David Cifaldi and his two hiking companions were attempting to summit Montana’s highest peak when their adventure took a bizarre and dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole as he fell.

The 112cm steel-tipped pole passed through the flesh beneath his left arm, missing any vital organs, and protruded from his back. After conferring with his friends and considering the high cost of a helicopter rescue Cifaldi knew who would save him: himself.

The 32-year-old nurse, who works in wound care, did a self-assessment. He was alert. There was little pain or blood. And the pole wasn’t moving. The group used a satellite-based communication device, a Garmin inReach, to contact local authorities and inform them of their plan to self-rescue.

After more than six hours in which they travelled about 16km and descended roughly 1500m, the group reached a trailhead and drove to the local hospital. Doctors removed the pole and bandaged him up.

Read more from One News (Warning: an image in this article may be confronting to some viewers).

30-year hiking tradition keeps Colorado women connected

The ladies of the Hen Hike started trekking together as new moms and have carried each other through life into their 60s.

Last month marked the 30th year of the tradition. At a trailhead in the remote Colorado wilderness, the group prepared for the hike to the Betty Bear Hut. Though this specific hut was new to the women, the experience was not.

Every year since 1997, they have chosen a different hut for a one-night stay, embracing an opportunity to push themselves physically, cook a gourmet meal and simply enjoy each other’s company. It’s a summer ritual they endearingly call the Hen Hike, and when it started, the women were new moms seeking a brief moment of self-care out in the Rocky Mountains. Now most are in their 60s with enough life experiences to fill the packs they carried.

This year marked the 30th annual excursion, and while everyone’s lives have changed with time, the spirit of the reunion remains the same.

“Life is filled with challenges and hurdles and opportunities and people and business and stress. But it’s super important to take time for yourself and recharge. This group allows us to do that,” Graham said. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this becoming what it has become,” Graham said. Read more from the Denver Post.

World-renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja confirmed dead after Pakistan avalanche

Nirmal Purja, a world-famous mountaineer who pledged to spotlight Nepal’s Sherpa community, was confirmed killed on Saturday after a deadly avalanche in the Himalayas earlier this week.

“His legacy will live on in the countless lives he changed and the people he inspired to climb their own mountains,” according to a social media post on Saturday published by the Nimsdai Foundation, which he founded in 2022.

The forty-three-year-old was among 10 mountaineers who went missing on Thursday after they were believed to have been on 8,047-meter-tall Broad Peak, in northern Pakistan, when a landslide hit around midday local time.

At least four people have been confirmed dead, including Purja, the Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, the Nepali climber Pur Bahadur Gurung “Yukta” and the US climber Sarah Mallory Geis.

Purja, a former British army soldier, raised the profile of climbing on the world stage by repeatedly breaking records as a measure of endurance. In 2019, he made history by climbing all of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 meters in just over six months.

In an interview in 2019, Purja said he wanted to use his platform to honour the skills of Nepal’s Sherpa people. Read more from CNN.

15 new bridges to be installed on the Mountains to Sea Great Ride

Installations on the Mangapurua section are due to take place between 1 August and mid-October 2026, ready to open for Great Ride season. The Kaikwhakauka works will occur in November/December, operating with bypasses.

DOC Project Manager Louise Brown says the work on the bridges is planned to minimise disruption to trail users.

“Many of the bridges have been built offsite, and for the most part existing structures will remain in use until the new bridges are completed.”

The two tracks are remote and iconic stages of the Mountains to Sea – Ngā Ara Tūhono Great Ride, passing through Whanganui National Park and connecting riders, walkers and trampers with the history, ngahere, waterways, and stories of the Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka valleys.

The replacements will be a mixture of aluminium truss bridges and timber bridges. Two boardwalks will also be replaced in the Kaiwhakauka Valley.

Ngā Ara Tūhono Charitable Trust Kaihautū Ara/General Manager, Lynley Twyman says the project is an important investment in one of the most memorable parts of the Great Ride. Read more from DOC.

Temple Basin shelter now completed

In a case of many hands making light work, stage two of the renovation of Lockwood Shelter has been completed.

The iconic Arthur’s Pass building, owned by DOC and managed by Canterbury Mountaineering Club (CMC), was billed for removal in 2010. A community outcry meant plans were developed to restore the building instead. Originally built in 1972, it’s the only publicly accessible building at Temple Basin Ski Field. 

“It’s taken a few years to bring our plans to fruition, but sometimes good things take time,” Backcountry Trust (BCT) South Island manager Ollie Clifton said. “Once all the key players realised the renovation was possible if we worked collectively, things came together quickly. The success of this project has really been about CMC, BCT and Temple Basin Ski Club pooling our resources.”

Stage one of the renovation, completed in 2024, included a roof replacement. Stage two has included window and cladding replacement. The third and final stage will involve a full internal refurbishment. 

The shelter is named after George Lockwood, who adored Temple Basin and was a member of Christchurch Ski Club, Arthur’s Pass National Park Board, New Zealand Alpine Club and CMC. Read more from Wilderness.

Two young NZ hikers airlifted from remote Solomon Islands ravine

Keanu Isaksson, 25, and Luca Zylstra-Law, 19, became trapped during an expedition on Mt Popamanaseu, the highest peak in the Solomon Islands, at 2335m.

Their families said the two friends had become stranded in a remote ravine after torrential rain, flooding and landslides made their planned exit impossible. MFAT confirmed the pair were rescued by helicopter.

“The hikers are with staff from the New Zealand High Commission in Honiara. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to provide them, and their families, with consular assistance,” a spokesperson said.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson had earlier confirmed it was helping the Solomons government.

“The Australian Government has provided assistance to support the Solomon Islands Government’s efforts to rescue New Zealand hikers stranded on Guadalcanal,” the spokesperson said.

Before the recscue took place, Isaksson’s mother Deni Holl said the pair had been coping in tough conditions. Read more from One News.