to follow our trip blog:

http://fashisha.blogspot.com

Have a great fall everyone!

Tibetan Travels: Part III

Another quick trip to Ogden UT this week.

The mission was to meet with a bulk of the Freeski team, in addition to the French arm of the group, to discuss research and development, skis, and the overall direction and mission at the heart of the company.

It is an absolutely wondrous and fantastic process in which to be involved when you have loved skiing your whole life.  It is an honor to be a part of this family, and I have a lot of respect for my teammates and those that drive Salomon forward.

Salomon really listens to its people, and it plans and implements the ideas that are proposed. It is true and proud form to take what the skiers in the field think and share, and have it be heard.

Also on deck this year are some amazing new episodes of Salomon Freeski TV. These segements are core, have fun, have soul, and have charachters…and they rip. We saw a sneak peak of “Battle of Alaska”- in two parts- and it will impact and continue to revolutionize the way we look at ski movies and ski filming.

Look out for the world of Salomon this season!

Tibetan Travels: Part II is posted today:

http://www.outsidetelevision.com/blog/outsider

Below is a letter from friend and logistics coordinator, Karim Kahn, whom I met during my 2008 expedition to Gasherbrum II in Pakistan.

The best way that I know of to help right now is to text the State Department and donate $10, payable via your next phone bill.  For more information: http://www.state.gov/p/sca/ci/pk/flood/index.htm

Text “FLOOD“  to  27722   to contribute $10 to help the flood victims.

“Respected Madam,

this is karim from pakistan hope to every things to smooth with you and your family. well the situation in Pakistan is worst but more worse in Hunza sepcilly in upper part, may you know that the flood start from khunjarab and devasted the whole are of mine, mostly the Bridges are callopesed k k H is finished and we are totally disconnected from the rest of the world. my own village as you know a part frm Sost Khuda abad we have two bridge for connection with karakuram high way is finished and we cut off from the rest of the world. as for we are alread indirected IDPs due to land slide in between hunza and Gojal on 4th January 2010, and now again this flood wash out all the roads and lands. . As you know this was our harwesting season so for every thing is washed away by this flood. so for i was in a trek with one Dutch clients in Biafo and Baltoro concordia. just now i came back still i have no contect with my family yet .please do some help in this worst situation and pass this message to all your friends who want to save our life on humantarian bases. with this few request i wll keep intuch. thanks for your taking keen intrest.

Warmest regards karim khan”

A new joint venture with Outside Televsion has my co-host (and climber) Majka Burhardt and I alternating a Blog column every Friday.

My new Blog is called “From an Outsider“, and the first post is up today.

The start of my series will cover the journey to Tibet:   Tibetan Travels: Part I  on OutsideTV

With an upcoming expedition on the horizon, we want to share this adventure with you.  As we prepare for one of the biggest trips any of us have ever embarked upon, we feel committed to make it serve a larger purpose, and ask for your help. 

In September, our small team of four will be attempting to ski Shishapangma in Tibet.   We have received a sizable grant, which will help make this trip possible.  Shishapangma is the world’s fourteenth highest mountain, hovering at 8,013 m (or 26,289 ft).  (Please visit our website for more detail on our journey http://fashisha.blogspot.com/ .)

As exciting as the adventure is for us personally, we have decided to use this trip as an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the region. The Himalaya (or the “abode of snow” if literally translated from Sanskrit) is home to the world’s largest mountains and some of the warmest people we have ever met. 

The dZi Foundation (www.dzifoundation.org) is an outstanding organization making a difference in the Himalayas by appropriately and prudently improving the lives of those they assist.  Through considerable research and meaningful personal connections we feel the dZi Foundation is doing some of the most effective and innovative work in the region. 

The dZi Foundation works primarily in Nepal and through identifying communities’ specific needs, they implement lasting solutions.  Many of the projects focus on access to education, clean water and sanitation.   To quote the website, “All projects are community assessed, determined, and implemented — this ensures high levels of local contribution (occasionally exceeding eighty percent of total project costs) and local investment in long-term maintenance.”  We encourage you to visit their site and see the unique work they are doing:

(http://www.dzifoundation.org).   

Our request is simple:

Please consider joining us in making a contribution to dZi Foundation.  Our goal is to raise at least $1,500 for projects that will directly impact some of the most impoverished communities in the world.

Please contact us with questions, or if you would like more information about the trip or the dZi Foundation. We understand these are lean financial times and if making contribution to dZi is not a reality, we appreciate your good wishes.

Thank you for your support and consideration,

Andy Tankersley, Mark Fisher, Todd Passey, Kim Havell 

How to donate? 

(In the name of team- reference FAShisha on check and envelope)

FAShisha

The dZi Foundation

PO Box 632

Ridgway CO, 81432

One of the best ways to spend a sunny summer weekend is up in the high alpine.

On Saturday I got a casual start on a solo mission on Telluride’s Seven Summits Traverse route. The climb includes roughly 6,000ft of ascent and 6,000ft of descent, over 12 miles, 2 ridges, with 6 peaks at over 13,000ft (& 1 at 12,800ft). The weather was ideal aside from a brief hail storm that blew over in about two minutes. Door to door it took roughly seven hours.

On Sunday, I joined up with one of my great outdoor partners, and former Denali teammate, Karen Kingsley, to help her and her husband Bob in carrying some loads of tile up to their new hut above Ophir Pass, Colorado. It was another beautiful day for being up high. The hut has progressed tremendously in the past year and since my last visit it has been named- the Opus Hut, and it will be open for business this winter. The interior is beautifully laid out and will sleep 16 people, along with numerous decks, living area, and plumbed bathrooms for more modern convenience.

For more information www.opushut.com.

With numerous new obligations in the blogging sphere and an upcoming expedition to the mountains of Tibet on the horizon, I will be keeping this blog short, and will provide links from here to the other sites with which I will be working..most notably www.outsidetelevision.com and www.elevationoutdoors.com.

Salt Lake City was a whirlwind of meetings and gatherings within the chaos of the Outdoor Retailer Show. It is always nice to meet face to face with those with whom you work over the year, line up gear and items for the next trip, and to connect on new and exciting projects.

The rain seems to have followed me from Aspen to Telluride, and to Salt Lake and Jackson WY. Wrapping up the OR show, I drove up to Victor ID to meet up with our Tibet team for some training and logistical preparation. Waking up at midnight on Monday morning, we headed into the Teton hills at around 2:30am in the rain, climbing only the first peak for our 9 peak “Grand Traverse” goal, squeaking out the summit of Teewinot in the midst of a brief weather window. Thus thwarted on our larger goal, the boys decided to take me sport climbing back on the Idaho side and we managed a few wet pitches before the rain came in earnest. Thanks to Mark Fisher and Andy Tankersley for the effort and the rally!

As I settle back into Telluride, there is much to do before our departure in a month. More updates to come via this site linked to others on training, logistics, and a new foray into the land of TV.

Some shots from our 5,600ft climb up Mt Teewinot at the forefront the Teton Range, featuring Andy Tankersley and Mark Fisher:

Checking back in from the road during a brief layover in Telluride.

Last week, we had a successful filming session up in Boulder, CO at Rocky Mountain National Park, Lumpy Ridge, and other random locations. Not much to say on this topic yet other then we hope to be moving forward on the outdoor TV show project in the next few months.

The rain has hit Colorado in force over the past week. Aspen was great fun but we couldn’t quite get the big peaks done with the unpredicatable storms. To entertain ourselves, we hiked and ran, and caught up with old friends. The highlight, however, was the Michael Franti & Spearhead show on Thursday night at the Belly-Up. Katja, Lisa and I got a great spot in the front row to boogie down. It was incredibly fun to see such a great performer in a small venue. Though, even better was when Franti grabbed me up on stage. I got handed a guitar (unplugged) and just had to roll with it. It was a long four minutes but I tried to embrace the moment- an unbeliveable life experience.

Next up, heading to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer Show, and then on to Jackson Hole for some team training for Tibet…one month and counting.

Follow along during the “in-between” blogging moments on Twitter: twitter.com/kimhavell