Win a Copy of Everest Courtesy of The Adventure Blog and Universal Home Entertainment

Next Tuesday, January 19, the Hollywood blockbuster Everest will release on DVD, and to celebrate The Adventure Blog is teaming up with Universal Home Entertainment to give away a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack, as well as a limited edition Everest carabiner.

As you may recall, the film recounts the tragic events of the famous 1996 season, during which eight people died on the mountain. In the movie, some of the principal characters are played by famous actors, including Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, and Jake Gyllenhaal. You can read my full review of the film here, which I lauded for being accurate in its depiction of the climb, and having great cinematography that highlight the scenery from the Himalaya incredibly well.

Everest is already available on digital streaming platforms such as iTunes and the Google Play Store, but next week it will ship on physical media to traditional outlets as well. The combo pack that I'm giving away includes the full film on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well a redemption code for a digital version as well. It also includes bonus footage on the making of the film, the training that the actors went through to prepare for their roles, and more.

If you'd like to win this copy of the film, you can enter the contest for the giveaway simply by sending an email with subject line of "Everest" to kungfujedi@gmail.com. The contest is open to U.S. residents only, and will run through Monday, January 19. At which time, I will randomly draw a winner, and contact them for a shipping address to send the prize to. One entry per person please.

Good luck!

Video: The Day Everest Shook

Without a doubt, one of the biggest events of 2015 was the earthquake in Nepal. That seismic event rattled the entire country, and continues to have an impact on that nation months after the tremors have died down. This video is a full-length documentary film that takes us to the Himalaya to show us what happened on the day of the quake, demonstrating the forces at work there. It also contains some sobering footage of the mountains, and the impact of this disaster, which will take years to fully recover from.

The Cost of Climbing Everest - 2016 Edition

One of the most common questions that people have in regards to climbing Everest is just how much does it cost? I field those questions from curious people on a semi-regular basis, and I've only been to Base Camp, which is why it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Alan Arnette gets asked that same question all the time. Fortunately, Alan has once again posted a summary of the costs for the season ahead, where we discover that the options are getting both more, and less, expensive all the time.

Alan's 2016 version of his annual blog post on how much it costs to climb Everest is a comprehensive  look not just at the expenses of such an expedition, but the trends that operators on the mountain are now facing. When researching this topic, Alan reaches out to the guiding companies for insights into not just their pricing, but the factors that impact their costs. In recent years, there has been a few high profile companies pushing the costs upwards, while less expensive operators from Nepal jump into the fray for the first time. As a result, there may now the largest gap ever in terms of low- and high-end options.

Alan's says that a typical Everest climb will range from as low as $30,000 to as high as $85,000 in 2016. The high end of that market is dominated by companies such as Madison Mountaineering, Adventure Consultants, Himex, and Alpenglow. At the other end of the spectrum you'll find Nepali companies that are still looking to earn a name for themselves.

There is also a difference in price based on which side of the mountain you climb on. Nepal's South Side is the more expensive route, with the average cost running about $42,000. While on the North Side in Tibet an expedition is considerably less, averaging closer to $32,000. That's a considerable savings, but there are some bureaucratic obstacles to overcome when you go North, which is why the vast majority of climbers stick to the South, despite the increased costs.

If you've ever wondered where all of that money goes, Alan has a nice breakdown of the expenses too. The short answer is that your cash goes to pay for travel expenses, permits, insurance, guides, and so on, but there is more to it than just that, and Alan offers insights based on his numerous expeditions to the Himalaya.

Personally, I always enjoy reading this post each year. It provides a good sense of how things are developing for the spring climbing season, and what to expect from the companies that will be leading teams up Everest. Hopefully 2016 is a much more productive year on the mountain, with less heartache and tragedy than the past two. We'll find out soon enough.

The Latest Plan to Jumpstart Nepal's Tourism Economy? Slash Insurance Costs For Mountain Expeditions

We all know that Nepal has suffered greatly since the April 25 earthquake that left parts of the country in ruins. It has been a long, difficult struggle to even begin the rebuilding process, with some areas still waiting to see any positive results. And beyond the physical damage that is still being cleaned up, the Nepal's economy has suffered greatly, no small part thanks to the adventure travel market taking a nose dive in the wake of the disaster. But now, the Department of Tourism there has come up with a plan to help revive the economy, and it involves cutting the costs of a trip at the expense of reducing the price of insurance for guides and porters, with premiums dropping accordingly as well.

According to Bahadur Karki, the head of the Nepali Department of Tourism, a proposal has been sent up the ranks in the government that calls for a substantial reduction in the costs of both rescue and health insurance for workers who are taking part in a trekking or mountaineering expedition to any of the 188 peaks that are below 6500 meters (21,325 ft). The DoT has recommended that insurance premiums be reduced to $3000 for guides and porters, and $2000 for Base Camp staff. Furthermore, rescue insurance is being dropped from $10,000 down to $4000 for anyone on those expeditions as well.

In other words, this means that should something happen to the staff on an expedition, the payout that they receive would be cut dramatically. $3000 for guides and porters who could be sidelined by an accident is not much money, and could leave their families scrambling to pay for medical bills and covering their bills while the person recovers. Worse yet, if a helicopter is used to extract that person from the mountain, only $4000 of the bill will actually be paid. Considering how expensive it is to take a helicopter flight, that won't even come close to picking up the tab for such a rescue, which can easily exceed $10,000.


The thought behind these reductions in costs is that the savings can then be passed on to travelers, who will now be able to visit Nepal, and climb or trek in the Himalaya, for less money. The hope is that this will spur a return of visitors in the spring of 2016, when Everest climbers are expected to return in large numbers, and trekkers will be hiking throughout the region too.

As you can imagine, the guides, porters, and staff who take part in expeditions that are seeing a reduction of insurance costs aren't very happy with proposal. Following an avalanche that claimed the lives of 16 people on Everest in 2014, there was a movement to increase insurance benefits for workers. That was further enhanced this year when another 22 people were killed on the mountain following the earthquake. While those working on Everest wouldn't be impacted by these changes to the insurance costs, there are thousands of others who could be. There are a lot of climbs and treks that the place on the smaller mountains, but the dangers they face remain high.

It's obvious that the government of Nepal is desperate to jump start the economy and get visitors flowing back into the country. That will obviously take some time to happen, but they with so much work to be done, and so many people still without homes, officials are looking for solutions now. The problem is, this isn't a good solution. While it may make it cheaper for visitors to travel through the country, it is doing so at the expense of people who have already suffered greatly. If the they truly wanted to reduce the cost of climbing or trekking in Nepal, why not examine the price of permits instead? That would also have an impact on many workers, and on the governments bottom line, but at least it wouldn't be putting the future of many people in jeopardy the way slashing insurance benefits could. But then again, this is the government of Nepal we're talking about here. They're not exactly well known for making wise decisions when it comes to governing the country.

Thanks to Stefan Nestler's Adventure Sports Blog for sharing this story.

Video: The Himalaya in Timelapse

Shot at various places in the Himalaya, this video takes us into the mountains, giving us a glimpse of the snowcapped peaks that the region is so well know for. Along the way, you'll also see Buddhist temples, stupas, villages, and a wide variety of other interesting features. This is a three-minute trip through one of the most spectacularly beautiful parts of the world, and a perfect way to round out our week.

And when you're ready to visit the Himalaya for yourself, check out all of the options that Mountain Travel Sobek has to offer. The company not only offers trips to Nepal and Tibet, but Bhutan and India as well. No matter which part of the Himalaya that you'd like to visit, chances are MTS can take you there.

Revisiting Himalayas from Anurag Jetly on Vimeo.

Kilian Jornet's Summits of My Life to Help Rebuild 116 Homes in Nepal

A couple of weeks back I shared the trailer to Kilian Jornet's latest film entitled Langtang. It follows the Spanish mountain runner as he traveled through Nepal recently, surveying the damage that was left in the wake of the earthquake from this past April. The footage that was seen in the trailer alone was very sobering, and a stark reminder that the Himalayan country has a long way to go before it completely returns to normalcy.

Apparently, Kilian was so moved by what he found there that he decided that he had to do something to help. That's why his Summits of My Life project has committed itself to helping rebuild 116 homes in the Langtang region of Nepal, and is joining forces with SOS Himalaya to raise funds to aid with the reconstruction process.

"After the experience in Nepal we realized that we wanted to continue helping the people of Langtang, who have lost everything. After our return from Nepal we went into action and, along with SOS Himalaya, we devised a project that fits very well in the Langtang Valley. SOS Himalaya is a charity with whom we share many values and we are very pleased to start this collaboration,’" explained Jornet.

The spring Earthquake completely buried Langtang in snow, ice, rock, and rubble. It was as if the entire village was wiped from the face of the Earth. And because of its remote location, there has been very little progress made toward rebuilding the place. Summits of My Life and SOS Himalaya are hoping to change that. 

So why 116 homes? That's the number of families who want to return to Langtang following the deviation. So, in a sense, the two organizations are hoping to rebuild the village from scratch to allow those who want to return the opportunity to do just that. Each house costs approximately $180 to build, so the goal is to raise $20,880. A relatively modest sum all things considered. 

Fundraising efforts got underway last week, and anyone interested in contributing to the cause can do so on this page on the Summits of My Life website. 

The earthquake in Nepal has been pushed from the headlines by more recent stories, but the efforts to rebuild continue there. It'll be some time before everything returns to normal, and it is good that there are still some who are focused on aiding in the rebuilding process. Next spring will be a crucial time for the country, hopefully we'll see visitors return in large numbers to aid the economy and help with getting Nepal back on its feet. 

Expedition Recap: First Summit Attempt on Burke-Khang

If you followed my updates of the fall climbing season in the Himalaya, you probably saw me mention an expedition to the Nepali peak Burke-Khang on more than one occasion. The 6942 meter (22,775 ft) peak is one of more than a hundred mountains that Nepal opened to climbers for the first time back in 2014, providing mountaineers with the opportunity to post first ascents on some peaks that even now remain mostly uncharted. And since the mountain is named for American climber Bill Burke, who better than the man himself to help spearhead the first expedition to have a go at the summit?

Our friend Alan Arnette has posted an excellent expedition recap of the climb, starting with how Burke and Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering began scouting Burke-Khang last spring to look for potential routes to the top. Bill had received an assessment of the mountain from some of his Sherpa friends who had deemed in "unclimbable" but after flying over in a helicopter, taking hundreds of photos, and surveying the area fort themselves, Burke and Madison thought that they had spotted a safe way to approach the summit.

This fall, they returned to the remote region of Nepal to attempt the climb, spending several weeks fixing the route and exploring the best way to ascend. Eventually they made a summit push, and came up about 30 meters (100 feet) shy of the top. Apparently, they could have easily finished the route, but the snow cornice on top of the mountain was deemed unstable, so they elected to safely descend first. Burke hasn't ruled out returning to the mountain however, as it is clear he'd like to personally be the one to get the first ascent.

Reading Alan's piece is not only a good recap of everything that happened this fall, but it offers nice insights into how an expedition conducts its research and scouting prior to the launch of their mission. It also provides solid background on what happens during a climb, and what it is like to be live on a mountain while working towards your objectives. It is definitely a good read for anyone who not only follows mountaineering, but is interested in the logistics of the climb too.

Check it out in its entirety here.

New Report Indicates Glaciers on Everest Have Shrunk 28% in 40 Years

A new report has confirmed something that most of us have known for sometime. According to a new study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Science, the glaciers on Mt. Everest have shrunk by more than 28% over the past 40 years, with the majority of that shrinkage coming since the 1980's.

The report, which was released a few days back, places the blame squarely on climate change. The study indicates that Everest has been getting warmer for the past 50 years, but that increase in temperature has started to occur more rapidly in recent decades.

The glaciers that surround Everest are a major source of water throughout Asia, and as they have shrunk in size, the glacial lakes found throughout the region, as well as the rivers that they feed, have swelled. Researchers found one lake in Tibet's Mt. Everest nature preserve grew from 100 sq. km (62 sq. miles) in the 1990's, to 114 sq. km (70 sq. miles) in 2013.

As the melting continues, it could have major consequences throughout Asia. In the short term, flooding could become more of an issue, with increased erosion causing damage to the surrounding countryside, to to mention threatening villages and people living along the banks of the many streams and rivers that find their source in the more than 1400 glaciers that are found throughout the region. But in the long term, the loss of the glaciers will ultimately lead to less water, which could have dire consequences for farmers and for those who rely on power generated by hydro sources.

Another report that was released earlier in the year indicated that of the 5500 glaciers that fall across the Hindu Kush and Himalaya region, most could lose 70%-99% of their mass by the year 2100. The impact that those changes would have on the region would be devastating.

Climate change is real, its impacting our planet, and the consequences it holds for our future are frightening. It doesn't matter who or what is causing it, we need to take steps now to try to first slow its advances, and then eventually reverse its impact. That isn't going to be easy, but if we intend to leave the Earth for future generations to explore as well, it is a necessity.

Video: Bringing the Internet to a Remote Region of Nepal

Meet Mahabir Pun, a man who lives in a remote area of Nepal in the Annapurna region. Before 2001, Mahabir had to walk two days just to reach Pokhara so that he could check his email. He did that every month for six years. Finally, he decided that there had to be a way to change that, and he started to investigate ways of bringing the Internet to his small village. This video shares his story, and it is an inspiring one of determination, vision, and persistence. Not only will you see some of the amazing landscapes of the Himalaya in this short documentary, you'll also learn how one man helped to bring his village into the 21st century, and the impact that has had on the region. Truly an inspiring story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

HIKING FOR EMAILS from Clemens Purner on Vimeo.