Another year passes by. We’ve seen a new leader of the free world settle in and show his colours as our own nation attempts to establish what the future will look like. We’ve seen a heatwave, Storm Doris and Storm Brian, a royal engagement and the release of the 10th Star Wars film.
We’ve also seen another year of broken records, fastest runs, fastest ascents, first free ascents, and general acts of daring do. It’s been a busy one in the outdoor and adventure world, that’s for sure. Here’s our Year in Review recap of some of the notable moments.
January 1 – Rising to the Top
While Mira Rai achieved most of her ultra running race wins in 2016, it was in 2017 that she was named as National Geographic Adventurer of 2017. After only discovering mountain running was a sport four years ago, the former Nepalese child soldier’s rise to the top of ultra running has been the stuff of Hollywood.
April 30 – Tragedy on Everest
The mountaineering community goes into mourning following the news that Ueli Steck, the Swiss alpinist known for his breathtaking speed climbs, had fallen to his death during an attempt to climb the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of Everest without supplemental oxygen. One of the tragedies of the year.
May 22 – Good News From Everest
Catalan ultra runner and mountaineer, Kilian Jornet, ascends Everest’s North Face from Base Camp without the use of oxygen and fixed ropes and returns to Advanced Base Camp in just 26 hours, setting a fastest known time for such an attempt.
June 4 – Conquering El Cap
In what has since been referred to as one of the “greatest athletic achievements of all time”, 32 year-old Alex Honnold makes an unsupported and ropeless ascent of the 900m sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite. Read our interview with Honnold following the climb.
July 9 – A New Title for Lakeland
The Lake District joins Yosemite National Park, Stonehenge, Machu Picchu and the Great Barrier Reef as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
July 23 – Keeping on Top of Things
22 year-old Alex Staniforth from Cheshire reaches the summit of Moel Famau, setting a record for the fastest continuous round of the UK’s historic county tops. His journey involved over 5,000 miles by foot, bike and kayak.
