Last Friday, a group of three young campers and two experienced guides hosted by the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) were attacked in their tent by a polar bear in Svalbard, Norway. The 14-foot bear killed 17-year-old Horatio Chapple and–according to recent reports–left some of its teeth in the scalp of 16-year-old Patrick Flanders, who is said to have punched the polar bear in the face in an attempt to save his friend. Scott Bennell-Smith, also 16, suffered a broken jaw and shattered teeth.

The bear was eventually shot and killed by the leader of the camping trip, 29-year-old Michael Reid. Co-leader Andrew Ruck, 27, and Reid were both injured in the incident but are recovering and were discharged from the hospital on Monday. Flanders underwent surgery to have the bear’s teeth removed from his skull and is said to be stable.

According to the Guardian, a warning tripwire system that would have set off flares and warned the campers of the bear may have failed to work, leaving the group unaware of the bear’s creeping presence. From the Guardian:

“The head of security at the University of Svalbard, John Ingen Karlsen, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that although the expedition team had correctly pitched their tents on a hill and away from the water’s edge, they had made two errors. They should have had team members on continuous watch for bears, and their tripwire system may not have been set up properly.”

BSES–founded in 1931–specializes in organizing adventure expeditions for youth that place them in wilderness areas and provide opportunities for adventure and scientific exploration. According to its website BSES’s mission is as follows: “The Object of the Society is to advance the education of young people by providing inspirational and challenging scientific expeditions to remote, wild environments and so promote the development of their confidence, teamwork, leadership and spirit of adventure and exploration.”

From the BSES website on August 8th:

“Every Young Explorer still out in the field in Svalbard will return home tomorrow.

Now that these arrangements have been made, I am able to talk to you about what happens next.

Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned in investigating the tragic incident on 5 August in Svalbard.

The Norwegian authorities’ enquiries are under way. In parallel we have begun to fully review procedures, examine equipment and gather witness statements to understand if anything could have been done to prevent this tragic incident happening.

The investigation into the Chanzin Fire incident will be chaired by an independent third party who we will appoint shortly, and we will make our findings public. I am keen that this is a transparent process for the benefit not only of our Society but for the exploring community as a whole.

The Norwegian authorities have asked that we do not comment directly about the incident until their enquiries have concluded, and we will fully respect their wish.

I will not comment on speculation, at any stage.

A young man has lost his life, and four expedition members were injured. We remain committed to supporting those affected through this particularly difficult time in their lives.”

[Via: Daily Mail, The Guardian]

[Photo Via: danjw96]

This is an absurd video that will make you question why you’re watching it while you simultaneously find yourself laughing hysterically or, at the very least, chortling wholeheartedly in front of your screen. But don’t feel bad–we’re all humans and we’re all weird–as this video rightly proves.

[Via: Outside]

The first four jaw-dropping seconds open up to clips of Trond Teigen flying his body so deftly close and fast to some of the world’s most famous peaks that you’re left to wonder: can anyone fly a wingsuit? Does REI or Backcountry.com carry them yet? In the timely words of my friend Jon who passed this goodness onto me: ‘Dear Santa: please bring me a wingsuit and a healthy life insurance policy. Love, Jon.’

Here is how Jokke described the footage: “A few clips from flying in Switzerland the last two weeks, plus some old ones. First shot is from Trond Teigen. Music by Ladyhawke. Basejumping in Lauterbrunnen, The Eiger, Jungfrau, Kjerag and Bispen. All filmed with GoPro HD.”

I would much rather have a wingsuit than my typical lump of coal this year. Santa, are you listening?

[via: Jokke Sommer]

Sailing on an ancient junk boat in Vietnam, riding a rickshaw in Japan or seeing the pyramids on camels – there are thousands of odd and intriguing forms of transportation around the world. Here are some of the strangest:

1. Bamboo Train, Cambodia

Between Battambang and Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, you’ll find this interesting train, cobbled together with a wooden frame, bamboo planking, an upright engine and reused military tank wheels. As basic it looks, it can haul passengers and cargo from one city to the next. Known as ‘norry’ in Khmer, it uses the spur lines, which means when a real train comes puffing, get ready to jump off your ride!

2. Tuktuk, India

These motorized three-wheelers are used all over Asia – originally in Thailand, then spread to Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan and India. Although Bangkok is the pioneer in the tuktuk industry, it’s India where traffic-swerving drivers and chaotic road conditions make it a thrilling ride. Whether you are in Bangalore or New Delhi, hop on for some fun. A tuktuk can usually accommodation two persons and a suitcase.

3. Junk Boat, Hongkong

Along Hongkong’s Victoria Harbour, the nation’s signature junk boats float against a backdrop of skyscrapers. These Chinese sailboats date from ancient times, specifically the Han Dynasty. Today, they are converted into sunset boats and booze cruises for tourists and locals seeking a breathe of fresh air.

4. Elephant Trekking, Thailand

Before Phuket was developed into a tourist hub, wild elephants used to roam its dense forests and rolling hills. Today, their numbers are dwindling. Instead of lounging by the beach all day, travelers can explore the area inland on elephant tours.

These elephant trekking tours offer a much-needed lift to the tourism industry, and generate the funds to assure the survival of thousands of elephants in a dignified manner.

5. Zorb, New Zealand

The zorb is the sport of rolling down a hill inside a giant inflatable ball, cushioned by a thick layer of air. New Zealand first brought us bungee-jumping, white-water raftin, skydiving and now this! There’s a range of rides to choose from – from wet to dry, individual to multi-person or zigzag rides. As the kiwis call it, globe riding sure is an interesting way to find your way round New Zealand.

6. Dog Sleds, Norway

There aren’t many places where you can do this. In Northern Norway, close to the Arctic Circle, you can embark on dog-sledding trips that bring you through gorgeous winter landscapes. Every participant will lead your own team of four or six dogs, and swish across scenic routes. Many trips are organized in the Saltfjellet – Svartisen national park and Jotunheimen National Park, where overnight stays in wooden lodges can be included.

7. Totora Boat, Peru

On the floating islands of Lake Ttiticaca, the Uros tribes weave their homes and transportation with reeds – or totora in their tribal language – found in the lake. Built to resemble the shape of a dragon, it is said that the boats were used to ward off evil in ancient Inca times. These incredibly light but resistant boats sail out swiftly on the calm lake, making transport for the locals easy and convenient.

8. Chicken Bus, Guatemala

Guatemala’s public buses are nicknamed the ‘Chicken Bus’ for the hectic and tight conditions where  passengers are crammed into these old U.S. school buses alongside chicken and goats. For the intrepid travelers seeking a little adventure, it’s quite an interesting way to get under the skin of the country. Some chicken buses are decked out in neon signs or voodoo posters, but all pose the same thrill. Be warned – petty crimes have been reported on these buses.

9. Felucca, Egypt

These traditional Egyptian sailboats have remained, over the centuries, the primary transportation of the Nile River. Its ancient form still graces the river  as it has done since the time of the Pharaohs.

These days, both locals and foreigners enjoy a relaxing ride on the felucca, basking under the sun or catching the sunset. Travelers can also take a multi- day felucca ride from Luxor to Aswan and back.

10. Camel back, Jordan

Riding on a camelback through the red-rose deserts of Wadi Rum is one of the highlights of Jordan. Since ancient times, camels have always been the one of  the most useful transport tools in the Jordanian history. Travelers can go on a 3-day camel safari trip that includes camping with Bedouins and exploring archaeological sites.

[Via: WildJunket]

Yeah, you may be able to hit the slopes with Google Street View, but you better do it quick because the Street View camera man seems to be under attack by these Norwegians in scuba gear.

Click here to see the actual image via Google.

[Via: Boing Boing]

Follow me on Twitter @sarahesterman

Syria

Splashing around in water is fun. And no matter where you are on this grand planet of ours the rule is the same: if there is enough water people will find a way to have fun in it.

In his fly-fishing masterpiece The River Why, Oregon author David James Duncan claims that since human beings begin our lives in a watery womb, and since our bodies are made of 70 percent water, that it is our natural state to come back to it.

Unfortunately many water sources in developing countries are not clean enough to drink from, but that doesn’t always stop people from swimming in them (notice the photo of Pakistan, which features a group of children swimming in a pond so covered in garbage that you can’t even see the water).

There is a certain medicinal sensation to being immersed in water, regardless of the quality. But since you are reading this on the internet odds are you have access to clean water as well. So if you are able, what better way to kick off the new year than a nice, cleansing swim?

Close your eyes and plug your nose because this week we take you on a visual journey of Swimming, ‘Round the World.

If you like our ‘Round the World series, you might enjoy some of the previous themes: 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.

Follow me on Twitter @Kyle_Cassidy

Comic genius Mitch Hedberg used to say, “An elevator can never break; it can only become stairs.”  Unfortunately Mitch died in 2005. But unlike escalators and drug-addled comics, a well-crafted set of stairs can survive for centuries.

Through all the differences in culture and geography that permeate our world, one indelible constant remains: stairs. Human beings, though not gifted with claws or suction cups for climbing, have an insatiable desire to go up. Stairs offer us easy passage to the places we want to go. They become a seat when we are tired and can provide a place of community when we are lonely.

So take a deep breath, pull up a stair, and enjoy this visual journey of stairs ’round the world.

If you like our ‘Round the World series, you might enjoy some of the previous themes: 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.

If you haven’t seen Snakes on a Plane, the 2006 thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson, you are at least aware that it exists. But what you probably don’t think about as you walk past it in the movie aisle and make your dammed snarky comments, is that the possibility of snakes on planes, trains, and even ferries is very real indeed. At least in Norway.

Case in point: This week a man was arrested in Norway trying to smuggle two dozen snakes and geckos into the country by taping them to his body. According to the Scotsman, customs agents said the Norwegian citizen, 22, was arrested in Kristiansand after getting off a ferry from Denmark. He had fourteen royal pythons and ten albino leopard geckos hidden under his clothes.

The pythons, which are non-venomous but still all kinds of creepy, were stuffed in stockings duct-taped to the smuggler’s belly. The geckos, none of which were selling insurance (wacka wacka) were in boxes taped to his thighs.

So how’d he get busted?

The Scotsman reports that Norwegian customs officials searched him on Sunday after finding a tarantula in one of his bags.

[Via: Scotsman]

Calling the fjord covered land of Norway home, Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland’s latest album Junior is sure to please any devoted Röyksopp fan as well as newbies. The group might aim for a more international style with English lyrics, but they stick true to their Scandinavian roots; “The Girl and the Robot” employs the chords of Swedish songstress Robyn.

Röyksopp hit the scene in 2001 and soon thereafter songs like “Eple” and “Poor Leno” were making it big on the European sound waves, but since then there hasn’t been more then a release and a special release MP3. Junior therefore marks a sort of Röyksopp return, and the album proves that the much awaited comeback was well worth the wait.

To get a taste of the new album, check out the video below for “Happy Up Here,” the first track off of Junior. A great song to kick off the album, but my favorite Junior track is “It’s What I Want.” Put it on repeat and if you’re not already a Röyksopp fan, you’re sure to fall in love.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nordic Skating (or tour skating), called “lÃ¥ngfärdsskridsko” Swedish, is a popular Nordic sport that does not enjoy a lot of popularity in North America. But it looks like fun.

When most North Americans think of skating across ice we visualize what we know: hockey game thuggery, or the spinning, dancing, costumed, tights-wearering glitterers of Disney On Ice. But Nordic skaters are more remeniscient of cross-country skiers or hikers than their rink-bound cousins, seeking out day-trips that range anywhere from 12 miles to over 62 miles – or as far as the ice will allow.

Nordic skate blades are designed for stability over the long haul. At twenty inches, they are longer than those of hockey or figure skates, and can be strapped to regular hiking boots using a pair of bindings that are attached to the heel.

Nordic skating has a big following in Vermont and Canada. To learn more about the sport, check out Nordicskating.org

[Via: Explore]

Sick of Norwegians walking around acting like their poo smells like roses? Well it does. And if that’s not bad enough, it’s also going to power their city buses.

Norway’s plan to be carbon neutral by 2050 can’t always be described as green. Sometimes it a seems little more, well, brown. In a move that is one part disgusting and one part awesome, the city of Oslo is converting municipal buses to run on methane harvested off human waste from their sewage treatment plants.

The switch is expected to save 44 tons of CO2 emissions per bus per year. It will also save 17,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year from the city’s two sewage treatment plants.

The city will turn yesterdays lutefisk into tomorrow’s bus fuel (called biomethane) through a process called anaerobic digestion that uses microorganisms to break down the human waste.

“Oslo aims to be one of the most environmentally sustainable capitals in the world,” project manager Ole Jakob Johansen told the Guardian. “Using biomethane makes sense. Not only would the biomethane otherwise be wasted, but the reduction in emissions per bus will go a long way to achieving our carbon-neutral target.”

Portland is well known throughout the world as the Rose City, but come September, when 200 Oslo buses are converted to run off Norwegian poo, Oslo may just take our title away.

[Via: Wired], [Via: Guardian]

[Photo Via: Bordas]

It’s the second week of Wend’s Alternative Transportation Month and today’s photo comes to us from Haley McNabb who is currently living in Hamar, on the east coast of Norway. In Norwegian this sled is called a spark, and with two blades — similar to ice skates — navigating the icy Norwegian roads is a whole lot easier than slipping around in a car.

Submit your own alternative transportation photos to the Wend Flickr pool for a chance to win a Rickshaw Zero messenger bag! And remember to submit your best traveling by alternative transportation stories to our travel writing contest on iWend too!

Do you want to be featured on Friday Photo? Check out Wend’s Flickr pool and submit your own shot with an accompanying description– you just might be up here next Friday. Even better, get on our mailing list and get FP sent directly to your inbox. Subscribe now!

It’s more fun wingsuit action. I am a little concerned about these skis they’re kicking off though; does someone have to backtrack all over the mountain to find them once they’ve fallen to the ground? Nevertheless it’s pretty awesome stuff… I’m disappointed that Santa didn’t leave a wingsuit in my stocking.

(I recommend watching the video in full screen for the ultimate effect)

Remember lemmings? The rodents that gather to heave themselves (to almost certain doom) off cliffs? It’s a popular myth that these creatures take the leap as part of some strange, Jonestown-esque mass suicide ritual. But in truth, lemmings, which travel in packs, only jump at times of overpopulation – when food is so scarce there is no other option but to dive into the sea in order to search for more sources of food. Well, the good news is that lemmings in Norway haven’t been leaping lately. The bad news: they haven’t been leaping because lemming populations are at a low due to climate change.

Here’s how the BBC breaks it down:

Rather than hibernating, lemmings spend the winter living in the space between the ground and a stable layer of snow above.

Dry winters would allow large numbers to survive until spring, resulting in a population explosion.

But the peak years are not occurring anymore. The research team, composed of Norwegian and French scientists, believes the winters are now too humid, leading to the “wrong kind of snow”.

This results in a less stable subnivean space (the space between the ground and the snow layer above), meaning substantially fewer animals survive until spring.

[Via: BBC]

Thanks to Julian Borger at guardian.co.uk for bringing us news about the Congo Basin Forest Fund, which launched today. The fund, which is the largest ever set to combat deforestation, was implemented by Britain and Norway to help fight deforestation in the vast Congo basin rainforest in Central Africa. The two countries are providing £108 million plus satellite imaging technology to monitor the area.

Throughout the congo mining and logging companies are prepared to offer large rewards to communities and regional authorities to open up their forests. The fund is intended to provide African governments and people living in the rainforest with a viable alternative to logging, mining, and chopping down trees for firewood and subsistence farming.

The Congo Basin Forest Fund will be co-chaired by Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental activist and Nobel Peace laureate, and Paul Martin, a former Canadian prime minister.

[Via: Guardian]

[Photo: World Resources Institute]