Can we get too close to nature?

Some sports take you closer to nature – and the closer you get, the greater your responsibility. Nature as scenery is passive; it’s usually  the weather conditions that will pose the real danger. Until you come face to face with some of the biggest animals on the planet…

The video clip here is a controversial one. There’s no denying that it’s one of the most amazing handy cam clips ever – nature documentaries take years to get this close. But when is close too close?

The International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee (IWC SC) has previously noted that “whale swims have the potential to negatively impact whales through harassment and disturbance”.

Which really is not the plan. Further reading shows that divers have their own concerns. A piece in Scuba Diving.com suggests that the best place to view whales is from the boat. But watching the video below, we can see why this guy kayaking in the US (off California) took the opportunity.

read more

Stars and Stetsons: skiing in the US

It’s August and I’m thinking about skiing in the US. Strange? Maybe. But you can’t really blame me when there is snow falling in the Alps in the height of summer at 2,000 m. Extreme weather (in so much that it’s extremely weird) has prompted more than a little bit of reflection on the season just gone and how best to approach the winter to come.

When one thinks of extreme skiing there are generally two places that come to mind – Chamonix and Jackson Hole. I am incredibly fortunate to live just 45 minutes from the former but until recently have never been to the jewel in Wyoming’s Stetson, Jackson Hole.

I’ve always wanted to of course, which real skier wouldn’t? Like Chamonix, JH is synonymous with legends of the white crystals and therefore kind of symbolises a right of passage for any lover of the steep and deep stuff. As a result, when the opportunity to get over there finally came around earlier this year, well let’s just say I was literally linedancing on the spot with excitement.

read more

Top 10 Adventures in the US

It’s such a big place! Seriously, look at an online map of the US, perhaps pick just one state, and then zoom in. Vast. Past this, the superlatives rarely match the scale. And if you’ve never visited, deciding where to find the best adventures in the US is a daunting task.

Let’s see if we can help:

Kayaking in Alaska

This area of natural beauty has such a rugged coastline that in places only a kayak will suffice. And as the largest state, bristling with mountains, glaciers and national parks, it really is top of an adventurer’s ‘to visit’ list. There’s the chance to paddle through fjords, enjoy the calm waters of glacial lakes, and even get some sea kayaking in – maybe even some whale watching.

The coast-to-coast road trip

The road trip is a classic travel experience, and the US offers up one of the widest selections of tarmac tours. Travelling coast-to-coast is almost a rite of passage, little wonder as you’ll visit the most majestic wildernesses: Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Great Lakes, and pass Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse – even get to see the Niagara Falls. From coast-to-coast, from metropolis to mountain valley, it’s a great journey.

read more

Yosemite: Free solo climbing in Adams country

Ansel Adams spent years trekking around Yosemite, and it was here he took some of his most distinctive photographs. Captured in sharply contrasted tones, he once used the ridges and outlines of Half Dome Mountain to create a lunar landscape. Lugging a large format camera with him, he worked hard for his results.

Generations of climbers have been taking on the unforgiving granite of Yosemite, but only recently has anyone managed to ascend the face of Half Dome without ropes. That honour went to a 23-year-old from Sacramento, carrying with him little more than a bag of chalk…

Alex Honnold (pictured below) lives on adrenaline, yet can never afford to be at its mercy. Adrenaline quickens the pulse, sharpens the senses and fuels the attack or escape we sometimes still need – but its effects are short-lived. What Alex needs more is courage, experience and a refined mix of concentration and conviction; he’s a ‘free solo climber’, and when you are climbing with no ropes, your life depends on every handhold.

Half Dome looks like a peak chopped in half, a caped fiend: it’s as if the mountain has thrown up a hood, leaving its face in shade. Climbing all 2,130 feet of this sinister granite was the making of Honnold. And it’s on the iconic mountains of Yosemite that other climbers have also forged their reputations.

In 1994, Lynnie Hill made an ascent of El Capitan – also a favourite of Adams – and raised the bar, not just for female climbers, but also for all climbers. Within this elite world there’s Ron Kauk. At 53, Ron’s here to help troubled kids find direction through his ‘Sacred Rok’ program. At his peak, Ron forged some of the hardest routes in Yosemite, preferring to stay roped. And for good reason: there’s no room for error here, non whatsoever…

Ansel Adams also photographed Half Dome from the valley floor, set back against the snow-dusted splendour of Yosemite National Park. This region is a national treasure, and a focus for mountainbiking holidays and family getaways as much as it is a proving ground for climbers.

In this piece, Mark Jenkins returns to Yosemite’s Camp 4 to discover climbing’s new breed of adventurer: superfit, superfast, and part of a global community, testing itself against the granite gods of Yosemite.

Images that support this feature appear in the May 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, on newsstands April 26, can be seen in more detail, here.

Marrakech tops BA must-visit list

A major airline has placed the Moroccan resort of Marrakech at the top of its must-visit list. The destination has been named as the place to see in 2011 by British Airways, which will start flights to the city on March 28, 2011.

In second place on BA’s best travel tips was San Diego in southern California, followed by New York. The list was full with American tourist spots and Caribbean locations where sailing enthusiasts go to enjoy well earned sailing holidays.

read more

The World’s Best Mountainbiking Destinations

Mountain bikes go where other cycles would never dare. Identified by knobbly tires and enhanced frames – some even have suspension set-ups befitting of a 4×4 – these machines are made ready for a ride on the wild side.

Straight off the road and onto a nearby track, you’ll soon notice the extra grip and feel the suspension compressing into the divots and drops.
But for real challenges, it’s likely you’ll have to look farther afield. So when the local field loses its appeal, just where can you head to get the really rough stuff and the most from your bike? read more

Does the Grand Canyon provide the best white water?

Looking at white-water rafting spots, it’s clear there is a premier league of locations. But what sets aside the best, from the rest?

The wildest waterways are found scattered around the globe. But to make a river into rapids requires the correct topography (steepness of the river bed, narrowing of the river course, and obstructions).

And it needs nature and her rainfall, or snowfall, to create the volume before the flowing, frightening and frothy mass pours downstream.

The Grand Canyon hardly sounds like the best spot to go looking for white-water rapids. It’s a huge empty cavern famous for its redwall limestone. But wait. Forget the postcard pictures brought back from Vegas – the Grand Canyon was formed by the Colorado River; this divides into tributaries and narrows in places to form some of the fastest rapids there are. read more