rapidly across the country and is also rapidly approaching our destination - the ascent on Orizaba. According to our plan - we will climb it on the day the world end :) ... Everything goes according to plan, tequila does not hinder. And even I would say that it helps in moving towards our goal.

On the way from Mexico Cityto La Malinche, we saw the famous volcano Popakatepel

Our  modest hotel

The main goal of our trip - the peak of Orizaba

And this is our goal for acclimatization - La Malinche volcano

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.

Climber who became a French national hero after making the first ascent of Annapurna.

The Guardian, Friday 14 December 2012

In late 1950, Maurice Herzog lay in the American hospital at Neuilly-sur-Seine, on the outskirts ofParis, dictating what would become the bestselling mountaineering book of all time,Annapurna, published the following year. The effort was emotionally exacting, as he revisited every twist and agonising turn of one of the most important Himalayan expeditions in the sport's history – the first ascent of Annapurna, in central Nepal.

Annapurnawas the first mountain over 8,000m to be climbed. Others were higher – such as Everest, the site of British assaults in the 1920s and 30s – but no summits had been reached. Furthermore, the geography of theAnnapurnaregion was little known. Herzog's expedition only settled on it as an objective after first exploring the approaches to a neighbouring 8,000m giant, Dhaulagiri.

The personal cost of this triumph to Herzog, who has died aged 93, was horrific. In reaching the summit in the summer of 1950 with Louis Lachenal, Herzog's hands and feet had been frozen, and doctors had amputated all his fingers and toes. He spent months in hospital recovering from his injuries, plunged in a deep depression. Writing his book was not only cathartic but also sealed his reputation as a dynamic and courageous leader, and helped restore self-respect to postwarFrance.

When Paris Match put a picture of Herzog standing on the summit with the tricolour flying from his ice axe, it broke all previous sales records for the magazine. In January 1951, Marcel Ichac's film of the expedition opened in Paris, with the French president Vincent Auriol in the audience. A month later, another photograph of Herzog – this time gesturing with his ruined hands as he spoke to the film's audience – ran on the cover of Paris Match. "Our number one national hero," was what the magazine called Herzog – while failing to mention Lachenal at all. "Annapurna, to which we had gone empty-handed," Herzog wrote in his book, "was a treasure on which we should live for the rest of our days."

In 1958, Herzog became minister for youth and sport. After France's poor showing in the Rome Olympics in 1960, he was charged by Charles de Gaulle with re-invigorating French sport and inspiring a new generation, something he did to great effect. He was elected mayor of Chamonix in 1968, and headed several enterprises, including the company running the tunnel underMont Blanc. In a 1998 memoir, he recalled suggesting to John F Kennedy the idea of the Peace Corps and meeting the biggest names of his day, including Brigitte Bardot and Juan Perón.

In 1996, Yves Ballu published his revelatory biography of Gaston Rébuffat, one of the Annapurna climbing team, and in the same year Michel Guérin published the diaries of Lachenal, previously expurgated in a 1956 publication by Herzog's brother Gérard after Lachenal's early death, but now restored. These fresh perspectives told a more complex tale of a great enterprise whose image was controlled and exploited for political and personal interests. They cast the leader in an altogether less flattering light. Herzog protested indifference, but in private was bitterly upset.

He was born in Lyon, the eldest of eight children. His father, Robert, an alpinist himself, had served in the French Foreign Legion during the first world war. The family owned a chalet at the foot of the Bossons glacier that flows from Mont Blanc, which sparked Herzog's passion for the mountains.

He passed his baccalaureate in Paris and did a postgraduate course in business studies. Towards the end of the second world war, he fought with French partisans in the Alps, first the Armée Secrète and then the left wing Francs-Tireurs et Partisans. They made him a captain, and Herzog overlooked their affiliations. He received the Croix de Guerre and would cite the example of the resistance in celebrating the "victory" onAnnapurna.

In 1945, he went to work for the tyre manufacturer Kléber-Colombes and continued with his passion for mountaineering asFranceemerged from the horror of occupation.

Later that decade a generation of French alpinists came to the fore, including the guides Rébuffat, Lachenal and Lionel Terray. These three formed the nucleus of the team forAnnapurna, put together by the autocratic Paris-based president of the French Alpine Club, Lucien Devies. They were, however, professionals, and to maintain the amateur ideals of mountaineering, Devies appointed Herzog leader, and added Jean Couzy, an aeronautical engineer, and Marcel Schatz, a physicist. The doctor was Jacques Oudot and Ichac, already a celebrated cinematographer, would shoot the film.

Herzog's climbing record was respectable but not spectacular, and making him leader was a risk. Devies clearly had doubts about whether the guides in particular would toe the line for the greater glory of France. Two days before departing, he made them all swear an oath of allegiance to their leader.

Herzog and his team performed one of the great feats of exploratory mountaineering, trekking up the Kali Gandaki valley to examineDhaulagirifrom the east and north. The mountain was judged, in Terray's phrase, "fiendishly difficult" and so the expedition turned its attention to Annapurna, so far unseen. Just getting a view would prove surprisingly elusive.

By mid-May, the team still hadn't made progress so Herzog called a council of war at their base camp in the village of Tukucha, and with time running out before the monsoon, committed his forces to the Miristi Khola, hoping to get lucky and find a practicable route to the top. Working at extraordinary speed, and after coming to a dead end on the peak's north-west spur, the team rapidly pushed a route and a series of camps up the north face. Terray and Herzog had proved the strongest and best acclimatised, but when the supply chain stalled, Terray gave up his chance for the summit to push supplies to a high camp. Lachenal took his place at camp IV.

Wearing leather boots that offered insufficient insulation, Lachenal was anxious about his feet, not least because losing toes could threaten his livelihood. What would Herzog do, he asked, if he turned around? "My whole being revolted against the idea," he wrote in Annapurna. "I should go on by myself," he told Lachenal. "Then I'll follow you," Lachenal replied.

They reached the summit at 2 pm on 3 June, and while some historians question the validity of the summit photograph, they were close enough. Herzog was in a blithe mood – his spiritual musings were a key part of his book Annapurna's appeal – perhaps boosted by the "pep pills" Oudot had prescribed to keep them going. It was in that frame of mind that soon after they began descending he removed his gloves to open his rucksack and watched "quite stunned" as the gloves slid away down the slope. The mistake would cost him his fingers.

The descent of Annapurna was a protracted and freezing horror. Terray and Rébuffat climbed up to campIV to support them. Terray discovering a frantic Lachenal lying in the snow, desperate to get down to a lower camp so Oudot could do something to save his frozen feet. They spent the following night in a crevasse, confused and lost in a storm. Terray and Rébuffat, hunting for a route in the white-out, suffered agonising snow-blindness.

It would take six weeks for Herzog to make it home, suffering agonies in his hands, by which time his blackened feet were riddled with maggots. His serious climbing was behind him. His book, which has sold more than 11m copies, did not make him rich. The royalties went to French mountaineering, which had funded the expedition.

Herzog married Marie-Pierre de Cossé-Brissac in 1964. They had two children, Laurent and Felicité, and divorced in 1976. He had two more children, Sébastien and Mathias, with his second wife, Elisabeth Gamper, whom he married in 1976.

• Maurice Herzog, mountaineer, born 15 January 1919; died 14 December 2012

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