Kaenon Polarized

The tweet came through a few short days ago, “The YEP’s summit Himalayan Peak over 6′000 meters and name it ‘Pangaea peak’ !!! WELL DONE Mike Horn and the Pangaea Team!”

Mike Horn and his Young Explorers summited and named a Himalayan Peak in their latest Pangaea expedition which is well underway in Pakistan.

The latest update from the YEP Blog, which was written before agreement was reached on the new peak name:

June 14th 2010 – Day 14

“We spent most of the time going straight up the main face of the mountain. Then we traversed left and walked up the ridge, which led us to the false summit, and then the summit! Erica and Hugo really felt the altitude but could combat it with a constant and safe pace, which accompanied the breath and movement of the ice axe. So as one foot moved forward then the other, we would breath in deeply then the ice axe would follow this breath, then we would breath out audibly. This pattern was repeated more than one thousand times.

“As we heard today from Mike’s point of view, looking up onto the mountain as the three groups were ascending with the sharp point of the Petzl headlamps was incredible and beautiful. Once we reached the top of the ridge, the sun was rising…it was 5 am. We could just see the tips of Gasherbrum 1, 2, 3 and 4. The sun was rising just behind the peaks and the rays were extremely exaggerated and pointed out of the peaks with a magnificent orange glow. Within 30 seconds, however the clouds covered up the sun and it was very cold.

“We were all extremely emotional and happy to have reached this new summit at a little more than 6,000m, which we have named; Pangaea Peak. Jye thinks that “there is no other feeling like reaching the top of an unclimbed summit.” The Young Explorers all took out our flags for the photos, representing 6 nationalities. It was a moment we have been waiting for and it is a unique experience for everyone that will never be lost. Unfortunately not all 8 of the Young Explorers were able to experience this feeling. 2 of the 8 did not make it to the summit due to the altitude. However, we are still one team that supports each other and works well together.

“After 6 exhausting hours of ascending and descending Pangaea Peak, not including the two hours roundtrip from Base camp to ABC, we all collapsed in our tents. We are a bit more lively now and our bellies are ready for some food, which will be good for replenishing our bodies.”

To view videos of the expeditions, go to Mike Horn’s Pangaea Vimeo channel

We will keep the Kaenon blog updated with the latest news from the YEP’s travels!

Adrian Ballinger (Lewi, Black Pearl, G12 lens) and a group of fellow climbers and sherpas recently summited Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Under a well-timed ascent and stable weather conditions, the group achieved their amazing goal of standing on the top of the world, and climbed back down to the safety of Base Camp. Ballinger is led a commercial team up Everest’s south side beginning May 19 and summited on May 24th, 2010.

Ballinger (34) has led technical high-altitude expeditions to the Himalaya since 1997 and is the owner of Alpenglow Expeditions, based out of Lake Tahoe, California. This season, Ballinger is serving as the lead Everest guide for Himalayan Experience—or HIMEX—considered by many as the premier high-altitude guiding outfit in the world. HIMEX and the company’s founder, Russell Bryce, have been featured on the Discovery Channel’s Beyond Everest series for the past three seasons. Ballinger was also featured on the show last year.

Kasha Rigby is an extreme telemarker and explorer whom has traveled far and wide across the globe in pursuit of first descents and fresh powder. She has a multitude of first ski descents on multiple continents under her belt, including Kuitan, the highest peak in Mongolia and RFHP, a 2500m couloir in the Himachal Pradesh region of India; as well as skiied the Cotopaxi (5897m) and Chimborazo (6310m) Volcanoes of Ecuador, also known as the world’s highest active volcanoes!

She was also featured in Warren Miller’s film “Extreme Winter” in 2001 and was called by Outside Magazine “the best female telemark skier in the known universe.” Her most recent appearance on film is in the movie “The Edge of Never” which is now available on DVD.

When Kasha is braving some of the most extreme conditions in the world, she wears Porter G12 and Zaza. To learn more about Kasha’s latest whereabouts, visit her website: http://www.kasharigby.com

Adrian Ballinger is one of the top ski guides in the world.  Look for him in the most recent series of Mount Everest, “Beyond the Limits” on the Discovery Channel and check out this clip for a sneak peek.

Ballinger checked in with Kaenon providing an update on his travels:

“It’s been another incredible season here in Chamonix, and hard to believe it is almost time already to leave for the spring Himalaya season. Time in the Alps always flies by, and this season has been no exception. Snow and coverage has been top notch in 2010—all the famous ski routes have been in all the way down to the valley, avalanche hazard has been low, and we have even had our share of sunny days.

“One of the real benefits of basing out of Chamonix for skiing is the incredible variety of terrain and options regardless of weather. On storm days we can ski trees or close to the lift systems. As storms end we begin skiing the big classic off-piste lines directly from the lift systems all the way to town (imagine 7000-9000 vertical foot descents with no hiking or ski touring to access them).

And then when we get a few bluebird days in a row we go on long ski tours, combining rides on lifts with ski touring and mountaineering, progressively traveling further and further and often starting in one town, eating lunch in another, and finishing the day with a beer in another town and usually in a different country!

“This year we have been heading through the famous Mont Blanc tunnel and skiing lots in Italy. The Italian Alps close to Chamonix have great snow, few people, and of course the world’s best espresso and pizza! Here are a few pictures from this season in and around Chamonix. Stay posted for a more complete photo gallery to come soon.”

Adrian Ballinger wears a variety of Kaenon sunglasses, from Hard Kore and Jetty to Baton. Adrian prefers a G12 lens to combat harsh glacier and snow reflection.

THE OPTIMAL QUESTIONS | Alpinist Adrian Ballinger
by GIANPAOLO PIETRI on 12/26/2009
“Recently, I had the good fortune of crossing paths with world-class alpinist and Everest guide, Adrian Ballinger, and arranged an interview on the optimalists.com. As you will see, Adrian has been living his dream as a climber, skier, and high-altitude alpine guide for over 15 years. He climbed Everest for the first time in April of this year, and the experience will be featured during the next week on the Discovery Channel’s show, Everest:Beyond the Limit. He runs a succesful business making others’ dreams of summiting some of the world’s most dangerous peaks come true. We’ve asked Adrian about what inspires him, what scares him, and what motivates him to continue his quest to push the limit, to define new boundaries, and discover the truth within himself. We not only admire men like Adrian, we cherish the contributions he offers us with every climb, every journey, and every summit. Adrian teaches us that we can always climb higher, dream bigger, and go farther than we ever thought we could. And that is what we are all about. Here is what he has to say.”

To read the full article, visit The Optimalists and read more on Adrian and his treks to the world highest peaks.  Adrian wears Lewi, Black Pearl, G12 Lens.

EXPEDITION FISHING

Kaenon Polarized hunter extraordinaire, Alistair James sent us a recap of his recent holiday expedition in Nairobi which included fishing for Nile Perch. Not something you get to do every day…

“I was in Nairobi on business the first week of November when I met Johnny Chipman, a fellow hunting guide working in Tanzania. He mentioned that he would be heading to Lake Turkana over the weekend to fish for Nile perch and asked if I would like to go along.  Always willing to try something new, I immediately said yes. After a few drinks Johnny sketched a map on the back of a napkin to help me find the meeting point for our trip Thursday night.

A four hour drive from Nairobi going north on Thursday afternoon proved the napkin sketch more or less reliable as I arrived on location and met up with Johnny just before dark.  There we were joined by four other friends and together we packed two Land Cruiser pickups and had an early night with the intention of starting first thing the next morning.

We had a fourteen-hour drive north to the southern tip of Lake Turkana.  The closer we got to the Lake, the more barren and dry the landscape became.  The local herders all roamed with Kalashnikov rifles, but appeared for the most part friendly.  A couple hours before the lake we stopped in a small mission where a Dutch missionary family told us that a fight had broken out the day before and that everyone was low on ammunition so we should be safe.

As the sun was setting we arrived on the lake shore.  Because of the intense thermal winds we set up camp in the lee of a rock formation.  I just slept that night on a ground mat with a blanket, but when the breeze died sometime after midnight I wished that I had brought along my mosquito net.

Early the next morning we were up and launched the small aluminum boat that had been carried all the way to the lake on the top of the pickup truck.  There were quite a few crocodiles in the lake, so we were on the look out when launching the boat.

We fished for perch in the mornings and evenings by trolling Rapala lures.  During the midday heat we fished the shores for a big species of Tilapia that feeds on the algae growing on the rocks in the lake.

We fished all day Saturday and Sunday and trolled briefly Monday morning before packing up and driving back south.  The lake is an amazing example of desert and water coming together creating an almost surreal landscape.  Highly recommended.”

EXPEDITION
THE THIRD YOUNG EXPLORER’S PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY IN BORNEO

South African explorer Mike Horn (Hard Kore, C12 lens) and his exploration yacht, Pangaea, are sailing off Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Lankayan Island, 3 November 2009: It’s almost noon and a group of young adults is toiling away in the sun, building a metal aeroplane aboard a 35-metre exploration yacht. Sounds incongruous? It’s just another unique day for the nine Young Explorers aboard Pangaea, who are halfway through their environmental programme in Malaysian Borneo.

The youngsters boarded Pangaea in Tawau in Sabah, on Borneo’s east coast, and immediately set sail for Mabul and Sipadan islands. There they perfected their diving skills, as coral reef exploration and protection is one of the key projects making up the EXPLORE, LEARN, ACT component of every adventure.

It’s also why they’re building a metal infrastructure in the shape of an aeroplane – this will be anchored on the sea bed off Lankayan Island, a conservation dive resort in the Sulu Sea, where over time it will become a new coral reef that serves two purposes – to create a new ecosystem supporting coral and fish, and give divers and snorkellers another reef to learn about and enjoy.

EXPEDITION | MOUNTAINEERING | CLIMBING – HIMALAYA, NEPAL
On May 21, 2009 Kaenon explorer and guide, Adrian Ballinger summitted Mt. Everest (29,035 feet) wearing Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses. Adrian spent 2 months on the peak preparing for the team’s summit bid. May 21-May 25 was a perfect summit window, and during that time the team became the most successful commercial Everest expedition ever, putting 58 climbers (Westerners and Sherpa) on the summit (we understand this is a controversial area – the commercialization of Everest), with zero accidents or fatalities. Instead of the traditional cumbersome glacier glasses that most climbers wear, Adrian wore Kaenon’s Jetty C12 down low, and Lewi G12 up high and found the optics, coverage and polarization perfect for the extreme conditions found on the mountain. At 29,000 feet there is less than 30% of sea level atmosphere between climbers and the sun – and the perfect testament to the performance of Kaenon’s SR-91 lenses.

The next destination for Mike Horn’s four year expedition aboard Pangaea is Indonesia. With 8 new Young Explorers, Pangaea will stop off at the Solomon Islands for the official launch of a Water Management Project with Geberit A.G. in association with ADDRA. Together, with Mike Horn and Pangaea will engage in the installation of Sanitation facilities in Cabala Primary School. This project will tackle the causes of poverty, pollution, excessive sedimentation and water wastage problems, demonstrating how the inhabitants of this village can benefit from the good will and actions of the Pangaea expedition and its motivated partners.

Stopovers like this as well as those that engage sponsors and media allow the expedition to showcase their global mission. Kaenon Polarized is proud to be a sponsor alongside the likes of G.H. Mumm, Mercedes Benz and Officine Panerai many others supporting this unique expedition.

The previous group of Young Explorers shared the impact that being a part of Pangaea has had on their lives since returning to their respective countries including China, South Africa, Poland, New Zealand and among others.

“I have had the experience of a lifetime and the amount of knowledge gained is unbelievable.”

“My first day back at work and I am still buzzing about the amazing experiences of the last 3 weeks. Talking about this at work bought home to me the enormity of what you (Mike Horn and Pangaea) have achieved in bringing the Young Explorers to a remote and beautiful part of the planet that we were able to experience to the fullest. The transformation I observed in these young adults over the time they spent aboard Pangaea was for me one of the most fascinating and satisfying aspects of the whole expedition, and Mike’s strength and vision seemed to be transfused into them.” – Malcom, Doctor onboard Pangaea

EXPEDITION – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

The latest update from Mike Horn and the Pangaea
June 27th, 2009

At 8 am on the morning of the 27th of June (Australian time), Mike Horn and his crew sail Pangaea into the magestic Sydney Harbour.

‘It was a great trip ‘ says Mike. ‘We hit a storm just after leaving Auckland and were shaken around a little. The winds soon subsided after a few days and the rest of the trip was relatively calm.

It was a great feeling to sail into the harbour and to see the Opera House after only seeing it in the picture books. Myself and the crew are looking forward to discovering this city and to meeting with the Australian population but first things first – for now we need to deal with customs!

EXPEDITION
For two and a half weeks Mike Horn, who wears Hard Kore and Jetty, and his team had the enormous pleasure of sharing an amazing adventure of discovery with a group of highly motivated young adults. During this time they were very privileged to be able to discover the beauty of Fiordland and to learn about it’s incredible ecosystem.

Fiordland was the ideal place for Mike Horn and his qualified team to carry out the Young Explorers Programme (YEP) and to successfully achieve their goals EXPLORE – LEARN – ACT. Mike reports, “It was an amazing experience for us to be totally cut off from civilization and yet be surrounded by such breathtaking scenery and an abundance of flora and fauna…Through what they have seen and done, through their real–life experiences, they can now pass on a positive environmental message to others around them. Through our joint efforts we can encourage people to pull their resources together and help to protect and preserve the wonderful places of our planet, such as the New Zealand’s Fiordlands.”

To learn more about Pangaea, visit http://mikehorn.com

EXPEDITION
Pangaea Expedition Update – Arriving in New Zealand after spending three months in and around the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, Mike Horn refit his 35m purpose-built learning platform of a home / yacht, Pangaea, before heading off for Fiordland, the next leg of this journey. With a fresh crop of 9 Young Explorers chosen from application, the group will learn about Fiordland’s ecosystem, spending two weeks, exploring and learning before they return to their respective countries.

Mike Horn’s Pangaea travels the world by sea and land over a four-year adventure voyage, discovering the beauty of the planet. Pangaea will travel to Antarctica, Australia, then head north to Asia & Siberia, the North Pole & Canada, North America, then South America and Africa, of which they’re in year one.

Mike is world famous as one of the greatest adventure explorers of the last century and widely respected and considered to be one of the most mentally fit, durable and strongest athletes to ever grace Mother Earth. His adventure explorations – and surviving them – have classified Mike into the category as one of the most mentally-strong of all athletes, where his strength of mind and conviction required to cross and survive some of the most treacherous and extreme conditions found, have allowed him to continue to place himself right where he loves to be – out there, exploring, sharing and surviving! Mike relies on various styles of Kaenon Polarized sunglasses, including Jetty G12 and Hard Kore C28.

Next stop on the tour is Auckland, stay tuned for more on this fascinating adventure.

CLIMBING

Navigating more than steep faces, professional rock climbers, Chuck Fryberger and Sarah Marvez, share a clip from a recent trip and show what just two people can do for a group of children in Africa.

The children come from local farms miles away just for the chance to be educated. Many live at the school because the distance from their homes is too great. They have nothing and know very little about the outside world. Chuck and Sarah held fundraisers with the coordination of their sponsors, including Kaenon Polarized to raise money for their trip to Africa and provide donations to cover the cost of much needed blankets.

Even a small step like this from climbing professionals can make a huge impact through their travels and generosity.

Running time: 3 minutes 30 seconds

EXPEDITION

Wearing Kaenon Polarized as his choice of sunglasses, particularly Rhino, the host of the Discovery channel show: “World Explorer with Richard Wiese” and “Hell on Earth” – just wrote to say he put Kaenon on top of Mt Kilimanjaro recently, on his 13th ascent of the mountain! This will be the second exploration that we know of in which Kaenon’s have been part of the essential gear list, (Julia Mancuso did the same last year). Richard’s unique view and attention to the human, animal and earth element in each of his adventures is documented on his website www.newsweather.com and in his print, photographic and televised documentaries.

EXPEDITION

MIKE HORN ARRIVES AT THE SOUTH POLE AFTER 47 DAYS ON SKI

Kaenon Polarized sponsored adventurer Mike Horn (Lewi, Hard Kore) along with team members Borge Ousland, Clémence Cadario and Nicolas Valdivieso arrived on ski to the South Pole today after several days of pushing their physical and mental limits. After 47 grueling days across barren ice-capped land, the team is thrilled to have achieved their goal and able to share in this victorious moment together.

A world renowned explorer, Mike Horn started his South Pole expedition from the northern edge of the Antarctic continent on the 1st of December 2008. This Antarctic leg represents the first expedition of Pangaea (Pan Global Adventure for Environmental Action ) and Antarctica is the first continent to be visited throughout the four year global project, which departed from Ushuaia, the southernmost town of Argentina, in October 2008.

Throughout this journey, young adults from around the world are being invited to join Mike Horn on various stages of his expedition in order to learn more about the natural world and current environmental issues.  To follow Mike’s progress, click here.

EXPEDITION

Adrian Ballinger Takes Kaenon Polarized to the Top of the World

Reaching the top of one of the planet’s highest mountains, Kaenon Polarized adventurer and AMGA and IFMGA mountain guide, Adrian Ballinger (Lewi G12, Baton Ivory C12 ) just returned home from 5 months of guiding in the Himalayas, where he summitted the world’s eighth tallest peak, Manaslu – 26,775 feet. Adrian, who requires serious protection from high-altitude exposure, chose to take Kaenon Polarized sunglasses along with him for the superior optical clarity of SR-91 and its ability to provide unsurpassed protection from wind, sun and glare. As a cool-down, Adrian decided to bag another major peak, Ama Dablam, which stands at 23,000 feet.  To learn more about Adrian and what he’s up to, visit his guide service, Alpenglow Expeditions at http://www.alpenglowexpeditions.com/.

EXPEDITION

Kaenon Polarized - As far as the eye can see

On a different front, world-famous South African adventurer Mike Horn, who wears Kaenon Polarized Hard Kore, Lewi, and Jetty sunglasses, is trekking to the South Pole after sailing his boat the Pangaea across the Drake Passage from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica. Horn’s four-year expedition will take him around the world by boat as he brings a highly diverse group of teenagers to the world’s most critically endangered and most beautiful habitats.