Everest. Photo: Shutterstock
After communications with a camp on the North Side of Everest, Alan Arnette has upped the fatalities for the 2012 season to 11. The climbing blogger recently conducted a phone interview with Jamie McGuinness of Project Himalaya. The details of the two confirmed deaths, and one presumed death, are listed below.
Everyone loves Smartwool.
The company wormed its way into our hearts straight through the soles of our feet with its merino socks. It took over both our closets and our dresser drawers with socks, underwear, long underwear, hiking apparel and even wool-insulated jackets.
Electric bikes are for wussies, right? They're alright for commuting but they're not for sport. That might have been true in the past, but if Audi's Wörthersee e-bike and the Parlee-Toyota Prius X concept bike are any indication, things are changing.
Audi introduced the Wörthersee e-bike just last week and Toyota partnered with Parlee Cycles on a electric-assist road bike last year. Unlike other carmakers—Volkswagen, Mercedes, Lexus, Hyundai and Daimler/SmartCar—that have made recent forays into the electric bike niche, these concept bikes are not designed for commuting or easy transport inside the car. They're all about pushing technological boundaries.
Audi packed its e-bike with bells and whistles, including a setting that assists the rider into a wheelie, then helps him balance the bike and sustain one-wheel momentum. The rider can pedal with or without the motor's assistance, but when using it she can adjust the throttle by leaning her body forward or backward to control the motor speed. The bike has integrated LED lighting and an air-sprung front fork with 5.12 inches of travel. Plus, there's no need for a bike lock. A smartphone disables the bike while you're not on it.
Over parts of the last decade, cell-phone tower climbers were 10 times more likely to die on the job than construction workers. As cell-phone carriers struggled to keep up with new technologies, fix their towers to work properly after company mergers, and make sure their networks could handle rising demand, the climbers often paid a price. From 2003 to 2011, 50 climbers died while working. This news is coming to light thanks to a cooperative investigation by Pro Publica and Frontline. Some of the details in their investigation, listed below, show a lack of regard for safety and an economic scheme that favored middlemen, rather than the men putting their lives at risk.
Walltopia will team up with Chris Sharma to design a gym. Above is a previous gym design with a 360-degree tour.
Those that have dreams of climbing like Chris Sharma have two new tools to help them reach their goal. Last week, Rock and Ice teamed up with Sharma to put out the first video in a series of climbing tutorials. Then, last Friday, Sharma released a video sharing news about Sender One, his new climbing gym in Santa Ana, California.
Many Walltopia-designed gyms feature creations that appeal to children
Sender One will open in this fall and feature designs by Sharma and climbing wall manufacturer Walltopia. The 25,000-square-foot gym will feature 50-foot route walls, 18-foot bouldering walls, an IFSC standardized speed climbing wall, an LED backlit and translucent "Space Design" wall, and a Funtopia wall for kids.
By Gear Shed
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