“With more and more of his peers playing video games, fighting obesity, and contracting diabetes, he would serve as a powerful counterexample. He wants to inspire American kids to climb their own mountains. Or at least to go outside,” writes Bruce Barcott of Outside Magazine.

“Does the kid really want to do it, or is his hard-driving father taking his own love of adventure (and perhaps his ego) to a dangerous extreme? ‘Jordan’s dad is a little wacky, a little…intense,’ says one climber who’s worked with the family.”

photo credit: huwowenthomas

“Annapurna was the last of the 14 peaks taller than 26,247 feet (8,000 meters) that Oh needed to climb to make history. She reached the summit — 26,545 feet above sea level — 13 years after she scaled her first Himalayan mountain, Gasherbrum II, in 1997,” reports Choe Sang-Hun of The New York Times.

“On her historic climb, she was carrying a photograph of Ko Mi-young, her rival and fellow South Korean, who plummeted to her death last year while descending from Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-highest peak. Ko had climbed 11 of the 14 peaks.”

“Under new rules, solid waste at base camp must be collected by expedition teams and hauled out by porters or pack animals. Glass bottles have been banned in Sagarmatha National Park, and a ban on plastic shopping bags is being sought. Trash collection along the route to Everest has also increased dramatically.”

“What to look for? A slight headache from altitude can be normal. But watch for a headache that won’t go away. Shortness of breath and coughing fits are warning signs. Trouble breathing? It’s time to ask for help. If possible, have your blood-oxygen level checked with a medical device commonly called a pulse-ox meter. Many climbing teams carry these devices to assess expedition members.”

“Even the Everest disaster of 1996 hasn’t taught anyone a lesson. Because of the complete commercialisation of climbing expeditions and record-setting incentives, inefficient people sometimes chase the summit knowing fully well that in case of disaster the guides may abandon climbers to save their own life. Jon Krakauer’s book about it — Into Thin Air — refers to a single day that year, May 10, when eight people died on the mountain.”

180° South: Conquerors of the Useless: “In 1968, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins set out to surf, ski and climb their way to Patagonia. The wild places they found later motivated them to protect the environment. Inspired by this journey, Jeff Johnson and Woodshed Films set sail on a voyage to South America to climb a mythical peak called Corcovado with Chouindard and Tompkins,” as told by Fletcher Chouinard.

The journey also was chronicled in a behind the scenes book of the same name, written by Yvon Chouinard and Chris Malloy and photographed Jeff Johnson.

Produced by Woodshed Films

The film is entitled 180° South: Conquerors of the Useless and also is a behind the scenes book of the same name, written by Yvon Chouinard and Chris Malloy and photographed Jeff Johnson.

In this recent interview, Jeff Johnson talks to Alpinist about the inspiration and challenges behind the film: “Most climbing and surfing films go to far flung regions of the world, document the good, leave out the bad, paint a pretty picture and call it good. 180 South takes a different approach, one that might effect change, and that’s rewarding.”

“There are dozens — even hundreds — of items large and small, common and esoteric, to remember and bring along. But the bulk of the gear, apparel, and accessories for many trips are common outdoors items… Big piles with boots, base layers, packs, waterproof bags, books, and myriad small essentials are already accumulating in my house. I have two big duffel bags and a carry-on pack to cram it all in.”

A glimpse into the life of Bozeman, MT climber Conrad Anker–famous for his challenging ascents in the Himalayas and Antarctica–scaling Eldorado Canyon’s Naked Edge (near Boulder, CO).

“Conrad Anker’s specialty, simply put, is climbing the most technically challenging terrain in the world. This quest has taken him from the mountains of Alaska and Antarctica to the big walls of Patagonia and Baffin Island and the massive peaks of the Himalaya,” The North Face.

Produced by Rock Monkey Media