Posted: Feb 26, 2006 03:57 pm EST
To risk is to win: Everest and North Pole seasons are full throttle, and new expeditions are announcing their plans faster than we can update the brand new expeditions' lists. Also, the fourth edition of Contact was introduced, check it out!

To win is to fail (at first). Ongoing expeditions were in trouble last week: Colin had to abort his second Antarctic rowing attempt altogether; the Three-Pole Ice Warrior had to start over, while Mike Horn fell through the ice (twice). In private space expedition news, a young internet millionaire was re-arrested Wednesday for spreading false information and cooking books.

2006 climbing season kick-off: Everest and Himalaya expedition list is up! It's that time of the year again! The first edition of the Everest and Himalaya expedition list is up, and it's clear that climbers will continue to climb no matter what you throw at them. Despite the shaky situation in Nepal, Everest South Side already has 9 teams lined up. As for the North - what used to be the quiet side of Everest has turned anything but: No less than 20 expeditions are signed up, and we are only in mid February! Expect at least another 5-10 teams to show up over both sides in the end. Other Himalayan peaks have around 10 expeditions listed - marking a total of at least 40 climbing expeditions this spring.

ExWeb proudly presents: Contact 4.0 GEO! After 6 months of 24/7 programming, the basic technology is done and get this - the new GEO will be all yours for 260 bucks. Time has come to present the brand new Contact 4.0: A customized system of multi-layer location maps in a one page user experience with seamless transitions. The integrated hardware/software solution is 100% automated, it works everywhere, and is small enough to fit in your pocket. Flash, Ajax and good old html have all been used in a smart way to create an intelligent, interactive communication system for explorers and other people on the move. Fast, easy and cheap to use over slow satellite connections, it also loads quickly on the internet. Add only a PDA, a sat phone and the cool, new foldable solar panel - and get out there!

Everest 2006: Pepe Blanco's paralympic dream In 1994 Pepe suffered a 50 meter free-fall while paragliding, breaking his back, both legs and one arm. “The surgeries, the recovery, the suffering… it's a long story," he told ExWeb last week. “I had to abandon paragliding, but instead I focused on cycling, which kind of brought me back to life." Pepe won two Olympic medals in Sydney’s Paralympic games, and in 2002 he bicycled from Lhasa to Kathmandu and spent a couple of days in Everest’s BC at Rongbuk, “it was then that I started thinking about giving the big mountain a try.” Few believed Pepe would even walk again after his paragliding accident. This time, Pepe will bike to BC from Lhasa, and then head up the mountain. “I'm hiring one Sherpa – I wish I had money enough to take two," Pepe told us.

ExWeb Interview: N. Ireland & England unite for Everest 2006 This is the story of three life-long friends from Northern Ireland who one day decided they would climb the Seven Summits. Eventually they joined two other long-time friends from England with the same idea. Team leader Neill Elliot spoke with ExplorersWeb last week, pointing out that this crew is “first friends, then climbers."

Everest 2006: Kikstra & Abramov back to the North side They've provided us with some of the most amazing stories – and not strictly climbing-related. Russian guide Alexander Abramov and Dutch Harry Kikstra are joining forces once again this year for an expedition on Everest’s North side. Summit or not, one thing is for sure, we’ll definitely have plenty of stories from the 7 Summits club this spring. ExWeb chatted with Harry about the 2006 details.

Top 10 ways to get up (and down) Everest in one piece, body and mind So here you are, the future Everest climber. Fighting a feverish battle to get your gear together and spending sleepless nights fretting over countless details, you are both anticipating and fearing the near future. How do you get up (and down) that mountain; in one piece, body and mind? Why not check with someone who has - 4 times already! Luis Benitez, usually guiding for Adventure Consultants, offers his Top Ten Tips for climbing Mount Everest.

Ice Climbing World Cup: Ines takes it all After four stages, the Ice Climbing World Cup's first place in the male category is still up for grabs. But the ladies' trophy already has a name on it: Ines Papert's. The German ice climber has breezed through all the competitions this year and is set on revalidating her 2005 World title. Papert refuses to give even an inch to her competitors. During the last event, held in Bustemi, Romania, Ines was the only one to reach the top of the very difficult 'final' route. Her next stop will be the finals which will be held in Norway on March 4-5.

The Irish comeback: Banjo Bannon back again for K2 Poor weather conditions forced Irish climber Banjo Bannon back from 8,100m on K2 last year. This summer he’ll be back for a second attempt. “I’ll go for the Abruzzi Ridge again, since I already know the route,” Banjo told ExplorersWeb. He hopes that this year's weather will better than 2005. "Much like last year, I’ll climb light. I will not hire altitude porters, nor use any supplementary O2," he told us.

K2 summiteer's tribute to Patrick Bérhault: All Alps under 80 days Michele Compagnoni, K2 summiteer in 2004 and grandson of Achille Compagnoni (the first K2 summiteer along with Lino Lacedelli in 1954) is paying tribute to French Patrick Bérhault. Together with Franz Nicolini he hopes to summit all 4000ers in the Alps, in less than 80 days.

Colin Yeates abandons Antarctic circumnavigation After two failed attempts Colin has decided to abandon his planned row around Antarctica and is now back in the UK. Saturday February 18, Colin Yeates was taken off the ‘Charlie Rossiter’ by the crew of the Commonwealth’s fisheries protection ship ‘Dorada’, which was diverted from routine duties to find him. Because it was deemed too risky to get a tow attached, the decision was taken to sink the ‘Charlie Rossiter’ in order to prevent it from becoming a navigation hazard. Shot at by 20mm canon guns, although left holed, the ‘Charlie Rossiter’ refused to sink and was eventually left to drift.

Aussie Antarctic Kayakers: Beware brash ice Antarctica can throw anything your way at any time. According to the Aussie Antarctic Kayakers that’s been their biggest lesson so far. After a hammering few days of 45 knot winds, snow and brash ice the paddlers are finally making some progress. With 35 days of food, fuel, and everything they need to survive kayaking the 1,000km 40-day trip along the Antarctic Peninsula – the guys are pretty pleased with their progress. Their kayaks alone weigh almost 200kg. “We've had to contend with large fields of brash ice at times, which does nothing for forward speed,” they said. “Brash is very hard on the kayaks - surprisingly small lumps of it will stop you in your tracks. Large fields of it make for extremely slow going and risk paddle breakage or boat damage.” Finally, if the wind kicks up the stuff can be treacherous, so whenever possible they’re paddling around it which can make for some pretty long detours.

Ocean rower Alex Bellini: Welcome to the dark side of Contact 3.0 After 159 days, 3 hrs, 38 min – and this being his second attempt - he’s been here before, and he knows it. Alex Bellini has seen enough broken oars, enough rough seas to write daily updates for the next six months. But there’s a dark side to Contact, sort of like Ed TV - the movie of one guy’s life 24/7 – viewers can never get enough. Fans, media, friends and family have been following Alex's adventure as if they had grabbed an oar and were rowing right beside him. His inbox is flooded with email and sms each day from adoring fans all over the world, asking him logistical and personal questions non-stop, which he takes the better half of every dispatch to answer personally: Dear Simone, Dear Andrea, Dear Thomas, etc. Now he’s sick of it. “Some of you have been asking me, insisting in fact, that I update the website,” writes Alex. “Well, just so you know I am neither in a position to update nor do I feel like doing it.” Likelihood of reaching Brazil – it’s a matter of currents he says - is getting slimmer by the day. “Fear has set in – and it’s got me by the throat.” His message to fans: “Listen up. I hope you all understand why I say that I can’t and don’t feel like writing on this f*@#*#@# site and I better not have to say it again. I’ll send updates only, and ONLY when I f#%^^## feel like it – OK?! Alex over and out."

Bering Strait: Karl Bushby's longest way home Seven years ago, British Karl Bushby began a 36,000 mile long walk home to England, starting from the southernmost point of South America; at Punta Arenas in southern Chile. Leaving behind an unbroken trail of footsteps, Karl's walk will cross 4 continents, 25 countries, a frozen sea, 6 deserts and 7 mountain ranges - taking around 12 years to complete. Within the next few days Karl Bushby is expected to reach Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, where he hopes to be able to walk across the Bering Strait (which freezes up in winter) into Siberia. With no outside assistance - other than footwear - at the beginning Karl decided that to wait for sponsorship would be to wait forever and gritting his teeth 'went for it', burning a good number of bridges along the way. Everything he owns is with him now.

North Pole Winter deadline: 700 km in 40 days “Time is short,” reported Borge Ousland last week. “We have to cross 700 km of ice during the next 40 days. But I am convinced we’re going to make it.” The duo is doing much better distances now, in spite of a few unexpected dips in the ocean last week. The accidents will however put increased strain on the two unsupported skiers' limited fuel supply.

British Navy novices prepare for Magnetic NP “Victory belongs to the man who has everything in order. It’s called good luck," said Amundsen. "Defeat is the direct result for the man who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time. It’s called bad luck." The Norwegian explorer’s words have become the motto for an 8-member British Navy team who will ski to the Magnetic North Pole this spring.

Ice Warrior Jim McNeill sets off for three North Poles in a row British “Ice-Warrior” Jim McNeill is set on reaching “three North Poles” in one shot. If he succeeds, it would be the longest Arctic expedition this year, not to mention a world ‘first’: Reaching the Arctic North Pole, also known as the North Pole of Inaccessibility. Jim’s solo quest is expected to last 4 months and will take him across 995 miles (1601 km). To make things even more difficult, Jim was dropped off by plane on Monday, hitting the ice 40 miles (64km) behind the agreed starting point. Unlike the other teams, Jim will be alone on the Arctic ice – but that doesn’t mean he’ll be out of reach: Thanks to the brand new interactive Contact 4.0 Geo software, we’ll all be able to follow the Ice Warrior’s tracks on the ice on a daily basis.

North Pole 2006: Ice queen Matty McNair leads again American Matty McNair, awarded among the Best of 2005 by ExplorersWeb, is on the ice track again. Matty will be guiding two explorers to the Geographic North Pole from Ward Hunt Island (Canada), getting two airdrops along a 54 day trip. “Team members will be Mike Barry from Ireland and Daniel Keren from Israel, plus myself,” Matty told ExplorersWeb. “We plan to depart March 5 and arrive at the North Pole, with 2 resupplies on April 28th.”

The dark side of the New Space Age: Another one bites the dust In May last year, the Xprize Foundation elected Takafumi Horie of Livedoor, Craig Venter of Celera (mapping genes) and Eric Anderson of Space Adventures as new members to its Board of Trustees. In the past weeks, Eric Anderson has announced plans to develop a commercial spaceport in the United Arab Emirates, Asia (Singapore), and North America at a total cost of at least $265 million (USD), to be funded in part by the government of Ras Al-Khaimah, "we are most excited about spearheading this multi-billion dollar industry," said Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Back in Japan however, Takafumi Horie was arrested last month for allegedly spreading false information to inflate stock prices under fraudulent securities schemes. Wednesday, Horie was rearrested on suspicion of cooking books and using false Investment partnerships and overseas tax havens to conceal money. This latest "Space scandal" comes only one year after another private Space pioneer, Gold & Appel Venture Capital founder Walt Anderson (51), was arrested at a Washington airport, in what federal prosecutors call the largest criminal case of individual tax evasion in United States.

PayPal Elon: "Ultimate goal is to make life multi-planetary" Last week, Elon Musk told his audience at Virginia Tech that the motto of his company is to “keep it simple,” while is ultimate goal is to "make life multi-planetary." He wants human life spread out to the moon and Mars, using the next generation Falcon handling 100 tons of load. Musk also revealed that the next countdown for Falcon 1 is scheduled for March.

Planning to set up your own Space travel agency? Derek is your man! Technology and exploration have always been close. Explorers need tech to go places, and the new Space age will take this fact to another level. That's why ExplorersWeb also run a tech shop for explorers, and keep a close eye on satellite systems. Our latest product is the brand new Bgan, from Inmarsat, who’s former Head of Procurement, Derek Webber, now manages Spaceport Associates. These are the guys to approach if you are unsure from where to launch your rockets, how to avoid getting sued, and how to make your Universal business plan believable to other than your mother. Derek also holds a number of very cool email addresses: He is the man behind the "F/Z Survey of Demand for Space Tourism" involving interviews with 450 millionaires.

Read these stories - and more! - at ExplorersWeb.com

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