Adventure Travel Briefs: A Cruise Ship in the Northwest Passage and Is Adventure Travel Endangered?

There have been a number of interesting stories to come out of the adventure travel industry lately, not all of which are worth their own post, but together they make an interesting story to share with readers. For those of you out there who enjoy pursing some adventures of their own, here are a couple of things to have on your radar.

Luxury Cruise Ship Sails the Northwest Passage
In recent years, climate change has allowed the famed Northwest Passage – an area of open sea in the Arctic Ocean above Canada – to become far less treacherous and more navigable by boat. In the past, the ice would either stay locked in place even during the summer months, or the route would remain dangerous due to large ice bergs choking the path. That isn't the case any longer, and for several months each year it is possible to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Arctic.

Now, a luxury cruise ship by the name of Serenity has embarked on a 32-day journey across the entire passage. The ship set sail from Seward, Alaska last week, and is now making its way towards New York City. While small ships have made their way along the legendary route in recent years, this is the first time a large ship has done so. The Serenity can carry more than 1700 people.

Hopefully the cruise goes off without any major issues. The Canadian Coast Guard estimates its response time to an emergency at 11 hours. That's a long time should anything go wrong. Fingers crossed this doesn't become a major trend either, as the Arctic Ocean is still a very fragile ecosystem.


Richard Bangs Takes Us to Madagascar
Mysterious and enchanting, Madagascar is high on my places to visit that I haven't been lucky enough to get to just yet. I'm even more intrigued after reading Richard Bangs' recent article for The Huffington Post, in which he delves into the history, culture, and people that live on the island country just off the coast of Africa.

In the incredibly well written piece, Bangs paints an impressive picture of the place, which is at a crossroads environmentally, and yet is still a fascinating ecological preserve filled with creatures that aren't found anywhere else on Earth. Amongst those creatures are Madagascar's famous lemurs, which are held in high regard by the locals and it is strictly forbidden to kill. But in his travel through the land, Richard goes in search of a rumored restaurant that allegedly serves lemur on the menu. Does he find it? And what other wonders does he discover there? Read on to find out.

Is Adventure Travel an Endangered Species?
Our final adventure travel story come from the blog at Tusker Trail. The article was written awhile back, but still asks an intriguing question – Is adventure travel an endangered species? In the article, the author indicates that fear and a desire for safety and security are causing many travelers to abandon their hopes of living an adventurous life, with many now playing it safe and sticking close to home.

With terrorist attacks taking place all over Europe, strange diseases like Ebola and Zika, striking Africa and South America, and other potential threats making headlines, it is easy to get caught up in the belief that danger is lurking around every corner when you start to wander too far from home. But, in reality, we all know that isn't the case, and that these are mostly isolated incidences that are far from the norm.

Yes, travelers do accept that there is always the potential for danger when setting out on an adventurous excursion. But, isn't that a part of adventure travel? As the Tusker article says, adventure travel may be compromised, but it is far from dead. There are still plenty of amazing places to go, things to do, and sites to see. As the author says, study your destination thoroughly, do your homework ahead of time, and know what you're getting yourself into. Chances are, you'll be better prepared to deal with situations as they arise, and probably avoid danger altogether. At the very lest, don't let fear keep you from traveling the world and seeking out adventure.

Something I agree with wholeheartedly.

Swiss Climber Sets New Slackline Record on Kilimanjaro

This past weekend, Swiss alpinist Stephan Siegrist set a new record for the world's highest slackline by walking across a highline that had been set up at 5700 meters (18,700 ft) on Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. His efforts weren't without their challenges however, as gusting winds, low oxygen levels, and even snow conspired to make his walk a difficult one.

The 43-year old Siegrist set up a 21-meter length of line between two rock towers located at the Arrow Glacier Camp on Kili. The rope was set at a height of about 150 meters (492 feet), which left it exposed to the elements, which included a rise in gusting winds as the day went along. The weather forecast even included snow, which doesn't happen often on Kilimanjaro, but is possible when conditions are right just about any time of the year.

While slacklining balance is always a key, but at such high altitudes the body reacts slower to just about any physical challenge. That was the case here as well, as Siegrist found it difficult to make progress, even though he is very experienced at the sport. Eventually he did manage to cross the line successfully however, officially establishing the new record.

Slacklining has continued to grow in popularity in recent years, particularly as more people like Stephen put up impressive results in remote places. The previous record had been set last year in the Ladakh region of India. That mark was established by Hungarian climber Bence Kerekes who walked a line at about 5300 meters (17,388 ft). These records are most unofficial of course, as there is no real governing body to that oversees the claims.

While I'm not much of a slackliner myself, I can't help but be impressed by these attempts. One only needs to look at the image above to get a sense of great the view was where Siegrist was walking. I suspect we'll only continue to see these daredevils push the sport to new heights, both literally and figuratively. I'm sure someone is already planning such an attempt in the Himalaya.

Congrats to Stephen on his new record.

Climber Sets New Speed Record for Climbing Seven Summits

Climbing the Seven Summits remains quite a milestone in the world of outdoor adventure, but those hoping to do so in record time now have an impressive new mark to try to beat. American climber and endurance athlete Colin O'Brady reached the summit of Denali in Alaska this past weekend, wrapping up his quest to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents, a feat he accomplished in just 132 days.

O'Brady's Seven Summits bid started this past January, when he traveled to Antarctica to climb Mt. Vinson. He followed that up with Aconcagua in South America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, Elbrus in Europe, Everest in Asia, and Denali in North America. Those last two mountains were summited just eight days apart. The previous record for climbing the Seven Summits was 134 days, set by Vern Tejas back in 2010.

The Seven Summits speed record isn't the only one that O'Brady is claiming. Between climbing all of those mountains, he also managed to ski to both the South and North Pole, reaching the former on January 10 and the latter on April 19. That has given him claims of completing the "Explorers Grand Slam" as well. But, both of those excursions were last degree ski expeditions and did not cover the full distances to either of the Poles. Colin is claiming a record of 139 days to finish his entire project, which beats the previous record of 192 days.

O'Brady wasn't just going after speed records in his adventurous start to 2016. He also was working to raise $1 million for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as well. That organization is working to combat child obesity by inspiring kids to be more active and eat healthier too. Colin didn't quite hit that goal, raising about $15,772 instead, but for this important cause, every dollar counts.

Congrats to Colin on claiming the speed record for the Seven Summits. It seems like it will take a tremendous effort to by another climber to beat this mark.