Adventure in 60 Seconds: This Week in Exploration

Text by Tetsuhiko Endo

Norwegian, German, and Swiss climbing teams established enormous new ice climbs around Norway, culminating with what might be the longest waterfall climb in the world (climbing.com), while mother of four Jacinda “JC” Hunter locked down the first female ascent of Breaking the Law (5.14b) in Utah (climbing.com). 

At higher elevations, Austrian Gerfried Goschl is planning to climb a new route on the North West face of Nanga Parbat, as well as establish an undisclosed FA on K2 (mounteverest.net). With 32 confirmed teams taking a shot at the summit of Everest, you can bet that there won't be too many new lines being opened, but it promises to be an exciting season (alanarnette.com).

Christina Franco’s ski solo to the North Pole came to an disappointing end when her stove stopped working and she was forced to abandon attempt (thepoles.com). Luckily, fellow Brit Olly Hicks’s equipment was working just fine, as he endured “Hellish Fierce” seas in the Southern Ocean, now 45 days into his attempt to row around the world (in a boat dubbed "The Flying Carrot") (virginglobalrow.com). He was waiting out the storm with candy bars and Don Quixote, while yet another rowing Brit, Sarah Outen announced her own quixotic plans to become the first woman to row across the Indian Ocean, which is roughly twice the size of the Atlantic (theoceans.net). 

Australian and American researchers studying the Tasman Fracture, which plunges nearly three miles beneath the waves, found carnivorous sea squirts, among other never-seen-before creatures (cnn.com). And speaking of discoveries, a joint team of Egyptian and European archaeologists have uncovered two statues of king Amenhotep III in the desert sands (news.yahoo.com).