The Mt Barney climb part Two
The climb with Michael Groom
In part one of the Mt Barney climb I introduced you to Michael Groom and Pete Gash, we managed to take a few photos while on the climb but to be honest we were too busy hanging on and photos weren’t really the priority.
Pete, Dog, Dave, Mike
As you can see from the above photo the weather was perfect which made the view a cracker.
In the photos below we try to show you the Steepness and grade but photos just don’t seem to do the climb justice, there were times during the climb that it seemed like if that finger tip hand hold or tip toe foot grip didn’t hold we would have fallen down the rock face hundreds of feet not to mention that your over a kilometer up so the sense of vertical hight is in your face.
Enjoy the photos and thanks for all the calls of support…..Cheers Mike
The Rockstars climb with a true Aussie legend!
The Perfect Sunday.
Well how can I possibly explain to you how good Sunday was for both Dave and myself.
First let me explain the title of this post……A good friend of mine Peter Gash happen to mention to me that he knew Michael Groom, for those of you who are interested in mountaineering his name will be known to you through books and TV interviews not to mention the famous book by Jon Krakauer – Into Thin Air…… however if you don’t know who Michael is then hang onto your hats and discover a living legend…..take a look at this short video and be prepared to be inspired…..
I’m sure you will all agree it’s not often you have a chance to spend time with guys like Michael so when the chance came up for Me, Dave and honorary Rockstar Pete to climb Mt Barney with Michael we jumped at it.
This photo shows the top half of the 1359 mtr peak and the route shown by the black line is Logan’s Ridge the line that we climbed on Sunday.
I know what your thinking……did I pee my pants?…..the short answer is yes….many times.
All I can say is thank god that we had an expert guide with us otherwise you may have all seen us on the nightly news being air lifted off the rock face by the rescue chopper.
We used no ropes so it was free climbing all the way and it was awesome to watch someone with the skills like Mike glide up the rock face while we crashed through the scrub and hung on for dear life for the 3hrs and 45 minutes it took us to summit.
Either way we all made it up then it became very clear that we were only half way done…..As our mentor Ed Viesturs aways says “Getting to the top is optional…..Getting down in mandatory” so the decent began…..this is where I stopped peeing my pants and started to poo my pants!…..bloody scarey at times and sliding down on my butt became the norm for the next couple of hours.
A tremendous day all round with perfect weather and awesome company and a fantastic boost to our mental fitness going into the Rainier climb although keep this little fact in the back of your mind…..Mt Barney stands at 4459 feet and Mt Rainer tops out at 14.411 feet a difference of a mere 10.000 feet.
I want to take the opportunity to Thank Pete Gash owner of the wonderful Lady Elliot Island (Check it out its an amazing place) http://www.ladyelliot.com.au for joining us on the climb and a huge thanks to Michael Groom http://www.michaelgroom.com for the amazing experience, guidance and tips for Rainier…..its a memory we will always treasure and a great story to tell our kids.
Photo’s from the climb will be posted shortly so keep an eye out for them…..
Cheers from Mike & Dave
Training for Rainier……It’s been a little different.
Mt Rainier vs Everest Base Camp.
So what’s been different in our training this time around?……We’re still hitting the track and trekking up and down the ridge lines of the Gold Coast Hinterland not to mention the stair well at the Royal Pines….. boy that’s 20 floors of fun……the biggest difference is we have been working harder on strength training especially upper body so this week we headed to the indoor climbing centre at Burleigh not only for the climbing but to get more familiar with ropes and harnesses.
We’re off on a climbing trip this weekend which will require a fair bit of climbing so look out for the photos and update (if we survive) Monday…..
Cheers Mike.
So how do you climb Mt Rainier?
Mt Rainier vs Sylvester Stallone
So we wanted to give you a better idea of what it is we are taking on and the style of climbing we’re actually doing…..
When we say to people we’re climbing Mt Rainier most people picture Sylvester Stallone hanging from a rock face in the movie Cliffhanger……Thats not quite what we’re doing…..we hope!
When you climb a glacial peak like Rainier its more about leg & core strength, cardio and stamina rather than the brute strength required for rock climbing like in Cliffhanger. We still need the use of ropes but we will be wearing cramp-ons which are spikes that attach to our rigid climbing boots for grip and steep ice climbing plus we will be using ice axes and will be tethered together by rope just in case we fall and try to slide down the mountain face or into a crevasse.
Here are a few photos I grabbed off the net…..These have all been taken on Rainier and gives you a pretty good idea of the grade and conditions plus the equipment we would be waring…..Cheers Mike
The Everest Rockstars are Back!
Hey Everyone so we’re back…..sort of!
So we are being asked all the time…..”where have you guys been and why don’t you update the blog”
The reason?……no reason really, we have all just been off doing our own things…..traveling, trekking, training you know how it goes.
It’s been a good year for us all and we have had some awesome adventures between us all from holidays in Europe and the States, trekking in Vietnam, adventure races, skydiving…..the list is pretty long and getting longer all the time.
So…..What’s next you say?
Well that’s why im back on the Blog……It all started like this…….
Dave turned the big 40 this year and simply decided that he wanted to tick off his list one of the big items so before I knew it we had booked and paid for the next big adventure……
We’re Climbing A Full On, Larger than Life, Glacier Covered Beast of a Mountain!
The Mountain in question is called Mt Rainier and it’s located in the Cascade Ranges near Seattle Washington…..it’s the highest glacial peak in the Contiguous United States @ 14.411 feet…..The prominence of this mountain is one of its best features as it stands as the highest in the USA @ 13.211 feet and has a greater prominence than even K2 @ 13.189 feet the worlds 2nd highest mountain.
This is a serious climb which will include the use of ropes, ice axes, cramp-ons and some super experienced guides…..Thats why im awesomely happy to say that we are being guided on this climb by two of the greatest climbers of all times and our personal heros….Ed Veisters and Peter Whittaker.
These guys have done it all from climbing the worlds highest peaks including Mt Everest multipul times without the use of bottled oxygen.
Over the next few weeks ill introduce you all to Ed & Pete and let you know more about them but for now take a look at this video which will give you a better idea of what it is we are currently training for……the climb is only weeks away and we leave for Seattle on the 18th June so keep your eye’s out for updates on our training and more about the climb…..
Nice to be back on the blog…….Cheers Dog
2013 – A FRESH START…
Ok… This is a different post from normal….
Team EBC has evolved into new and different adventures… Big ones are planned, but for now we are enjoying training and friendships and doing ADVENTURE RACES… Let us know if you are keen to join or simply want more info…
This is a thought provoking post from the late Alan Watts…. It asks a very interesting question… are you ready for it? http://youtu.be/siu6JYqOZ0g …
We assume you have done your goals for 2013 and reflected on your 2012 memories. If not – here is a fun link to get you started! http://www.adventuresauce.com/2013/01/yearly-goal-setting/ or go straight to the PDF here http://www.adventuresauce.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Yearly-Goals-Map.pdf
Now is a great time to sit back – think about where you were in January 2012 and ask yourself if you are happy with where you are now in January 2013… If not, what are you going to DO to ensure your 2014 January YOU is different from now? IF NOTHING CHANGES…. NOTHING CHANGES….
We look forward to an exciting year and keeping in touch with you all…
Kind Regards,
Team EBC
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 18,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals
The Next Challenge!!
The Stampede!
Well we have our new short-term challenge booked and paid for, a combination of “The Rockstars” and “The Warthogs” have combined to create a team for the upcoming Brisbane Stampede and we are to call ourselves “The Rockhogs”. The event is on the 8th of September so not much time for training but we will all step it up and be ready for the 10km obstacle adventure challenge. If after watching the promo clip below you feel the urge to give it a go please feel free to contact me and ill send you the details…..
Cheers Mike
Good Luck Girls!
“Happy Feet Start Thier Challenge”
The Girls from “Happy Feet” are today doing all the last-minute preparations to get ready for the massive 96km Kokoda Challenge which starts early tomorrow morning, we all wish you the very best and we’re 100% positive that the many many hours of hard training up and down Polly’s will pay off in a big way for you all. remember “It’s not the mountain you conquer its yourself” ……. walk strong walk hard and remember you have each other for support.
All the best from the Rockstars & Warthogs
Big Weekend For The Guys!
You Guys Rock!
Ross & Bert from the Hogs are doing a big adventure race this weekend called Trek X, they have to do a very casual 6km run then a 20km Mountain bike section which is practically vertical then finish off with another 3km run all off road…..Good Luck Guys!
Then we have Pete and Damo again from the Hogs hitting the bitumen in the Gold Coast half Marathon its Damo’s fist attempt at this kind of event and at this distance so we wish you all the best plus Petes there to hold his hand….nice one Pete!
John the Rockstar is trying to beat his personal best at the GC Marathon in the 10km event so good luck to him……
Top job guys for getting out there and giving it a go….. You Guys ROCK!!!
This video always makes me Smile!
I Love this video, it’s a few years old now and I’m sure most of you would have seen it, however the music is fantastic and it always makes me want to travel more…..hope you enjoy it……Cheers Mike.
Need Inspiration…..Check Out This Guys workout!
Need Insperation…..Check Out This Guys workout!
Apart from this guys workout…..his name is Giavanni Ruffin a running back for East Carolina football team,I love the motivational speech that goes with the video (Speech by Eric Thomas), For the guys who are training for the Tough Mudder Event we listen to this before we start training!!
Race Photo’s Have Arrived
We received the race photo’s and results from last weeks adventure race in Noosa…..The Warthogs posted a time of 4hrs 39 mins which put them in 18th position (winning time was 4hrs 9mins) and the Rockstars 4 hrs 59 mins so in the mixed category were in 9th place…..awesome effort guys! now we all start training again for the next race and the new adventure……cheers Mike
A Change In Direction……
Hi From Mike & Dave…..
Well the Everest trip is well and truly over and the Rockstars are back into the grind of our everyday live’s But with the exception that we are not the same everyday people we once were, we are still motivated and ready to take on any challenge that is thrown our way. We have been working on new challenges and when the time is right we’ll happily share them with you, currently we’re working on our adventure races but ill go into that later……for now I want to share with you a video that I came across, both myself & Dave love to people watch and on our trip it was one of our favourite pastimes, what we love about this video is that it’s beautifully filmed and edited and the reactions from the people involved are fantastic…..Ill let you just watch it and not tell you much about it but watch the reactions of the people change the more they really think about the question asked of them, I love the way they really start to think about it after their initial reaction……..
As most of you know the Big Dog (Mike) has Ed Viesturs on his list of ‘remote mentors’. We recently tried to book a short speaking engagement with Ed to speak to Mike from Washington State USA (Ed’s home town) , but alas – he is busy conquering mountains and is not available anytime soon…. We thought you might enjoy reading what was sent to Ed (twice) as well as followed up with some phone calls (yes we have his mobile.. – but now have to delete it lest he think we are some weird Aussie stalkers….).
Email below is self explanatory…. Sorry Mike – but we tried!
From: Dave Turner
Sent: Friday, 30 March 2012 5:36 PM
To: ‘*********@gmail.com’
Subject: Fellow Rock Star!
Hi Ed,
My name is Dave Turner, and like you we are Everest Rock Stars!
A team of mates – 7 in total – recently went to Nepal and had a trip of a lifetime. The only difference, we went all the way to the bottom of the tallest mountain in the world, whereas you prefer the top!
I believe you had a brief chat via email with our Team Leader Mike Lang in January which went straight onto our blog https://theeverestrockstars.com/
[Quote from Ed]
“How cool! Go Everest Rockstars! Have a great climb of Kala Patar! Enjoy the journey! Enjoy the friendships! You all will have an amazing experience. Absorb the Sherpa culture-they are an amazing people. Ed”
Mike is a HUGE fan of yours, and has been for years… (In fact we all are!). I have read No Shortcuts half a dozen times and also took the audio book on iPod and we actually listened to it when we were ‘climbing’ Kala Pathar near Gorek Shep. (BTW, the best thing about your Shortcut audio is that you narrate it – it allows us to connect with you and feel the words, well done!)
It was quite an emotional day, as we had a year in training for our event (we are all in business, and are not elite athletes, thus needed plenty of training!) so listening to our hero as we reached one of our goals was very physically and emotionally rewarding. Our trek started in Lukla 1st March so was on tail end of winter, and our EBC day was -20c with 40 knot winds – which for a bunch of office folk – was quite the challenge..! Still, this has made it all the more enjoyable as we feel we had to ‘earn’ our goal, it was not handed to us on a platter. Our Sherpas were awesome and are a truly amazing people. We had a 100% success rate achieving our goals, and this is no doubt because of how they led us (very slowly!) up the trails. Our best memories of the trip are of the people we met… In particular Mingma Sherpa in Dingboche… She has climbed Everest twice and has some amazing stories! We did take 100 rupees off her though in a game of cards!
I have a small confession to make….Mike is so inspired by your achievements and balance on life, that he is a little gullible on all things Ed…. Whenever we got the chance on the trip we dropped in things like “We heard that Ed has an expedition to Nupste this season, maybe that’s his gear going up the mountain…” and the like, so at every corner Mike is searching the streets of Namche Bazar and checking out the bakeries and shops looking for you! We had a bit of fun at his expense….
What I would like to ask you… Can I please book a short speaking arrangement?… Just a phone call to Mike, introducing yourself (he will be sceptical it is really you as he has fallen for quite a few Ed sightings….) and if you are comfortable, telling him what a great job he has done getting him and his team to EBC. I am more than happy to reimburse any costs incurred. We are GMT+10 (BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA) so 3pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), should be 8am our time. His cell number is +61 418 88****. He would be OVER THE MOON to receive your call (at any time – weekends included!) As a backup – his email address is mike@gleney.com
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Please know that your drive to succeed has been inspirational for many many people who you will never meet, but the power of your words are awesome. I hope the weight is not too great a burden. I truly hope everybody finds people like yourself to look up to because you have enriched our lives with exciting adventures, and inspired us to do the same. Now I can say I have truly walked in your footsteps up to Ama Dablam Base Camp (my favourite mountain by far!) and Kala Patar and EBC….
Many thanks in advance,
Dave Turner
Adventure Racing Rocks!
The Rockstars & Warthogs Conquer The Noosa Adventure Race 2012.
This weekend the Rockstars and the Warthogs combined forces to take on the mighty Noosa Adventure Race, we don’t know exactly how long the event was but the estimate was approx 25km in which we Mountain Bike, Kayak and Cross Country Run or more like crashing though trees, fall over logs and crash our bike’s into stuff!! It took us 4hrs & 39mins to complete the event. The day was fantastic with lots of laughs and plenty of high fives and fist pumping, I want to thank everyone for the great sportsmanship shown and all the support we took from each other…..Nice work everyone!!
Cheers Mike!
A big weekend ahead for the guys!
Adventure Race This Weekend!
As some of you may know the Rockstars have joined forces with my beloved Warthogs for the Adventure Race this weekend, the team comprises of Myself, Bert, Ross,Giz, Damo, Dave and his wife Nat who is filling in for the injured Blair “The Princess” Ording (hope you feel better soon mate). I’ll make sure we take lots of photo’s when we get the chance to and try to show what the race is like and what we look like afterwards. I couldn’t find a good mixed team photo to show you all before the race but I found this old magazine cover of my brother Ross……as you see he’s looking pretty fit, nice training Bro! I can’t wait to see you with your shirt off after the race…..watch out for that photo Ladies!
A tough day on the track.
This video I took just as we arrived at our Tea House for the night after trekking from Ama Dablam Base Camp, it was one of the hardest days of the trek (for me anyway) as we had not track to follow just a direction to head in, down a mountain and into and down the riverbed. A big day and as you will see we were wiped.
We have a couple of new videos we found.
Hi Guys i found a video in the collection that you have not seen yet and managed to upload, it’s of us on our way back from EBC and shows how we were feeling on that return trip….
cheers Mike
Man Down!……Man Down!
Mountain bike repairs $200…..New elbow & knee pads $130….. Multiple stitches and hospital fees $360…..The look on my face when I saw my front wheel fall off as I went over a log…..Priceless!!
We were mountain bike training this morning for the adventure race in 2 weeks when my bike had a total malfunction, I seem to have broken the “Flux Capacitator” which connects my front wheel to the bike…..as you can imagine it all went down hill from there. Alls good with nothing broken just a few bruises and scrapes and 5 stitches in my left arm.
Keep you all informed on the progress on training and the main event in 2 weeks…..cheers Mike
theeverestrockstars 