In Search of the Abominable Snowman

Yeti hunters are no strangers to the icy wastes of Siberia and the Himalayas in search of this most elusive of creatures.

The yeti – or Abominable Snowman – has eluded mankind since the first sighting in the 1920s, despite numerous expeditions which have unearthed giant footprints in the snow but never any definitive evidence of these towering beasts.

Villagers in Siberia have long been convinced of the yeti’s existence, claiming these Neanderthal-type beings roam the nearby desolate landscapes in search of food.

Sightings are rare – but have increased three-fold in the last 20 years – and only last year the largest official expedition in over half a century attempted to follow their trail.

Conditions are some of the harshest on the planet – temperatures drop to as low as – 40°c…but a team of international experts from Russia, China and the U.S. worked together in October in a quest to turn legend into fact.

Pushing the Boundaries of Human Endurance
In merciless, unrelenting conditions, these modern-day explorers were wearing clothing and carrying equipment built to battle elements that are amongst the most extreme known to man. It was all a far cry from days gone by when early explorers pushed the boundaries of human endurance in ill-equipped clothing and the most basic gear, including hob-nailed boots and pitifully inadequate oilskins.

Sightings of the legendary wildman of the snow – cousin to North America’s Big Foot or Sasquatch – were first documented in a 1921 British expedition to the Himalayas.
Said to be Homo Sapiens’ closest relative, Homo Neanderthalenis has been described as a large, hairy, biped humanoid, a hirsute beast up to seven feet tall, and part ape, part bear and part man.

Giant Footsteps in the Snow
Only a few weeks before last year’s multi-national expedition, one led - somewhat bizarrely - by Russian heavyweight boxing champion Nikolai Valuev found giant footsteps in the snow…but nothing more concrete.

The latest team of scientists concentrated on an area of western Siberia 3,000 miles and four time zones east of Moscow. They too, according to reports, drew a blank.

So how do you cope as a modern-day, fact-finding yeti hunter – and what do you wear to protect yourself from the biting winds and numbing cold?

The icy landscapes certain to be encountered bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘breath-taking.’ Without the right facial protection your breath will freeze, and any exposed skin will suffer irreparable damage from frostbite.

The further you travel above sea level, the harder it becomes to breathe at all due to the lack of atmospheric pressure, and hallucinations and inhibited mental function are common-place in the ever-thinning air.

Perhaps the most famous brands manufacturing footwear and apparel for such extreme conditions are The North Face, whose cold-weather clothing is legendary amongst explorers and adventurers, Scarpa – renowned for their Jorasses and Phantom mountain boots – and Berghaus and Rab, both long trusted by those who set out to conquer the challenges faced at the most far-flung corners of the earth.

The Extrem Asguard collection from Berghaus was developed from a prototype that was used on the first free ascent of the North Tower of Mount Asguard on the Artic’s Baffin Island.

Rab’s Neutrino Endurance meanwhile is the benchmark down jacket for modern mountaineering and lightweight ascents, while their Neutrino Plus has been designed for use in Polar conditions, at altitude and for extreme Alpine-style conditions.

The North Face Nuptse and Nuptse 2 will also deliver core warmth in a lightweight, compressible classic guaranteed to provide high altitude insulation.

• A team of scientists from OxfordUniversity and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology in Switzerland are currently analysing a collection of ‘yeti’ remains found by a Belgian-French biologist over a period of 50 years.

Using breakthrough technology which has led to recent advances in forensic science, they are attempting to identify remnants of bone and hair collected by Bernard Heuvelmans between 1950 and 2001.

• Russian politician Aman Tuleyev is offering a one million ruble reward - about $31,500 - to anyone who finds proof that the Yeti actually exists.

The governor of Kemerovo, where several ‘sightings’ of the creature have been made, told his local television station: “We need to sit down with him, drink some tea and talk about life."

Nicki Williams writes for Gear-Zone, where extreme adventurers will find the very best gear from brands including The North Face, Rab, Berghaus, Scarpa  and Montane.

Photo source: Compfight

Top Five Female Monsters from Ancient Greek Mythology

In a lot of history books, mythological or otherwise, it's fair to say that women often get a bit of a bad rap. Whether it's Eve in the Bible or Pandora opening her infamous box, women have been given a lot to answer for over the millennia. As you are probably well aware, the ancient Greeks were particularly fond of their monsters, and as such it stands to reason that at least a few of them were female. Here follows a few of the most iconic and also the most strange; be glad you're unlikely to chance upon them in a bar any time soon!

5) Empusa
Empusa was the result of the union between the goddess Hecate and the vampiric spirit Mormo. A beautiful, succubus-like figure with flaming hair and stylish bronze slippers, she seduced young men as they slept before feasting on their blood and flesh. Despite her beauty, due to the etymology of her name (meaning “one-footed”) she was also sometimes depicted as having one donkey's leg with the other being a bronze prosthesis.

4) Charybdis
Charybdis, the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, was a beautiful water nymph. Very loyal to her father, she rode the tides after Poseidon stirred them up with storms and claimed vast amounts of land for him by causing the water to engulf villages, forests and fields. Her helping Poseidon to claim parts of his domain enraged Zeus, who transformed her into a monster in retaliation. Now essentially a huge bladder-like creature with a giant mouth and flippers instead of arms and legs, she caused whirlpools by swallowing and regurgitating large amounts of water three times a day (traditionally at the Strait of Messina, but don’t let this put you off any Greek holidays near there).

3) The Harpies
An unsettling mixture of bird and woman, harpies were called beautiful by Hesiod but are usually referred to as being incredibly ugly. Zeus sent them to torture King Phineas of Thrace after his gift of prophecy began to reveal too much for his liking. Placed on an island with a buffet of delicious food, the harpies would snatch the food from his hands as he tried to eat while befouling the rest of it with their toxic droppings. Eventually Jason and the Argonauts arrived and drove them away, Phineas telling them how to pass the Symplegades in thanks.

2) The Sphinx
Despite traditionally being associated with Egypt, the word “sphinx” actually comes from Greek (specifically the word meaning to squeeze or tighten up, this referring to the way in which lionesses bring down prey). Summoned to guard the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes (according to some stories this was by either Hera or Areas), the Sphinx asked travellers a riddle before strangling and devouring them if they got it incorrect. Oedipus solved the riddle, causing the Sphinx to commit suicide by flinging herself from the high rock she perched on (although in some stories she ate herself).

1) The Gorgons
The three Gorgon sisters Stheno, Euryale and Medusa were (and arguably continue to be) infamous for their hideous countenances and reptilian characteristics. The latter chiefly manifested as each of them having a nest of living (and, of course, highly venomous) snakes for hair, but in some instances the Gorgons were also described as having serpent-like skin and fangs, boars' tusks, bronze claws and even gold wings. Although Stheno and Euryale were immortal, Medusa (who was said to have been cursed into hideousness by Athena after Poseidon seduced her in her temple) was not. Using a mirrored shield given to him by Athena, Perseus was able to safely lop off Medusa's head without getting turned to stone himself.

Jezebel Johnson loves ancient mythology (not surprisingly her favourite is Greek) and certainly has nothing in common with any of the ferocious beasts mentioned in this list.