The North Face

May 26 | Elias and Anker: Audio Dispatch, sitting in a 2-Meter Dome

By The North Face

Click play above to listen to an audio message from Sam Elias and Conrad Anker who were at Camp 2 after summiting Mount Everest.

It’s Sam calling from Camp 2 on Everest and I’m sitting in a 2-Meter Dome with Kris and Hilaree and Conrad. Emily and Mark are already down at Base Camp, doing well and psyched and safe. As for the rest of us, we’re pretty hammered. Today Kris and Hilaree did Lhotse, which is the fourth highest peak in the world and neighbor to Everest. They chained the two in a single push and I think that Hilaree might be the first woman to ever do that. And it’s pretty rare to do, so Kris is pretty psyched, especially after his attempt last year.

And Conrad sent the big Everest without Oxygen in great style today and I’m going to pass the phone over to him to say a few words. He’s super psyched and he’s just chilling and recovering.

Hello.  I hammered myself today. My lungs are hurting but I got it done last minute. I hope everything is going well. We’ll be down to basecamp tomorrow and we’ll have more communications going. Talk to you soon! Bye.

May 26 | National Geographic and The North Face® Expedition to Mount Everest Reaches Summit

By The North Face

Southeast Ridge Team, Focused on Education and Science, Returns From Summit to Camp 2 Following 74 Days of Exploration

 Climb and Team's Summit Push, Including First Photo from the Summit, Covered Online at natgeo.com/oneverest and www.thenorthface.com/everest. Expedition Also Covered in Real-Time in the May and June iPad Editions of National Geographic Magazine.

@emilyaharrington self portrait at the top of the the world - 8848m Mt Everest. What a climb it's been! @thenorthface #oneveres (Photo by Emily Harrington)

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2012)—Taking advantage of what was only this season’s second good weather window, five athletes on a National Geographic and The North Face expedition reached the highest point on Earth, stepping foot atop the summit of Mount Everest at approximately 8 a.m. Nepal time on Friday, May 25.

Renowned mountaineers Hilaree O’Neill and Kris Erickson, along with rock and ice climbers Sam Elias and Emily Harrington — who are all part of The North Face Global Athlete Team — and Mark Jenkins, a climber and writer on assignment for National Geographic magazine, set out from the South Col at approximately 9 p.m. May 24 Nepal time for their summit push. The expedition marked the first Everest summit for the entire team. Upon return to the South Col, O’Neill and Erickson continued to summit Lhotse, accomplishing the two summits in one 24-hour period.

“It was awesome,” Harrington said. “There is a 360-degree view of the Himalaya, and you could see over into Tibet, all of Nepal and the mountains. It was amazing just being able to stand up there, and experiencing that made the whole thing worth it.”

Following the team from the moment they set out, National Geographic and The North Face have given followers the chance to take a front row seat, watching the expedition as it unfolded through use of the photo sharing app Instagram, which was put in the hands of the climbers themselves to share photos of their experiences. On Instagram, @natgeo and @thenorthface followers were the first to know the team had summited, as Harrington posted a self-portrait she took on the summit from Camp 4, as she returned from the top of the mountain.

The expedition got underway March 15 with the team of five accompanied by famed mountaineer Conrad Anker and National Geographic photographer Cory Richards, both of whom are also athletes on The North Face Global Team. The two had planned to summit Everest via its seldom-climbed West Ridge in celebration of the 1963 National Geographic-sponsored American Mount Everest Expedition —the first American ascent to the summit via the West Ridge. However, Richards was evacuated off the mountain on April 28 for unspecified health issues, and Anker, a two-time Everest summiter, determined that due to dangerous conditions on the West Ridge, he would instead accompany the South Col team.

Following a climb from Camp 2 to Camp 4 to unite with the South Col team on May 24, Anker decided to remain at Camp 4 for his team on their descent and to assist with any additional support that should be needed, and the five pushed ahead on what would be a challenging climb. After the team had summited and safely arrived at lower elevations, Anker made a push for the summit himself. He summited without oxygen via the South Col at 10:10 a.m. May 26 and is now reunited with the team at Camp 2. This marked Anker’s third Everest summit, yet his first summit via the Southeast Ridge.

One of the main purposes of the South Col expedition was for Erickson and O’Neill, who have climbed some of the world’s most challenging mountains, to provide mentorship to Elias and Harrington, whose backgrounds are in rock and ice climbing.

The expedition was also focused on education and seeking to answer scientific questions, with geologists from Montana State University on the Southeast Ridge team, and medical specialists from Mayo Clinic at Base Camp.

Mayo Clinic researchers have been studying the climbers and recording real-time data as part of their research on the impacts of high altitude on human physiology. The Montana State University team re-surveyed the summit of Mount Everest in the hopes of shedding light on the compression between the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates that lie beneath the mountain, as well as attempting to obtain a new height measurement for Everest.

The Montana State University team also created an eight-week online science curriculum to accompany the expedition, which focused on geology, glaciology, climate change and other topics, to allow classrooms to mimic the research and observations of the Everest team. Developed with a grant from the National Science Foundation and support from The North Face, National Geographic and other sponsors, the curriculum is targeted at fifth graders, but is available to teachers of any grade.

The team is now at Camp 2 and will likely return to Base Camp within 24 hours, where they will offer additional comment on their experience and prepare for their return to the States. The studies conducted on the mountain are expected to be published in the coming months.

In addition to National Geographic magazine’s current website and iPad coverage, the magazine plans to publish a print article by Jenkins early next year.

 

May 25 | Erickson: Audio Dispatch, Summited This Morning Bright and Early

By Kris Erickson

Click play above to listen to an audio message from Kris Erickson who was at Camp 4 after summiting Mount Everest.

It’s Kris calling from the South Col on Mount Everest. Just wanted to give you an update and let you know that Hilaree, myself, Sam, Emily and Mark Jenkins all summited this morning bright and early.

It was very cold and windy, but rather beautiful at the same time.

We’re all back here at the South Col. Hilaree and I are resting up and we are going for Lhotse at midnight tonight. So, wish us the best. We’ll give you an update from Camp 2 when we get there tomorrow and hopefully we’ll have summited Everest and Lhotse in one 24-hour period.

 

 

May 23 | Role Models :: TNF Athlete Dean Karnazes tips for the active parent

By Athlete Parents

Visit www.thenorthface.com/rolemodels to find a Role Models clinic near you!

 

1.            Start from the ground up making sure everyone has a good pair of shoes.

2.            Try to always keep it fun and upbeat, even when things get tough.

3.            Strive for an amount of time of activity (say 45-minutes) rather than a set distance such as 4-                  miles.

4.            Always remain well hydrated.

5.            In colder weather, layer to help insure proper protection from the elements and comfort.

May 22 | Q&A: Alex Honnold on the Triple Crown

By The North Face

While some reserve the term “Triple Crown” for the world of horse racing, its meaning can transcend sports, much as it does with climbing.

Friday, May 18, Alex Honnold, along with Tommy Caldwell, completed a triple link-up, better known as the Triple Crown, of Yosemite’s El Capitan, Half Dome and Mount Watkins, becoming the first to do so free in under 24 hours.

Alex Honnold and Hazel Findlay, Canada. Photo: Tim Kemple.

We (TNF) caught up with Alex (AH) today to get his take on the feat, and as luck would have it, caught him hiking down from a climb, which he told us he’d been on for around nine miles. And he was starting to get hungry.

TNF: Hi, can you hear me?

AH: I can kind of hear you. I’m sitting on some rocks now…

TNF: I don’t want you to have to stop, you have to make it back.

AH: I made it to the trailhead, now I just have to hitch back into the valley.

TNF: Hitch?... As in, Hitchhike?

AH: Yeah. I hiked out to the highway. But whatever. It’s just a roundabout way down. It should be easy enough in a minute, but I’ll wait till we’re done.

TNF: Ok, well, tell me about completing the Triple Crown. You were the first to do it free?

AH: Yeah, it’s totally cool. The thing is, in a week or two I was planning on doing the solo triple, rope soloing the three of them – not free soloing, but climbing each of the big faces by myself and the Sender guys are supposed to film it for part of a Reel Rock piece that they are doing. So for me it’s super cool to have done this, but it’s also just warming up for the season.

TNF: What do you take away as the most memorable part of that 21 hours?

AH: Probably the most memorable part was in the middle of the night climbing Freerider, which is the route up El Cap, when Tommy climbed one of the harder corners. It’s just a technical corner and he said, “I’m too tired to lieback* it, I’m just going to stem** it,” and then he proceeded to just totally bust it out in this unconventional style. I was just like, I didn’t even think you could do that! It’s the middle of the night and it’s really hard to see the feet because it’s dark and he has a head lamp, and he’s standing on tiny dimes, and he just stemmed it. Later when we were climbing Half Dome, the final route, I got into this little corner where I was like, “I’m tired, I’m just going to stem it” and I did kind of the same thing and it worked. 

TNF: So you enjoyed climbing it with Tommy?

AH: Tommy’s like a technical wizard on that stuff. He’s really, really good on granite and so it was cool seeing just how good he is on some things.

TNF: You said it’s preparation for you for this season, but it had to feel better than just preparation, right?

AH: Today I just soloed the west face of El Cap, which is not a real El Cap route, but it’s still kind of exciting for me. They’re all little things that you do that you’re psyched on, but that aren’t necessarily that big of a deal.

TNF: You mentioned wanting to do this last year. Now that you have done it is there something else you are looking forward to?

AH: This is the culmination of endurance linkups, so I don’t think that… I really doubt that I’ll ever do anything bigger. Just because, one there isn’t anything obvious that comes to mind because there aren’t any faces that make sense to add in. We did what there is to do.

TNF: People would be shocked to hear you say you won’t do anything bigger.

AH: Well, I mean bigger in Yosemite. There just aren’t any bigger faces to climb. But there are certainly harder things to do and there are other things that could be done in a day that would be a bigger challenge. But just in chaining a bunch of faces, climbing multiple routes in a row, there just aren’t more routes to climb.

TNF: I’m sure there’s a giant sigh of relief. People like guessing what’s next with Alex.

AH: Well, there will be something next, but it can’t really get that much bigger than the triple.

TNF: How do you come up with the thought to do these things?

AH: You do one route and you have a lot of time left in the day and you think, “Oh maybe we should have done two.” And eventually you do two with time left over and you say, “maybe we could do three…” and we did three and we didn’t have any time left over so we said, “we’re over it.”

TNF: So you’re challenging yourself?

AH: Yeah, exactly. My first year in Yosemite, just climbing El Cap in a day was a big thing. Now that it isn’t a huge challenge anymore, you just have to come up with bigger ones.

TNF: What was the most challenging part of the climb?

AH: Just doing stuff for 20 hours.

TNF: So the obvious. There was no moment, it was just the endurance involved?

AH: Each of the routes have specific cruxes to them. Each time we got to them we would know it was the hard part and get all stoked, but they were all reasonable. The real thing was it overall – your feet hurt more and more and you get tired. Which in some ways is why I won’t do bigger linkups. They aren’t super fun. Once you hit hour 12 or 14 you aren’t really thinking, “Oh! Great times!” That’s how it is every time. You think it will be cool till it isn’t fun anymore.

TNF: I have a sneaky suspicion you’ll get yourself into another one of those situations.

AH: Yeah, for sure. That’s the beauty of the game. After a couple months you forget about how bad your feet hurt and you think, “Man it sure would be cool to do four in a day!” But I’m going to need a while.

For more on Alex's and Tommy's Triple Crown record, check out Outside Magazine's article at OutsideOnline.com.

 

*lieback: The practice of pulling on the hands while pushing on the feet.

**stem: Using two widely spaced footholds, or using two faces that are less than 180 degrees from each other.

May 22 | Endurance Challenge Race Report: Bear Mountain 50 Mile

By Jordan McDougal

When you are planning to run an ultra, or any race for that matter, there are a number of challenges that you are faced with.  You try to have a plan for what you will eat and drink, what you will carry, and what you will pick up at Aid stations.  You prepare yourself mentally for the competition, the challenging sections of the course, and the pain that you will put your body through.  But oftentimes the hardest challenge can be overlooked.  In this case, that was getting up at 3:00 in the morning.  As it turned out, when 3am rolled around on Saturday I was not up to this particular challenge, so I reset my alarm to 3:30 and went back to sleep.  Unfortunately the inevitable can only be prolonged for so long, and less than an hour later, along with my faithful crew (wife Leah, and my brother and sister), and fellow racer Jordan Whitlock, I was boarding a bus for the short ride to the start line.  Fast forward one more hour and I found myself - along with several hundred fellow crazy people who gave up their entire Saturday to run 50 miles - charging under the start banner and into the dark misty woods, months of training and planning behind us, 50 miles of mountains, rocks, and adventure ahead.                 

The course at Bear Mountain wasted no time getting down to business. After 200 meters on a paved road at the start, the course dropped down a hill into the woods, and we were scrambling down a trail that resembled a semi dry creek bed.  I settled into about 4^th or 5^th place running next to my friend Jordan and tried to enjoy the friendly conversation and stay on my feet until the sun came up.  There was still a large lead pack as we hit the first aid station, I tossed my bottle and headlamp to Leah and she handed me a full bottle on the run.  Now that’s quality crewing! A few miles after the first aid station, things started to thin out a bit as we hit the first real climbs.  Mike Dixon - recent winner of the Vermont 50 - held a small lead, and I ran in the chase pack with fellow TNF athlete Leigh Schmitt, Ben Nephew, and Brian Rusiecki, who was just coming off a very solid 6:14 win at the Bull Run 50.  The humidity was very high for spring in NY, and even though I had an easy rhythm going, I felt that I was breathing harder than I should have been as we topped the early climbs.  Coming through the second aid station, I swapped my bottle on the run again and continued back into the ever-present fog.  Over the next section of the course, Mike continued to lead, and I settled in with Leigh and Ben, who both looked very strong.  We talked a little while we tip toed over and through wet slippery rocks, occasionally catching a glimpse of Mike up ahead of us.  We cruised through aid station three in the same order and entered what I consider the toughest and most scenic part of the course.  Each of the next three aid stations are separated by around 7 miles of rugged, slow terrain.  No aid for the next hour!

After scrambling over a gnarly rock section and through a swamp, the course shot up a rocky incline and out onto an open rock outcropping with 360 degree views.  To racers on Saturday this meant a panoramic view of white, as the fog continued to hang low over the ground.  The openness also allowed me to see Mike for a while and I picked up the pace a little to catch up to him.  Coming into aid station four at mile 20.7, Mike and I were running together and Leigh was only a few strides back.  At this point I had battled through some stomach problems but was feeling strong.  I left the aid station a few seconds ahead of Mike and as we came to a creek I decided to jump in.  I was warm and my feet were already as wet as they were going to get, so I figured I should cool off.  I hopped into a deep pool, completely submerged myself, and then jumped back on the trail with Mike, feeling like a new person.  I would repeat this several times over the course of the day.  Over the next several miles, I was able to build a small lead over Mike and Leigh.

Cooling off on the trail.

Coming down the last descent to the aid station at camp Lanowa, my confidence was hitting an all time high.  The next thing I knew I was hitting the ground.  Fall number two - a PR for falls during a race for me.  There went my confidence!  I picked myself up off the ground made sure I wasn’t hurt, and then continued down the trail to the aid station and mile 27.  Following the aid station there I battled some more stomach issues and the low points that everyone goes through during an ultra, but by the time I got back to Anthony Wayne with 10 miles left, I had refueled and was feeling great again.  At this point I was told that Leigh was in second a few minutes back.  I hadn’t banked any more time on my lead since camp Lanowa at mile 27, so I knew he was running strong.  The final 10 miles of the course flew by.  I felt strong and although I knew that I had picked up the pace, I will admit that I glanced back a few times over the final miles to see if Leigh was in sight, especially during the climb over Timp Pass!

Once that final climb was behind, I was able to relax a bit and enjoy the run into the finish.  It was a great feeling coming up over the final hill and seeing the finish line, my family and everyone that came to support me.  I wouldn’t be where I am without their support and encouragement.  I threw my arms up as I crossed the line, gave a prayer of thanks, and got a hug from Leah and my team manager.  A few minutes later Leigh crossed the line in second followed by Ben Nephew in third.  Brian and Mike were only a few minutes back rounding out the top five.  After I recovered for a few minutes, I grabbed a hot meal and enjoyed the atmosphere as I watched Jordan finish out his race and my friends, Bob and Dan, finish up their 50k adventures.  The North Face does an amazing job of putting on events, and it was awesome and inspiring to watch people celebrate as they crossed the line and reached their goals.  As for me, my goals for the day were achieved, now it was time for recovery and preparation for my next set of goals.  Only a week and a half until Endurance Challenge DC!  Should be fun!

There are five more stops of The North Face Endurance Challenge Series in 2012. To register for any of the other five race events, each with 6 distances available, visit: thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge

Washington, DC - June 2-3 (Trail)
Madison, WI September 15-16 (Trail)
Atlanta, GA October 13-14 (Trail)
Kansas City – November 17 (Road)
San Francisco, CA - December 1-2 (Trail)

May 22 | MST Run - Friends of the MST

By The North Face

The sun illuminates Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on the last day of my thru-hike. Photo: Glenn Strouhal 

Diane Van Deren’s decision to run the Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a salute to the endurance that has been involved in turning MST dreams into reality over the last 35 years.

The dream began at a National Trails Conference in Asheville in 1977 when then North Carolina Secretary of Natural Resources Howard Lee announced the staggering concept – a hiking trail that would stretch from the Great Smokey Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.

At the Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail we have been proud to be part of this historic endeavor. We recruit and organize hundreds of volunteers.  Complicated intergovernmental land agreements have been devised.  We’ve dealt with the aftermath of floods, hurricanes and ice storms. We’ve overcome the obstacles of the East’s highest mountains, swamps, and forests thick with underbrush.

The Neusiok Trail boardwalks feel like a tropical experience Photo: Randy Johnson

Each year the FMST welcomes grants from the NC State Parks Division.  Federal agencies have stepped in with important funding at crucial points.  Assistance from companies like The North Face and Great Outdoor Provision Co. has been invaluable.  But it is the sweat equity of volunteers that drives the effort.

More than 500 miles of trail have been dedicated, including nearly the entire mountains section and along the beach on the Outer Banks.  A 66-mile segment through the heart of the populous Triangle region has been completed, and we expect that trail to stretch to 150 miles within five years.  Thousands have day-hiked and backpacked trail segments and 29 have completed the entire 1,000 miles.

The MST has captured the imagination of thousands of people. They see the unique opportunity be part of leaving an extraordinary legacy for generations to come.  They also see that there’s much work to be done.

That’s why we welcome The North Face and Diane Vane Deren’s generosity to help spread the word about the MST in this state, nationally and internationally. We wish her well as she conquers the challenges of her run.  We know that in the end she will fall in love with North Carolina -  its people and its diverse natural beauty.

To learn more about how you can help the MST, visit www.ncmst.org <http://www.ncmst.org> .

View of Sauratown and Pilot Mountain from the peak at Moore's Knob, Hanging Rock State Park Photo: Ken Hackney

—————
Kate Dixon is Executive Director of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a citizen group working to support development of a trail that stretches 1000 miles across North Carolina from the Great Smokies to the Outer Banks.

Before joining FMST, Kate was Director of Land for Tomorrow, a partnership of North Carolina organizations and citizens encouraging the NC Legislature to increase state funding for land conservation.  From 1992 to 2003, Kate served as the first Executive Director of the Triangle Land Conservancy.  She has also worked in land conservation in Arizona, Pakistan, and Washington DC.  Kate has an MS in Watershed Management from the University of Arizona and a BA in Philosophy from Hamilton College.  She lives in Raleigh with her husband Dan Wilkinson, and their two cats Chadar and Falcon. Kate enjoys hiking, gardening, good food, and curling up with coffee & the newspaper on Sunday morning.

May 21 | Elias: Audio Dispatch, calling from Everest Camp 2

By Sam Elias

Click above to listen to a voicemail from Sam Elias.

What’s up? This is Sam calling from Everest Camp 2. We got here this morning, the team, everyone got here quickly and safely and everyone is feeling great. We had a really nice day up here just resting. We’re going to rest at Camp 2 again tomorrow and then the following day head up to Camp 3.

Everyone’s excited. Everyone’s feeling really good.

It’s nice to have Conrad with us. I got to walk with him today from Camp 1 to Camp 2 and it’s pretty amazing the amount of people that he knows up here. The amount of sherpas who have gone through the Khumbu Climbing School. They all stop and say hello to him. It’s just an honor to be able to be here with him and now have him climbing with us.

Everyone is in good spirits, we’re all really excited and the weather looks like it’s going to be really good for us. Just wanted to say hello to everyone out there and thanks for all the support and we will talk to you in the next few days.

 

May 20 | Anker: Calm before the calm

By Conrad Anker

Today is the third day of Everest ascents for the 2012 season. Camps clang oxygen cylinders as makeshift bells in honor of their Sherpa climbers and members reaching the apex of our planet. We are quite excited for each of the teams and wish for safe passage back to base camp.

With less than 48 hrs to departure the team is readying for an ascent later in the week. We reviewed the medical devices and procedures today and will follow up with the GPS and sampling procedures tomorrow. Then it's game time. A quick and safe passage through the icefall to Camp 2, a day of rest, a short day to 7100m and then onto she South Col and the summit the following day. If everything goes well we will be back in base camp in a week.

As a way to soothe the apprehension of the unknown I recount the food I'll be needing and recheck my harness. There is only one day to have a go at the final 3000 feet of the 12,000 feet above me. Regardless of it being relegated to a trade route it is hard and as we learn today, lethal.

My favorite food is tucked away and my harness and gear rechecked. What might the next week bring? The route is a known entity, and we are hardly pioneers in any sense of the word. Yet the unknown, if we allow it to be part of our motivation, can transport us in our minds to the moments of discovery that define being human. Finding these moments keeps us in the spirit of exploration.

More to come via sat phone.....

 

May 20 | O’Neill: The day has finally arrived.

By Hilaree O'Neill

The day has finally arrived.

View of base camp.

We've received our weather report today and it couldn't look any more promising for a summit attempt on the 25th. Winds are low, a mere 5-10 km per hour at 8500m at midnight. Temperatures are manageable at -20 C and the weather window is solid, in that it lasts for 3-4 days.

Everyone in camp was struggling with letting this first weather window pass us by, but in the end, I think it's the best decision we could have made. Our team is now six people, Kris Erickson, Sam Elias, Emily Harrington, Conrad Anker, Mark Jenkins and myself.

Conrad does an interview with Anjin and Kris- an amazing ice formation in the background.

Phil has decided to step down from making a summit attempt and has taken on the role of base camp manager, something we desperately need.

Sooooo, tomorrow we will get up at 2 a.m., head out around 3 a.m. and climb to Camp 2. We will then have a rest day at Camp 2 and go to Camp 3 on the 23rd. We will leave Camp 3 around 6 a.m. on the morning of the 24th and expect to take about 8 hours to get to the South Col.

Given that everybody feels strong, we will rest for a handful of hours and then start our summit push.

The majority of climbers went for the first summit window so we are hoping the mountain will be considerably less crowded and will, therefore, allow us to move quickly and safely.

Our group has definitely had its challenges the last week or so. First, Phil got pretty sick at Camp 2, on our last rotation, and had to descend on oxygen. Fortunately, he is well but, as I said, won't be trying for the summit. Then I sprained my ankle but, thanks to some sage advice from Greg at IMG, it is back in one piece and I feel very confident climbing on it. I'm pretty sure it's going to hurt like an SOB:) but I'm taking a positive outlook that it will help distract me from the suffering of high altitude.

Greg, by the way, is an Olympic gold medalist volleyball coach so he's seen a few sprained ankles.  His advice was to stick my foot in a mostly frozen glacial lake 4-5 times a day, among other things that equally sucked.

Extreme icing to get rid of swelling. Torture.

I thought he was crazy but it worked!

Kris got a sinus infection and had to go on antibiotics. Not great but we've had enough time at Base Camp for him to heal.

Finally, Conrad got food poisoning. Not pretty. I'll spare everyone the details on that. Needless to say, camp got a bit grim but things are looking up and we are all getting our mojo back.

I won't be doing any blogs while on the mountain but we will be doing sat phone updates to the North Face and Nat Geo websites, as well as Facebook.