For many people, the first thought that comes to mind when you think of Peru is Machu Picchu, the mountaintop fortress that was built by the Inca. That place is indeed spectacular, but the country has so much more to offer. From snowcapped peaks in the Andes to the Amazon Basin, Peru is a country filled with opportunities for adventure. In this video, we travel there to get a look at these places first hand, leaving the more well-trodden places behind to explore other destinations far off the tourist track.
RHYTHMS OF PERU from Nathaniel Connella on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label Andes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andes. Show all posts
Video: Unclimbed - Reaching the Summit in the Himalaya (Part 5)
Discovery Channel Canada has released the latest episode of its Unclimbed series, which follows mountaineers Gabriel Filippi, Elia Saikaly, and Pasang Kaji Sherpa as they attempt to make several first ascents in the Himalaya this fall. In this episode, Gabriel and Elia travel to Peru to continue their preparation for the challenges they'll face in Nepal. This training expedition is overshadowed a bit by a previous attempt in the Andes, with the ghosts of that past climb impacting their current situation. If you've been watching this ongoing series, you'll definitely want to catch up with the team in this latest installment.
Video: Explorer Louis-Philippe Loncke Discusses Lake Titicaca Exepdtion At TEDxFlanders
Last year, explorer Louis-Philippe Loncke, along with Gadiel Sanchez Rivera aka "Cho", spent 38 days circumnavigating Lake Titicaca by kayak. That body of water, which falls on the border of Peru and Bolivia, is considered the highest navigable lake in the world, and yet no one had ever completely paddled its shores before. Recently, Lou-Phi appeared at TEDxFlanders to share his story about that expedition. The video below is his presentation. It offers all kinds of insights into what they found on their journey, and the logistics of kayaking in the Andes.
Video: Traveling Along La Ruta de los Gringos in Peru
Peru is a country with a surprising number of unique environments and landscapes. Ranging from the dense Amazon Rainforest to stark deserts, to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes, it is a land of startling contrasts. All of those settings, and more, are captured nicely in this video, which was shot over a three-week journey through the South American country. It is a wonderful travelogue that documents all of the fantastic things to see and do there, reminding us why Peru is a top destination with adventure travelers the world over.
Perú - La ruta de los gringos from Guillaume JUIN on Vimeo.
Argentinian Climber Attempting All 6000 Meter Peaks In South America
The first obstacle that Max had to overcome was finding out just how many of these mountains were in the Andes. He thought that there might be as many as 50 when he announced his plans but research later revealed that there were 118 6000-meter peaks on his list. He had to use a combination of satellite mapping, data from NASA and Google Maps to locate all of the mountains, some of which are located in very remote places and have as many as 4 or 5 names. It took him three years just to compile all of the data he needed to begin the project.
After that, he was ready to set out but needed reliable transportation to get him to and from the mountains. He decided to use a motorcycle to get from one base camp to the next but he first had to overcome yet another obstacle – he had never ridden a motorcycle before in his life. Once he managed to master the bike, he was off and running and has been climbing ever since. He now spends about 8-9 months of the year climbing in the Andes. Sometimes he'll bag several peaks in a single week and on occasion he'll get two in a day. He tells ExWeb that he is mostly homeless right now while he pursues this challenge.
While climbing Max has made some interesting discoveries along the way as well. On more than one occasion he has come across Incan ruins on his way up to the summit. In one case he even discovered a large structure 60 meters square (197 feet) at the summit of one of the 6000-meter mountains. What exactly the structure was used for and what else remains at the site is a mystery.
You have to hand it to him, Maximo sure knows how to pick a challenge. The Andes offer plenty of great climbing and before he's done, he'll have seen most of it. At the point the story was submitted he said that he still has 57 mountains to go, so he's a little over halfway to his goal. If he achieves this, it'll certainly be quite an accomplishment.
Video: Dutch Peru Expedition 2012
Earlier this summer a team of climbers from AlpineAdventures traveled to the Peruvian Andes to attempt a new route on the 5440 meter (17,847 ft) Puscanturpa Este. After three weeks of working the mountain, they finally managed to summit the tricky North Face. They named their new route Poco Loco.
The team captured plenty of video of the climb and they plan on releasing the full film down the line. The trailer for the film, which you'll find below, gives you a good idea of what the climbers had to overcome to stand on top. The rock climbing elements alone look challenging, particularly at altitude.
Dutch Peru Expeditie 2012 Trailer from vincent van beek on Vimeo.
The team captured plenty of video of the climb and they plan on releasing the full film down the line. The trailer for the film, which you'll find below, gives you a good idea of what the climbers had to overcome to stand on top. The rock climbing elements alone look challenging, particularly at altitude.
Planet Ice Project Goes To Peru
The Planet Ice Project is the brainchild of writer and photographer James Martin, who has been traveling the planet on a two year journey to chronicle the health of the planet's ice at a variety of locations ranging from the North to South Pole, with stops on Kilimanjaro, the Mountains of the Moon, and more along the way. When the journey is done, Martin will publish a book with thoughts and photographs on his travels.
The next stop on this globe trotting planetary check-up was the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of Peru, where he hoped to capture images of ice above a tropical setting on the Equator. Martin visited the Huascaran National Park near Huaraz back in June, and filed his latest report on his finding over at GreatOutdoors.com.
Spending four days in the region, hiking from the Cashapampa up to 15,600 feet at the Punta Union Pass, he discovered what he was looking for. Ice could be seen on a number of peaks that surrounded his location, giving him a breathtaking view, while still basking in the relatively warm, equatorial sun.
When the Project is complete, it should make for a great coffee table book with stunning photos and interesting stories from around the planet. Martin has visited some remote and legendary places on his journey, and he isn't done yet. If I had one complaint about the Planet Ice Project though, it's that the reports from the field are often too short and too far between.
Stranded Comes to Theaters Oct. 22.
On October 22nd, a new film will release to theaters entitled Stranded, that tells the tale of a 1972 Uruguayan rugby team that was flying to Chile for a match, when their plane went down in the mountains. Searches were conducted for days, but the remoteness of the region made rescue efforts nearly impossible, and the chances of find the plane, or any of the survivors were next to impossible. 72-days later 16 members of the team were found alive, having made their way out to civilization.
Many of you are probably familiar with this story already, having read countless books and articles on it or having seen the 1993 film Alive, which also reenacted the key events, but Stranded is a documentary that not only tells the story in a new and more intimate way, but also returns to the site of the crash with the survivors, for the first time in 35 years.
The film has already garnered a lot of attention, and has won several awards at major film festivals. On the official website, you'll find more information about the film and the event that it depicts, including a brief synopsis and more indepth facts on what happened. There are even some advanced reviews to give you an idea of the quality of the film, and I'll be posting my thoughts on it as well, once I've had the opportunity to view it.
For now, check out the trailer below to give you an idea of what to expect, and then keep your eyes open for the film opening in a theater near you soon.
Many of you are probably familiar with this story already, having read countless books and articles on it or having seen the 1993 film Alive, which also reenacted the key events, but Stranded is a documentary that not only tells the story in a new and more intimate way, but also returns to the site of the crash with the survivors, for the first time in 35 years.
The film has already garnered a lot of attention, and has won several awards at major film festivals. On the official website, you'll find more information about the film and the event that it depicts, including a brief synopsis and more indepth facts on what happened. There are even some advanced reviews to give you an idea of the quality of the film, and I'll be posting my thoughts on it as well, once I've had the opportunity to view it.
For now, check out the trailer below to give you an idea of what to expect, and then keep your eyes open for the film opening in a theater near you soon.
Alive!! 35 years later!
We all know the story of Alive!, the true life adventure of a Uruguayan rugby team that was stranded in the Andes for 72 days following a plane crash. Well now, nearly 35 years later, more insight into the incident is coming to light. First, you have this story over at National Geographic Adventure, which features interviews with suvivors, interactive 3D maps, photos, and more. Now, we have a second article from Outside Magazine that offers a preview of their upcoming April Issue cover story, in which they talk to Nando Parrado, a survivor of the crash, and author of the book Miracle in the Andes.
This is one of the most impressive and mind boggling survival stories of all time. It's amazing that any of these men survived, and even more so when you think of everything they had to go through. Oh! And the movie ain't bad either.
This is one of the most impressive and mind boggling survival stories of all time. It's amazing that any of these men survived, and even more so when you think of everything they had to go through. Oh! And the movie ain't bad either.