Text by Christian Camerota Take a tumble on a pair of K2 skis and you might twist an ankle. Fall on K2 skiing and it will likely spell disaster. A solemn reminder of the inherent danger on the mountain's stolid slopes, Italian adventurer Michele Fait slid down an ice sheet to his death while skiing the SSE spur from atop an acclimitization camp on June 23. Fait and Frederick Ericsson had planned on scaling K2 and becoming the first people to ever make a complete ski descent of it before the tragic accident occurred. Ericsson had been chronicling the pair's trip on Powder Magazine's website and, a few days before, even went so far as to report that the harrowing car ride through a waterfall to arrive at the mountain "was probably more scary than anything we will face on K2." Their first days on the slopes held great promise,...
Text by Christian Camerota Bionic human pin cushion Lance Armstrong is no stranger to needles. The 37-year-old's seen his fair share during cancerous trials, doping probes, and post-crash repair jobs (to busted limbs and bikes, alike). Apparently the only scars left from having his body and mettle tested as if he were a military prototype, though, are the ones he's seered and continues to scald into the French countryside. There's no getting around it: You put this man on a bicycle and he makes just about anything else in the world seem possible. Rick Reilly's got a poignant, succinct look into Armstrong's chase for his 8th Tour title here and his clever turns of phrase (he refers to Armstrong as "cycling's Dorian Gray") coupled with a tale of impending triumph that's hard to muck up make for a great read. ADVENTURE will continue to post updates on the Armstrong Comeback...
Text by Andrew Tolve In February 2002 Ecuadorian mountaineer Santiago Quintero reached the summit of Aconcagua, the western hemisphere’s highest peak. The ascent was brutal. Only four men had ever climbed the south face of Aconcagua alone. In becoming the fifth, Quintero had endured 36 hours without oxygen in the throes of a storm at 21,000-plus feet. At the summit he took a moment to enjoy the view, then started back down. At lower altitudes a tingling sensation overcame his feet. The doctor at base camp diagnosed it as mild frostbite. Back in Ecuador, the condition worsened. Quintero saw one specialist after another. Finally he flew to the MAZ hospital in Zaragoza, Spain, where doctors delivered the sobering news: Half his right foot and the toes of his left would need to be amputated. He never would climb again. After his amputation, Quintero spent six months in a wheelchair, three...
