Welcome to the Planetclimber blog, stories from climbing around the world, from indoor halls to big mountains. And active volcanoes! The Planetclimber has climbed in 25 countries, in a total of 68 places. You can also click on a map below to see where in the world they took place.
All climbing-related articles:
| Sandhill My friend Patrick (see his "Mad Pat" blog) told me about this magical place in Ontario. Sandhill. He had conquered its steep sand slopes. And now I was on my way to Toronto and wanted to see if I can repeat the experience. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) August 2014, Sandhill, Ontario, Canada Skiing (Outdoor, Sand); Climbing (Mountain) | |
| Volcano Camping The summit ridge lights up, seemingly rising to the sky. The sunrise is about to start. I forget the cold night and the two vertical kilometers of climbing to get here. It is a magical moment to be at the top. I had not realised it would be possible to see the entire island of Bali in one view, as if I was in space. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) November 2013, Gunung Agung, Bali, Indonesia Climbing (Mountain); Skiing (Outdoor, Rock, Sand, Ash) | |
| Sarcophilus Satanicus Sarcophilus Satanicus. Satanic meat lover. Better know as the Tasmanian Devil. We did all we could to ski with the devil, like we did with the kangaroo, but alas, it was not to be. Turns out the devil is in trouble. The numbers of this previously common animal are down at least 80% and maybe as much as 99% from 1990s, due to a mysterious infectious cancer. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) November 2013, Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, Tasmania, Australia; Ben Lomond, Tasmania, Australia; Mt. Mawson, Tasmania, Australia Travel; Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain) | |
| Adventures of the Snowboard I don't know if I should classify this as gear testing or as new angle into a previous story. I have some new footage from my Krakatau trip, and it should give you an idea of what my snowboard went through. Yes, I bought it bought used. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) (Svenskt version) September 2013, Anak Krakatau, Indonesia Climbing (Mountain); Snowboarding (Ash, Rock, Sand) | |
| Bad Snow Year in Africa Grass. Sun. Lonely wilderness. 4x4 transport. You would expect to find those in Africa. And I did. But I also found mountains, a ski area, olympic athletes, and snow. And the highest bar in South Africa. I'm in Tiffindell, South Africa's only ski area that re-opened this year, after being closed for a couple of years. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) July 2013, Tiffindel, South Africa Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain); Afterski | |
| Skiing on the Equator Headache. Nausea. I have them, but high winds and icy rain are the main culprits for the failure to reach the glacier. No one in the refuge dares to venture higher. The estimated 80 km/h winds would be dangerous on that initial steep rock climb. Particularly with skis on the backpack acting as sails. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) (Svenskt version) June 2013, Cayembe, Ecuador Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain) | |
| Riders of the Lost Ash Sunshine. Waves. Jungle. +35C. Weekend alone on a tropical island, with nothing else to do than to listen to the wind and sea. And walk on black sand, or tease the two-meter lizards away from my tent. Wait. Black sand? Giant lizards? What kind of story is this? Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) March 2013, Anak Krakatau, Indonesia Snowboarding (Ash, Rock, Sand); Climbing (Mountain) | |
| Raisio by Snowboard Vuokatti, Flagstaff, and Raisio: my last three Sundays. I'm definitely on a path to visit the major cities in the world. And it is a grey, rainy day. Snow is heavy, the landscape is flat, and industrial Raisio will not be winning any beauty contests any time soon. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) February 2013, Raisio, Finland; Samppalinnan vuori, Turku, Finland; Kauniainen ski hill, Kauniainen, Finland Snowboarding (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain) | |
This is the 4th set of articles. The previous sets were set 1, set 2, and set 3. The next sets are set 5, and set 6.
The Planetclimber articles appeared originally in the Blogspot Planetskier series, at TGR posts, or at the Relaa website. See also the articles about skiing, caving, urban exploration, cycling, flying, swimming, and saunas.