Video: Traversing Iceland by Mountain Bike

We'll wrap up the year in fitting style with a fantastic video of a true adventure. This ten-minute clip takes us to Iceland, where we'll follow pro mountain bikers Hans Rey and Steve Peat as they traverse the country by bike north to south. Along the way, you'll get a chance to see some of the amazing landscapes that the country is so famous for, and since this is the last video of the year, let is serve as a good inspiration to get your 2016 off to an adventurous start too. Happy New Year!

Antarctica 2015: Rest Day For Henry Worsley, Change in Route for One Skier

It has been another very long week for the Antarctic skiers. With all of the teams now out on the ice, and making their way to the South Pole, it was a time to simply focus on covering plenty of miles and making progress towards their goal. That was never easy though, as weather conditions continue to cause issues for just about everyone.

We'll start with an update on Brit Henry Worsley, who has now been skiing for 35 very long days with an awful long way yet to go before he is done. Today, Henry awoke to a bad stomach ache and weak physical condition. He tried to break camp and hit the trail despite not feeling well, but after ten minutes of effort, he decided it was best to stay in the tent instead. The rest day was much needed after battling the elements for more than a month, but he'll have to try to make up the mileage in the days ahead. Worsley now hopes to reach the Pole before New Year, which would give him approximately three and a half weeks to ski to his finishing point on the Shackleton Glacier. That is hardly assured at this point, but he is pressing ahead as best he can.

Italian kite-skier Michele Pontrandolfo has announced a change in route for his expedition. He had originally planned to ski to the Pole of Inaccessibility, but since he has had such difficulty catching the wind since his arrival on November 19, he has decided to forego that leg of his journey, and instead head straight to the Geographic South Pole instead. From there, he hopes to continue his traverse by skiing to Hercules Inlet.


Elsewhere, the international squad of Devon McDiarmid, Stew Edge, Mostafa Salameh, and Shahdom Abdullah are now a week into their expedition to the South Pole, and are still struggling to find their rhythm. Yesterday they skied in whiteout conditions for the entire time. Mostafa says that when the blizzard arrived overnight he couldn't sleep at all until he put some earplugs in. That helped to a degree, but skiing for eight hours in a sea of white frays the nerves and makes for a difficult day. He reports that everyone is in good spirits however, although they have already started to lose weight.

American solo-skier Doug Tumminello continues to press on towards the South Pole, although it has been far from easy. Almost since the beginning he has suffered from sore feat due to nasty blisters, but now that he has solved that issue, he's been dealing with whiteout conditions over the past few days. That has made progress tough, but he has managed to cross the 81st degree. With nine more still to go however, he didn't take any time to celebrate the accomplishment.

Scottish skier Luke Robertson is also caught in the whiteout. He reports poor conditions for the past few days, including heavy snowfall. Fresh snow is troublesome for the skiers, as it make it much harder to pull their sleds. The packed, icy surface is much better for covering distances.

Finally, Emma Kelty, traveling with guide Carl Alvy, is also experiencing whiteouts. She says that skiing by compass can be incredibly disorienting, even throwing the balance off. But they continue to make good progress, knocking off 9.34 nautical miles (17.3 km/10.75 miles) in just 6 hours of skiing. That is a great pace, and should have the team at the Pole in no time if they manage to get some good weather along the way.

That's all for today's update. We'll check in with the skiers next week to see how they are progressing.

Iceland Traverse Team Seeks Shelter From Storm Desmond

If you've been following the news over the past couple of days you probably already know about the powerful storm Desmond that has been ripping through the U.K. and the North Atlantic. That storm is now impacting Iceland as well, where a team of young adventurers is attempting to make an unsupported traverse of country in conditions that would have already been described as difficult.

The team, which consists of 19-year old explorers Charlie Smith, Angus Dowie, and Archie Wilson, as well as their 20-year old friend Stefan Rijnbeek, set out on their journey at the end of last week. They are calling their expedition The Coldest Crossing, which seems fitting considering they expect to routinely face temperatures of -25ºC (-13ºF). Their plan was to trek for 250 miles (402 km) in just 18 days, first crossing through Iceland's relatively flat interior before proceeding into a mountain range that rings the southern portion of the country. At that point, they expect to be crossing through a portion of Iceland that may not have ever been explored completely before.

In the early stages of the journey, the team will pull 40 kg (88 pound) pulks loaded with their gear and supplies. But once they reach the mountain stage, they'll switch to backpacks for the final push to the end. If they are able to complete the journey, they will be the youngest – and possibly the first – to have traversed Iceland along this route.


For a time, their expedition looked to be in serious jeopardy due to the storm named Desmond. The four young men were exposed to the elements, and the high winds and rain were bearing down on their position quickly. But, they found a place that could serve as a shelter from the storm, although they did have to complete a 14km (8.6 mile) trek to reach that point. According to the squad's Facebook page, Charlie, Angus, Archie, and Stefan have now reached the relative safety of the village of Kópasker, where they will wait out the storm. They expect to resume the expedition sometime tomorrow, provided Desmond has completely passed on at that point.

On a sad note, one member of the team – it has not been announced exactly who yet – will not continue once the storm abates. One of the lads is suffering from what is described as a pre-existing lung infection which was not brought on by the expedition, but was exasperated by the physical exertion in cold conditions. This team member will remain in Kópasker while the other resume the adventure when they can.

Since they're losing precious time while they wait out the storm, the three remaining members are also looking at alternate routes. Their three-week expedition was always on a tight schedule, but not it is even more so. The boys plan to announce any changes in the next couple of days.

So, just how bad have the weather conditions been for the Coldest Crossing Team? Reportedly it is a "Storm of the Century" type situation in Iceland right now, with hurricane force winds, heavy snows, and extreme temperatures. There have been reports from locals who describe it as the worst weather they have ever seen, making the remote areas of the country very dangerous. The boys on this expedition are currently safe however, and will resume their traverse once they can.

Thanks to my friend Louis-Philippe Loncke for keeping me updated on this situation.