Giant Rock Slab Falls Off The Eiger

According to this article over at Outside Online, a huge piece of rock, weighing "millions of tons", has fallen off the side of Eiger, a 13,000+ foot peak in Switzerland. The slab was pushed loose by retreating glaciers, and has been threatening to fall for several months.

Eiger is one of the most recognizable and challenging climbs in Europe, with a sheer wall leading to the top of the tower. It was also immortalized in the 1975 Clint Eastwood movie The Eiger Sanction.

Tour Update: Landis in Yellow!

After two grueling days in the Pyrenees, American Floyd Landis has taken the Yellow Jersey and now leads the Tour de France. The last two stages were marked with monsterous Category 1, and even steeper, climbs that have left the sprinters in the dust and have begun to seperate the pretenders from the contenders. Tomorrow's stage returns to the flat lands, which should favor the sprinters once more, but the Alps loom on the horizon where this year's Tour will be settled once and for all. Could the top spot go from Lance to Landis? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

Rowing (and Racing) Across The Atlantic

110 years ago, two men set out from the Hudson River to become the first to row a boat across the Atlantic Ocean. They made it. And in just 55 days no less. Their record stands even to this day, but perhaps not for much longer. TheOceans.net has an update from one of the four teams that are not only racing one another, but history, as they attempt to row across the Atlantic.

The teams left New York on June 10th and at this point, the British "Commando Joe" team is not only half-way home, but half-way to the new record as well!

Reflections on Everest from GreatOutdoors.com

The Everest climbing season has come and gone, but it's not one that will be forgotten too soon. It was an eventful year, starting with the unrest in Nepal as the season started, followed by a large numbers of climbers, many of them first timers, making their way out to Base Camp. We had the controversy on the mountain this year, as everyone debated the David Sharpe incident, which was followed up with the dramatic rescue of Lincoln Hall. All told, some 15 people lost their lives going for the summit this year, marking a tragic, and hectic climbing season.

The GreatOutdoors.com sent Dave Hahn to Everest this year, and he sent back daily dispatches on what was happening on the mountain. Now that the season is long past, and Dave has leading climbs on Mount Rainier and Denali, it's time to reflect on the season that has passed. He does just that in this article that discusses his own summit attempt and the tumultuous season that was Everest 2006.

Summer Gear from Outside

I also stumbled across Outsides Summer Gear Review while browsing around their site today. You'll find all kinds of great gear ideas for all your summer needs with everything broken down into four categories, Run, Ride, Climb, and Hike. If you read regularly, you know I'm a gear junkie whose always looking for something new to add to my gear closet. On their list, I'll take Arc'Teryx's Squamish shell, Osprey's Stratos pack, and The North Face's Hedgehog XCR hikers. So much gear. So little money! ;)

Tour Update: Now, it Gets Tough!

While you catch-up on todays stage of the Tour de France courtesy of Outside Magazine, keep in mind that tomorrow, everything changes. Thus far the stages have been relatively flat, favoring the sprinters, with a couple of time trials mixed in. But the race will be won and lost, as always, in the mountains. Tomorrows stage moves into the Pyrenees with several big category 1 climbs, including one that is nearly 20 miles in length. Then on Thursday, the stage gets even tougher yet.

The High Points Expedition

I found this blog over at Mountain Zone today, and it should be of interest to anyone who is into climbing. It's written by Ray Klukoske who has undertaken the monumental task of reaching the highest point in all 50 states without the use of a motorized vehicle. Ray kicks if off in style, starting with the highest of the high points, Denali in Alaska. I highly recommend reading this blog, as it's an awesome start to what should be an awesome expedition. I'll post updates from Ray as they come in, and I'll add this to the growing list of great blogs over at Mountain Zone.