First Ascent Kayakers Attempt Three River Descents in Four Days Near Yosemite

First Ascent kayakers Chris Korbulic and Ben Stookesberry set out to kayak down three rivers in the High Sierra wilderness – just outside Yosemite National Park– in four days.

By Chris Korbulic

Just before sunrise, it was a picture-perfect summer morning. I hiked up the Kibbie Ridge trail, 10 miles toward the put-in for Upper Cherry Creek outside Yosemite National Park. I was trying to keep up with Ben Stookesberry as the brisk air lost out to his unrelenting pace. We were moving fast and feeling good about our ascent to the top of the trail. Our adventure would not end with this hike, but just begin with our push to paddle three High Sierra wilderness rivers in four days! Read More…

First Ascent Kayaker Jesse Coombs Shares Expedition Packing Tips

First Ascent kayaker Jesse Coombs shares his tips and tricks for traveling to remote corners of the world with kayak in tow.

By Jesse Coombs

I’m often asked, “How do you get your gear across the world?”

First, book a flight with an airline that is kayak-friendly. Research the policies of all the airline options, and select one that explicitly accepts kayaks. With ever-changing airline luggage policies, be sure to check airline policies online beforehand to make sure you do not have any unwanted surprises the morning of your flight.

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First Ascent Kayakers Conclude Grueling Portage at Barranca de Piaxtla, Mexico

In the previous entries of this expedition, First Ascent kayakers Jesse Coombs, Ben Stookesberry, Darin McQuoid and friends struggled to portage around a 1,000-foot descent of falls at Barranca de Piaxtla in Mexico.

By Jesse Coombs

We had already been hiking for more than a half day, temperatures were in the 90s, we had run out of water and there was no way back down to the river, which was more than 700 feet below.

After scouting about for options, we stumbled across something we couldn’t have been happier to see: A swampy-looking pool of water about 9 feet in diameter and 1 foot deep. It was full of moss and lichen and particles and was disgustingly green, having clearly been stagnant for months. But it was still water. Read More…

First Ascent Kayakers Forced to Portage Extreme Terrain of Barranca de Piaxtla

First Ascent kayakers Jesse Coombs, Ben Stookesberry, Darin McQuoid and friends navigate the extreme terrain of the Barranca de Piaxtla, Mexico.

By Jesse Coombs

We woke up and were ready to hit the trail by 8 a.m. We had a heavy load to portage. Each boat weighed between 80 and 90 lbs. We shouldered our boats and started the uphill hike. A tremendous help, some wildlife trails led up the same direction we wanted to hike. The trail was quite steep with some difficult footing. We spent two hours hiking, climbing, pulling, pushing and fighting up the 600-meter hill. Finally it flattened out a bit, and there was a grassy area that offered a respite.

After a short rest and a little water, we shouldered our boats and continued the portage. Soon the vegetation got even thicker and we spent the majority of the time pulling and pushing our kayaks under the walls of vegetation while trying to keep the stickers and branches out of our faces. This struggle continued for over an hour, and then we were confronted with a serious problem – It was 12:30 p.m. and we were all very low on water. Read More…

First Ascent Kayakers Ride Class 5 Falls at Barranca de Piaxtla, Mexico

By Jesse Coombs

Ben Stookesberry, Darin McQuoid and I heard about an exploratory descent on a steep river in Mexico known as the Barranca de Piaxtla. The driver of this particular adventure was Rocky Contos, a post-doctorate neurological researcher who is in love with kayaking. Rocky is currently taking an extended absence from his neurological research to write a comprehensive kayaking and rafting guidebook on Mexico. James Harper, a strong kayaker who has become a great friend and partner with Rocky on his Mexico endeavor, also joined us.

To start, we all agreed that we should drive to above the upper section of Piaxtla and hike around to get a sense for it.  We were amazed by what we saw. This canyon was full of standing and fallen spires and columns. None of us had seen anything like it before, and the canyon was amazingly deep with steep and sheer walls. This was a special river, canyon and place that begged for exploration. Read More…

First Ascent Kayaker Jesse Coombs Goes for 101 Foot Drop at Metlako Falls

By Jesse Coombs

I had just finished a month long Hotel Charley V: First Descent film tour and was ready for some much-needed rest and relaxation, but as I was driving home I got a call from photographer Lucas Gilman. He said he was in Hood River, Oregon, shooting waterfalls and wanted me to come join him.

I made a quick change of plans and headed that morning to Metlako Falls at Eagle Creek Trail, near Hood River. I had only seen photos of these falls before.

Lucas and I hiked up and I could feel the anticipation and tension building in my body. The decision to run tall waterfalls has to be the right one, because the consequences of a bad line can be serious. Metlako is claimed by the USGS to be 101 feet tall, so running this fall requires serious consideration.

As soon as I saw the falls from the first lookout, I knew it was at an acceptable water level. Too much water and you can get stuffed up against a wall or flushed into the next rapid as a swimmer. Too little and you can fall 100 feet into green water which is water that is not aerated by the falling water. Green water has high-surface tension and cohesion compared to aerated water and can seriously hurt you and literally rip away any flailing limb when you are falling at high speeds from a height like Metlako. Read More…

Jantoon Reigersman’s Concludes Expedition from Deep Ocean to Everest

In the last year, Jantoon Reigersman challenged himself with “9000METER” – an attempt to dive to a depth of at least 152 meters below sea level and summit Mount Everest at 8,848 meters. In this post, Jantoon documents the second leg of his 9000METER project at the top of the world.

By Jantoon Reigersman

After a successful dive to 158 meters, I was ready for Everest. My original plan was to cycle from Kathmandu to Tibet, but before I began my trek I met challenges. I was supposed to be in Kathmandu only for one day to get permits. Unfortunately, Lhasa (where the final stamp has to be given) had been closed by the Chinese authority in anticipation of strikes in Tibet. No foreigners were allowed to enter Tibet until further notice.  Despite my daily trips to obtain the permit no progress was made, and eventually I decided to join the rest of the expedition team (sherpas, cooks and fellow climbers) in their jeeps and postpone the cycling. Read More…

Be First Recipients Cycle the Americas

Be First recipients the Vogel family – Dad, John; Mom, Nancy; and 12-year-old twins Davy and Daryl – are on the road and attempting to pedal the entire length of the longest road in the world – the Pan American Highway– from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina at the southern tip of South America. Check back here for updates on their adventure.

By Nancy Vogel

There has been a debate raging lately: are the parents of children accomplishing big feats such as climbing Mt. Everest or sailing solo around the world selfish, self-absorbed parents forcing their own dreams upon their children or simply parents encouraging and helping their children to dream big?

As the parent of 12-year-old brothers currently attempting to break the world record as the youngest people to cycle the length of the Americas, I am uniquely qualified to answer that question.  We left in June 2008 when the boys were ten and expect to reach our goal somewhere around their thirteenth birthday. Read More…

Video Recap: Melissa Arnot Summits Ama Dablam

First Ascent guide Melissa Arnot returned to the Himalayan Mountains in October after her successful summit of Mount Everest last May. During the trip Melissa, along with photographer Cory Richards and friend Chhewang Nima, successfully summited Ama Dablam at 22,348 feet.

Raising Water Awareness Forces Celebrities To Sweat

SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT: Kilimanjaro climbers intensify their training with the help of fitness expert Jason Walsh. Using VO2 technology, a measure of fitness level through utilization of oxygen, Walsh is tailoring workouts to maximize the teams chance of summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in January. Check back here for regular updates on the expedition, or visit summitonthesummit.com to find out how you can help.

First Ascent is the official expedition outfitter for the SUMMIT ON THE SUMMT: Kilimanjaro expedition to raise awareness of the global water crisis.