Skip to 55 seconds to see a seemingly friendly goose kick some kayak angler rear.

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Shaving is boring and a pain in the ass. That’s why men grow beards and/or mustaches. But would more men wipe the stubble off their face if done so in extreme situations like hurling 10,000′ towards the Earth? This trio is attempting to find out by means of parachute, mechanical bull, and wrestling mat.

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One of the many reasons why people travel is the challenge it poses. Diving into shark-infested waters, climbing the towering peaks or trekking through dense jungles – they all jolt adventure travelers to life. Here’s a round-up of 8 extreme adventures and where best to do them.

1. Mountain Trekking – Nepal

Home to the highest peak in the world, Nepal is the playground for climbers and trekkers interested in pushing themselves to the limit. There are numerous trekking routes to explore the Himalayas – the most popular being the Annapurna Base Camp Trail. Many find themselves tested both physically and mentally, returning home with a fulfilled sense of accomplishment.

2. Hiking through the Amazon Jungle – Ecuador

Few places in the world offer such raw adventure: trudging through the thick foliage of the Amazon in the sultry heat and stumbling upon wildlife and primitive tribes give modern-day travelers a taste of jungle life. Definitely the highlight of our trip through South America, a multi-day jungle trek brings you close to nature and back to basics.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Olympic kick-off is just around the corner and with the winter games comes a lot of fast, aerial action that spells guts or glory. Among the craziest of the wild events is the ski jump. These guys (unfortunately not women as well) drop into near vertical approach ramps and huck themselves off giant kickers for the sole purpose of seeing how far they can fly… or fall.

For more photos, click here.

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There are so many marketing messages directed at consumers these days it’s easy to forget that some of them are actually pretty good. The above ad for Epuron energy, which was created by the Nordpol+Hamburg agency, won the coveted “Golden Lion” at the international advertising awards in Cannes.

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Wherever you travel on this grand planet of ours one thing remains the same: there are those who have authority and those who don’t. And unfortunately, as a traveler, you typically fall into the category of those who don’t.

The spirit of state-sponsored authority can be read in the faces of the men and women who embody it. From the mask-like scowl of the police official in Laos to the cute-as-a-doll smirk of the English Bobby, the safety, security, and freedom of your entire trip may ultimately hinge on the whims of a few select authoritarians.

So puts your hands in the air and spread your legs, because this week we are taking you on a visual journey of Authority, ‘Round the World.

If you like our ‘Round the World series, you might enjoy some of the previous themes: fanny packs, dogs, Jesus, swimming, sweaters, mustaches, stairs, chess, foods, silhouettes, outhouses, cemeteries and donkeys.

Click on the thumbnails to view the images. If you’d like to see more work by any of the photographers featured here then follow the link that appears below each photo.

Enjoy.

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glaciersdisc Image via PhysOrg

A team of British geologists has found four uncharted glaciers in the “cursed” Prokletije mountains of Albania. Dr. Philip Hughes from the University’s School of Environment and Development, who led the expedition, told PhysOrg:

“We were amazed that – as far as we know – no-one, apart from local shepherds, were aware of the existence of these glaciers and it was tremendously exciting to find them.”

According to Hughes, the mountains — which extend from northern Albania and Kosovo to eastern Montenegro in the Western Balkans — were until recently surrounded by war, which could explain why they were uncharted until now. He also noted that few people live in the mountains because they are believed to be cursed, and the late-lying snow makes them invisible on Google Earth.

The largest glacier is currently over 600 meters long and 400 meters wide. At 2,000 meters, the glaciers are relatively low for such a southerly altitude, but Hughes’ group said that this is mostly due to avalanched and windblown snow.

[Via: PhysOrg]

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This week’s Friday Photo winner is Stacey Murray for this amazing shot of a kayaker negotiating ice burgs in the Weddell Sea on the Peninsula of Antarctica. Stacey submitted her photo from Palmer Station, Antarctica. We’re glad to see we have some fans at the end of the earth!

Here’s what Stacey had to say about the event:

I was in the Weddell Sea on the Peninsula of Antarctica,  kayaking. It was a beautiful calm day. One that comes rarely in this harsh continent.You could see the reflection of the mountains in the very calm water.

Heavy rainfall in Peru has triggered landslides that have blockaded the railway to Machu Picchu, leaving over 1,500 tourists stranded in the ancient Inca village. According to Peruvian officials, the railroad will likely not be restored until mid-next week.

At this time, over 1,000 tourists have been evacuated by helicopter, but problems are still arising. As many as 250 hikers are still arriving each day to Machu Picchu via the Inca trail and choppers are only capable of airlifting 120 people per hour.

Evacuees are being flown to Machu Picchu Pueblo, where reports of scarce resources is creating a steep price for food, water, and accommodations. According to Ruben Baldeon, spokesman for Machu Picchu Pueblo, bottled water is selling for five times its usual price and electricity to the town has been cut off.

Roughly 1,500 to 1,600 tourists still remain in Machu Picchu and weather forecasts predict heavy rain to continue throughout the week.

[via: msnbc]

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History goes as follows: In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set off to summit Mount Everest, but never returned (Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, Irvine’s remains missing). In 1954, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first men to officially and successfully summit the mountain, and are known in history books and modern culture as the first mountaineers to do so.

Some wonder if Mallory or Irvine actually did summit Mount Everest, only to seal their fate after doing so. And now, an Everest historian named Tom Holzel might have found a way to “fill in the blanks” of Mallory and Irvine’s climb. Holzel believes that he has found Andrew Irvine’s body, which shows up as an “oblong blob” on high-resolution photographs of the mountain. If he can locate and recover the body, he argues that he could potentially locate and uncover the ancient Kodak camera that Irvine brought along.

Holzel plans to launch an investigation of the blob next month, and has prepared an extensive guide on how he will handle the inevitably delicate, 90-year-old camera and film, if he does find Irvine and the camera itself.

[Via: Gizmodo]

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