https://www.scmp.com/rss/324920/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Indian mountaineers Tashi and Nungshi Malik are only 30 years old, yet they have already been on more adventures than most people will in their entire lives. The “Everest Twins”, as they are known, were the first siblings and twins to climb the Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each continent – and were also the first to reach both the North and South Poles, making them the only Indians to have completed the prestigious “Explorers Grand Slam” so far. It took them less than two years to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3152550/indias-everest-twins-have-conquered-it-all-and-theyre-still-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3152550/indias-everest-twins-have-conquered-it-all-and-theyre-still-only?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Oct 2021 07:00:14 +0000 Tap here to launch this special feature https://www.scmp.com/infographics/sport/outdoor/article/3121351/hong-kong-four-trails-ultra-challenge-fully-explained?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/sport/outdoor/article/3121351/hong-kong-four-trails-ultra-challenge-fully-explained?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Feb 2021 10:00:16 +0000 A freak storm took climbers and skiers by surprise and has claimed 14 lives in the European Alps, local media is reporting, with one more missing. One group of 14 people became trapped and spent the night out in the storm near the canton of Valais. One of the group died overnight and three others died later in hospital when they were picked up by helicopter, according to The Local. Their guide had gone for help but was found dead near the scene, the Swiss newspaper reported. They were only a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2144522/freak-storm-kills-least-14-people-deadliest-day-alps-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2144522/freak-storm-kills-least-14-people-deadliest-day-alps-19?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 May 2018 07:35:41 +0000 Bristling with lofty and precipitous peaks, Yangshuo county in China’s Guangxi province is frequented by rock-climbing enthusiasts from around the world. Following the International Olympic Committee’s 2016 announcement that climbing will become an official medal-winning event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the largest-ever rock-climbing event in China was held on Yangshuo’s Wine Bottle Cliff in August that year. Eight Hong Kong canyoning adrenaline junkies pushing themselves to the edge For... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2143734/rock-climbing-china-why-yangshuo-best-place-go-sport-booms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2143734/rock-climbing-china-why-yangshuo-best-place-go-sport-booms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Apr 2018 02:48:25 +0000 When you are out of breath, tired and your legs are burning, all you want to do is give up. But five Hongkongers find the will to keep going as they draw on higher causes. Mayank Vaid and his friend David Gething are embarking on the Arch 2 Arc extreme triathlon in June, running from London to the English channel, swimming the English Channel, and cycling to Paris, for the charities Zubin Foundation and Outward Bound Hong Kong. World’s fastest Indian: how Hong Kong’s Mayank Vaid took to extreme... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2137117/hongkongers-endurance-sport-challenges-motivated-charity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/2137117/hongkongers-endurance-sport-challenges-motivated-charity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Mar 2018 12:16:09 +0000 The Asian Cup for bouldering is in Hong Kong for the first time ever, but Yu Wai-ping will not let the occasion get the better of her. “To be honest, it is my first time in such big event,” the 18-year-old said. “Luckily, I have participated in different competitions before, so I am not as nervous as I should be.” Bouldering requires climbers to make technical moves, but never more than a few metres off the ground. So they do not use a rope. With a limited number of holds, endurance is not a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2135038/teenage-climber-has-world-her-fingertips-asian-cup?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2135038/teenage-climber-has-world-her-fingertips-asian-cup?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:00:30 +0000 Denis Urubko is attempting to be the first person to climb K2 in winter, but left his tent without telling his teammates and left his radio behind. Urubko is part of a Polish expedition set on becoming the first to summit ‘the savage mountain’ in winter, but apparently became disgruntled when they pushed back the schedule for the ascent. “He has not been in touch for a dozen hours or so,” said Krzysztof Wielicki, expedition leader, according to sport.pl, a Polish sport site. But even Wielicki... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2134751/brave-or-brash-polish-climbers-wake-find-team-member?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2134751/brave-or-brash-polish-climbers-wake-find-team-member?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:02:03 +0000 Blind Hong Kong ultra marathon runner Gary Leung Siu-wai now knows the difference between cold and freezing – and the life-threatening dangers when facing minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit). The intrepid Leung and two other Hongkongers returned abruptly from Yukon, Canada, on Friday night after an aborted attempt at the Yukon Arctic Ultra – a 480-kilometre (300-mile) race down Canada’s westernmost territory. Team leader Steve Lo Chun-yin made an executive decision to call it... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2132826/coldest-place-earth-bares-its-teeth-blind-hongkonger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2132826/coldest-place-earth-bares-its-teeth-blind-hongkonger?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2018 04:50:33 +0000 For those propelled through life in pursuit of adrenaline, in wintertime finding ever-newer forms of entertainment can be a challenge if you have already conquered downhill skiing, uphill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, heli-skiing, snowboarding, racing car driving on an ice field, and even gone as far as to rent out a whole mountain and buy a Ferrari-red Sno-Cat to partake in all of the above. What is a humble snow sports enthusiast to do when seemingly all icy avenues... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2128466/skijoring-winters-wildest-sport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2128466/skijoring-winters-wildest-sport?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jan 2018 05:03:07 +0000 The Four Oarsmen became the first team to row across the Atlantic in under 30 days, previously considered the ‘four-minute mile’ of ocean rowing. The previous record stood at 35 days, but it is now 29 days and 15 hours. Seventeen hours behind them was flying Dutchman Mark Slats, who broke the solo record by rowing for 20 hours a day, and sleeping for just 20 minutes every two hours. The rowers were taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (TWAC), which sees teams leave from La... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2128242/four-oarsmen-break-four-minute-mile-ocean-rowing-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2128242/four-oarsmen-break-four-minute-mile-ocean-rowing-while?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2018 02:45:45 +0000 Uproar followed the Nepalese government’s decision to ban disabled climbers and solo attempts to summit Everest. But Adrian Ballinger, an experienced Everest guide who became the 200th person to summit the world’s tallest mountain without supplemented oxygen, said the ban was all talk. “No one applies for a solo permit,” he said. “They go through a local group as it’s cheaper. Unless officials are at base camp checking climbers are going with a Sherpa, they won’t stop them. The same goes for... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2127599/nepal-urged-emulate-china-instead-imposing-useless-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2127599/nepal-urged-emulate-china-instead-imposing-useless-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jan 2018 04:45:15 +0000 Two-time Olympian and world champion cyclist Caroline Buchanan has been seriously injured in a car crash, with the Australian detailing her horrific injuries in a social media post. Buchanan, a five-time mountain bike world champion who has also won the BMX world title three times, said her lungs had collapsed and she had broken her sternum and nose. “I wouldn’t say 2017 ended quite as planned,” she said on Facebook, alongside pictures of herself in a hospital bed in a neck brace and with a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2126624/season-gets-tough-caroline-buchanan-champion-cyclist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2126624/season-gets-tough-caroline-buchanan-champion-cyclist?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jan 2018 04:33:19 +0000 The second world war’s Battle of the Bulge comes to Hong Kong this month with 160 war games enthusiasts signed up for the annual airsoft event in Tuen Mun. Organised by Hong Kong company Day Army, the January 28 simulation will feature two teams of 80 soldiers carrying airsoft weapons and trying to replicate the battle that marked Germany’s last major offensive on the Western Front from December 1944 to January 1945. Watch Operation Overlord “This is an annual event and we try as best as we... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2126510/hong-kong-war-games-soldiers-prepare-battle-bulge-simulation-tuen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2126510/hong-kong-war-games-soldiers-prepare-battle-bulge-simulation-tuen?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jan 2018 07:45:30 +0000 Top Hong Kong mountain biker Brian Cook had put himself through brutal training for 12 months to get ready for his biggest race of the year. But when you are an elite athlete, it can be hard to turn off your competitive streak – something Cook found out almost at his peril. Calamity struck for the 39-year-old just a week out from the Greenland Downhill Race in Enping, China, one of the premier mountain biking competitions of the calendar. He had managed to turn his right leg a shade of deep... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2123126/gruesome-looking-injury-school-sports-day-almost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2123126/gruesome-looking-injury-school-sports-day-almost?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Dec 2017 06:45:00 +0000 It may not have any snow of its own, but Hong Kong is ideally placed to fly off to the best skiing and snowboarding slopes across Asia. “Hong Kong residents can consider themselves lucky,” says Rupert Orchard, 31, a former ski instructor based in China and Japan and founder of SkiAsia.com. “It’s a great hub from which to explore ski resorts in China, South Korea or Japan.” How to stay safe and warm on the piste. Here’s the latest gear for a safe skiing trip With a growing number of accessible... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2120179/five-best-asian-countries-skiing-recommended-resorts-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2120179/five-best-asian-countries-skiing-recommended-resorts-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2017 10:00:30 +0000 The Post is out and about on the MacLehose Trail for the Oxfam Trailwalker this weekend and spoke to some of the participants as they counted down the minutes until the start. A total of 1,300 teams and 5,200 runners/walkers have 48 hours to complete the 100 kilometre course. They are off in five staggered starts, the first at 8am and the last at 2pm. See what some of these weekend warriors have to say at the start line: Markus Giles from AIA: “My sixth time doing it! I’ve been inspired by the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/2120309/firefighters-vegans-medics-legal-eagles-theyre-all-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/2120309/firefighters-vegans-medics-legal-eagles-theyre-all-start?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2017 02:15:15 +0000 Nobody in the city deserves a pint on Saturday night more than Simon Holliday, the 39-year-old expat who completed a solo circumnavigation of Hong Kong Island on Saturday afternoon. “On many occasions, I visualised an ice cold glass with gold nectar inside,” said Holliday, who successfully swam the 45km circumference of the island in 12 hours and 32 minutes. His feat came more than 40 years since Australian Olympian Linda McGill became the first swimmer ever to swim around the island. She... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2119469/two-years-planning-five-months-training-12-hours-and-32-minutes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2119469/two-years-planning-five-months-training-12-hours-and-32-minutes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Nov 2017 13:00:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s links to the sea and beautiful coastlines have helped the city win another major event – the World Rowing Coastal Championship. The event will be held in November or December 2019, marking the first time the championship has taken place in Asia. Hong Kong will also be the venue for the Asian Rowing Coastal Championship near the end of 2018. “Hong Kong is a perfect place for coastal rowing, with its long history of links to the sea and its extensive, beautiful and easy to access... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2119320/first-asia-hong-kong-wins-bid-host-world-rowing-coastal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2119320/first-asia-hong-kong-wins-bid-host-world-rowing-coastal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Nov 2017 07:45:45 +0000 Forget marathons and other runs, Peter Robinson wants to go big to earn charitable donations. In December, Robinson and three others, known as the “Four Oarsmen”, will attempt to row unsupported from Gran Canaria off the coast of Africa nearly 5,000 kilometres to Antigua in the Caribbean. Former Hong Kong resident Robinson and friends Stuart Watts, George Biggar and Dicky Taylor are racing in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge (TWAC) and raising money for spinal injury research and mental... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2119097/four-oarsmen-atlantic-brace-40-day-torture-test-name?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2119097/four-oarsmen-atlantic-brace-40-day-torture-test-name?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2017 04:45:15 +0000 Sipping on a freshly cracked coconut at the beach on a balmy afternoon is typically what athletes dream of doing during the off-season – but not Hong Kong gymnast Kelvin Ng Kiu-chung. The 26-year-old still rings specialist will swap chalk for mud as he and some of his national teammates compete in this Saturday’s Spartan Race that separates warriors from wimps. “I know there will be ropes, running and a lot of climbing,” said first-timer Ng. “My coach doesn’t know about this yet, but we’ll be... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2118127/warriors-or-wimps-hong-kong-gymnasts-leave-comfort-zone-spartan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2118127/warriors-or-wimps-hong-kong-gymnasts-leave-comfort-zone-spartan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 07:23:50 +0000 Anthony Joshua was taken to the 10th round before stopping the durable Carlos Takam and retaining his WBA and IBF heavyweight titles in front of an estimated 75,000 fans in Cardiff on Saturday. The referee moved in to stop the fight after Joshua caught Takam with a hook-uppercut combination and was moving in to land more blows. The Frenchman shook his head in disgust and many in the crowd jeered the decision. At the end of an uncomfortable evening for Joshua, during which he might have broken... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/2117458/anthony-joshua-retains-boxings-heavyweight-title-stopping-carlos-takam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/2117458/anthony-joshua-retains-boxings-heavyweight-title-stopping-carlos-takam?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Oct 2017 23:15:30 +0000 “People can break my record,” Mark Beaumont said, “but they’ll never be the first person to do it in under 80 days.” The Scottish adventurer and endurance athlete set the world record for cycling around the world last month. His journey, which started and ended in Paris and involved crossing Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North America, took just 78 days, smashing the previous record by a whopping 45 days. “Sub-80 is a one time prize. Everyone knows ‘around the world in 80 days’,” the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2117328/you-will-never-beat-your-own-expectations-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2117328/you-will-never-beat-your-own-expectations-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Oct 2017 09:18:09 +0000 When preparing for a record-breaking swim around Hong Kong Island, getting stung by jellyfish should be the least of your worries. “It will happen now and again,” said Simon Holliday, the 39-year-old expat aiming to become the first man to complete the 45-kilometre swim around Hong Kong Island. “If it’s relentless stinging, you do feel it ... and you get these big red marks around your body when they wrap around you. “That – and other marine life – is always an issue in the back of your... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2117097/i-keep-telling-myself-its-walk-park-simon-holliday-swimming-45km?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2117097/i-keep-telling-myself-its-walk-park-simon-holliday-swimming-45km?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Oct 2017 07:32:00 +0000 A 66-year-old former CEO drowned during a Hong Kong triathlon event on Lantau Island on Sunday. Martin So was unconscious when he was lifted from waters near Sunny Bay MTR station at about 8am. He was taken to North Lantau Hospital, where he was declared dead. So was taking part in the most advanced category for amateurs in the two-day Hong Kong Life ASTC Sprint Triathlon Asian Cup, which attracted about 1,500 participants. The men’s open race kicked off at 7.35am and comprised a swim of 750... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116469/man-66-drowns-during-hong-kong-triathlon-event-lantau?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2116469/man-66-drowns-during-hong-kong-triathlon-event-lantau?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Oct 2017 08:22:52 +0000 In May, Esther Röling and Paul Niel climbed, scrambled and swam their way around Hong Kong Island, on a first of its kind ‘coasteering’ expedition. The Hong Kong-based couple spent a week out on the rocks, braving the elements – including a black rainstorm – day and night to create the city’s first coastal pollution map in partnership with the Open University of Hong Kong, which provided them with a device for measuring water quality along the coastline. “A lot has happened since then,” says... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2116215/hong-kong-adventurers-launch-assault-trash-pioneering-beach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2116215/hong-kong-adventurers-launch-assault-trash-pioneering-beach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Oct 2017 04:30:30 +0000 Concentrating at your desk for more than a few minutes can be hard enough, but for two teachers paddle boarding around Lantau, they need to maintain focus for hours just to stay out of the water. Jonny Haines, a teacher at Discovery Bay International School, says that he’s turning to yoga to practise. “Yoga is perfect for paddle boarding. You get in a zone,” he said. “On the board, sometimes if you lose focus, that’s when you fall. But if you can maintain that concentration, it will be very... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2115731/meet-two-teachers-zone-paddle-board-around-lantau-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2115731/meet-two-teachers-zone-paddle-board-around-lantau-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2017 08:50:06 +0000 First there was beer and paddleboard yoga. Then someone added goats to the mix. Now fitness buffs in Myanmar are taking the latest body-bending trend to whole new heights – pulling off yoga poses on a climbing wall. Instructor Khin Myat Thu Zar easily zips to the top of a wall at a newly opened climbing centre in Yangon. But her climb isn’t finished yet. Why a Hong Kong outdoor aerial yoga teacher is making a splash with her ‘over water’ classes With the support of a rope partner she flips... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114937/yoga-climbing-wall-exercise-reaches-new-heights-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114937/yoga-climbing-wall-exercise-reaches-new-heights-myanmar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Oct 2017 00:30:34 +0000 When standing at the edge of a towering waterfall, the idea of abseiling down it – or even jumping right off – might strike fear into the hearts of many. But for one group of Hongkongers, this is their idea of a fun day out. Canyoning is an extreme sport that combines stream trekking, abseiling, jumping, swimming and sliding. It sees people making their way down otherwise inaccessible streams and canyons not by walking around obstacles, but by going straight through them. Originating in Europe... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114477/seven-hong-kong-canyoning-adrenaline-junkies-pushing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114477/seven-hong-kong-canyoning-adrenaline-junkies-pushing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Oct 2017 05:03:51 +0000 Productivity is a funny old thing. Office workers are stuck at their desks longer than ever, and yet, it is time outdoors that benefit their employers, at least one start-up believes. A new company, Just Challenge, hopes to take desk jockeys away from their comfort zones and into extreme situations. “When you’re in a remote and challenging environment, titles and seniority become irrelevant and barriers are removed,” said Lucy Bennett-Baggs, founder of Just Challenge. “A challenge encourages... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2114644/resilience-leadership-and-teamwork-taking-your?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2114644/resilience-leadership-and-teamwork-taking-your?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2017 03:38:11 +0000 Standing calf-deep in a running stream, we are surrounded by green, from the towering ferns and tangled vines above to the moss-covered boulders at the water’s edge. The roar of the churning water fills the shaded valley, and the damp air lays heavy on our skin. Here, deep in Hong Kong’s northern New Territories, it seems we could not be further away from civilisation, but we are actually only about 30 minutes away from the city’s urban heart. “You almost expect a dinosaur to run past,” remarks... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114216/hong-kongs-hardcore-stream-trekkers-and-canyoneers-go-wild?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2114216/hong-kongs-hardcore-stream-trekkers-and-canyoneers-go-wild?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Oct 2017 10:33:56 +0000 Mao Zedong once said: “He who has never been to the Great Wall, is not a true man.” Swap “been to” to “run on”, and his one-liner still reflects the fascination the Wall holds – running events on the Great Wall sell out fast, attended mainly by foreigners. Early next year, yet another Great Wall run will be added to the roster, but its finish line is 18,000 kilometres away from Beijing, at China’s oldest Antarctic research station – called The Great Wall. Marathons have been held in Antarctica... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2110596/great-wall-antarctic-marathon-penguins-icebergs-and-coolest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2110596/great-wall-antarctic-marathon-penguins-icebergs-and-coolest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:48:54 +0000 In the last few years the tiny world of elite rock climbing has fixated on a giant windswept granite cave in Norway, and the potential for one climber, Adam Ondra, to set a new benchmark in the sport. Like a giant eye socket set in a hillside, the Hanshelleren cave in Flatanger – claimed by some as the world’s greatest climbing cliff – has become a summer mecca for the world’s best climbers who come to dodge the Scandinavian showers and pit themselves against its vast overhangs. Now, after over... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2109746/czech-climbing-prodigy-sets-new-benchmark-ascent-worlds-hardest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2109746/czech-climbing-prodigy-sets-new-benchmark-ascent-worlds-hardest?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Sep 2017 18:40:11 +0000 Newall Hunter climbed Everest, helped lead an expedition to the North Pole and became the first Scotsman to walk solo and unsupported to the South Pole. But crossing the Gobi Desert in the dead of winter did not even seem possible until he consulted the nomads. “If there’s more than three days between water sources, it’s undoable,” Hunter said. “The nomads have said it’s doable ... but they haven’t tried it themselves because it’s a bit daft really.” Hunter will be crossing from Bugat in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2109439/adventurer-aiming-tap-nomads-knowledge-daft-mission-cross-gobi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2109439/adventurer-aiming-tap-nomads-knowledge-daft-mission-cross-gobi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Sep 2017 02:03:13 +0000 Tina Liang Mintian, Cloris Chen Yuli, Amber Li Xiaobing and Sarah Meng Yajie look like your average Chinese students. They are anything but. The four women in their early 20s make up Kung Fu Cha Cha, which is the first Chinese team to enter the “world’s toughest row” and will see the quartet attempt to row from Gran Canaria, off the northwestern coast of Africa, to Antigua 4,828 kilometres away in the Caribbean. The Talisker Atlantic Whisky Challenge (TWAC) is the world’s largest ocean rowing... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2107327/female-chinese-quartet-defy-traditional-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/extreme-sports/article/2107327/female-chinese-quartet-defy-traditional-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Aug 2017 00:30:15 +0000 Big webs usually mean one thing: big spiders. And there are a lot lurking around on this hot and steamy July Saturday, the creatures patiently waiting for lunch in the centre of webs that stretch across our path. “Duck your head – there’s a lot on this part of the path,” says Francis Haden, stopping to peer closely at a web. “They’re called Nephila pilipes [also known as the northern or giant golden orb weaver]. The females are the big black and yellow ones, the males small and brown. They’re... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2106396/seven-best-places-go-rock-climbing-hong-kong-plus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/2106396/seven-best-places-go-rock-climbing-hong-kong-plus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Aug 2017 09:17:20 +0000 Lamma Island recently played host to one of Hong Kong’s more obscure sports. One wheeled riders ventured to the island’s trails for mountain unicycling (muni). The event was the third and final day of the Asia Pacific Unicycle Championships (APUC). The pedallers set off on a timed loop. Bridger Estell from Hong Kong took gold despite contending with the local wildlife as well as the course itself. Estell accidentally angered a hornets’ nest and was stung as the riders walked the course before... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2104957/hong-kong-wins-gold-asias-top-unicyclists-take-lammas-downhill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2104957/hong-kong-wins-gold-asias-top-unicyclists-take-lammas-downhill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Aug 2017 08:45:15 +0000 Chafe, sunburn and the cold are some of the challenges you would expect to face if you chose to climb Yosemite’s famous big wall naked. But for Leah Pappajohn, who braved the ‘exposure’, looking for a partner was as hard as the ascent. Pappajohn and Jonathan Fleury became the first people to climb El Capitan naked on June 6, following a route called The Nose. The El Capitan wall is an imposing 900 metres of granite that rises vertically out of the Yosemite National Park valley in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2099099/leah-pappajohn-climbed-el-capitan-naked-hardest-part-was-finding-partner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/2099099/leah-pappajohn-climbed-el-capitan-naked-hardest-part-was-finding-partner?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jun 2017 03:15:00 +0000 Five and a half years after Lai Chi-wai was paralysed from the waist down in a traffic accident, ending a glittering climbing career, he has found a new purpose in life teaching people about the importance of pushing on in adversity. Lai, 34, visits schools around Hong Kong several times a month to give talks on his experience of going from being a world-class athlete to a paraplegic. In 2011, Lai was at the top of his game. He was ranked eighth in the world as a professional rock climber and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2097974/paralysed-athlete-starts-new-career-motivational?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2097974/paralysed-athlete-starts-new-career-motivational?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jun 2017 10:15:15 +0000 Alex Honnold had dreamed about climbing the mighty El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any safety gear for eight years. But every time he looked up the massive granite wall, he found it too daunting. That was the case until this weekend, when the elite rock climber reached the summit in less than four hours using only his hands and feet. The 31-year-old on Saturday became the first to climb the 900-metre granite wall alone without a safety harness or ropes to catch him if he fell, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2096879/alex-honnolds-rope-free-ascent-900m-el-capitan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2096879/alex-honnolds-rope-free-ascent-900m-el-capitan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jun 2017 02:00:15 +0000 You may have been lucky enough to see them carefully walking along tightropes connecting rocky hills in Hong Kong’s New Territories, or just enjoyed watching their enthralling videos online. Daredevils in the Slacklining Hong Kong group, whose sport evolved from rock climbing in Yosemite Valley, California, during the 1970s, are fast making a name for themselves as the most exciting sporting club in the city. Their recent riveting stunt on Hong Kong’s iconic Lion Rock earned them fans across the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2095887/hongkongers-putting-it-all-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2095887/hongkongers-putting-it-all-line?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 May 2017 06:00:15 +0000 A local physiotherapist who on Sunday became only the seventh Hongkonger to have summited Mount Everest said he would like to use publicity surrounding his achievement to promote organ donation. Speaking at the airport upon his return to Hong Kong on Thursday, 38-year-old Elton Ng Chun-ting told media of a harrowing journey to the top of the world’s highest peak during which he saw climbers struggling for survival. “When I was on my way to reaching the summit, there were several foreign hikers... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2095662/hong-kong-everest-conqueror-tells-harrowing-climb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2095662/hong-kong-everest-conqueror-tells-harrowing-climb?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 May 2017 07:00:45 +0000 The body of an Indian climber was spotted on Mount Everest on Monday, the fourth fatality on the mountain during a busy and tragic weekend on the world’s highest peak. Sherpa rescuers spotted the body of Indian climber Ravi Kumar, but it was impossible to retrieve the body, said Thupden Sherpa of Arun Treks and Expedition. It appeared that Kumar had fallen some 200 metres below the route, he said. Climbers from the United States, Slovakia and Australia also died on the mountain over the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2095237/four-climbers-die-near-top-mount-everest-tragic-weekend-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2095237/four-climbers-die-near-top-mount-everest-tragic-weekend-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 May 2017 08:45:45 +0000 In a crowded Chinese metropolis, the subway is often the speediest way to get across town – but one Sichuan college student has found an even faster way. A video posted online shows the Chengdu college student dashing past other commuters, leaping over concrete walls and hedges, and rolling along the ground to get from Chunxi Road Station to the Dongmen Bridge Station where he boarded the same subway train. For Hong Kong’s parkour fans, city is one giant obstacle course The 800 metre distance... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2094624/speedy-transit-across-town-forget-subway-try-parkour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2094624/speedy-transit-across-town-forget-subway-try-parkour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 May 2017 04:45:30 +0000 Tim Yeung jumps onto a fence railing at a skate park in Tai Wo Hau and shimmies along before jumping to the ground. It might be a skatepark but Yeung’s practising another activity – parkour, the acrobatic sport that sees practitioners jumping like cats from rooftops and benches to fences and anything in between. Yeung runs over and sits on a bench next to me, the slogan on his T-shirt summing up the philosophy of parkour: “We start together, We finish together.” It’s a Monday night and members... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2093982/hong-kongs-parkour-fans-city-one-giant-obstacle-course?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2093982/hong-kongs-parkour-fans-city-one-giant-obstacle-course?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 May 2017 04:45:00 +0000 [Sponsored Article] Lantau’s picturesque and low-density south side is increasingly enticing those looking for resort living and a respite from hyper-urbanism. Unspoilt countryside and pristine beaches where natural landscapes meld with dreamy seascapes soothe the senses, while easy connectivity to the rest of the city makes South Lantau an ideal place to call home. South horizons The natural environment of South Lantau has long been prized in Hong Kong. Set amidst the rolling slopes of Lantau... https://www.scmp.com/presented/lifestyle/topics/resort-living-south-lantau/article/2093934/where-sea-and-sky-meet-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/lifestyle/topics/resort-living-south-lantau/article/2093934/where-sea-and-sky-meet-south?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 May 2017 01:45:15 +0000 Curious lifeguards and fishermen watch as Paul Niel and Esther Röling leap from rock to rock around the cliffs at Chung Hom Kok beach. They are “coasteering”, and on their last reconnaissance mission before embarking on the “Round The Island – Hong Kong” expedition later this month. Their goal? To climb, scramble and swim their way around the entire island, taking water measurements as they go, to create Hong Kong’s first full coastal pollution map. A team from the Open University is lending... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2093160/couple-wholl-walk-climb-and-swim-around-hong-kong-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2093160/couple-wholl-walk-climb-and-swim-around-hong-kong-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 May 2017 22:45:15 +0000 Dubbed the 4x4 of the seas, the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) is a vessel special forces and rescue services use when they need to cross large expanses of water quickly. It’s a craft you’d associate more with a James Bond chase than a day trip – but Zoom Ribs founder Nigel Davis hopes to change that. Davies, who grew up on the seas around Britain’s Isles of Scilly, says his adventure tour company is the first to commercially operate an RIB in Hong Kong.     “RIBs offer a completely different... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2092993/sail-hong-kong-waters-inflatables-2x-faster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/2092993/sail-hong-kong-waters-inflatables-2x-faster?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 May 2017 23:45:15 +0000 On December 9, 2011, Lai Chi-wai was driving his motorcycle home when he was struck by at least two cars and thrown onto the road. The then professional rock climber, who was once ranked eighth in the world, can remember waking up in his Tuen Mun Hospital room, looking up at the pale white ceiling and smelling the disinfectant. But he had no sensation in the lower part of his body. The car accident had left him a paraplegic. “The first thing in my mind was: Oh crap! I can’t be an athlete... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2093151/channelling-spirit-lion-rock-hong-kong-climbers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/2093151/channelling-spirit-lion-rock-hong-kong-climbers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 May 2017 07:00:45 +0000 Former world champion Kim Ja-in will be the star attraction at this weekend’s Kailas Just Climb Cup 2017 as Hong Kong organisers attempt to boost the sport’s profile ahead of its debut at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year-old Kim, from South Korea, is one of the biggest names in world climbing. She won gold medals at the 2014 and 2015 IFSC Climbing World Cups and also triumphed at the 2014 IFSC Climbing World Championships (lead event). Red Bull climber Kim will be joined in the competition... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2058982/climbing-olympic-build-starts-hong-kong-top-star-kim-ja-joins-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/2058982/climbing-olympic-build-starts-hong-kong-top-star-kim-ja-joins-line?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2017 11:30:00 +0000 Mak Cheuk-wing, Hong Kong’s new sporting hero, got a taste of the spotlight she’s now under after the 13-year-old junior world windsurfing champion landed back in the city on Monday night to a media scrum. Already the teenager is being hailed in local media as “daughter of the wind”, the heir apparent to Lee Lai-shan, Hong Kong’s only Olympic gold medallist. This despite the fact she’s not even eligible for the HK team for another year. Mak won the under-15s title in the Techno 293 class on Lake... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2041875/hong-kongs-teenage-windsurfing-world-champion-mak-cheuk-wing-returns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/2041875/hong-kongs-teenage-windsurfing-world-champion-mak-cheuk-wing-returns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Nov 2016 02:45:15 +0000