TPZ207: Adventure Filmmaking in the Waddington Range with Greg Gransden

Photo credit: Susanna Oreskovic


In the late 1920s, the husband-and-wife duo Don and Phyllis Munday believed there was an undiscovered peak in the Coast Range about 200 miles north of Vancouver which was an uncharted part of the province.  They called it Mystery Mountain and set out to find it.  They achieved their goal in 1928, reaching the lower summit of Mystery Mountain which became known as Mount Waddington, the highest peak inside British Columbia at 13,186 ft.   About 90 years later, a team of six set out to retrace the Munday’s expedition to Mystery Mountain using only 1920s era equipment.  Greg Gransden directed the documentary film about the adventure titled The Mystery Mountain Project which is available to view online.  You can learn more about the film and the team at canadianehsociety.ca.  Greg Gransden, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

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Don and Phyllis Munday
Photo credit: Museum of North Vancouver

TPZ144: Climbing Mt. Elbrus with James Didier

Mt. Elbrus


James Didier began mountaineering in 2011 in Colorado. Since then he has climbed several significant Alpine peaks in North America and Europe. His most recent adventure was a summit of Europe’s highest peak – Mount Elbrus in Russia at 18,510 feet. James climbed without a guide and on a total budget of less than 1,500 dollars including travel expenses making Mt. Elbrus possibly the most affordable of the seven summits and one of the easiest to get to. James Didier, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

Mountain Project

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TPZ137: Mountaineering in Svalbard with James Lam

climbing svalbard


In the summer of 2016, a team of five from Oxford University traveled into the Arctic Circle to ski east to west across the island of Spitsbergen – part of a Norwegian archipelago. They retraced a 1923 expedition that had contributed a great deal of scientific knowledge about the region. Their goal is to conduct new research to tell the story of how the landscape has changed over nearly a century. For 32 days and 180 miles they hauled their sleds across the landscape looking to repeat the photos from 1923 and filming a documentary. Pursuing mountaineering objectives was another part of the Spitsbergen Retraced Expedition led by James Lam and you can learn more at svalbard2016.com James Lam, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ133: Cycling to Mount Everest with Jelle Veyt

cycling to everest


Cycling from Belgium to Nepal to attempt a climb of Mount Everest, Jelle Veyt first stopped to climb Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe. After summiting, he continued on cycling through Kazakhstan, China, Tibet and Nepal until reaching Kathmandu. After the roads ended he continue on foot to Everest base camp to join his expedition team for the 2014 climbing season, but an ice avalanche killed 16 Nepalese guides and ended the season. Jelle went back in 2015, but got caught in an avalanche caused by a massive earthquake. Finally in 2016, Jelle summited Everest on his third attempt. His adventure raised funds for Shangrila Home which gives the street children of Nepal a home and education. You can learn more about Jelle’s adventures at his website jelleveyt.be. Jelle Veyt, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ112: Climbing El Potrero Chico with Evan Johnson

El Potrero Chico


Evan Johnson has been climbing for over a decade. During the winter of 2015, he rode a motorcycle from Minnesota to the winter climbing destination of El Potrero Chico Mexico. It’s a 3 hour drive southwest from Laredo Texas and it’s easy to find climbing partners, the prices are low, and there’s plenty to do if you want to take a day off from climbing. You can learn more about it at potrerochico.org. Evan Johnson welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ111: Running the Marathon des Sables with Sarah Williams

Marathon des Sables Sarah Williams


It was on a solo South American backpacking journey in 2013 when Sarah Williams decided she’d had enough of office work and was energized to start Tough Girl Challenges – a website and podcast aimed at inspiring listeners through inspirational stories from adventurous women. Sarah also inspires by completing her own challenges like climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and running the Marathon des Sables, a 6 marathons in six days race across the Sahara Desert in Morroco. You can learn more about Sarah at her website toughgirlchallenges.com. Sarah Williams, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ100: Climbing the Alaska Range with Ryan Wichelns and Gabe Messercola

Alaska Range in Denali


Ryan Wichelns and Gabe Messercola first appeared in episode 12 of The Pursuit Zone to talk about their Adirondack Traverse. Since then they’ve gone on to create the website primitivecondition.com to serve as a media platform for their outdoor pursuits. In their latest climbing adventure, known as the Brooks Glacier Expedition, they completed the Silverthrone to Brooks traverse in the Alaska Range of Denali National Park. Ryan and Gabe, welcome back to the show.

TPZ070: Kayaking, Cycling, and Climbing with Axe Rawlinson

Grant Axe Rawlinson


Peak to Peak 2013 is the brain child of Axe Rawlinson. It was the first continuous, human-powered journey from the summit of Mt. Ruapehu to the summit of Aoraki / Mt. Cook in New Zealand. Axe and his teammate, Alan Silva, continued the adventure with Peak to Peak 2014, a climbing, cycling, and kayaking journey from the top of Ben Nevis in Scotland to the top of Mt. Blanc in France. The goal was to have fun on a shoestring budget and stay safe with as little support as possible. You can read more about these and other expeditions at axeoneverest.com. Axe Rawlinson, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ067: A Cycling and Climbing Expedition with Sophie Radcliffe

Sophie Radcliffe


Sophie Radcliffe had a great job and all the trappings of success, but she wanted to create a new path for herself. Without a plan, she quit her job and set out to pursue a career in adventure. She began by starting her blog, challengesophie.com, and before long she finished Ironman Wales, had a job with Epic TV, and completed the world’s first expedition to summit the highest mountains in each of the eight alpine countries while cycling between them – an adventure she calls Alpine Coast to Coast. Sophie Radcliffe, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

TPZ053: Sea Kayaking and Munro Bagging in Scotland with Will Copestake

Will Copestake Munro bagging


In a yearlong adventure to explore his home country of Scotland, Will Copestake kayaked 1655 km around the coast in 122 days from Solway Firth to Berwick Upon Tweed. He then cycled 2510 km while summiting all 282 Munros. It was a doorstep adventure he calls Machair to Munro and you can read more about it at his website willcopestakemedia.com. Will Copestake, welcome to The Pursuit Zone.

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