A wrap of the biggest stories and best writing about the outdoors from New Zealand and around the world.
A climber from Wales has shown that a serious accident doesn’t have to mean the end of your days as an outdoor adventurer.
Last year, 37-year-old Loic Menzies suffered fractures to his lower back, spine, pelvis and wrists, as well as internal bleeding, when he fell while climbing in the Welsh county of Pembrokeshire.
He remembers being unable to move during his first night in hospital, and unsure what the future held. Yet despite his injuries, the physios helped him to hobble again using a Zimmer frame. Then he moved to crutches and then had to learn a new way to get up and down stairs.
And now, just a year after the accident, he’s climbed in three European mountain ranges, including the Dolomites and the French Alps. Read more here.
Fiordland cycleway stuck 2km short
A trails trust can’t quite complete a hugely popular cycle trail because the final 2km are in a national park.
The 30km Lake2Lake Cycle Trail leads alongside Lake Te Anau and Waiau River to the Manapouri cycle trail.
But it’s hit a snag, because the final stretch is in Fiordland National Park and the management plan doesn’t allow cyclists to use walking trails in the park.
A review was planned in 2017, but this still hasn’t been done, to the frustration of Fiordland Trails Trust. Listen to the story on Newstalk ZB.
Norovirus to blame for Grand Canyon sickness
You may remember the stories from the Grand Canyon earlier this year where hundreds of trampers and rafters were struck by a gastrointestinal illness. Many needed to be rescued, as they were vomiting and unable move far.
A report about the outbreak says novovirus is the most likely culprit, as it can spread very easily. It also declared that this was the largest such outbreak ever seen at the park.
To prevent future outbreaks, visitors are advised to screen themselves for symptoms prior to their trip, and to keep interaction with visitors outside their group to a minimum.
A new multi-day trail that’ll cost you $12,000 in taxes
A special 400km walking trail has just opened in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. It follows an ancient east-west trading route that was superseded by main roads midway through the last century.
The Trans Bhutan Trail promises to be an extraordinary experience – 27 days of tramping over mountain passes, through Himalayan forests and past cliffside monasteries on a route not seen by visitors for more than half a century.
It’ll also be an experience you get pretty much to yourself, thanks to Bhutan – historically a very difficult country to visit – imposing visitor taxes of $440 per day. That means it’ll set you back $12,000 to walk the entire trail in taxes alone (though this does cover the likes of food, transport and guiding). Read more at New Zealand Herald.
Ski operators admit defeat this year
Tūroa ski field on Mt Ruapehu will be closing on Sunday, 9th October, after a season that many regard as the worst in decades.
Overall, very little snow landed over the winter – and much of that disappeared quickly in the rain.
Around a third of staff had lost their jobs by the end of August, and a large dump of snow last month wasn’t enough to save the season. Whakapapa, also situated on Mt Ruapehu, will close up this month too. Read more here.
