Dolpa is the only place in Nepal where I got a cultural shock in my own country.
Everest 3-Passes Trip Report (2018)
The first things you notice as you fly into the khumbu in a rattling metal-can are the towering rock faces and the cold, you step outside onto lukla and your breath is a frozen fog in front of you. Knees knocking together with the sudden chill, we see that we are already among “lesser” peaks of the highest place on earth. Our instinct looks for warmth, so out of the […]
Annapurna Fast Pack 2018 Trip Report
Our fifth annual Annapurna Circuit Fastpack was a success! Team ‘Slow Momo’ was anything but slow, rounding the circuit in just over eleven days, doing some hard ‘double days’, but also taking the right amount of time to visit the temples, smell the roses, and acclimate safely. High points included helping organize the children’s race in Manang and everyone crossing Thorung Pass (5,405m/17,728ft) in good spirits under blue bird skies. Other […]
Langtang Fastpack 2018 Trip Report
Maybe the third time is truly the charm? Wahoo! We are happy to report that ‘Team Kali’ completed the Langtang Lollipop Fastpack on June 7th in northern Kathmandu at the doorstep of the Royal Astoria Hotel. The team covered over 186k/115miles with a tremendous amount of vertical change (the cumulative gain alone was 14,198m/46,500ft) including a crossing of Larabina Pass at 4,610m/15,124ft and a sketchy crossing of the rarely visited […]
On Open Letter to Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel: Why you will not be breaking the FKT on the Great Himalaya Trail
We are writing you and asking that you, and your sponsors, stop saying that you are attempting to set the FKT on the Great Himalayan Trail. This type of statement displays a lack of understanding about the history of Great Himalayan Trail and the many possible route variations. Himalayan Adventure Labs maintains the most complete database of people who have crossed the Himalayas on foot, as well as the […]
Annapurna Women’s FKT: Behind the Scenes with Sunny Stroeer
Just a couple weeks ago, over the course of three days and 23 hours, I set a new women’s speed record on the Annapurna Circuit. It was one of those spontaneous ‘that’s-a-terrible-idea-but-heck-why-not’ projects: I came up with the idea on a Monday and started the record attempt at the crack of dawn on Wednesday – not even 48hrs later (if you want to hear the full story of how that […]
New Women’s FKT on Annapurna Circuit by Sunny Stroeer: 3 days, 23 hours and 39 minutes
Big Congrats to Suzanne (Sunny) Stroeer for breaking the women’s FKT on the Annapurna Circuit. by over 14 hours, finishing ~November 19th. Sunny finished in 3 days, 23 hours and 39 minutes. The previous time was held by Patricia Franco and Taylor in fall 2016. We will add a link to her full trip report here when we have it, but for now some details passed on to us by Sunny: (Update: […]
Navigating the Crux: Harvey Manning Peak Challenge OKT
Below is an excerpt from a ~78 hour adventure that I had earlier this month with Ras Vaughan. Our hope was to have an amazing time in the mountains; we also thought it would be pretty cool if we could be the first people to finish the the Harvey Manning Peak Challenge. Designed by George Orozco as part of the ‘Issaquah Alps Challenges,’ the goal was to summit 18 peaks […]
Langtang 2017 Trip Report
Our first edition of Langtang Fast Pack (LFP) was a huge success in terms of adventures done. We covered a lot of ground: 153 km/95miles in distance and 11,800m/38,700ft in total elevation gain over 11 dayson the trail! With the goal of starting and ending in Kathmandu on foot, we began at Budhanilknatha Temple gate in the northern part of the city, below the valley rim in the edge of Shiva […]
The Barkley Marathons: The only thing I wish is that I had suffered more ‘Out There’
I’m in Bangkok visiting an orthopedist for the second time in four years. The last visit was the result of running into a doorway in Nepal during the 2013 Manaslu Stage Race, hitting my head at literal breakneck speed and resulting in a two fractured vertebrae (see ‘A Pain in the Neck‘, Journal of Wilderness Medicine. Sept 2015). This visit is the result of another trail race, albeit much further away and different […]