The twelve hour MVP Health Care Bitter Pill Adventure Race hits Craftsbury, VT on Saturday, August 7th, 2010. Teams of either two or three racers will be vying for bragging rights in a race that includes mountain biking, trekking, swimming, and canoeing. Navigation with topographical map and compass is a crucial part of the entire course.  Come watch the excitement and stop by the Outdoor Research booth!

For all the details, go to the Green Mountain Adventure Race Association site.

Join the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and Backpacker Magazine for Adventures NYC, and discover adventure right here in your own backyard! Get ready to hike, bike, climb and paddle your way across the five boroughs as we celebrate NYC Parks and the great outdoors.

On Saturday, June 19, come to Central Park and enjoy a day of outdoor adventure…for FREE!

Activities will include:

* Rock Climbing Walls
* Dagger™ & Wilderness Systems™ Paddle Sports Center
* Take Me Fishing™ Zone
* Fitness Clinics
* Free Bike Rentals
* Bike Helmet Giveaway
* Free Valet Bike Parking, Courtesy of KEEN Footwear
* Bird Watching Tours
* Yoga Clinics
* “The Last Airbender” Martial Arts Zone, led by Shaolin Kung Fu Training Center
* Obstacle Courses
* Trampoline Acrobatics by The Skyriders!
* Outdoor Career Fair
* Special Musical Performances

Outdoor Research will be there with sample apparel, headwear, storage, and gaiters. We will also have swag, and raffle prizes.

Paragon Sports is offering 20% off all Outdoor Research products with a coupon from the OR booth, so stop by and pick one up. We’ll see you there!

Saturday, June 19, 2010
12:00 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Central Park, the Bandshell Area (enter at 72nd Street)
All the details can be found on the NYC Parks site.

The 18th annual Women’s Rock Weekend, presented by Outdoor Research, is approaching! Hosted by International Mountain Climbing School and International Mountain Equipment, this is the premier summer climbing event in North Conway. Join in June 26th and 27th for two days of women’s climbing clinics taught by professional women guides, plus an après-climb community party, a women’s dinner, inspiring slide show, and a silent auction to benefit a charity.

This year’s auction proceeds will benefit Girls Education International, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization that works to expand educational opportunities for under-served girls and women in remote and undeveloped regions of the world.

Guest guides will be Emilie Drinkwater, Heidi Wirtz, Lizzy Scully, Madaleine Sorkin, Sarah Garlick, Kayte Knower and Janet Bergman.

For all the details, a schedule of  clinics and event updates, visit International Mountain Equipments event page.

This video is a time lapse of setup and tear-down for the video shoot.

Additional product and adventure videos can be found on the Outdoor Research YouTube channel.

Base camp with Everest on the left and Lhotse on the right. Image: International Mountain Guides

Chad Kellogg’s training for Everest has been an incredible journey in and of itself; days that start at 5am with a 2,000calorie fruit/veggie/vitamin shake followed by more intense workouts than most of us do in an entire week or month, meditation, including the Medicine Buddha Sadhana (meditation) which the Dalai Lama gave him permission to practice, and sleeping in an altitude tent each night to simulate 15,000ft so that his acclimatization process will be faster… Here is Chad’s second interview in The Everest Quest series with Dirtbag Diaries’ Fitz Cahall with insight into the training regime that has helped him get to Everest.

Subscribe to VertiCulture to get updates on Chad’s progress as well as to hear the more of his conversation with Fitz. Thanks to International Mountain Guides for many of the Everest photos we’ve used throughout The Everest Quest.

Lucky #7! The New River Rendezvous is back for its annual fundraising gig benefiting the New River Alliance of Climbers. Its fun, its friendly, its a 3-day celebration of climbers, climbing and the New River Gorge. Gather with friends, relax, compete, play, and climb in laid-back Southern West Virginia.

This weekend of climbing fun includes climbing and bouldering comps, sumo wrestling, presentations by Chuck Fryburger and Chris Sharma, dessertapalooza, clinics galore, and the Odub-Jer Artastic Jamnation! Dont miss out on the fun.

For a full list of details, info on camping and carpooling, and the schedule, go to www.newriverrendezvous.com.

May 14-16
New River Gorge
Burnwood, WV

Celebrate the Appalachian Trail at the 24th annual Trail Days in Damascus, VA, May 14-16th.

The weekend will be filled with film screenings, presentations, clinics, a half marathon and a rodeo! Special meals, gear repairs, and free showers will be available for this seasons hikers. There will also be a celebration of the new Appalachian Trail Museum, set to open on June 5th at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

For a schedule and all the details, visit www.traildays.us.

Matt McCormick will be presenting a multi-media look at the next generation of New England climbers pushing the limits year round on ice, rock, and mixed terrain. Don’t miss this inspiring slide show at Plymouth State University! The evening will also feature a raffle for great climbing prizes.

Plymouth State University Campus
Boyd Hall, 122
Plymouth, NH
Wednesday, April 14th at 8pm
$5 (free with current PSU ID card)

The 20th Annual East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival celebrates all things paddling, at James Island County Park, Charleston, SC the weekend of April 15-18.

The weekend will be filled with many events and opportunities! Participate in on-water training, clinics on technique, demos, and presentations. Be sure to catch an inspiring and entertaining special presentation Thursday night at 8pm with The Season’s Bryan Smith.  Whether you’re just learning or are an seasoned paddler, you’ll come away from the weekend having had a great experience.

For a full list of classes, the event schedule, and details, go to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation site.

Chad Kellogg is on an incredible journey to the Himalaya. His goal:  set a new speed record ascent of colossal, 29,029-foot Mt. Everest without the aid of oxygen or Sherpas.

“The speed ascent on Everest…there’s different categories…you have your speed ascent, which has been done by the sherpas with oxygen. And then you have the other ascents that have been done without oxygen. What I’m trying to do is establish an ascent from basecamp to the summit and back to basecamp without oxygen. That’s the dream.” – Chad Kellogg

To attempt something this epic, – with the hopeful and expected outcome of incredible success but also potential of extreme consequences, – requires iron-strong will, drive and focus.

A film is in the works to document Chad’s story. Catch a glimpse into his recent trip to Aconcagua while training for Everest and his plans for this expedition. Follow Chad’s journey here on VertiCulture – including an interview with Fitz Cahall of the Dirtbag Diaries.