As with all the recent development and infrastructure improvements in Tibet, however, this will certainly be a mixed blessing. Like the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, completed in 2006, the Nagqu airport will certainly bring more commerce, trade, and development to the largely impoverished Tibetan Plateau. But, it will also bring an added influx of ethnic Han Chinese immigrants, diluting the culture of Tibet and further cementing Beijing's grip on the region.
It's always a mixed feeling for me when I see this development in Tibet. On the one hand, I am excited to see the lives of everyday Tibetans potentially bettered by such improvements. But, having actually seen and traveled in much of Tibet, I also know that little of the development manages to trickle down to the local population.
What are your thoughts...Are these improvements good, bad, or indifferent for Tibet and Tibetans?
I first went back in 2001, where my friends Pemba Sherpa and Ang Jangbu Sherpa and I were dazzled by great films, like He Dances for his Cormorants, about a cormorant fisherman on the Lijiang River in Yunnan Province, China. Another great film that year was the old - but still fascinating - Honey Hunters of Nepal. A film version of the book by Eric Valli and Diane Summers, it documents the Gurung people's annual hunt for honey from the giant, cliffside hives of Himalayan black bees.
Here's some of the film from YouTube:
This year's KIMFF, scheduled to run December 10-14, 2009, will surely be great as well. The film list sounds very interesting, including Dolpo Tulku (see the main website, in German, here), a film about the return of a young, reincarnate lama returning to his monastery in Dho Tarap. Here's a trailer of this film, too:
If you're fortunate enough to be in Kathmandu now, definitely check out KIMFF...I know you won't be disappointed! And, you just might get inspired for your next adventure!
But, Everest, schmeverest. That wasn't enough for him. Since 2001 (and before), Erik has done some amazing climbs, like Losar, the 14 pitch stunning ice climb near Namche Bazaar, which he climbed with Rob Raker in 2008.
But, probably his most impressive climb that I know of happened just recently when he did the famed and feared Naked Edge in Eldorado Canyon to raise money and awareness for The Access Fund. Filmmaker Cedar Wright was on hand to document it (along with my friend Charley Mace, who said it was a stunning climb, too!)
Check out the video below...and let me know if you still think Erik's accomplishments are trivial!! Oh, a while you're telling me that, write down when you last climbed the Naked Edge...with a blindfold on.
Some sad news coming today from Steve Casimiro, West Coast Editor at National Geographic Adventure. On his blog, The Adventure Life, Steve reports today that National Geographic decidedto endAdventure's ten year run as one of the top adventure and outdoor magazines in the world.
According to Steve, it's final issue is the December/January issue, which is on newsstands now.
I've had a great time not only reading, but also contributing to, Adventure over the years, and my heart goes out to Steve, founding Editor John Rasmus, and all the others affected by the closing.
Steve put it quite well at the end of his post:
For those of you who are just passing readers of the magazine, its demise might
be a mere curiosity or random note of economic discord. But for those of us who
care about good writing, great photography, insight and curiosity and advocacy
for an engaged relationship with the world at large, it is a truly remorseful
day. The outdoor culture is far emptier for this news. Magazines are, of course,
businesses, and some of them are nakedly commercial. But some are built around
an idea or a calling, and these, the best of them, can create an emotional bond
with their readership based on shared philosophy, common passion, and mutual
respect. National Geographic Adventure’s tagline, “Dream It. Plan It. Do It.”,
is a powerful call to action. More critically, it puts the focus on the reader,
where it should be, to get up, get out, and get going. If past experience is any
guide, those of us who have been connected to National Geographic Adventure,
either as readers, contributors, or both, will carry fragments of that DNA with
us, whether we’re writing, shooting photos, or simply out in the world. The
magazine might not have survived this economy, but its ideals will. And for
that, we should be thankful.
I definitely tend toward the left side of the political spectrum, and identify myself more as a Democrat than otherwise. But, I make a conscious effort not to be partisan...I try my best to praise the positive things the "other side" does and accomplishes, and make my voice heard when the leaders I support are, in my estimation, making bad decisions.
This, to me, is the very essence of democracy: The ability - and, in fact, the need - to voice our disagreement with those in power, whether they be friend or foe. As the historian Henry Commager wrote: If our democracy is to flourish, it must have criticism; if our government is to function it must have dissent.
So, it was with dismay that I heard President Obama chose not to meet with the Dalai Lama while he was in Washington to accept the Lantos Human Rights Prize. I'm a supporter of Tibet and it's quest for spiritual autonomy, but, even more so, I feel strongly that, for us to be a leader on the world stage, we must be willing to make a stand, to defend our beliefs and our ethics...regardless of the political capital on the table.
Certainly, President Obama felt that a meeting with the Dalai Lama would create friction in US-China relations. It almost certainly would. But, our ethics and beliefs should transcend our short-term priorities. By meeting with the Dalai Lama - which has been done by all sitting US presidents since George H.W. Bush - Obama would have sent a clear message to China, and to the world, that we as a nation believe what we say, stand up for our core values, and have a true desire to make the world a better place for all people.
To be independent of public opinion is the first condition of achieving anything great. - G.W.F. Hegel
Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe? Expediency asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: Is it popular? But conscience asks the question: Is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because it is right. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
And, for those who are interested, here is a video of the Dalai Lama accepting the Lantos Prize on Tuesday:
Well, the exciting time has come...While the First Ascent product has been online and in a few select stores for some time now, it will officially launch nationwide in 183 Eddie Bauer stores on October 12, 2009! (Read the official press release here.)
Is the gear any good? Well, I think so...I helped design and test it, using it in my backyard here in Colorado and up to the tippy-top of Everest this spring. In my opinion, it is the best gear out there, period.
But, sure, I'm a bit biased. So, check out what some others have said:
Backpacker Magazine gave the Big Tahoma packa thumbs up in their October issue, saying: "This versatile pack is supportive and comfortable enough for a week-long trek, but simple and light enough for tackling big alpine peaks…The (removable) hipbelt never interfered with high-stepping, and two aluminum stays transfer loads up to 40 pounds directly to the hips. And the double ripstop nylon used in the packbag is not only superdurable, it’s highly waterproof.”
Backpacker also loved the Downlight Sweater, saying: "This ultra-ultralight insulator nails the essentials: high draftproof collar, grapefruit-size packability, roomy zipped pockets, and light rain resistance–without layering on doodads that add weight or bulk." And, their Associate Editor, Shannon Davis, loved the warm and functional Peak XV down jacket for her climb of Rainier.
And, Outside Magazine's "Gear Girl", Stephanie Pearson, recommends the First Ascent BC-100 for climbs in wet weather, like Kilimanjaro, where you need to stay dry but not carry too much weight. Read her recommendation here.
OK...you're getting the picture. The First Ascent line was built by guides, tested in some of the harshest conditions in the world, and reviewed by some pretty tough critics. And, it came out on top in all situations.
Always a fun event, the Mountain Festival brings together a slew of great climbers (I'm included...but don't let that confuse things...there are really some greats coming!) as well as a lot of fun events. Some of the many things going on over the weekend are:
The Mountain Festival will, as always, be held at Rainier BaseCamp in Ashford, Washington, at the foot of Mount Rainier. It'll be going on starting at 9:00 AM on both Saturday and Sunday, September 12th & 13th, 2009.
Come on down if you're in the area and enjoy! See you there!
The name associated with the climb was often more terrifying than the rating, or even the climb itself.
To me, gazing up at a route first climbed by the legendary Layton Kor was to know inherently that the route would bring stout climbing, perhaps scant protection, and would include reaches that only Layton - and perhaps a pterodactyl - could hope to make gracefully, if at all.
But, without fail, the Kor routes I have climbed have been some of the best ever...perhaps due in large part because I knew I was climbing in the footsteps - and handholds - of a legend.
From The Diamond of Long's Peak in Coloradoto Castleton Tower and the imposing Titan in Utah to a winter ascent of the Eiger's North Face, Kor climbed harder and climbed more in a decade than most will do in a lifetime.
Sadly, however, Layton - now 70 - needs help. Suffering from kidney disease, Layton is in need of a transplant...but is having trouble paying his bills for dialysis and everything else. Fortunately, other legendary climbers - namely Stewart Green and Steph Davis - have stepped up to the plate and started the Layton Kor Fund to raise money for his treatment and transplant.
I didn't know him well, but certainly knew of him. Amazing climber. Kind-hearted man. Inventor of the Big-Bro, making off-width cracks protectable if not climbable.
And, the couple times I met him, at the climbing gym, cragging at North Table Mountain here in Golden, and elsewhere with his wife and daughter at parades, the farmer's market, etc., Craig always struck me as one of those unique figures: extremely talented, relentlessly dedicated, and yet somehow also quiet, kind, humble...
To think that he is now gone saddens me beyond words. There aren't too many details, but it sounds as if he and Willie Benegas were training for their American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) exam on Mount Torment in the Cascades when Craig fell into a moat.
Willie was hurt, but is by-in-large alright.
My thoughts and best wishes go out to Craig's wife, Silvia, and daughter, Giulia Maria.
. A film version of the book by Eric Valli and Diane Summers, it documents the Gurung people's annual hunt for honey from the giant, cliffside hives of Himalayan black bees. 
