Stefan Glowacz knew what he was letting himself in for. Patagonia was no new terrain for him, and The Royal Flush route, 3,406 meters above see level, was just another challenge he tried to master.

In 1995 the two German mountaineers Kurt Albert and Bernd Arnold managed to conquer Fitz Roy via the extremely exposed 1,400 meter high East Wall. The newly opened route was named “Royal Flush” for a reason: statistically a climber in Patagonia will only have two to three continuous days of good weather before storms with an unbelievable intensity make the ascent impossible for days, weeks or even months. This route up the 1,000-meter North Wall is one of the most difficult in the world and has not yet been repeated. The changeable weather took Glowacz by surprise back in 1990 during the filming of “Schrei aus Stein” as he had to sit out a storm in an ice cave together with film director Werner Herzog high up on Cerro Torre until the weather calmed down and they could be rescued by helicopter.

This time, when Stefan and his Argentinean partner Horacio Gratton started their attempt to climb the over-hanging wall, natures’ forces again made them give up their ascent after 35 hours in the wall.
Non-stop ascent – the real kick
The objective of the expedition was to climb the Royal Flush route non-stop. This means conquering the mountain as fast as possible without any real breaks; no bivouac or sleep. When night falls, you continue to climb using a headlight. Non-stop ascents are a no-compromise style of climbing at high speed with little equipment. The rope is merely there to protect you if you fall. Glowacz finds this back-to-the-roots style of mountaineering especially appealing. He reckoned a non-stop ascent of Fitz Roy was possible and planned to take around 45 hours.

Two attempts without success
From the total of four weeks the team spent at the foot of the Fitz Roy mountain, there were only six days of good weather. Unfortunately these were not consecutive. Increasingly heavy snowfall halted the first attempt after just 100 meters. On the second go, Glowacz and Gratton managed to complete 24 of 37 rope lengths. The attempt took 35 hours. As a result of the exceptionally icy temperatures the team was no longer able to keep to the intended schedule. The cracks in the rock that they needed to climb further were completely iced up above the mid section of the wall and required effort to be cleared with an ice axe. That cost time. On the morning of the second day Glowacz and Gratton together decided to abort the tour. Another night on the wall without bivouac equipment would have had unforeseeable consequences.
Failure on the route to success
Stefan Glowacz knows that he took the right decision. Those who are unable to turn round are putting their lives at risk. Being able to accept failure is the only life insurance the mountain has to offer. Glowacz still intends to fulfill his dream and will return to Fitz Roy. In a renewed attempt at a different time of year he will put all the experience gained into a new strategy.

The multi-lap relay mountain bike event, 8hrs@Jacks, scheduled for
October 23, has attracted leading outdoor sports company Patagonia as
its head sponsor and the event is expected to attract a large field
keen to compete on the challenging and scenic Jack’s Point course
overlooking Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu.

The event was staged for the first time last year by Southern
Traverse and Race Director Geoff Hunt says it was inspired by the
demand for a new and different style mountain biking race.

“We were delighted with the response, and anticipate that there will
be a lot more teams this year, now that the word is out there that it
is a very different and quite stunning course.”

“We are particularly excited about the new relationship with
Patagonia which was an associate sponsor last year,” says Hunt. “It
reflects their confidence in the 8hrs@Jacks and it is significant
that they have decided to make a bigger commitment to the event.”

Patagonia Director Hamish Cochran says there is strong synergy
between the outdoor clothing and footwear company’s brand and
8hrs@Jacks. We have been looking for a good event to title sponsor
that reflects our brands philosophy of making the best technical
products that are also nice to wear for fun outdoor activities or casually.
It is a serious race at the elite end and a fun race for
recreational bikers and we look forward to playing a bigger role as
head sponsor this year.”

The race involves individuals and teams of two, three or four members
competing on an eight kilometre course through Jack’s Point over a
period of eight hours. Teams compete in Junior, Open (men’s, women’s
or mixed) and Veteran (men’s, open and mixed) sections. One rider per
team rides a lap then tags a team mate and elite riders will complete
the lap in about 35 minutes while recreational competitors average 45
minutes.

The track, known as Straggler’s Loop, has been developed specifically
for the event and traverses areas through rocky outcrops, and even a
small gum forest on the northern edge of Jack’s Point resort, before
returning to the internal trails.

“The course is designed technically to suit recreational bikers. It
is the same as for last year’s inaugural event but there will be no
stiles to cross this year,” says Hunt. “Last year there was a great
atmosphere around the base, a lot of camaraderie and friendly rivalry.”

Jack’s Point spokesperson Sara Roy has welcomed the 8hrs@Jacks for a
second year.

“We are looking forward to hosting competitors and supporters during
the race and at the prize giving which is being held this year at the
Jack’s Point clubhouse. Geoff Hunt and the Southern Traverse team
provide great organisation for the event and the challenging and fun
race, taking in outstanding scenery and tracks, complements the
growing number of community events at Jack’s Point.”

The individual winner of the 2009 8hrs@Jacks was Andrew Ballantyne of
Invercargill who completed 15 laps, just pipping leading Queenstown
multisporter Jim Hawkridge, to take the title.

The Patagonia 8hrs@Jacks will help promote the work of the Wakatipu Trails
Trust in developing trails in the district.

Seasoned veterans, professional motorsport competitors and even some first-timers will challenge the 2010 Australasian Safari. Key competitors to look out for over the course of the 2010 Australasian Safari include:

Auto
V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes who will be swapping the smooth tracks of Bathurst for the rugged Australian outback, in what will be his first Australasian Safari. His co-driver is former V8 Supercar team owner and experienced Safari competitor and past winner Kees Weel.

Past Safari winner and regular Dakar competitor Bruce Garland, with co-driver Harry Suzuki returning to put up the challenge for a finals berth in their Isuzu D-MAX ute.

Father and daughter team Brent and Sarah Twaddle, competing together for the first time, following Sarah’s successfully completion of the 2008 and 2009 Safaris.

Auto driver Des Harrington who clocks up 14 Safaris over 25 years this year. His son Richard, 20, will join his father as his co-driver.

Kiwi Toni Feaver, competing in her first Australasian Safari after competing in 15 Australian Rally Championships, six Tarmac Rallies and 12 World Rally Championships.

Moto
Internationally-renowned Brazilian moto competitor Ze Hélio competing in his first Australasian Safari. He is Brazil’s number one rallye racer, five-time winner of the Rallye dos Sertoes, and came 12th outright at Dakar 2009.

Sweden’s rally princess Annie Seel returning to the Safari for a second consecutive year. Annie is a veteran of the international off-road racing circuit, having competed in four Dakars (named 2010 Female Champion) and more than 60 international rally sport events.

Ben Grabham, three-time Finke winner and two-time Safari winner in 2007 and 2008, fighting to regain his first place position.

Last year’s outright moto winner Jacob Smith and brother Todd Smith who placed 2nd outright in 2009.

David Schwarz – competitor in two Dakars and seven Safaris with multiple class wins and placings in 2009.

Quad
2009 Quad runner-up Paul Smith and 2008 Quad winner John Maragozidis, both who have competed in all Safaris since 2008 when the Quad category was introduced.

And finally…
Our ‘vintage’ competitors Terry Pinson (age 63) and Les Walkden (age 62) in the auto category and Robin Humphrey (age 56) in the moto category. They’ll be showing the young guns how to survive the gruelling seven-day course.

For more information visit www.australasiansafari.com.au.

The new course set for the 2010 Australasian Safari, an off-road adventure through the remote and rugged Western Australian outback, has been described by Clerk of Course Ron Rigby as ‘a little bit nastier’.

Ron is responsible for driving and charting the course, which takes several months to complete as off-road tracks are tested, and approvals received from private landowners, state government and local shires.

Ron said competitors in Safari, taking place from 17 to 25 September, would experience new terrains in 2010 towards the latter stages of the event, and there would be a few surprises in store.

“Every leg will present its own unique challenges. There will be some great driving and riding sections as always, and we’ve reduced the amount of fenceline driving to provide as much variety as possible.

“It will be more about endurance than speed and we’ve thrown in some great challenges to make it a little bit nastier for even the toughest competitors.

“Riders and drivers will hit some heavy bush and treed areas where it will be likely they’ll encounter fallen logs and branches.

“Add to that some dramatic sand dunes in the final stages and preservation of both competitor and vehicle will be the key to making it to the finish,” Ron said.

In a new concept for Australasian Safari there will be no servicing of vehicles allowed on a couple of the legs to heighten the endurance challenge.

The Australasian Safari commences in Perth on 17 September with an official start before heading east to Southern Cross, north and further inland to Leonora, south to historic Coolgardie, and to the border town of Norseman with a finish in the beautiful south coastal town of Esperance.

More than 100 competitors in moto, auto and quad bike categories will take on the Australasian Safari challenge in 2010, covering more than 3600 kilometres over seven days.

The event has attracted competitors from around the globe and professionals and amateurs alike.

In total approximately 530 people will travel with the event, including officials, service and support crews, volunteers, media, a medical team, authorities, and of course families and friends of competitors.

The event will be broadcast around the world and closer to home on One HD, and attended by international media.

The Australasian Safari is marking its 25th year in 2010.

For more information visit www.australasiansafari.com.au

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Check out Curls Gallery of the event here

TEAHUPOO, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Monday, August 30, 2010) – After seven, consecutive lay days, the Billabong Pro Tahiti commenced action today, and the world’s best surfers unleashed a barrage of high-fi performances on glassy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) barrels on offer at Teahupoo.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti completed Round 1 and the opening six heats of Round 2 today, bearing witness to interesting developments in the 2010 ASP World Title Race as well as the dramatics of the midyear cut-off.

Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, current ASP World No. 1, finds himself in the driver seat in the hunt for the 2010 ASP World Title heading into Tahiti, and despite not being historically dominant at Teahupoo, the young South African’s progressive repertoire proved enough to net him the win today.

“Definitely relieved to get through Round 1 out there,” Smith said. “We haven’t been doing too much on the off days. So it was tricky out there, but super excited to get through and start focusing on the next heat.”

Smith opened his Round 1 account up with an incredible backhand Judo aerial, scoring a 7.60 out of a possible 10, and holding onto the lead to defeat C.J. Hobgood (USA), 31, and Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29.

“I knew that wave wasn’t going to be much from the start so I had to do something special,” Smith said. “There are actually some really amazing ramps out there if you can find them. It’s just the landings that are challenging. Fortunately for me on that last one, I was able to land almost on the back of the wave and then bring it down.”

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, past nine-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 3, survived a close-fought battle against former nemesis and past three-time ASP World Champion, Andy Irons (HAW), 32, and wildcard Heiarii Williams (PYF), 23, to advance directly into Round 3. With the nature of three-man heats, the three backside tube specialists continually pushed one another up the point as they all netted solid scores.

“I actually blew it out there a couple times,” Slater said. “I let Heiarii (Williams) get underneath me on the really good wave, but if I ended up hassling him, Andy (Irons) could have got it. It’s unfortunate when there’re not a lot of waves, and I was trying to play cat and mouse with those guys for most of the heat. Heiarii paddled me deep on every set, he got me on one, and then I was too deep on another and Andy got it. It was tough.”

Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, current ASP World No. 4, rebounded from a Round 1 loss this morning to take out the highest heat total of the event, a 16.27 out of a possible 20, en route to his Round 2 victory over replacement surfer Tim Reyes (USA), 28.

“We actually got a lot of waves and we were trading off a lot out there,” Reynolds said. “It was fun. He’d get a good one, then I got an okay one. It was a lot of fun. I never like sending anyone home, but I don’t like losing either. I guess I just like surfing. I could have ridden that last one deeper, but you can get greedy when it starts drawing up like that. You just want to stand here. If I had wanted to, I could have hung in the barrel a little bit deeper, but I was having too much fun.”

Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, reigning ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 6, suffered a Round 1 loss this morning, but rebounded in blistering form this afternoon with an impressive 15.00 out of a possible 20 to dispatch Trials Winner Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) and advance through to Round 3.

Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, current ASP World No. 2 and last year’s event Runner-Up, suffered the biggest loss of the event thus far, going down to wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF), 29, in Round 2 of competition.

“I started out doing turns but I don’t think that was a good strategy,” Drollet said. “Taj (Burrow) is so good at doing turns, so I tried to focus on barrels. Fortunately, the right ones came through and I was the winner. To do well here would be a very special thing for me.”

While the usual suspects were standouts today, the ASP’s midyear field reduction from 45 to 34 (Top 32 finishers after five events and two surfer wildcards) following the Billabong Pro Tahiti created some unlikely heroes throughout Rounds 1 and 2 as they battled for survival.

Marco Polo (BRA), 29, current ASP World No. 44, had failed to post an elite tour heat win this season, but caused the upset of the day, defeating two-time defending Billabong Pro Tahiti winner and current ASP World No. 8, Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Round 2 of competition.

“It has taken me all year but to do it in Tahiti against Bobby (Martinez) is so special,” Polo said. “Neco (Padaratz) was in the channel giving me instructions. He was telling me to sit deeper, move this way, move that way, and I got that wave at the end that pushed me through. I’m so happy that I can keep surfing so I hope to do better in the next heat.”

Blake Thornton (AUS), 25, also current ASP World No. 44, was another to post an inaugural win today, smashing his Round 1 heat with a 15.50 out of a possible 20. Despite the slow conditions, Thornton netted a backside bomb in the last minute to score a 9.00 out of a possible 10 and rocket from third to first and advance through to Round 3.

“Those boys (Reynolds and Whitaker) both got waves at the start but they were smaller,” Thornton said. “I had a little score sort of two-thirds through the heat, but when it’s this size, it seems like it’s easy to get caught paddling each other up the point. Towards the end, I was fortunate enough to get that wave that pushed me though. It looked pretty quick but I was going no matter what. When I saw it back off, I was smiling. I was smiling in the barrel because it was just so pure. It tried to pinch me at the end and I had to sort of bust my way out. Really fortunate to get that wave and I’m stoked to get through my first heat.”

Despite the possibility for surfers to fail making the midyear cut from today’s action, everyone is still in the hunt to qualify for the Top 32. A full breakdown of ASP World Title Rankings possibilities, including the ASP midyear field reduction, for the Billabong Pro Tahiti are available at ASPWorldTour.com

When competition resumes, up first will be Taylor Knox (USA), 39, up against Jay Thompson (AUS), 28, in Heat 7 of Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6am to assess conditions for a possible 6:30am start.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for the current south-southwest swell to fade throughout tomorrow, with a small mix of south and southwest swell on offer for the end of the waiting period.

Highlights from today’s Billabong Pro Tahiti will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com/tahiti10/

FUEL TV will be broadcasting the Billabong Pro Tahiti LIVE in Australia. Check out http://www.foxsports.com.au/fueltv for details.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.07, Jay Thompson (AUS) 1.83, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 1.00
Heat 2: Luke Stedman (AUS) 10.33, Nate Yeomans (USA) 8.83, Jadson Andre (BRA) 4.40
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.16, Marco Polo (BRA) 5.33, Bobby Martinez (USA) 5.33
Heat 4: Blake Thornton (AUS) 15.50, Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.00, Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.60
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 9.66, Tim Reyes (USA) 5.34, Roy Powers (HAW) 2.73
Heat 6: Joan Duru (FRA) 10.10, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 6.90
Heat 7: Tamaroa McComb (PYF) 14.77, Mick Fanning (AUS) 9.50, Adam Melling (AUS) 5.70
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.30, Manoa Drollet (PYF) 10.40, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.41
Heat 9: Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.66, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.40, Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 10.43
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.00, Andy Irons (HAW) 13.97, Heiarii Williams (PYF) 12.57
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.50, Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.03, Drew Courtney (AUS) 0.20
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) 11.27, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.53, Neco Padaratz (BRA) 7.73
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.93, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 11.46, Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 8.43
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.23, Dean Morrison (AUS) 9.00, Mick Campbell (AUS) 5.43
Heat 15: Luke Munro (AUS) 14.03, Travis Logie (ZAF) 12.94, Taylor Knox (USA) 9.93
Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS) 10.87, Chris Davidson (AUS) 7.90, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 6.92

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Manoa Drollet (PYF) 14.76 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 12.33
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.00 def. Tuamata Puhetini (PYF) 7.27
Heat 3: Heiarii Williams (PYF) 14.03 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.43
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.27 def. Tim Reyes (USA) 12.50
Heat 5: Marco Polo (BRA) 9.84 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.83
Heat 6: Nate Yeomans (USA) 12.73 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.00

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI REMAINING ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 10: Andy Irons (HAW) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 11: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 13: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Dean Morrsion (AUS)
Heat 15: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 16: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)

Check out Curls Gallery of the event here

Janina_Kuzma_Credit Camilla Stoddart
Lake Wanaka, NZ (23 August 2010) – Winners of The North Face Big Mountain at the 2010 Volk NZ Freeski Open were rewarded with an epic day of heli-skiing on Friday at The North Face Heli Sessions.

The skiers were treated to skiing on several of the peaks surrounding Black Peak, sampling the variety of terrain on offer with Southern Lakes Heli Ski.

Riders included the top three placing men and the top two women: Alex Lynden (NZ), B Devine (USA), Fraser McDougall (NZ Development Team member and North Face Rider), Janina Kuzma (NZ National Team member and North Face Rider) Mitchey Greig (Skier Cross Olympian, NZ National Team member and North Face Rider). Charlie Timmins (North Face Rider from Australia) also landed a seat on the helicopter.

According to Stephen Winnacott, marketing manager for The North Face, the conditions couldn’t have been better.

“There’s nothing like flying up and punching through the inversion to a bluebird day without a breath of wind,” said Winnacott.

TNF Heli Sessions 1 Credit Camilla Stoddart

“The quality of the snow was phenomenal with a stable snowpack which meant steeps weren’t an issue and we could ski wherever we wanted, nothing was off limits. “

The conditions were in stark contrast to last year where the snow pack was extremely unstable and the riders had to make due with a man made kicker and lower angled slopes.

After a warm up run the skiers travelled from peak to peak logging eight runs throughout the day.

“Alex scrambled to the top of rocky crags with virtually no snow and stepped off them getting about 8 metres of air before landing clean and progressing straight into his line,” said Winnacott.

“Mitchey and Janina took a line from the top of the peak cutting across into a line straight down the open untracked face. This was the most aesthetic line on the face. The two girls just ripped it up.”

McDougall chose a technical and steep line, hitting a natural feature towards the bottom where he combined his big mountain skiing with some park riding executing a massive back flip and sticking the landing.

B Devine carved out an untracked powder slope finding a natural hit where he pulled off a 180 switch into fresh snow.

The heli sessions are an ongoing collaboration between The North Face and Southern Lakes Heliski and will continue to be offered as an added bonus to winners of The North Face Big Mountain at the Volkl Open.

“The partnership between The North Face and this event is a perfect fit,” says Winnacott.

The North Face is the premiere supplier of technically advanced, innovative apparel, and gear that inspires athletes to Never Stop Exploring.

‘The North Face Heli Sessions enables athletes to ski outside the constraints of a competitive big mountain arena giving them the freedom to explore their limits in the beautiful heli-accessed terrain of New Zealand. “

To see The North Face Heli Sessions highlights, log on to www.nzfreeskiopen.com

TNF Heli Sessions group shot

TNF Heli Sessions 3 Credit Camilla Stoddart

TNF Heli Sessions 4 Credit Camilla Stoddart

TNF Heli Sessions 2 Credit Camilla Stoddart