Legendary BASE jumper Valery Rozov recently completed his most recent wingsuit flight, and it may be the greatest one of his career. Rozov climbed up Mount Kilimanjaro and picked a 5,460 meter exit point to leap from. He spent over a minute in freefall and traveled a total distance of over 3 kilometers.
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One World Endeavors And The First January Ascent Of Denali
In early 2014, Lonnie Dupre became the first person to summit Denali in January, an achievement that made headlines all over the world. During the solo ascent, Dupre encountered 100+ mile per hour winds, -60 degree temperatures, and extremely rugged terrain, and he managed to move on through it all while working with only six hours of sunlight each day.
Only nine expeditions, totaling 16 people, have ever reached the Denali summit in winter, and six deaths occurred during those climbs. Of these previous winter expeditions, four were solo, but none were in January, the darkest and coldest time of the year on the mountain.
The brutality of Denali in January is what drew Dupre to the mission. Being an accomplished Arctic explorer, he is no stranger to harsh winter conditions. Over the years, only 16 people have ever reached the summit of Denali during winter, though none had achieved it during the month of January. Except for Lonnie Dupre, of course.
While he’s not conquering the world’s coldest environments, Dupre runs One World Endeavors, the organization he created to create and lead pioneering expeditions in the coldest regions of the globe as a means of advocating for these fragile environments which impact our whole planet.
To explain a bit further, Lonnie Dupre recently said, “For as long as I can remember, I have loved snow and ice. As a result, I have spent most of my life exploring the Arctic region. These journeys have brought such joy and beauty to my life that I have dedicated myself to helping preserve these wonderful frozen places. More than ever before, I am driven to share my passion for the Arctic, a region whose health and stability have far-reaching consequences for us all. Knowing that strength is in numbers, I am launching One World Endeavors (OWE) — a means for us to work together to inspire worldwide movements dedicated both to fighting pollution and to addressing climate change. OWE will also be a support tool for leading environmental organizations and legislators who want to inspire large audiences to help with this work.”
Dupre speaks with a lot of experience, as he has logged over 15,000 miles of travel throughout polar regions and the high arctic, mostly by way of ski, kayak, and sled dog teams. Dupre has also traveled and resided with the local Polar Inuit population, causing him to develop a hearty appreciation for local culture, which is a huge motivation behind the founding of One World Endeavors.
Some of Lonnie Dupre’s most memorable journeys into the world’s most frozen environments, aside from the January summit of Denali, include a 3,000 mile sled dog crossing of the Northwest Passage during winter, a 6,500 mile journey by way of dog team and kayak to circumnavigate Greenland, and two 650 mile journeys on skis from Canada to the North Pole.
Dupre currently lives in Grand Marais, Minnesota, and continues to be active in raising awareness for the protection of the Arctic. He has written two books, Greenland: Where Ice Is Born and Life On Ice, has made numerous television appearances around the world, and has worked directly on film projects with National Geographic.
You can learn more about Lonnie Dupre and One World Endeavors at OneWorldEndeavors.com.
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Wakeboarding: Powered By Ferrari
Jorge Gill had a seriously cool idea recently — to wakeboard down a drainage ditch while being towed by an F50 Ferrari. See how this epic experiment worked out in this great video.
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Incredible Wingsuit Flying In Switzerland
Walenstadt, Switzerland is one of the most well-known and beautiful BASE jumping locations in the world. Watch as wingsuit flier Brandon Mikesell goes for an incredible flight in the area.
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Kiteboarders Get Massive Air In South Africa
Things got pretty epic recently at the 2015 Red Bull King Of The Air event in Big Bay, South Africa. The best kiteboarders in the world took to the skies and waters, showing off their best stuff in order to take the title. This is a great compilation of the best tricks from the event.
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Inside a 70-Mile Himalayan Stage Race
I recently corresponded with Priya Darshini, Race Director and CEO of the WindChasers 70-Mile Himalayan Stage Race.
What’s the history behind WindChasers?
The WindChasers started out as a fun run organization with the objective of getting more and more people to run while discovering stunning remote locations in India that would otherwise be very difficult to access. Our quest was to eventually find the perfect running course for marathoners who wanted to progress to running ultras as well as something that would be challenging for elite ultra marathon runners.
During one of our recent runs, Ram Sethu, another Race Director, and me mapped and designed the most stunning yet challenging race course that we had ever seen. The WindChasers became official in the year 2011 and we launched our first event, the Sandakphu 70-Mile Himalayan Stage Race.
I have personally run around 9 Ultras (all in the Himalayas) and several marathons and half marathons.How many people are involved in putting on a race like this?
Ram Sethu is my partner at The WindChasers and the other Race Director. He has run several marathons and ultras including The Last Desert races in Sahara, Gobi and several others in the Himalayas and elsewhere around the world.
Our Course Director is Pemba Sherpa. He is an experienced climber and has spent most of his life in the mountains. He trained with his late grandfather Ang Tsering Sherpa a.k.a Mountain Man and is a celebrated climber and was on the first ever expedition to summit Mt. Everest with Mallory and Irvine in 1924.
Ram, Pemba and I with our incredible crew of 25 sherpas hold the fort down at The WindChasers race.
Our Official Medic this year is Dr. Anil Menon (MD, MPH) a.k.a ‘Space doctor.’ Dr. Menon is experienced in wilderness medicine, trauma, and is an aerospace medicine fellow from Stanford University. He works at trauma centers in Houston and Los Angeles and at NASA supporting launch and landing of astronauts to the International Space Station.Dr. Menon is an experienced runner himself and has supported ultra marathons in the Sahara Desert. He has also worked as a medic on Mount Everest expeditions, disaster response Reno Air Races, Indy 500, Earthquake disaster relief and Haiti to name a few.
What’s the course like? What can racers expect this year?
The Sandakphu 70-Mile Himalayan Stage Race is a challenging yet spectacular 70-mile 4 day boutique stage race located at the border of India and Nepal in the Himalayas.
The course starts at 6000ft taking one through a pristine and stunning Himalayan national forest on day one, leading to the most surreal view of Kanchenjunga, the third tallest mountain in the world, on Day 2 at 12,000 feet. Day 3 is the full marathon day at 12,000 feet where runners literally run through clouds while Kanchenjunga, Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Makalu keep runners company! The final day takes runners from 12,000 feet back to 6600 feet as the course cuts through the mountain taking runners through quaint little nepali villages, forests and even waterfalls!
The altitude, unpredictable weather and course which consists mainly of cobble stones and gravel make it rather challenging but it’s probably the beauty of the Himalayas that will take your breath away.
Runners can also expect the most supportive and warm crew that will take care of them like we would our own family.
If I’ve never run an ultramarathon before, is this race for me?
Yes, our race is specifically designed for runners who are looking to run their first ultramarathon.
Do you have any training resources you can share with our community?
Once runners sign up for our race, our team puts together a personalized training program for each runner if requested.
Awesome, thanks Priya for your answers! Folks, if you’re looking for a race to run and an adventure to experience, check out The WindChasers here. Registration opens April 2015!
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Snowyaking: Speedflying A Kayak
Miles Daisher continues to push limits in all the right ways. Daisher takes a kayak, adds a speedwing, and gets to a high place covered in snow, creating a new sport for himself to try.
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Ivan Malakhov’s Winning Freeski Run
Ivan Malakhov, of Russia, pulled off an incredible run at the Freeride World Qualifier Final — incredible enough to earn him first place in the contest. This point-of-view video takes you along for quite a ride.
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Urban Snowboarding In Bosnia
We love this episode of Grilosodes, which takes you on a trip with Marko Grilc, Sage Kostenburg, Zak Hale, and Ethan Morganhead to Bosnia. The guys take to the incredible and oftentimes somber war-torn landscapes of abandoned cities and hotels for some crazy shredding.
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Mikey Bruneau Takes You Through The Pipeline
This was surfer Mikey Bruneau’s submission to the GoPro of the World contest, showcasing a perfect day of surfing big pipelines in Hawaii