When we’re not outdoors, we get our adventure fix by exploring social media and the web. Here are some of the best adventure links we’ve discovered this week.
Major New Face Climbed in a Remote Corner of Patagonia: Three women have made the first ascent of Cerro Steffen’s 900m west face in Patagonia. To get to the wall, Paloma Farkas, Catalina Unwin, and Angelina Di Prinzio had to go to the end of Chile’s famous Southern Highway, take a multi-day boat ride across Lago O’Higgins, and then trek 22km to the base. A coreshot rope, some jury rigging, and a night spent perched on a tiny shelf later, they made it to the summit.
Henry Todd, LSD Kingpin Turned Everest Guide, Dies at 80: Henry Todd, a Scottish-born expedition leader and legendary Himalayan figure, has died at 80 in Kathmandu. After a career producing and supplying LSD in the UK, which culminated in a seven-year prison stint, Todd started mountaineering in Nepal. Over four decades, he organized dozens of major expeditions but faced repeated criticism over safety and ethics.
Project XXIV. Photo: Jasper Gibson
New Zealand’s 24 highest peaks
XXIV: In 2021, Sam Smoothy was part of a team that made the second-ever descent of the Caroline Face of Mount Cook. After the 12-hour descent, he was in tears, relieved to be alive. He fled to the coast and took months off from skiing.
He returned to the mountains after reading about two mountaineers who had climbed the 24 highest peaks in New Zealand. Smoothy had already skied seven of their descents; why not try to ski them all? So far, he has completed 21 of the 24.
Travis Rice and 11 Minutes of the Most Insane Alaskan Terrain: Travis Rice has spent more time than most in the Alaskan Range. Until last year, one line had eluded him: Final Boss. This short film shows Rice guiding Estelle Pensiero on her first Alaska expedition. As they work through the levels, she becomes the first woman to ride The Wizard, before they finally reach Final Boss.
Out of Eden
What It’s Like to Walk 29,000km Across the World: Paul Salopek reflects on the 13-year odyssey that has taken him roughly 29,000km. Starting in Ethiopia’s Rift Valley, Salopek has returned to North America, all on foot. Now he is on his final stretch, walking to the southern tip of South America. He has walked with locals, from desert herders to Himalayan villagers, and listened to their stories.
Rob Matheson Interview After ‘The Bells, The Bells!’: In April, veteran British climber Rob Matheson, 74, successfully repeated The Bells, The Bells! (E7), one of the most feared trad climbs on the sea cliffs of Gogarth in North Wales. He felt compelled to climb it after reading Grant Farquhar’s The White Cliff.
Technical climbing on Baffin Island
The Fluidity of Grief and Beauty: Heather Smallpage recounts a five-week expedition to Baffin Island’s Arviqtujuq Kangiqtua. The group, consisting of Smallpage, Kelly Fields, Shira Biner, and Natalie Afonina, skied over 160km of sea ice and trekked across frozen lakes, moraine, and talus to reach Eglinton Tower. They complete a first ascent, Lemnos in the Clouds (5.11+ A0), navigating extreme alpine exposure and technical climbing.
Four of New Zealand’s Best Wilderness Rides: Australian Geographic spotlights four of New Zealand’s most breathtaking wilderness bike rides. On the North Island, the Timber Trail Great Ride comprises two days in ancient woods, crossing tramways and suspension bridges above remote valleys. The coastal Motu Trails Great Ride threads through dunes and secluded bushland. Over on the South Island, the West Coast Wilderness Trail Great Ride is 133 km of rainforest and driftwood‑strewn beaches in the shadow of the Southern Alps, and the historic Old Ghost Road Great Ride is an 85 km mountain biking trail.