From the inspiring to the tragic, ‘Adventure News of the Week’ presents a wrap-up of top news in the world of exploration and adventure.
SKI: Jessica Yeaton Breaks Women’s Record in Cross-Country 50K. In the annual Wisconsin Birkebeiner, 28-year-old Olympian Jessica Yeaton set a new women’s course record with a race time of 2:13.20. The race, lovingly known as the Birkie, is host to 50K skate and 55K classic distance races. Read more.
BIKE: Lael Wilcox Sets 1st and Fastest FKT in Colombia. Bikepacking aficionado Lael Wilcox (who won the Trans Am Bike Race in 2016) just set a new bike-touring FKT in Chingaza National Park in Colombia.
The route is brand new to the area and has a grueling 11,000 m of ascent. Wilcox’s goal for the route was 48 hours; she completed it in 39. Read the full story here.
EVEREST: 4 Nepali Climbers Make Push for Winter Everest Summit. Four Sherpa guides — Ming Temba Sherpa, Halung Dorchi Sherpa, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, and Pasang Nurbu Sherpa — are aiming to climb Everest in winter. They also hope to break a record by climbing it in under a week.
The last winter ascent of the mountain was back in 1993. Two other teams — one from Germany and one from Spain — are also now on Everest. Read more here.
HOT: Hottest Month on Record Is Now Affecting Ski Resorts. The Le Mourtis resort in the Pyrenees mountains has almost no snow due to it being one of the warmest winters in over a century. Other resorts are having similar trouble with the warmer temperatures affecting their mountains and tourism. Read more.
ROCKET: Daredevil Mike Hughes Killed by Own Homemade Rocket. “Mad” Mike Hughes died after launching himself out of a homemade rocket on Saturday. He was known for building and flying manned steam rockets. Read more here.
RESCUE: Hiking Couple Found Alive After Weeks in Woods. What started as a short Valentine’s Day hike for a 70-year-old couple turned into a week-long survival situation. The couple, Carol Kiparsky and Ian Irwin, lost their way outside their vacation cottage.
They had been missing so long that authorities had switched the case from search mode to recovery. But the recovery crew found them alive. Read more here.
