My First 50 miler on a bike

Today I took part in a 50 mile bike ride called 'Tour of saints'.My first ever.Jasmine did the 35 mile course and we both finished! Yay! I had underestimated her capabilities and she totally blew my notions to smithereens.Her steely determination was mind blowing especially during the last leg. I am so proud of her,extremely proud of her! I clocked at an average of 13.5 miles/hr for the entire 50 miles.The heat was intense at 85 F,and it was rolling ups and downs which made the route even worse.Both our legs ache but we are proud of what we did today. Photos shared by the photographer who covered the event and whom we befriended.

trail running

My latest interest is trail running. I took part in a relay race event(paddling,running,mountain biking) over the weekend and I was doing the running part.It was a relatively small race and my portion was to do 5 K of trail running.Easy right? I did try to run a mile two days before the race on a trail but could never figure out directions within the woods and gave up. So,I really did not know what to expect and my trail running experience was zero to say the least. I did relatively okay and met my expectations,I ran the 5K part in 33 mins 22 secs.The fastest guy did it in a blistering 20m 54 s.Whew! My numbers was somewhere in the middle in the median curve. But i realized a few things when running the trail. It is much harder than regular road running.It is more fun as I am running between the trees and more close to nature.It is more work out for my legs, I used muscles which was never used before on paved path running and i can still feel soreness in them,downhill running is tough,foot placement is totally different which means more effort on ankles and I need to be more conscious of my running and where I put my feet so that i dont trip unlike paved path where you dont really look where you place your feet. The uphill and downhill constantly changes your tempo and you cannot sustain a regular breathing like you do on regular running which means more effort. Its a totally different ball game. I realized you just cannot run a trail without training specifically for it. I have registered for a 13.1 K trail run on Sep 22nd and I am hoping to have a better time with enough training behind my back.

Devara Samaradhane

"George Mallory was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. He was asked the question ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and his answer was ‘It is no use’. “There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behavior of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron. We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food. It’s no use. So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.”

A photo for the ages ...

On the skydeck at 'Willis tower' aka 'Sears tower' in Chicago.

Death, sadly, is part of life and when it crosses our doorstep we cannot stop or hold it up.

I'm 66 now and remember the friends I lost in a number of different environments (beyond the mountains) and wonder if a long life beats a short, dangerous one lived on the edge.

I don't know the answer still after all these years.

I have wondered many a times too.

Aurora borealis

We had a spectacular viewing of the Aurora Borealis in Minnesota yesterday night. We endured an entire sleepless night,drove 250 miles north towards the border and endured -5 wind chill cold to have one of the most amazing natural shows displayed to us. Bravo to Madhu who drove the entire night and refused to relinquish the driver's seat. I wish my photos had come out better but apparently being very dark my camera's focus was not spot on resulting in every photo being out of focus ,also it was very very windy which was moving the tripod resulting in shaken photos.But thats a moot point considering i got to see what i always wanted to see and it did not disappoint me and can cross out one more item from my life's wishlist.

We started at 6 Pm yesterday evening and came back at 6.30 AM today morning and am terribly exhausted.Caught few winks and have to go to office now for a design review ,hope i blurt out the right things.

Abhishek,Writu,Madhu and Divya - You guys were wonderful company and the best bunch of buddies ever.I am glad I did not have to go alone and had you guys for company which made the experience even more better.Love you guys!

Update:
Below photos were sent across by Divya which she shot.

VAIL..Like nothing on earth

The ski trip to Vail was a resounding success. Our customized 'Bangalore Ski and Snowboarding team' jersey with the tagline 'Mastering the art of falling since 2007' was a smashing hit among skiers on the slopes. But more importantly 'I GOT ENGAGED'. :)




Vail is BIGGGGG!!! Way bigger and longer than any of the slopes i have ever skied on in Minnesota,Wisconsin or Michigan. The gradients of the black diamonds are pretty much the same but the length of the runs leaves you with wobbly knees towards the end.There are tons of ungroomed terrain which is difficult on your knees and legs and i realized my leg and knee strength was pathetically inadequate for skiing on a mountain this big.BUT,I know what a black diamond is on the big mountains now and what to expect.

Vail is basically two huge mountains,the high point being 11,250 ft with spectacular views of colorado 14ers. Its so huge that the two days we had planned was grossly inadequate even to cover the front face of the mountain,we covered maybe 65%. You need probably a week or two to pretty much cover all the runs and i am not even talking about the double black diamonds here which is plenty.

Like i stated our jerseys were a big hit among the skiers.Many took photos,there were cheesy lines thrown across while standing in lines waiting for the ski lifts, surprisingly many people knew Bangalore and inquired whether we really came all the way from Bangalore to Vail. People stopped by to tell about their travel to India and how wonderful they found our country was. They shouted 'Bangalore ski team' from the top of the lifts,when they passed by,waved at us from high on the hills. It was really fun and we loved every moment of it!

I believe at a personal level i felt blessed to be skiing in such magnificent mountainous surroundings and i couldn't ask for more from life.My outlook on skiing changed quite a lot,i knew what i was capable of and what i was not and what i had to work upon.

I saved the best news for last - I GOT ENGAGED.Yes!! I got engaged to my sweetheart Jasmine while i was in Vail.Though i was 10,000 miles away, my family got together in Nagpur,India and had a small engagement ceremony and my girl looks gorgeous in those pics. Love you the most my dearest and looking forward to spending my lifetime with you. I will never ever forget that i got engaged while i was in VAIL - Like nothing on earth!

Ski training at Granite peak wisconsin

Me and my brother skiing at Granite peak ,wisconsin last weekend.

Want god,not religion

Just saw this on a advertising hoarding while riding the bus to office.As simple as the words are the meaning itself is pretty deep.I personally love these four simple words and can conjure up atleast a dozen reasons to support this.I think the world would be a better place.


Wonders of technology,I type this sitting on the bus.Long live the scientists and engineers of this world.

When i saw this video the first time I automatically cried. I don't know why. Maybe it was the voice,maybe it was the candidness with which he told his story,maybe the look in his eyes, maybe the questions that were asked,maybe the background music.

I guess that is the human side to all of us,there are some emotions we cannot control however old you are.We are emotional creatures.

COLD - First winter ascent in Karakoram

There are certain sections which i really liked in this interview which resonates my thoughts and ideals which i have highlighted,i could have probably highlighted the entire interview,this guy really knows how to express himself,kudos .

See the below trailer if you want to know what they did - http://vimeo.com/26767552

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/media/film/Banff-Interview-Cory-Richards.html?page=all

When Cory Richards was invited by two of his biggest heroes to document their climb up Gasherbrum II, he didn’t realize that he would become the first American to summit any of the 8,000-meter peaks in winter. In the process he survived -50 degree temperatures and an avalanche. Director Anson Fogel’s new documentary, Cold, uses Richards' footage to capture the extreme conditions under which Richards, Simone Moro, and Denis Urubko tackled the Pakistani peak. In addition to his work on Cold, Richards recently partnered with Renan Ozturk for the short films Khumbu Climbing School and As It Happens. Richards is at the Banff Mountain Film Festival this week, where Cold has been selected as a finalist. He took a break from signing posters to speak with us.

Did the climb change how you felt about Moro and Urubko?
It’s almost paradoxical, because your heroes become just “other people.” At the same time, you gain more reverence for them because you see what they can endure. Watching them suffer and seeing how they dealt with that—I have more and more and more respect for them. They’re still my heroes, but the word “hero” takes on a different meaning. They’re my heroes because they’re very human, but they’re still tough and able to endure things that I can’t.

But—you did.
Yeah, I know. But I almost feel like I was a spectator. It was a very hard and trying experience for me, but when I talk about it, it’s more about Simone and Denis. I can’t speak to what they personally walked away with, but their characters allow me to tell my story. It’s weird. I think it’s partly because I’m still getting used to being in front of people. I’ve always been the person who takes the pictures, not talks about it.

Some of the most captivating adventure stories are near-death experiences. Do you think it’s weird to produce a product that only gets better the closer you get to dying?
It’s extremely strange. And I find it unfortunate that we have to go through these incredibly traumatic experiences to communicate something that’s as simple as, hey, this is a finite experience, and we should be doing everything in our power to live it to its fullest. That’s the tragedy of it: the message only comes through when something really bad happens. If you just get to the top and come down, that’s a really successful climb. Truthfully, that’s better climbing. But it doesn’t have the same impact as a story because you don’t have the drama.

In a high-stakes situation, do you get off on perfectionism?
I think there’s a thrill in knowing that you did everything correctly. We did everything right on Gasherbrum, up to the point where we were in a place were we shouldn’t have been. We were in an exposed terrain trap. And we knew we were making a mistake at the time, but it was sort of an unavoidable mistake, and we had to commit to that mistake. I love that, too. It shows that we can still make all the right decisions, but the mountain’s always in charge.

It sounds like you’re making a god out of the mountain.
I don’t think you’ve created a god out of the mountain, I think you’re just respecting the natural world and your place in it. Knowing that you’re engaging in something that ultimately can harm you, and knowing that you’re surrendering an element of control, I think is very liberating. That’s striking at the heart of adventure. Adventure is saying, I have a goal, and I don’t know the outcomes, and it might not end well.

You mentioned that you were thankful for everything after Gasherbrum. Did it last?
Y’know, it’s funny, you come back, and are thankful. But, over time, the freshness and the rawness that’s exposed—all those layers that are peeled back in that instant—they start to grow back, and the wound isn’t so fresh. Over time, you fall into the same patterns. That’s natural; that’s healing. But it’s unfortunate because it erases the beauty of that really raw emotion and vulnerability that’s exposed as a result of that experience.

What do you want people to take away from your story?
We spend so much time doing mundane shit that we don’t need or want to do, and I believe strongly that, because life is finite, it’s our responsibility to do what makes our hearts beat faster. The point I walked away with is universal. I want people to have their own experiences. It’s just so important for people to go out there and get after it.

A brown Christmas sucks

No snow in minneapolis this year.A Christmas without snow just does not feel right in minneapolis. Kinda sucks!

Funny coming from an Indian who is a Hindu.

Are my achievements comparable to Sehwag?

Well, he scored 219 runs,the highest ever total in cricket one day international and I made a score of 204 in Bowling,my best score ever!

I think it is!

Two people producing their best ever in their lifetimes! :) Disagree?

This is how my play looked like

X 9 9/ X X X 9 9 X XXX = 204

VIVA MEXICO!

Had gone diving in Mexico for a week for thanksgiving and it was tremendous fun.

Great mexican food.Really! Vegetarians do have lot of options.Boy!I love tortilla's and Habenaro sauce.Chipotle - you suck in making tortilla's!

It was fun to drink coconut water out of coconuts after a very long time.

Fun haggling with roadside vendors who used to greet us with 'Namastes' and tried to attact us by saying 'Everything is 1 rupee' (Though it was not!)

Bribed myself out of a road violation ticket for 300 pesos with a traffic cop.

Friendly people and surprisingly clean cities.

Chichen Itza was wonderful and Tulum was spectacular.Coba and Ek balam were remote and secluded and very peaceful and had the mayan ruins mostly to ourselves to explore.

Diving wise it was pretty awesome, a lot of first's on my diving resume. First cavern diving,first night dive, First drift dive,First shark dive.We did 7 dives in 3 days.The second largest reef in world runs through mexico through yucatan peninsula which we happened to see during our deep dive.

The Bull shark dive was simply amazing.Had never observed sharks from so close quarters and we had about 14-15 of them swirling around us. Scary at first but then you get into your comfort zone knowing that they dont really care about you much unless you do something stupid like waving your arms at them or holding out your arm as to feed them,you can be rest assured you will be limbless within minutes. :)

The cavern dive had wonderful stalactites and stalagmites underwater.

The night dives are more spectacular than day dives marine life wise,saw a ton of moray eels,sea urchins,turtles,sting rays

It was a pity missing out on Cozumel because of dive permit confusions.Well,maybe next time.

VIVA MEXICO!

Jumping infront of Chichen-itza






More photos will be uploaded on my flickr later.

This will be Epic!!

I just read that the russians are trying to scale K2 this winter. Wow!! Seriously wow!! Read it here..
Keep a look out for these hardy men!

Guess what?

Guess what? I had Jerzy Kukuczka's 'My vertical world' delivered at my doorstep today morning and i didn't buy it or order it. Whoever sent it got me one of the greatest memorable gifts of my lifetime.Thank you very very much! You have no idea what this gesture means to me irrespective of how the book ends up as a read, I can't thank you enough. You should have really seen my face when i opened the package and saw the title on the book. :)

Kukuczka - Can you pronounce it??

Even i don't know how to pronounce it correctly after all these years of idolizing him.His complete name is Jerzy Kukuczka. To me he is the greatest high altitude mountaineer of all time,no second thoughts.The god of climbing in Himalayas.In my eyes he is far superior than Reinhold messner who is generally considered to be the greatest high altitude climber of all time being the first to climb all the 14 8000 meter peaks.

Jerzy Kukuczka was the second to do it.Sadly the world never remember's second placers,not in any sport or any sort of competition.

He climbed the 14 8000 ers in 8 years compared to Reinhold messner's 14 years and i believe holds the record for climbing all of them in the shortest duration. In the process, Kukuczka established ten new routes and climbed four summits in winter.

Out of the 14 mountains only 9 had been climbed in winter before 2010 and none in the Karakorum range, until last year when G2 was knocked off making it ten.

Of the 9 climbed before 2010,4 were done by Jerzy kuckzka.

To give an idea about how winter climbing compares,here is a write up i found on the web.

Winter is a whole different story with base camp having a average temperature of -20 and that gives the frostbite time in around 30 minutes. The average summit temperature is around -90 which gives a average frostbite time in just 5 minutes or less. Usually 3 out of 4 days the summit is blown with hurricane force winds. It's dry, very windy, cold , and dark. There is low humidity which is about the only plus of winter climbing.

For me the bench mark is his climb of K2 via the south face.

South Face or “Polish Line”- In 1986, Jerzy Kukuczka and Tadeusz Piotrowski summited on this route. This dangerous avalanche route is also called “Suicidal Route” as no one else even attempted it.

In my mind he is the greatest ever!

Why am i suddenly writing about him? Because,they are going to release a documentary about him. Read it here - http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=20476.

I am really excited and looking forward to see this documentary on one of my climbing heroes.

Infact he has written an autobiography My Vertical World: Climbing the 8000-Metre Peaks which i have been trying to lay my hands upon for a long time. Its out of publication and the used ones sell at 149$ on Amazon,yikes!!I am still looking for a benefactor who has it and would lend it to me or even better present it to me. :)

E.S.POSTHUMUS

I have become a huge fan of this group.They are an independent group which produces cinematic style music.Wikipedia classifies them as modern classical,new age music,symphonic rock.Their music has been used in umpteen movies.Try them you might like it. My work out playlist is loaded with them,just inspiring music.

Denali through videos..

Taking off from Talkeetna:


First view of Denali - It is massive and stands out in the alaskan range.


A closer view of Denali flying in:


Landing on the Kalhitna glacier:


Basecamp:


Moving from Basecamp to Camp 1


Typical day setting up Camp


Camp 1


Caching inbetween Camp 1 and Camp 2.View of the Kalhithna dome.


Moving Back to Camp 1 after caching.


Moving to 11K camp


14K camp


Moving to 17K camp from 14K




16K ridge on Denali



17K camp on Denali- Route description



Summit Video:


The day after summit-ting denali ,at 17K camp



Flying out of the Alaskan ranges(Long video)