Adventure Magazine Issue 160

New ZealaNd

Issue 160JUNE/JULY 2010NZ$7.90 incl. GST AUST $6.90 incl. GST USA $9.99 CANADA $9.99

adventureeducationpaid to play

alaskaout of the fridge and into the freezer

walking on a dreamacross iran on foot

160

Issue #160//New ZealaNd’s PReMIeR adVeNTuRe MaGaZINe sINCe 1981

//

Winter issue

New ZealaNd

juNe-july 2010/wheRe aCTIoNs sPeak loudeR ThaN woRds//

© L

owep

ro.

All

right

s re

serv

ed.

Pho

to:

Mitc

h R

ice

Introducing the Versapack 200 AWThe dual-compartment, multi-use backpack.

Quickly rotate left or right and access gear from either side.

The upper compartment offers lots of space for personal gear.

Lightweight, versatile and ready for adventure

Distributed in New Zealand by: MACALISTEREmail: [email protected] I Ph: 09 573 1650 I www.macalister.co.nz

Other inventive features include: Lowepro’s patented All Weather AW Cover™, lightweight performance fabrics and a Hideaway Tripod Mount™. To learn more, visit www.lowepro.com/versapack

AD_Versapack_A4_Blue.indd 1 12/05/2010 4:38:30 p.m.

Editor Steve Dickinson Ph: (09) 428 3182 (09) 428 2443 | Mob: 027 577 5014

[email protected]

AdvErtising sAlEs Lisa Young Ph: (09) 428 3043 [email protected]

Art dirEctor Nina Blackburn Ph: (09) 428 [email protected]

WEb guruErik Baars, [email protected]

subscriptions mAnAgErCourtney Johns, Ph: (09) 428 3046 [email protected]

contributing WritErs And photogrAphErsChris McLennan, Shaun White, Stefan Glowacz, Adam Moran, Klaus Fengler, Mark Kalch, Duane Schroeder, Magnus Wiström, Alice Tollestrup

distributionGordon & Gotch, Ph (09) 979 3000

othEr publicAtionsCurl | Ski & Snow | Prime Times

publishErsNZ Adventure magazine is published six times a year by: Pacific Media Ltd, P.O.Box 562 Whangaparaoa, New ZealandPh (09) 428 3182 | Fax: (09) 428 2443Email: [email protected]

Contributions of articles and photos are welcome and must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Photographic material should be on slide, although good quality prints may be considered. All care is taken but no responsibility accepted for submitted material. All work published may be used on our website. Material in this publication may not be reproduced without permission. While the publishers have taken all reasonable precautions and made all reasonable effort to ensure the accuracy of material in this publication, it is a condition of purchase of this magazine that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in this publication, or from the use of information contained herein and the publishers make no warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to any of the material contained herein.

Pacific Media Publications are indePendently audited by cleaver & co chartered accountants

//160winter/education issue

www.adventuremagazine.co.nz//1

Editor’s note 160th Issuewe keep hitting these milestones and like a speed bump they can give you a bit of a jolt.

You look at where you are, where you have been and where you might be going. You’ll see in this issue a few new ideas; like a short editorial on our regular contributors and each issue we will bring you insight into who works with us and what goes on behind the scenes. You’ll also see some authentic information about the cover shots and gain some background on image. Plus a few sections in the magazine called ‘captured’; these are small hard hitting features of high interest – we hope you enjoy. On our website www.adventuremagazine.co.nz you will find the full unedited version of some of the features and additional imagery that we simply could not fit in the magazine.

For over 160 issues we (and others before us) have been moulding new zealand adventure into the adventure icon it has become, thanks to all our contributors, photographers, writers, designers, printers and everyone in between who have made it happen. enjoy this winter issue and keep firing through your feedback. -- Steve Dickinson

mark Kalch is an explorer and adventurer whose unsupported expeditions have taken him from everest to north africa, from ethiopia’s omo valley to the mighty amazon and a solo trek across the islamic republic of iran.

in the last 12 years he has walked the length of the omo river in Southern ethiopia, rafted down the mighty amazon river from its source in the Peruvian andes to the atlantic ocean off the coast of Brazil, run rivers in Southern africa, trekked in the andes of Peru, forged trails through dense jungles in east africa and explored deserted tropical islands off the coast of australia by sea-kayak.

in 2010, mark successfully walked solo and unsupported from the northernmost point of the islamic republic of iran to its most southerly border in the Persian gulf.

mark is sponsored by Suunto, rab, zeal optics, Sony and meindl.For more information, or to view mark’s gallery, visit www.markkalch.com

in the Limelight mark kalch, contributor

cover: tanner hall at retallack, nelson, Bc, canada photo By Blake jorgenson redBull

Blake Jorgenson is a renowned photographer with world famous clients. to view his gallery, visit www.blakejorgenson.com or visit his Facebook fan page.

shaun white, project xphoto By adam moran

www.adventuremagazine.co.nz//�

winter/education issue

//16012 OutOfthefridgeandintOthefreezer24 PrOjectX:ShOwtimeinSilvertOn30 PatagOniaPOker34 mtOlymPuS:nOtjuStfOrthegOdS36 walkingOnadream:acrOSSiranOnfOOt42 terminuSnarvik50 thewilderneSSOfwarrantieS56 educatiOnfeature76 hOtham…theultimatewinterdeStinatiOnregulars//60 Just random //62 subscription //75 nikon photo competition //64 gear buyers guide //80 classifieds

Fraser McdougallSeen through the lens of Tim Pierce

Raging Viking Jacketthenorthface.com.au

AU stockists: 02 8306 3311NZ stockists: 0800 805 806

The North Face® Snow Report

NOR261_FRASER_420x297.indd 1 19/04/10 10:20 AM

Fraser McdougallSeen through the lens of Tim Pierce

Raging Viking Jacketthenorthface.com.au

AU stockists: 02 8306 3311NZ stockists: 0800 805 806

The North Face® Snow Report

NOR261_FRASER_420x297.indd 1 19/04/10 10:20 AM

TMA_DPS_Adventure_April.May2010.indd 1 8/03/2010 4:10:09 p.m.

New All Mountain InfernoPart of the new Timberland® Mountain Athletics® series designed for speed. Highly breathable, waterproof Gore-Tex ® technology. Independent Suspension Network™ technology adapts to varying terrain. Green Rubber™ soles made from 42% recycled tires that taste disgusting. But bears don’t know that. Distributed by Brittain Wynyard & Co Ltd. Ph: (09) 309 0519 for stockists.Ti

mbe

rland

, If

You

’re N

ot F

ast,

You’

re F

ood,

Mou

ntai

n A

thle

tics,

Inde

pend

ent S

uspe

nsio

n N

etw

ork,

and

Tak

e it

All

On

are

trad

emar

ks o

f The

Tim

berla

nd C

ompa

ny. G

ore-

Tex

is a

trad

emar

k of

W.L

. Gor

e &

Ass

ocia

tes,

Inc.

Gre

en R

ubbe

r is

a tr

adem

ark

of E

last

omer

Tec

hnol

ogie

s, In

c.

TAke IT All oN™

IFYOU’RENOT FASTYOU’REFOOD

TMA_DPS_Adventure_April.May2010.indd 2 8/03/2010 4:10:11 p.m.

n captured jasper

nestled deep in the alberta rockies, Jasper is a human oasis in a sea of natural wilderness, peaks crown the horizon in every direction, steep forests covered slopes and lakes are as common as animals, and the animals are everywhere!

mountain sheep, bears, wolves, elk and mountain goats have a protected home here, and can often be seen when simply driving down the road (in fact normally standing in the middle of the road). to the point that the elk and goats can be a traffic hazard and can cause traffic jams, it is a legitimate excuse for being late to work!

Jasper is a place of grandeur, you feel swapped by the natural majesty of the environment. the mountain views are breathtaking just simply driving down the road.

in particular, the road south of Jasper to Lake Louise is renowned for its amazing scenery. the ice Highway is littered with frozen lakes, glaciers, frozen waterfalls and mountains, the trip which is supposed to be a 4-5 hour drive takes all day because you must keep stopping to take pictures and admire the view.

in the town of Jasper itself, visitors enjoy a peaceful small-town atmosphere; there are all the normal retail outlets, restaurants and

accommodation, we were lucky enough to stay at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge which was an amazing experience. there is nothing like waking up in the morning to 10 centimetres of new snow and a full grown elk looking at your through the window.

in winter skiing and snowboarding are a major drawcard to the areas, the seemingly unending slopes of marmot Basin Ski area are just 20 minutes away from the town, you can drive up or there is a daily bus. marmot is a great place for all skill levels and because of its location on the eastern slopes of the rockies; the alpine bowls have some the driest natural powder in the rockies.

recently, marmot installed the canadian rockies express, the longest new high-speed quad chairlift in alberta. the new lift has a slope length of approximately 2,300 meters and a vertical rise of 596 meters. there is now quicker access to all that amazing snow. marmot offers up all the usual amazing canadian resort experience, but instead of staying on the mountain the resort accommodation is based around the town of Jasper which gives it its own unique flavour.

if you are just in town to take in the natural environment or there to hit the slopes Jasper is one of those places that must be visited. n

Just a little on Jasper...

jasper park lodge jasper town m peak

10//wHere actionS SPeaK Louder tHan wordS/#160

The Fairmont jasper Park lodge on 903 acres of pristine wilderness stands the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Situated along the emerald shores of Lac Beauvert, this resort is a village of cedar chalets and heritage log cabins connected by picturesque paths. the 446 guest rooms are luxuriously appointed and feature homelike comforts including down duvets and pillows, bathrobes, a coffee maker and mini fridge. the nine restaurants and lounges offer a delicious assortment of local cuisine, set amongst a spectacular mountainous setting. a variety of outdoor activities are available throughout the year offering an outdoor experience for everyone.

www.fairmont.com/jasperwww.skimarmot.com/


//160//PHoto gaLLerY/cHriS mcLennan

Out Of the fridge and

intO the freezer

PhoTos aNd woRds cHriS mcLennan

Having just left the ski fields of Vail and a tropical minus 10 C, I was now back in Fairbanks, alaska for the second time - at minus 35 c! my hosts from the

alaska travel industry association had pulled together an amazing itinerary and i was thrilled to be here in the icy throes of winter.


My first challenge; to photograph the wonder of the Northern Lights or “aurora Borealis”, so named after the greek goddess of dawn ‘aurora’ and the greek name for the northern wind ‘Boreas’. my journey started by 4WD from Fairbanks along the treacherous Dalton Highway to my first stop - coldfoot - home of the tv show “ice road truckers”.

in blizzard conditions we drove 8 hours to cross the arctic circle and enter the Brooks range. a spectacle to behold even with falling snow and fog only allowing me temptingly brief glimpses of the rugged mountain range in front of us. a sudden break in the clouds on chandalar shelf revealed close to 1000 caribou hugging the mountainside, shrouded in mist. Just as i had my camera set up a group of several hundred broke off and came running full speed down the slopes straight towards me, providing a great series of images. my local guide explained they were probably being chased by a wolf... i just wished i could have seen it.

From there we travelled back to Slate creek inn at coldfoot for warm “arctic” style ice road trucker hospitality. no letup in the snow...and no northern Lights yet. But what i had learnt was some fascinatingly technical information on what causes the northern Lights, but that’s for someone else to write down.

An early flight back across the Arctic Circle down to Fairbanks the next day saw clear skies at last and gave me an indication of what i had been missing. a huge expanse of glistening snow and ice blanketed my world from horizon to horizon. Landing at Fairbanks it began snowing

again, there would be no northern lights tonight. instead i ventured out to see the world ice carving champs, a visual spectacle purely in its own right. wow! the forms these artists had created were mind-boggling. Eight metre high towers of finely sculptured ice with more detail than i could imagine in any Southern Hemisphere equivalent (sand castle anyone)? my camera was re-introduced to the cold as i snapped away, recording their fine works of art.

the next day i moved to chena Hot Springs – another renowned northern Lights viewing area and hopefully my ‘third time lucky’ charm. we took a rugged trip up a nearby hillside in a bouncing snow machine and sat waiting until 2am for the northern Lights to appear. as i sat amongst the constant buzz of “you should have been here yesterday” stories i watched the snow fall and willed the visibility to improve. But the weather gods weren’t listening and i was fast losing hope of seeing the elusive northern Lights.

after a soak in the natural hot pools the next morning it was back to Fairbanks. northern Lights aside my travels around alaska were revealing an exceedingly stunning winter landscape and i was being amazed by this country all over again. that evening as night approached the skies finally cleared and I headed out of town to a remote spot to wait. By 11 o’clock my fervent hopes were finally answered and sure enough, there were the northern Lights! what a sight to behold! Blazing and shimmering across the sky they were well worth the wait... i’d been

dog sled team at sunset on the frozen yukon river

www.adventuremagazine.co.nz//1�

standing knee deep in snow at minus 35 degrees c for four hours and i still couldn’t tear myself away. what a truly magical experience.

From here it was a repack of gear for the small plane trip to galena. three LowePro camera bags full of my canon kit, layers and layers of “polar expedition” attire from raB clothing, a dose of adrenaline and i was set to go!

upon arriving in the remote village of galena i was met by an icy blast of minus 35 c – though it was midday and sunny - along with Jon, an amazingly friendly guy who was to be my host and personal guide for the next few days. He was a previous 2 time competitor in the iditarod dogsled race across alaska and was running the galena checkpoint for this year’s race.

Jon treated me to a quick visit to his home - a traditional “yurt” with no running water or electricity. He had lived here with his wife and young family for 11 years and they were some of the happiest people i have ever met! modern technology be damned.

on with more layers, load up the snowmobiles, attach the sled full of supplies and we were off... as we dropped down onto the frozen Yukon river i was in absolute awe over this amazingly surreal landscape. it was intensely cold yet with crystal clear skies the light carved out patterns and textures all around us. the intricate and varied shapes of clear ice

that protruded through the snow marked our way along the river. i have travelled a lot but i think this was the most incredible feeling i have ever experienced! i could hardly contain myself from laughing out loud as we buzzed our way through this immense “living postcard”.

our mission was to track our way along the frozen Yukon in search of dog teams in the epic iditarod dog sled race - a historic race covering 1200 miles across frozen alaska from anchorage to nome. the sun was lowering and throwing long shafts of light through the trees onto the frozen terrain when in the far distance we saw our first team. Stopping and turning off our machines i was immediately overtaken by the astonishing silence of this place. Broken only by the approaching commands of the musher to his dogs and the repetitive ‘swish swish’ of their running feet through snow.

we continued for another couple of hours as the sun lingered patiently on the edge of the horizon. Several more teams journeyed past before - seemingly from nowhere - a lone mountain biker appeared on the trail. and i was pretty sure i wasn’t cold enough to be hallucinating just yet. He stopped to talk and told us he was mountain biking the complete iditarod trail - unaccompanied, without support and without utilising the huts or checkpoints along the way (where the mushers stop to eat and sleep and to feed and rest their dogs). He was even carrying all of his own


Jon treated me to a quick visit to his home - a traditional “yurt” with no

running water or electricity. He had lived here with his wife and young family for 11 years and they were some of the happiest

people I have ever met!

Modern technology be damned.

main photo: dog sled team at sunset on the frozen yukon riverright: chris mclennan with mt dillon Behind in the Brooks range, arctic circle, alaska.


newton marshall, the first jamaican dog sledder to enter and complete the iditarod.

supplies. and this is through snow, on a bike, for 1200 miles! with the current temperature below minus 35 c we decided he was either a total hard bas***d, or completely mad, or even more likely - both. Fantastic effort mike curiak!

At last the sun disappeared and we finished our day at one of Jon’s remote yurt camps, complete with small log cabin and wood stove. in no time the fire was cranking, our frozen water supply was set out to thaw and Jon had cooked up a hearty moose stew. As a first time moose - eater i have to say it was delicious. after dinner i layered up to protect against the night-time temperature which was dipping below minus 40 c by this stage, and ventured outside to see what Jon was up to. His headlamp in the distance led me to a spot on the Yukon where John had arranged two reclining loungers, a flask of coffee and right before me, the most amazing show of northern Lights.

there are certainly challenges to taking photos in these conditions. i learnt quickly that i had to hold my breath whilst looking through the camera as any moisture from my exhalation instantly froze my cheek to the back of the camera! any condensation at all froze immediately, completely encasing the camera in a clear layer of thin ice. to their credit my cameras kept operating flawlessly despite these conditions... Which was more than I could say for my fingers when operating them. And trying to keep my

...trying to keep my eyelids from freezing shut was a whole new challenge

entirely. There were constant icicles sticking to and quickly numbing

every area of exposed skin...

Time to grow a beard I think, and quickly.

chris at our log caBin at the yurt camp in a very remote area on the yukon river


Just as I had my camera set up a group of several hundred [caribou]

broke off and came running full speed down the slopes straight towards me,

providing a great series of images. My local guide explained they were probably being chased by a wolf...

Documents

Adventure Magazine Issue 160