After a bit of a hiatus for the holidays, The Adventure Podcast returns this week with a new episode dedicated to defining the so-called “rules” of adventure. The episode was prompted after the recent stories of Colin O’Brady and Lou Rudd completing their trans-Antarctic expeditions, but later discovering that both used a road to complete the traverse. This raised questions about what “solo”, “unsupported”, and “unassisted” means in terms of the exploration and outdoor community.
Before jumping into that weighty topic, we also get caught up on adventure news with stories about the winter climbing season that is about to get underway, a potential traverse of K2 this summer, and a ghost ship that reappeared after nearly a decade lost at sea. Of course, we wrap things up with a look at the latest gear, including Dave’s revisit of his favorite outdoor jacket and Kraig breaking the story of an innovative new fabric from The North Face.
As always, you’ll find the full episode embedded in this post below, but you’ll also find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Sticher, or Spotify. You can check in with us on social media on our Facebook page or Twitter, as well as email us questions, comment, and suggestions too.
Thanks for listening!
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Hi guys, thanks for a good and interesting program about Rudd and O`Brady,
Maybe you also have seen this piece who just was published on exweb as well, that further highlight this controversy:
https://explorersweb.com/2019/01/09/crossing-antarctica-how-the-confusion-began-and-where-do-we-go-from-here/
Hi Borge! Thanks for dropping by the Adventure Blog and for giving our podcast a listen too. Much appreciated! Just finished reading the ExWeb story and I’ll write about it here on the blog once I’m back home. I’ve been on the road for much of this week, but will share it with readers once I get the chance. Too much good info in that article to not pass it on. We’ll also be sure to share it with our listeners of the podcast next week when when we do our next show. It was a real honor to hear from you. Thanks again!
Rudd and O’Brady accomplished an amazing feat. Skiing a groomed and marked road disqualifies any claim of a “first” and it is sad that this accomplishment must be couched as such. Respect for the amazing accomplishments that have preceded this effort and the geography and circumstances that have accompanied many great polar feats, including Scott and Amundsen, should place this aided crossing in perspective. In a world clamoring for notoriety, it may feel good to claim a dubious first, but the arbitrary geography and circumstances does indeed reduce these claims from “a record”, to rather, an incredible athletic accomplishment.
I totally support your discussion on this hot potato