The MountainWorld™ Blog

Climbing Cotopaxi and other adventures in Ecuador

 
Approaching the summit of Cotopaxi. Photo by Jake Norton.

As many of you know, I was down in Ecuador recently climbing Cotopaxi and photographing for Eddie Bauer & First Ascent. 

It was a great trip with Melissa Arnot, Jeff Dossett, and cameraman Bob Poole. And, we made the summit of Cotopaxi, a peak I had not topped out on before. 

Quite a stunning climb, and we were fortunate enough to see many other places in Ecuador as well. 

The dispatches - and many of my images - are up on the First Ascent blog now. Swing on over and check them out!!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Anthropographia - Human Rights in Images

There's an abundance of photography competitions out there these days, from the best fish photos to landscapes and nature, even the "Weird Beard Photo Contest".

Shining through the haze is a competition that brings out essential stories of humanity throughout the world, and the underlying issues of human rights: Anthropographia.

A combination of the Greek words ἄνθρωπος (anthropo) and γράφω (graphia), Anthropographia's mission is "to write and convey the stories of humanity, using photography as the medium." Here's an interview with the founder of Anthropographia, Matthieu Rytz, on the contest, mission, and exhibition:

Stunning and moving, the entries in the annual Anthropographia contest tell the stories of humanity, raw and unfiltered. The images are a collection of contrasts, at once tragic and heart-wrenching, and also full of joy and hope.

Be forewarned: Many of the images in this collection are painful to see and contemplate. But, they tell important stories about our world and about the tragedies we, as humans, wreak on one another. Below are some of the images and stories which jumped out at me; click on the individual pictures to jump to the specific exhibit at Anthropographia, or see the exhibit as a whole on the website. 

ADDICTS, a generation lost to Afghanistan,
by Alfonso Moral

Darfur,
by Alvaro Ybarra Zavala

No Friends but the Mountains: Women of the PKK Guerrrillas, Kurdistan, Iraq,
by Anastasia Taylor-Lind

The Loudest Whisper – scars of leprosy in Brazil,
by Anderson Schneider

Kashmir NOW,
by Andy Spyra

Weapon social club Kentucky, U.S.A.,
by Javier Arcenillas

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Hidden Histories of Exploration by the RGS

A few weeks ago, I posted about some previously unseen images from the 1922 Everest Expedition having been found by the Royal Geographic Society. As mentioned then, the website and exhibit went live on October 15, 2009.

The Hidden Histories of Exploration exhibit is going on now at the RGS headquarters in London. But, since London is a bit of a journey from here in Colorado, fortunately the good folks at the RGS put some bits of the exhibit up on the website. Amazing photographs and previously unseen film footage from 1922 can is available (see the video below).

In addition to the 1922 expedition materials, there is a whole host of other fascinating stories of exploration, including Thomas Baines' sketches from his expeditions to Africa and Australasia, 1855-57; a collection on Maritime Exploration; a history of early photography in exploration, called Exploration on Camera; and, as mentioned, one entitled Filming on Everest, which highlights John Noel's amazing footage from the 1922 expedition.

So, check out the video below, and then head on over to the Royal Geographic's Hidden Histories of Exploration online, or, if you're near London, be smarter and see it in person! And, then, be sure to stop back by here and let me know how it is...I'll be jealous!

 

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Thursday Thought: Get Travelin' - October 15, 2009

 

I've always loved to travel...Visiting foreign lands, experiencing new cultures and worldviews, religions and politics, never ceases to expand my personal horizons, both physically and intellectually.

I guess that's why I've devoted much of my life to the pursuit of travel by working as a photographer, climber and guide, and hitting the road whenever the opportunity arises for me and my family. Fortunately, we've been able to do this a lot, and have continued to travel with our daughter, Lila, who's already made it to Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and India!

At any rate, travel is not just about seeing the world, about getting out of town and on the road. Rather, I think it is about challenging ourselves, pushing our philosophical envelopes...and at times our physical ones, too. By immersing ourselves in different cultures and ways of life, we discover one of the simplest and most profound truths of humanity: At our most basic, fundamental level, we are all the same. We want the same things from life, whether we be from Denver or Delhi, Baghdad or Boston. We find through travel - and it's accompanying experiences - that if we're a Hindu or a Muslim, a Maoist or a Capitalist, Lefty, Righty, or in between, we all are looking for a good today, and a better tomorrow, for ourselves and our children and families.

To me, this is the essential of travel, once the romance and pretty photos are stripped away. After a journey, as TS Eliot wrote, we "arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

But, rather than me trying to wax philosophic, let me share a far more eloquent ode to travel, by the great Mark Twain from The Innocents Abroad:

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of
our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views
of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the
earth all one's lifetime. 
 - Mark Twain -

And, just for good measure, here's a little video I put together with some of my favorite travel images, and to the tune of Maybe There's A Worldby Yusuf Islam, nee Cat Stevens. Enjoy!

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Jake Nortonis an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speakerfrom Colorado.

Unseen 1922 Everest images and video footage found

It reminds me of that final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Ark is loaded into a crate and wheeled into some basement storage at the Smithsonian...The Royal Geographic Society has just announced that it has discovered a host of previously-unknown photographs and film footage from the 1922 Everest expedition.

The second Everest expedition ever, the 1922 attempt made huge strides in Everest climbing. On May 22, 1922, George Mallory, Howard Somervell, and Teddy Norton set an oxygenless altitude record of nearly 27,000 feet on the North Ridge. And, the next day, Geoffrey Bruce and George Ingle Finch set a record - using oxygen - of 27,400 feet. With enthusiasm for the summit, Mallory led a final summit assault later that month which ended in tragedy when a massive avalanche killed seven porters on the North Col Headwall.

It will be pretty neat to see the images and video footage...It's not everyday that something new is put into the public eye from these historic expeditions.

The RGS will be displaying the images and video footage on a new website, to launch on October 15, 2009.

If you want to see some other interesting and not often seen images from the early days on Everest, be sure to stop on by the Bentley Beetham Photographic Collection...very cool!

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Brad Washburn's last photos

As any of you who follow the goings on at the American Mountaineering Museum know, a selection of Bradford Washburn's favorite and iconic images is on display through October, 2009. These are some amazing images, hand picked by Bradford himself to be in a select collection, and on permanent loan from Cody Smith.

To add to the excitement, astronaut and American Alpine Club member John Grunsfeld just returned from a Hubble Telescope mission. On the mission, he took with him Bradford's 9x12 Zeiss Maximar B folding camera. Bradford used this camera on his 1937 expedition to the St. Elias Mountains, and on many other expeditions. But, it's last photos, taken by Grunsfeld, are from a bit higher up.

Join Grunsfeld at the American Mountaineering Center on September 30, 2009, for a special evening where he will return the camera to its place in the American Mountaineering Museum, and show the last photos taken by Brad's camera. Check with the American Alpine Club for more details.

Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Everest Rocked! Relive the adventure and help fight cancer worldwide...

As many of you know, I was fortunate enough to help guide and to be the photographer for last year's Everest Rocks! trek to Everest basecamp as a fundraiser for the Love Hope Strength Foundation.

It was an amazing adventure from start to finish, with incredible performances by rock legends Mike Peters (The Alarm), Cy Curnin & Jamie West-Oram (The Fixx), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats), Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze), and Nick Harper. As if the music wasn't enough, we also were rasing money for the Bhaktapur Cancer Center in Bhaktapur (the old city of the Kathmandu Valley). The nearly $500,000 raised through the trek bought the Center essential equipment that will saves many lives in Nepal.

While I was capturing still images during the trip, Alex Coletti and his video team of Damien Drake and Stash Slionski put together a great film of the entire adventure which aired recently on VH1. If you missed it, have no fear...it's also available on DVD through the Love Hope Strength store.

Watching it the other day, I was impressed by how well Alex and his team put together such a huge amount of material, packaged it into a viewable timeframe, and kept it emotional, poignant, and to the point. From the stunning scenery of the Khumbu to emotional performances (like that of Nick Harper playing Imaginary Friend - see video below) to the real life stories and struggles of cancer patients in Nepal, the Everest Rocks DVD is great, and the funds from it will help the LHS Foundation help more people around the world in their fight against cancer.

Listen to Nick Harper playing the emotional ballad Imaginary Friend and explaining the song below, and then go buy the DVD!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

In the Footsteps of Sir Ernest Shackleton

I have long been a fan of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his odyssey in the Antarctic as leader of the 1914-1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. In the annals of exploration history, there are few - if any - stories which rival that of the Endurance Expedition for its lessons of heroism, bravery, teamwork, and true leadership. For the men of Shackleton's expedition, it was a harrowing journey, and one which is well worth a read in Caroline Alexander's The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.

My first - and drastically out of place - personal interaction with Shackleton's story came on a blustery late-April day in, of all places, the Yellow Band on Mount Everest.

Brent Okita and I, members of the 2001 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition, were working high on the mountain, setting fixed lines and looking for evidence of Mallory & Irvine. (You can read the full story of that day in my expedition dispatch, here - scroll down for the essay/dispatch.) At any rate, after much work high on the hill, and in deteriorating weather, I managed to re-find the 1933 high camp at 27,700 feet in the Yellow Band. Of the nearly 30 pounds of artifacts I pulled from the camp, the most fascinating to me emerged from a sealed tin canister: two mint-condition (pun intended) Kendall Mint Cakes, the Power Bars of pre-World War II climbing. On the back were the words:

As supplied to the
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition,
1914-1917,
Lieut. Sir Ernest Shackleton, C.V.O. Commander

- Mount Everest -
- Expeditions -
1922 and 1924
Brig. General the Hon. C.O. Bruce, C.B. Commander
Brig. Gen. Bruce writes, Nov. 5th, 1924 - "As in 1922 this proved a most excellent form of high altitude Food, and was very popular."

The Algarsson North Polar Expedition, 1925

What a find! It was truly an artifact within an artifact...and a reminder that product endorsements were alive and well even back in 1933! (Although I doubt the dollar amounts attached to those endorsements were quite the same as they are today!)

To get on with things, Shackleton's story had been in my mind long before April 29, 2001, and remained there long after. I hoped to one day see the terrain of South Georgia, and perhaps walk in his team's famed footsteps.

In 2004, Dave Hahn gave me my chance when he invited me to help him guide a team of 9 climbers from Geographic Expeditions across South Georgia, following the footsteps of Shackleton (and his team of John Vincent, Timothy McCarthy, Thomas Crean, Harry McNish, and Frank Worsley) from King Haakon Bay over the Trident and on to salvation at the whaling village of Stromness.

We had stunning weather for the job (aside from a day of blasting from the fierce katabatic winds), and made the crossing in a beautiful 3 day jaunt. People often ask me what the crossing looked like...so, I put together a slideshow of the adventure.

Watch below, enjoy the journey across South Georgia, and feel free to stop by MountainWorld Photography to see some of these images as still photos. And, if you want a high-res version with far greater clarity on the images, watch it here!



- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Bentley Beetham Photo Collection Online, including rare 1924 Everest images!

The 1924 Everest expedition - which I have written extensively about here - was made most famous by the mystery shrouded disappearance of George Mallory & Andrew Irvine on June 8th, 1924.

There were, of course, other expedition members, most of whom have fallen into relative obscurity; they made it back alive and continued their lives, which is not nearly as sexy as disappearing high on the mountain!

But, they were an incredible group, from Doctor T. Howard Somervell to geologist Noel Odell, eccentric John Baptist Lucius Noel to larger-than-life Brigadier General Charles Granville Bruce.

Bentley Beetham, another member of the 1924 expedition, was a gifted photographer and schoolmaster at Barnard Castle School. Sir Francis Younghusband described Beetham in The Epic of Mount Everest:

He had not exactly the concentrated fire of Mallory, but he was perpetually boiling and bursting and bubbling over with keenness and enthusiasm – the kind of man that nothing less than a ton of bricks could keep down: nineteen hundredweight would have been of no use.

And quite a climber he was. Beetham and Somervell made a 6 week foray into the Alps in 1923, during which time they climbed an astonishing 35 peaks!

However, as with all members of those early expeditions, Beetham was far from mono-dimensional. Climber, teacher, ornithologist, photographer, and cultural enthusiast, Beetham devoured the experiences on the approach to and climbing on Everest in 1924, and brought back the images to share.

It is exciting that now, through the efforts of the Bentley Beetham Trust in partnership with Durham University and The Heritage Lottery Fund, nearly the entire collection of Beetham's photographs and documents are accessible online through the Bentley Beetham Collection website.

The collection is extensive and impressive, offering rarely seen glimpses into the world of pre-World War II Tibet, of early Everest climbing, and also Beetham's images of natural history, culture, Northeast England, and climbing and mountaineering in the Tatra Mountains of Czechoslovakia, the Atlas of Morocco, and elsewhere.

Take an adventure back in time and visit the Bentley Beetham Collection online. It is quite a journey into the life and explorations of a remarkable man!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.

Climbers on Ama Dablam, Nepal

While on the Everest Rocks trek, I ran into my friend Justin Merle, who was guiding a climb of Ama Dablam for International Mountain Guides. Several days after we met in the Khumbu Valley, our crew was stopped for a rest in the town of Pangboche, which sits beautifully below the massif of Ama Dablam.

If you haven't seen this mountain before, it is one of the most beautiful in the world, and thus one of the more popular peaks to climb in the Nepal Himalaya.

At any rate, as we sat taking in the view, I figured there might be people on this beautiful day heading for the top. So, I took out my Nikon D200 and my 80-400 VR lens and took a few shots of the summit slopes.

Later on, when I zoomed in using Photoshop, I was able to see that, sure enough, people were just descending off the summit ridge, miles away and 9,000 feet above us.

Take a look at the Zoomify image of the mountain and zoom in to see the climbers yourself - quite a nice day to be on the hill!

- Jake Norton is an Everest climber, guide, photographer, writer, and motivational speaker from Colorado.