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:
| USA vs. Finland I am on my way to Stone Summit, America's largest indoor climbing wall. My mission is to see how it compares to my local climbing hall, Toyota Kiipeilyareena back in Finland. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) November 2012, Stone Summit, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kiipeilyareena, Helsinki, Finland Climbing (Wall) |
Finland vs. USA on Big Wall Climbing from The Planetskier on Vimeo. |
| Volcan Copahue So close, yet so far. I wanted so much to ski down from Volcán Copahue (2953 meters), but despite trying very hard it was not going to happen. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) August 2012, Caviahue, Argentina Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain); Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Buildings); Swimming (Outdoor, Thermal-Bath, Water, Waterbody-Lake) | |
| Climbing Volcanoes We are trying hard to reach the summit in time. But we are late. 350 million years late, to be exact. This volcano stopped breathing before the dinosaurs came to life. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) July 2012, Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom; Mt. Pinatubo, Philippines; Etna, Italy; Stromboli, Sicily, Italy Climbing (Mountain) | |
| Ice Climbing in Espoo. In June. It is Sunday, +10 degrees, raining heavily, and it is the middle of summer in southern Finland. What should I do? Go ice climbing in Espoo, obviously. Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) June 2012, Mankkaan lumenkaatopaikka, Mankkaa, Espoo, Finland Climbing (Ice); Urban-Exploration (Landfills) | |
| Carrying Skis to 17,000 ft I don't know where to start. Skiing at 17,000 ft? Ice climbing? A night in a tent at 5 kilometers? No acclimatization? The close call with tragedy? Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) May 2012, Tarija Peak, Cordillera Real, Bolivia Climbing (Mountain, Ice); Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Hiking) |
Skiing at 17,000 ft in Bolivia from The Planetskier on Vimeo. |
| Bolivia Is Kind of Close I have finished my meeting in Washington DC and more work awaits me next week in California. But first things first. There's a weekend in between, and what better way to spend the weekend than to fly 16,000 kilometers to Bolivia? Full story (Suomenkielinen versio) May 2012, Tarija Peak, Cordillera Real, Bolivia Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain, Ice) | |
| Hero or Bonehead? While the opinions were split among the spectators that came to talk to me afterwards ("are you the guy who skied that?"), I think the answer is definitely "bonehead". This was just too dangerous. I need to go back to skiing safer slopes. Full story April 2012, Kitzsteinhorn, Kaprun, Austria Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain); Sauna (Normal) | |
| Out of Bounds in Les Arcs I was more worried about falling on that vertical wall than the police catching me, but both were real concerns. And then I caused an avalanche. This is a story about my four day trip to Les Arcs, France. Full story February 2012, Les Arcs, France Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain) | |
This is the 5th set of articles. The previous sets were set 1, set 2, set 3, and set 4. The next set is 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.