HIGH OCTANE
RUNNING
LUCY RUNS THE WORLD From Katoomba to the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Season preview
PLUS
TREK TASMANIA A Western Arthur 's odyssey
GET READY FOR AUTUMN WITH OUR CRAG & TRAIL-RUN UP DATE In cahoots with this season's best routes
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! G MA
contents regulars ed's letter A word on community
outdoor team members Discover the tales the crew has this issue
outdoor exposure Free diving from One Breath a Life Without Gravity
NEWS The wicked Ocean Film Festival and Ross Clarke-Jones taking on Nazare
Books, movies, culture Teahupo, Tahiti
last shot Teahupo, Tahiti
adventure
18 34 52 68 78 88 98 108
06 08 10 12 16 114
guides trail run update A look at the season aghead
GUIDE TO THE BEST NEWBIE & INTERMEDIATE CRAGS Get into climbing
AUSSIE OCEAN SWIM WRAP A couple of young guns take the prize
young gun running Lucy Bartholomew runs the world
via ferrata Dan Slater comes face-to-face with himself
LORD HOWE DIVING Emma Ryan's undersea odyssey
Western Arthurs trek David Cauldwell pleads to the gods in Tasmanian high country
chasing dodos, mauRitius Pat Kinsella talks turkey
over the hill in nepal Megan Holbeck and her sister climb onto the roof of the world
getting wild with orangutans Catherine Lawson checks into Kalimantan
taking the high road Paul Pritchard, back on his bike
28 44 62
COVER: TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA Blake Hose and David Byrne high-tailing it amid Tassie splendour. PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Watson/ INCITE Images.
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2017
2018
TRAVELLERS’ CHOICE AWARD
NO.1 HOTEL IN AUSTRALIA
5 out of 5
Weekend Away Review – January 2015
wellness weeks
Pinetrees Lodge on Lord Howe Island is famous for exceptional meals, personalised service and our superb location on Lagoon Beach. Join our Wellness Weeks in 2018 for daily yoga classes with Charlotte Dodson, adventure fitness activities, wholefood cooking classes, luxury spa treatments, and a complete disconnect from the outside world. Discover world-class diving, snorkelling, walking, surfing and kayaking, or just relax and rejuvenate on one of Australia’s most beautiful islands. Come and discover why we’re TripAdvisor’s No.1 Hotel in Australia. Please call us on (02) 9262 6585 and quote ‘Outdoor Magazine’.
lord howe island • another world • close to home
Contact Pinetrees Travel on (02) 9262 6585 or visit pinetrees.com.au
ed's letter W ho's w ho EDITORIAL
A climber on the summit of a peak watching the storm clear during sunset PICTURE CREDIT: Vernon Wiley
Editor Aaron Flanagan Senior Designer Janina Roque Content Operations Danielle Beadman Contributors Megan Holbeck, Dan Slater, David Cauldwell, Emma Ryan, Patrick Kinsella, Paul Pritchard, Catherine Lawson, David Bristow, Mark Watson, Rachael Doherty, Natalie Cavallaro Editorial and News 125 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North, Vic, 3161 Australia submissions@adventuresgroup.com.au
DIGITAL Digital Content Manager Leah Glynn leah@adventuresgroup.com.au Digital Content Manager Katrina Minchenko katrina@adventuresgroup.com.au Marketing marketing@adventuresgroup.com.au Partner Marketing Manager Lauren Grigg lauren@adventuresgroup.com.au
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
The strongest spirit
I
t's about community. A community of climbing, a community of running and trekking, a community of paddling in river and sea and a community of riding bikes down bush tracks. And then there's the umbrella community that enwraps everything. Outdoor attempts to extract and refine stories from each of these, then bundle them up and present them in a way that helps anyone outside looking in become interested enough to get involved. There's a vibrancy and a potential to connect with vital truths by joining in on something cool, like the adventures we present in this issue. We like to think we're helping people connect using old-school words and pictures. With that in mind, we've jammed this issue with some ripping yarns from home and abroad. Megan Holbeck traverses the Nepali highlands with her twin sister, David Cauldwell ponders middle age in Tasmania's Western Arthurs and Dan Slater faces up to a similar feeling of decrepitude scrabbling over toeholds and non-existent crevices in the European Alps. Pat Kinsella takes off on another majestic adventure, this time in Mauritius and Emma Ryan goes deep into the sea, way out around Lord Howe Island. We also catch up with all the latest fiendish raves and devilsh intrigue lined up for eager trail runners in the season ahead, and we're rejoined by the sticky-handed Simon Madden for an introduction to the climbing routes he feels are perfect for newbies and intermediate kooks. Get into it, any way you can. And if not, sit back, read the exploits in the pages inside, and let your mind wander to places you'd rather be.
Aaron Flanagan 6
sales@adventuresgroup.com.au www.adventuresgroup.com.au Head of Partnerships Christopher Jefferson 0477 775 020 chris@adventuresgroup.com.au Partner Manager Eleanor Rattray 0402 135 296 eleanor@adventuresgroup.com.au Victoria/South-East Rowena Lyrijis 0428 950 936 rowena@adventuresgroup.com.au Renee Bordieri 0429 018 098 renee@adventuresgroup.com.au New South Wales/Qld/WA Serena Prasad 0429 489 615 serena@adventuresgroup.com.au Danielle Gowan 0435 065 325 danielle@adventuresgroup.com.au National Agency Christopher Jefferson 0477 775 020 chris@adventuresgroup.com.au National Partnerships Andrew Wilson 0437 034 003 andrew@adventuresgroup.com.au Private Advertising www.tradervs.com.au/sell Customer Support support@adventuresgroup.com.au
EXECUTIVE GROUP Chief Executive Officer Robert Gallagher rob@adventuresgroup.com.au Chief Financial Officer Matthew O,Meara matt@adventuresgroup.com.au
SUBSCRIPTIONS Phone: 1300 692 383 (ext. 3) Email: subscriptions@adventuresgroup.com.au Web: www.outdooraustralia.com/magazine
ADVERTISING TERMS & CONDITIONS www.adventuresgroup.com.au Outdoor is printed in Australia. Outdoor total printed copies: 6500
Outdoor is published by Adventures Group Holdings. ACN: 155 672 192 ABN: 29 155 672 192 All material in Outdoor is protected by the Commonwealth Copyright Act, 1968. No material may be reproduced without written consent. Distributed by Gordon & Gotch. Printed by Bluestar Web, 83 Derby Street, Silverwater, NSW 2128. ISSN 2205-0515
LEVIT Y | LUMINA
Yo u k n o w w h a t i s n ’ t c o o l ? S u f f e r i n g for the wrong reasons. Suf fering t h r o u g h p h y s i c a l c h a l l e n g e s ? T h a t ’s cool. Suf fering because your pack h u r t s ? N o t c o o l . S o w h e t h e r y o u ’r e planning on hiking the T hree Capes Tr a c k o v e r a l o n g w e e k e n d o r s e t t i n g a blistering pace on the Larapinta, why not take an ultralight pack that feels good on your back? Af ter all, nothing weighs more than pain.
THIS MONTH’S EXPEDITION CREW Our crew has brought you tales of adventure, incredible achievements, and inspiring explorers. We quizzed them to see what adventures are on the horizon for in 2018.
DAN SLATER
Dan has been writing for Australian adventure and travel magazines since he washed up here from Blighty nine years ago and decided to blag his way into the most glamorous job he could think of. Since then he's had to dream up ever more interesting trips to keep his fingers occupied, from ice climbing and cycle touring to epic hikes and trail running around a remote Pacific island. His 2018 is shaping up to be the year of the volcano, both inactive and extremely excitable, with climbing trips lined up in both Ecuador & the DRC. Namibia and Bangladesh also feature in the near future, as well as finally tackling the classic Kokoda Track in PNG. Australia though remains the epicentre of his exploits, with SA's Flinders Ranges currently top of the bucket list. Bring it on!
MEGAN HOLBECK
Megan Holbeck is a Sydney-based writer who is constantly trying to find a way to squeeze a little adventure into her life. At the moment these escapes are bite sized - ocean swimming, camping, sailing, trail running and day walks - although she can occasionally sneak in a cheeky two week trip…
NATALIE CAVALLARO
Nat's first adventure was at age 10, when she put a few snacks in a tea-towel tied to a broomstick and hit the road on foot with her siblings. However the food ran out and someone lost a shoe, so they cut the journey short. These days, she's (slightly) more prepared before travel. With 10 years' experience as a journalist across newspapers, magazines and television, Nat swears by the motto 'take the risk, live the adventure, tell the tale'.
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PAUL PRITCHARD
Paul was a cutting-edge rock climber and mountaineer hailing from the UK. When he won the Boardman/Tasker Award for mountain literature in 1997 with Deep Play, he spent the prize money on a world climbing tour that found him in Tasmania climbing The Totem Pole. When a falling boulder inflicted terrible head injuries. put him in hospital for a year, this gave Paul the impetus to write The Totem Pole about his personal journey through hemiplegia and this also won an unprecedented second B/T and the Banff Mountain Book Festival Grand Prize. Paul rode a trike to Mount Everest and, in 2016 he finally climbed the Totem Pole, 18 years after his accident (the subject of an ABC Australian Story). 2018 is the 20th anniversary of his accident and he recently walked to The Totem Pole like he does every year.
PATRICK KINSELLA
Pat has long specialised in adventure journalism as a writer, photographer and editor. After working at Lonely Planet publications for several years he founded the adventure magazine Outer Edge in 2006, and later became the managing editor of a trio of outdoor pursuit publications: Outer Edge, Wild and Rock.
EMMA RYAN
With an always-up-for-it attitude and a smile as wide as the Nullarbor, Emma is a true adventurer as comfortable spotting turtles 30m underwater as she is cruising across the outback in a clapped out four wheel drive listening to Willie Nelson’s early stuff. Emma is an established outdoor adventure journalist whose work has taken her to the most remote corners of the country, from the northernmost reaches of the Kimberley to the tip of the Tasman Peninsula. She can catch, kill and cook a fish and she takes her hiking boots wherever she goes. Sea salt and red desert sand flow through Emma’s veins in equal measure, and if she’s not donning a wetsuit and a BCD on a tropical island she’s kicking it in a well-loved pair of RMs and an Akubra, waxing lyrical about how much money she’d make if she could bottle the smell of Top End rain hitting cracked, thirsty earth.
CATHERINE LAWSON
Captivated by wild places and passionate about their preservation, adventurers Catherine Lawson and David Bristow run wildtravelstory.com, a website devoted to inspiring all travellers (but especially those with kids in tow) into the world’s best wild places to tackle trips they never thought possible. For almost two decades Catherine and David have travelled full-time, now with their six-year-old daughter Maya whose first Big Lap was documented in the Highway One - The Ultimate Australian Road Trip, published by Australian Geographic in 2012.
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DAVID CAULDWELL
David Cauldwell is an adventure travel writer who enjoys wearing the same clothes for days on end (preferably wet), all in the name of finding a secluded mountain peak and contemplating his existence. He's travelled to a variety of places around the globe to do this, most recently in Tasmania's Central Plateau where he formed an intimate bond with his compass during a white out on King Davids Peak.
SIMON MADDEN
An avid climber, Simon is co-editor of Vertical Life magazine with Ross Taylor, but one-ups his contemporary with his extended experience in snowsports. A writer and photographer, Simon also turns his hand to producing videos and is Adventure Types resident culture vultre, keeping the team on the pulse of the next wave flowing through the adventure communities.
Adventure Profile Lucy Bartholomew
Young gun
RUNNING With the world's toughest endurance race just months away, 21 year-old runner Lucy Bartholomew is looking down the barrel at her biggest challenge yet.
WORDS Nata lie Cava l laro
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Tackling the UK's 40km Scarfell Sky Race in which she finished first in the women's category PICTURE CREDIT: Guillem Casanova
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Adventure Profile Lucy Bartholomew
With a great run of races behind her in 2017, Lucy is looking forward to Western States PICTURE CREDIT: Nick Muzik
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Triumphant after finishing first female and 11th overall at Ultra Trail Cape Town. PICTURE CREDIT: Nick Muzik
All smiles after a stellar finish at Ultra Trail Australia. PICTURE CREDIT: Kamil Sustiak
T
he holy grail of endurance trails, California's Western States 100 mile (1 61km) looms large over the heads of any runner with a desire to throw themselves at the pinnacle of their sport and see if they make it out alive or crack under the mental pressure. Since its inception in 1974, athletes from all over the world have journeyed to the course, which ascends more than 5000m and descends more than 7000m. It's remote, rugged, and hazardous, with zero forgiveness for those who are not mentally or physically prepared for its relentless wilderness challenges which include, among others, a dangerous fording of the American River. For 21 year-old Lucy Bartholomew, of Melbourne, there is nothing she would rather do more in 2018. She has hit the ground running already - pardon the pun with three races under her belt by March: the 56km Two Bays in Victoria, along with the 62km Tarawera and the Shotover Moonlight Marathon, both in New Zealand. She also has the Motatapu Ultra and Ultra Trail Australia lined up before she leaves for the US.
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"I'm definitely a different person than before running because of the way I approach things and what I can get through"
Adventure Profile Lucy Bartholomew
“I take every opportunity that comes my way” PICTURE CREDIT: Xavier Briel
While her training regime is well underway, Lucy admits that being on the ground in the US will intensify the butterflies. “I feel so inspired at the moment and in a really good head space,” she said. “I am hoping to be there for a big recce on Memorial Day weekend at the end of May. “This will probably open up lots of questions, excitement and nerves, but will make it easier to plan. “Prior to this, I am just looking at working out ways to train for some hot temperatures as it can be 50 degrees in the canyons.” The intense training and mental preparation before the event on June 23 is undoubtedly huge, but the significance of Western States for her athletic record holds heavy weight. When she crosses that finish line, Lucy will be the second youngest woman to have completed the race in its esteemed 44 year history. Kathy D’Onofrio was 20 when she finished in 1985, 21 in 1986, and 22 in 1987.
"I'd love to... bring young athletes together to tell them this is actually a sport and something you can do. You can travel the world with it, and you can dare to dream of doing it"
A RUNNER IS MADE Ultra-runners are a unique breed of athlete. They do what mere mortals only do in dreams, or in the fictional montage that runs through the head as one struggles through a five or 10km event, with Survivor's Eye of the Tiger as the soundtrack. They are athletes that are created, not born. They're made on the trails, in the wilderness, out of sweat, tears, and bleeding feet; emerging from rocky mountains forged in the fire of determination. Lucy Bartholomew is one of them, and in her own words “wasn't born a runner, but I'm teaching myself, travelling the world learning”.
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The undulating tracks on Ultra Trail Cape Town were a challenge for all competitors PICTURE CREDIT: Xavier Briel
Walking on air – highlining in Tasmania
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Adventure Profile Lucy Bartholomew Triumphant after finishing first female and 11th overall at Ultra Trail Cape Town. PICTURE CREDIT: Nick Muzik
There is no doubt that she is off to a flying start. Running her first 100km event at the tender age of 16 alongside her father, Lucy maintains that she never thought about it being more than a hobby until 2017. “People ask what it's like being a full time runner, but I personally feel like I'm still on my gap year,” she laughed. If that's the benchmark, then she's on one of the toughest gap years of all time. In 2017 alone she competed in 15 races ranging in distance from 22km to 119km. The longest was the TDS in France, where she finished fifth in the women's category. Before the end of the year, she also managed to squeeze in Ultra Trail Cape Town with a stunning result, finishing first in the women and 11th overall, beating competitors double her age with years of experience. That's not to mention the 30 or so other races on her resume, dating back to 2012.
PUSHING THROUGH PAIN With such an extensive list of races over a relatively short period of time and at such a modest age, Lucy has been quick to learn the mental techniques that are necessary to make it through such gruelling distances. “I think for me, the worst thing you can do is think of it as 100km, it's such a big number,” she said. “I'm very much someone who looks at it as checkpoint to checkpoint. You know, that might be 20km, which to some people might seem a long way. And when times get tough, it might just be to get to that tree up there and in the real bad moments, it's like, let's just take one more step.” Sure, these tactics make sense – but deep in the heart of the race, has she ever got to the point where she feels like she cannot go on?
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WESTERN STATES SELECTION Entry to the renowned Western States 100 is through a lottery application. Applicants must ďŹ rst complete one of the speciďŹ ed qualifying races from around the world, during an allotted time period. Lottery applications are submitted online and 348 entrants from across the globe were selected in early December 2017, along with 50 applicants for a wait list. For more information about Western States, visit www.wser.org.
"When I got the offer to compete in Cape Town, it was like a month before. That excites me, it sets my heart on fire" Hot on the heels of a competitor in Cape Town. PICTURE CREDIT: Craig Kolesky
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Adventure Profile Lucy Bartholomew
Carrying the Aussie fl ag after a first female finish at Ultra Trail Australia. PICTURE CREDIT: Kamil Sustiak
“Yeah I get to that point in every race,” she laughed. “Sometimes you just need to stop, and I have done this in races, I've stopped and taken a deep breath and gone, 'ok, right now sucks.' “But if that's as bad as it's going to get, it can only get better.” She recounted such a moment during Ultra Trail Cape Town, where she was forced to draw on these reserves of mental strength. “I was on Table Mountain and I'd fallen five times through this boardwalk... I was getting worked up so I stopped and looked out and was like, wow look at where I am. “I've got Cape Town to my left, the sea to my right and I'm on Table Mountain, there are worse places to be!” NO PLAN IS THE BEST PLAN Having once been a 21 year-old woman, with none of this discipline or drive, I'm fascinated by Lucy's determination and maturity at tackling such a task. I'm interested to know whether she has had much chance to speak to other young women her age, to encourage them to engage more with the outdoors, and embark on similar personal challenges. “It's such a bizarre thing to do,” she said.
“You know, to say, go run 100km to a 21 year-old... I look at my friends and I know that's not going to happen! “But I'd love to be able to bring people together, and it doesn't have to be 100km, it's just about getting out there. “I went to the Junior Running Academy with Salomon when I was young, and I'd love to bring that kind of thing to Australia to bring young athletes together to tell them this is actually a sport and something you can do. You can travel the world with it, and you can dare to dream of doing it.” While she may have a mature outlook on mental performance in her sport, Lucy admitted that she doesn't really have a long term career plan. “I just don't plan” she said. “I'm taking every opportunity that comes my way. When I initially missed out on the lottery for Western States, I went, 'ok cool, that can go on the back burner and I'll make another plan'. “Then I got in and I was like, 'ditch those plans, we're going to Western States!' “When I got the offer to compete in Cape Town, it was like a month before. That excites me, it sets my heart on fire.”
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"People ask what it's like being a full time runner, but I personally feel like I'm still on my gap year"
Runners tackle a rocky stretch of trail during Ultra Trail Cape Town PICTURE CREDIT: Craig Kolesky
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TO SUBSCRIBE! From Katoomba to the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Season preview
PLUS
TREK TASMANIA A Western Arthur 's odyssey
GET READY FOR AUTUMN WITH OUR CRAG & TRAIL-RUN UP DATE In cahoots with this season's best routes
Mar/Apr 2018
PRINT POST APPROVED 100008799
Mar/Apr 2018
DIVE
LORD HOWE
A kaleidoscope of undersea colour
HIGH OCTANE
RUNNING
LUCY RUNS THE WORLD From Katoomba to the Sierra Nevada Mountains
Season preview
PLUS
TREK TASMANIA A Western Arthur 's odyssey
GET READY FOR AUTUMN WITH OUR CRAG & TRAIL-RUN UP DATE In cahoots with this season's best routes
DIVE
PRINT POST APPROVED 100008799
RUNNING
LUCY RUNS THE WORLD Young Gun Running - Lucy Bartholomew | Western Arthurs Trekking | Australia's best crags and trails | The undersea wonder of Lord Howe Island
Young Gun Running - Lucy Bartholomew | Western Arthurs Trekking | Australia's best crags and trails | The undersea wonder of Lord Howe Island
HIGH OCTANE
LORD HOWE
A kaleidoscope of undersea colour Mar-apr 2018
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Mar-apr 2018
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