Some of you already know the story of Carl. Somehow he's been on my mind a lot these past few weeks as I roamed the Norwegian high plateaus in the company of no one but my dogs and the occasional herd of wild reindeer. PJ and I have been talking about him on numerous occasions… Continue reading Carl
Nearly seven months ago I left Kathmandu on a panoramic flight over the himals of Nepal, beautifully outlined against a clear winter sky. I looked out the window, recognizing many of the major landmarks I had come to describe as the ‘white giants’. I remember feeling emotional at the sight of them, just as though… Continue reading Shadows of the Himalaya
Since gas is only occasionally available in Nepal, we wanted to take a stove with us that could burn whatever fuel we found available on the way. After lots of research we decided to take the Primus Omnilite Ti in cooperation with Sqoop.no, a titanium and lighter version of the Primus Omnilite. Though not the… Continue reading Primus Omnilite Ti
Wool is the most basic of items anyone going out in winter should have with them. Wool not only keeps you warm, it also keeps you dry: wool absorbs sweat and can regulate body temperature so you neither cool down nor overheat too much. Staying dry is important during winter to avoid hypothermia and frostbite.… Continue reading Devold of Norway: Island/Ålnes and Breeze products
Arc’teryx is well known to make top-notch shell jackets. Their Alpha product line focuses on alpinism and climbing and stands for “lightweight, minimalist climbing and alpinism products that protect from alpine environments.” Weight was a main concern while researching our gear list for the Great Himalaya Trail: we needed to have gear warm enough to… Continue reading Arc’teryx Alpha SL Hybrid women’s jacket
The coldest hours of our days in the Himalayas were the nights. It could be nice and warm during the day – even up to the point where we could walk in t-shirt, but temperatures consistently fell below freezing during the night. This regularly included double-digit negatives: it was not uncommon experiencing -15ºC after dark,… Continue reading Helsport X-Trem Kvitbreen Lady Review
Breathable, lightweight and durable pants are a must-have for any long hike in the backcountry. I’ve used the Bitihorn pants on two separate long-distance hikes: the Bitihorn lightweight pants in New Zealand (the zip-off model did not exist yet at this time) and since I was happy with them I wanted to use one again… Continue reading Norrøna Bitihorn Zip-off pants
Taplejung - Simikot 127 days Trail slogan: "And we climb, and we climb, and we climb." Distance covered: 1263 km Average km/day: 13,5 km Total vertical gain/loss: 123930 m Ascent: 63640m Descent: 60290 m Average vertical gain&loss/day: 1318 m Number of times we climbed Everest from sea level: 14 Number of walking days: 94 Number… Continue reading GHT Fun Facts
On the morning we started heading for the finish line, we woke to find the mountains covered in a fresh blanket of snow. There was a sweet smell to the air: in Gamgadhi it had only rained, and the air was clean now. It smelled of crispy mornings and fresh water. It was nice to… Continue reading The battle for the finish: Gamgadhi – Simikot
Staying put in Jumla for two days was much needed. We were utterly destroyed when we hobbled in there, the beds brought some comfort on our sore bodies. The only thing really missing was heating: the dining room became nice and warm when the stove was lit, but the bedrooms remained cold. Power was down… Continue reading Rara Lake
Team Belgica 