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It’s hard to know what to make of Alex’s astounding ascents. No words can describe the difficulty and dangerousness of these ascents. It’s simply pure brashness. Let’s face it–the kid has a lot of chutzpah. Climb high Alex, and be safe.

For many people, a camping trip is enough to get them sweating before they've even put up a tent pole. But for these daredevil explorers, scaling cliffs and pitching tents at the height of more than 300 double decker buses is just a normal day at the office. Hanging precariously in tents off a 4,000ft shear cliff face, these climbers are chasing the most dangerous big wall climbs ever attempted. As these stunning images show, the climbs can last for weeks and the explorers must set up tents on the edge of monstrous cliff faces to grab some much needed...

A 13-year-old California boy plans to try to climb Mount Everest in a quest to reach the summits of the highest peaks on all seven continents.

First note: at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory Webcams page, you can see the two Halemaumau cams. Over the past few days, glow from the wall vent has been very bright at night, indicating that the surface of the pond is high. In the Overlook Webcam, in the AM around dawn, it's been possible to see the surface of the pond. A further rise and spillover onto the floor of Halemaumau would be very, very interesting to see. On to the images for today. Not having seen anything of remarkable interest, I decided to go with one of America's best rock...

A Massachusetts man and his climbing partner from Vermont were "incredibly fortunate," officials said, to survive with only minor injuries after they were caught in an avalanche and tumbled 800 feet down a slope at New Hampshire's Mount Washington last weekend. Daniel Zucker, 46, of Danville, Vt., said he and Tim Finocchio of Holbrook were nearing the top of the Dodge's Drop area at Tuckerman Ravine at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday when the snow gave way. He described a terrifying plunge down the slope in which he wondered if he would survive. "There's this roaring sound that's constant, and you're...

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 23, 2009 – As a member of the Navy Supply Corps who works for the Defense Logistics Agency, Navy Capt. Jim Patton is especially attuned to the importance of logistical support for missions. Navy Capt. Jim Patton, director of maritime customer operations at the Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio, stands at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania during a January 2009 trip to the highest mountain in Africa. Photo courtesy of Navy Capt. Jim Patton  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. So when he and his wife, Laurie, recently trekked up the side of Mount...

As promised, a picture or two of the Troll Wall in Norway. Tallest section is 1100 meters (that's over 3400 feet). Impressive! I guess this place is somewhat prone to rock falls. That might be impressive too. Checking the map, this place is close to a lot of good-looking fjords. It'd be a nice part of a trip there. Pretty big picture here, shown quarter-size. Click for full-size. This place even has it's own Web site, featuring this small but striking picture. I linked to this site as the Source link above. Here's an artistic black-and-white shot.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2008 (Reuters) — A brain swelling condition related to low oxygen levels in the air may have caused many of the deaths of people climbing Mount Everest, researchers said on Tuesday. A brain swelling condition related to low oxygen levels in the air may have caused many of the deaths of people climbing Mount Everest, researchers said on Tuesday. An international team led by Paul Firth of Massachusetts General Hospital studied the 212 reported deaths from 1921 to 2006 on Mount Everest, the highest on Earth. Hazards awaiting those who dare to climb the 29,000-foot (8,850 meter)...

Malin Alexandersson and Leif Lundgren celebrated 08-08-08 day by climbing on to the roof of the Stockholm Globe arena to tie the knot. The happy couple had to climb to the top of the 80 metre higher Stockholm landmark with the help of safety harnesses while their guests instead followed the wedding ceremony from a nearby balcony. The heavy rain that hit Stockholm on Friday was close to throwing a spanner in the works - but the rain ceased just prior to the beginning of the ceremony. The couple won the right to matrimony on the Globe's roof in a...

A famous urban climber Alain Robert, aka Spiderman, who has “conquered” the Eiffel’s Tower, Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and Empire State Building, is coming to Moscow to climb the highest building in Europe – the Federation Tower.

Autopsy shows Mt. Hood climber not injured after all 04:59 PM PST on Wednesday, December 20, 2006 By kgw.com and AP Staff HOOD RIVER, Ore. -- Autopsy results Wednesday showed that Mt. Hood climber Kelly James, whose body was recovered Monday, was not injured as previously thought. AP Photo Brian Hall's sister, Angela Hall (left) and Sheriff Joe Wampler speak to the media. James did not have a dislocated shoulder as reported by authorities earlier this week. Furthermore, James' body showed no broken bones or injuries that would have prevented his mobility, according to the state medical examiner, Dr. Larry...

It starts with mumbling and stumbling. Then come violent shivers and then, paradoxically, a false sense of warmth that makes some people strip their clothes off. Eventually, they may curl into a fetal position as their muscles go rigid, their skin goes waxy, and the heart slows down, then stops. Whether two climbers missing on Mount Hood for more than a week are still alive is not clear. But if they are somehow still hanging on in the brutal cold and howling winds, perhaps hunkered down in a snow cave, they may be going through what veteran climbers say is...

Photos taken by Kelly James raise concerns over ability to survive Story Published: Dec 19, 2006 at 10:22 AM PST Story Updated: Dec 19, 2006 at 10:30 AM PST By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER Associated Press Writer HOOD RIVER, Ore. (AP) - Photos found with deceased climber Kelly James have raised worries about how long his two colleagues can survive on the brutal summit of Mount Hood, an official said on Tuesday. "We've got some pictures. Kelly James had taken some pictures of his climb," said Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler. "So we know pretty much what they had with...

Monday, December 18, 2006 "Obvious arm injury" saddled Kelly James, authorities say Authorities say that Kelly James -- the missing Texas hiker whose body was found in a snow cave on Mount Hood -- had an "obvious arm injury" that may have hindered him from descending the mountain. Recovery specialists brought Kelly's body down from the mountain this afternoon. They said tattoos, jewelry and other markings on his body made it clear to officials that it was James' body. "He had an obvious arm injury," said Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler. One of the searchers said James was found...

A missing climber found dead in a snow cave on Mount Hood was identified as a Dallas man who had placed a distress call to relatives a little more than a week ago, a person close to the family said Monday. Searchers found the cave Sunday near the spot located by cell phone signals traced from Kelly James, who made a four-minute call to his family Dec. 10 just below the summit, said Jessica Nunez, a spokeswoman for the climber's family. On Monday, a recovery team was expected to retrieve the body, which remained on the mountain over night because...

December 17. 2006 11:50PM Raceland man informed his brother died on Mount Hood A Raceland man was told by authorities tonight that his brother’s body was the one rescuers found during a search for three missing climbers near the summit of Mt. Hood in Oregon. Ben James traveled to Oregon Friday to join other family members as they awaited word during a search often thwarted by difficult conditions. He said his brother, Kelly James, a Texas architect, was an experienced climber. Ben James said he was told the body was found in an ice cave that he was building for...

Relatives of three men missing in bitter weather on Mount Hood comforted each other and held out hope Friday that the trio survived, eight days after the lightly equipped men left for a two-day ascent. Winds were expected to gust to 100 mph Friday morning in the latest of a string of storms to hit the 11,239-foot mountain, and forecasters said rescuers' next shot to find the men probably would be Saturday. Kelly James, who like Hall is from Dallas, was believed to be holed up in a snow cave near the top, and the other two were thought to...

Three climbers stranded on blizzard-ravaged Mount Hood selected one of the most difficult approaches to the summit, a decision that is hampering rescue efforts. The trio scaled the north side of the mountain, which offers a view of Mount Rainier but is treacherous, with slopes of 50 or 60 degrees and occasional sheer walls of ice. For rescue crews, the site has been made even more forbidding by snow-laden winds rushing over the steep slopes at speeds up to 80 mph. "Those are the strongest winds I've ever been in — knock you down, hands and knees," said Lindsay Clunes...

Not quite Ansel Adams quality, but a nice black-and-white image of Nevada Huandoy in the Andes: Color image: the sheer rockface on the left (right front in the black and white image) is apparently a well-known climber's challenge: On another note, this place in France, the "Cascade du Sautadet", looks like a theme-park water ride (you can actually swim there, but caution is advised). The formation is due to wind and water erosion.

My girlfriend's nephew, Justin, 15, was severely injured in a fall from over 30ft Saturday night in Ennis TX, near Dallas. I'm trying to find out more details, but I know he is in Dallas Parkland Hospital in ICU with substantial head trauma and other serious injuries. He is on a respirator and not conscious yet, but he has shown some leg and hand movement so he didn't suffer any serious spinal injuries. He also had a ruptured spleen; doctor's had to operate yesterday to stop the hemorrhaging, but the good thing is he won't lose it. Any prayers or...

Posted on Sun, Feb. 12, 2006 Risking life on a limb in Idaho BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on Oct. 30, 1994.) There is a simple explanation for why I wound up dangling from a rope 75 feet in the air over a beaver dam somewhere in Idaho: I was a house guest. You know how it is, when you're a houseguest: If your host suggests an activity, you, as a polite person, tend to say ''sure.'' My host in this case was my good friend Ridley Pearson, who makes his living writing thriller...

Sometimes I don't know how these things happen. I was wondering what I should post as the picture this week, and the phrase "needle's eye" occurred to me. I visualized a vague image of a formation called the Needle's Eye from my youth on a family trip. So I searched, and I found the "Needle's Eye" in the Black Hills. This is probably the one I'm remembering, since we took a trip to the Black Hills when I was a kid, and it seems to match my vague memory. (See the first comment for the challenge.) For a different perspective,...

An operation is under way to rescue four Polish mountain climbers in Russia, two of whom are reported to have fallen into an ice crevasse. Officials said the men had been found alive in the Elbrus region, near the border with Georgia, early on Thursday. The search started on Wednesday but had to be called off after night fell, Russian news agency Itar-Tass said. The rescue bid comes amid tension between Russia and Poland following a wave of anti-Polish violence in Moscow. Two Polish diplomats and a journalist have been assaulted in the Russian capital in the past few days....

Twin Brothers Die on Mt. McKinley Thursday, May 12, 2005 ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Twin brothers died in a fall on North America's highest mountain after they had reached the summit and were on their way back down, officials said Wednesday. The bodies of Jerry and Terry Humphrey, both 55, of Negley, Ohio, were found at about 17,300 feet on Mount McKinley (search), just below the extremely steep Denali Pass (search). The brothers were not roped together, but Maureen McLaughlin, a Denali National Park and Preserve spokeswoman, said it was possible that one of them fell into the other. They both...

Link post: access the article in the Chat section with the link below, and post any commentary there (this posting provided as a service to interested Free Republic citizens): Geology Picture of the Week, November 21-27, 2004: Touching the Void (Siula Grande)

A moderately amusing story inspired this week's pictures. I'd read impressive reviews of the movie "Touching the Void", and I finally went to the video store Friday to rent it. Guess what was on PBS Sunday night? Anyway, the DVD was worth it for the additional special features. I'd give the movie 4 stars out of 5, with impressive mountain scenery and snow. If you don't know the story, I won't give it away; Google searching "Touching the Void" will provide the story for anyone that wants to know it. The linked Web site has quite a few mountain pictures...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - NASA's Mars rovers don't seem to be wearing out so mission planners have begun to think more boldly, including a plan to let one climb up a steep "escape hatch" from a crater it has been exploring and set out on a trek across a plain. "The rovers have lasted longer than expected, but as long as we have them we're going to keep them busy," project manager Jim Erickson said Thursday in a conference call with reporters. Already on the second extension of their mission, the rovers Spirit and Opportunity have lasted so long that...

Ian Ith, Staff Reporter of the Seattle Times. Pete Schoening's name will forever be etched in the annals of mountaineering for his conquests of many of the highest and most treacherous peaks on Earth. For being one of the first two Westerners to summit the remote Pakistani peak Gasherbrum I, a 26,470-foot monster also called "Hidden Peak," Mr. Schoening is listed among such luminaries as Sir Edmund Hillary, the first to scale Everest, as one of the world's renowned climbers. But whether the famously humble man wanted it this way or not, climbers will forever associate the name Pete Schoening...

SEE that mountain over there?" Reinhold Messner asked, pointing to a steep and icy peak here in the Dolomite Alps. "In my head, I already see a line up that mountain," he said. "I can see it and project it on the wall. Then I'll climb it." That is not an idle boast. Mr. Messner is widely acclaimed as the greatest mountain climber of his generation, the first to scale Everest without bottled oxygen, the first to do it solo and the first to conquer all 14 of the world's peaks over 8,000 meters (26,200 feet). Jon Krakauer, author of...

Cerro Torre, Patagonia, Chile. Cerro Torre is the tallest; the other three main peaks are Torre Egger, Punta Herron, and Cerro Standhart.

<p>A 21-year-old Western Washington University student died early Tuesday morning when he fell from a building in the alley between the 1400 block of Railroad and Cornwall avenues while apparently indulging in a pastime known as "urban climbing" or "buildering."</p>

WASHINGTON - Stairs are about to become less of an obstacle for some of the nation's 2 million wheelchair users. The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a wheelchair that literally can go up and down steps _ as well as shift into four-wheel drive for grassy hills and elevate its occupant to standing height. Called the iBOT Mobility System, the wheelchair uses sensors and gyroscopes to navigate stairs while balancing on two wheels. Doctors have said the technology is potentially revolutionary. But it is so complex that the FDA decided the wheelchair will require a doctor's prescription and...

Federal Gas Tax Cut Will Increase Traffic Congestion & Threaten Highway Safety By John W. Wight Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans age 6 to 28 and result in more permanent disabling injuries than any other type of accident. This serious public health situation could become even worse if several proposals recently floated on Capitol Hill ever become law. The price of gasoline has been climbing steadily in recent weeks and could go even higher before the summer travel season ends. It is well understood that the price increase is due to a shortage of...