Posts Tagged ‘La Paz’

This amazing mountain bike riding adventure awaits the courageous. Dubbed “The World’s Most Dangerous Road” by the Inter-American Development Bank in 1995, it has claimed more than 150 lives a year since opening in the 1930s.

The ride begins at La Cumbre Pass, 45 minutes northeast of La Paz, in Bolivia — the world’s highest large city with more than 1 million residents. Herds of llamas and an occasional alpaca trek the mountain slopes near the pass.

Cyclist deaths are not uncommon; two were killed on this road in August, and at least 15 have died since 1998. Shattered wrists, broken legs and other severe injury are not unusual.

The video from vosgym shows you what you will encounter.

Norman Pillsbury, a professor at Cal Poly State University completed the ride in early Setember and had this to say of his experiences:

‘…… onto the bikes, with special goggles and face muffs in place we were off, single file, for the 15-mile paved section. Sailing at eye-watering speed down the mountain, it was like waking from a dream. Flanked on either side by treeless, snow-capped peaks of the Andes, rough and majestic, windswept and towering, I heard myself say, “I can’t believe I’m really doing this!” It was both magnificent and surreal. I was barely aware of the canyons below as I raced down steep pitches of road, concentrating instead on the edge of the road I claimed as mine.’

This downhill route starts at 15,250 feet and drops to 3,850 feet in 40 miles, a whopping 11,400-foot descent. Altitude is not the only factor – the temperature could easily range from well below zero at the top, with wind chill factor to boot, to a more temperate 30 degrees C – 90 degrees F – when you get to the bottom.

You can do this fantastic journey with www.gravitybolivia.com who continue with the story:

‘…….. after a brief undulating section of road we enter the jungle itself and the most challenging part of the ride. This infamous narrow dirt road is cut precariously into the side of the mountain and descends 2,000m (6,500 feet). With 1,000m+ (3,300 feet) sheer drops off to our left and hulking rock overhangs and cascading waterfalls to our right, we ride through mist, low cloud and dust……’

Its a great website and will give you all the information you need on how to get there, where to stay, clothing to bring, insurance etc. Top quality bikes are provided and the booking will cost you in the region of $85 and will take you 4 to 5 hours to complete – it does look like an extreme adventure.

Photo courtesy of www.gravitybolivia.com

The extreme golf course article opened  up all sorts of new vistas for me. For a start I had never heard of Furnace Creek in Death Valley – and very quickly discovered that a seriously extreme ultra-marathon, along with several other races, is held there every year. (The Death Valley Badwater Ultra-Marathon)

La Paz golf course in Bolivia (extreme golf courses in the world) has led me on to investigate Mount Illimani – the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real  (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes).  It is the second highest peak in Bolivia, after Nevado Sajama, and the eighteenth highest peak in South America. The name means golden eagle in the local Aimara language. The snow line lies at about 4,570 metres (15,000 ft) above sea level, and glaciers are found on the northern face at 4,983 m (16,350 ft). The mountain has four main peaks; the highest is the south summit, Nevado Illimani, which is a popular ascent for mountain climbers.

Illimani was first attempted in 1877 by C. Wiener, J. de Grumkow, and J. C. Ocampo. They failed to reach the main summit, but did reach a southeastern subsummit. In 1898, British climber Sir William Martin Conway and two Swiss guides, A. Maquignaz and L. Pellissier, made the first recorded ascent of the peak, again from the southeast. (They found a piece of Aimara rope at over 6,000 m (20,000 ft), so an earlier ascent cannot be completely discounted.) The ascent took 5 days, and on the 4th day the Indian porters bolted. The party suffered great weakness during their last hour on the summit, but no actual illness. Conway described the view from the top as “astounding”.

The current standard route on the mountain climbs the west ridge of the main summit. It was first climbed in 1940, by the Germans R. Boetcher, F. Fritz, and W. Kühn, and is graded French PD+/AD-. This route usually requires four days, whereas the summit is reached in the morning of the third day.

The majestic heights of the Bolivian mountains is an awe-inspiring sight for even the most world weary mountaineers. Whether you’ve scaled Everest, Kilimanjaro or Kailas, the spectacular peaks of the Andes beckon you to a climb that is unlike any other you’ll ever experience.

Most climbers would be wise to spend a few days acclimatising at La Paz before attempting any of the many climbs on offer.

Huayana Potosi is a tempting climb and a relatively easy one to begin with. A half day’s hike from La Paz, this easily accessible peak is a must for any climber that visits Bolivia. It’s other name,  Kaka-aka, means, ‘the one who came from the rocks’.

You could easily spend a week or more climbing the Mount Condoriri range, comprised of 50 peaks with a range of difficulty and elevations which welcome the climber who wants to experience some extended time and camping and trekking.

Visible from the capitol of La Paz, the forbidding peak of Illimani summons any hardy adventurer daring enough to scale its snow-covered face. 7 peaks make up this highest of all the mountains in the Cordillera Real, the southern peak being the tallest of all the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. A number of trails will take you to the top. You can try the straightforward ascent from the west, or challenge yourself by taking on one of the more difficult routes. Be sure to give yourself a few days to take in the climb and savor the lovely alpine setting. By the third day you will have reached the summit at a leisurely pace, where you can absorb some of the best views of the Cordillera Real from the top of Mount Illimani.

Having introduced you to the 1,365km (848m) golf course at Nullarbor Links, Australia, yesterday, it was only natural for us to continue with some of  the most extreme golf courses in the world… was it not?

There is a golf challenge which has to be completed in one year, called the Awesome Eight Golf Challenge. This is a concept invented by Robin Seiger, a motivational speaker and a self-taught extreme athlete, and his friend Neil Laughton, one of the few people to have successfully got the 7 Summits under his belt, and who has organised and led extreme adventures all over the world.

The 8 golf courses are the most remote and the most extreme climatically around the world and the only condition is that you have to carry your clubs and NOT use a golf cart or caddy.

The 8 are:

• Furnace Creek, California – at 214 feet below sea level, it’s the world’s lowest golf course.
• North Star, Alaska – the world’s coldest golf course.
• Alice Springs Australia  - the world’s hottest golf course.
• La Paz, Bolivia – the world’s highest course.
• Ushuaia, Argentina – the world’s southern-most course.
• North Cape, Norway – the most northerly.
• Ko’olau, Hawaii – the toughest course.
• St. Andrew’s, Old Course, Scotland – the greatest and oldest golf course in the world…

Just to rub it in, Furnace Creek Golf Course is in Death Valley, California. Most lodging is closed in the summer, when temperatures in the vicinity can surpass 125 °F (52 °C). It has the distinction of holding the record for the highest ever recorded temperature in the United States, as well as one of the highest ever reliably recorded worldwide, reaching 134 °F (57 °C) on July 10, 1913. Don’t bother looking for the putting green, this course is famous for “linkage so rough only the devil would play on it.” But it is also worth mentioning that the course is noteworthy for rock hard salt pinnacles that create interesting formations resembling crystal caves, one of the more interesting natural landmarks in Death Valley. At $55.00, the peak golf season green fee is very reasonable and special “Sundowner” rates are also available daily.

From one extreme to another - North Star, Alaska.

This is a great links style golf course. Jack Stallings and Roger Evans designed the course which was opened to public in 1993. The course features 6521 yards from the Blue tees with a rating of 71.9 and a par of 74. North Star Golf Course has an estimated number of 43,000 (estimated) rounds played annually and is a 9 or 18 hole (Semi-Private) course.  It is one of the few golf courses that includes an animal check list on the score card. In summertime the course is open from 7 AM until between 11 PM and Midnight depending on weather and speed of play of the last 9 hole tee time group (10 PM). The Driving Range is open daily from 7 AM until 10 PM (except for Tuesday PM when it closes at 8 PM for early morning mowing). This course doesn’t officially open until mid-May when the snow has melted, but that doesn’t stop a few diehard Alaskans from heading out with their shovels and clubs for a few blustery rounds in mid-winter. A local rule at North Star dictates that if a fox or a raven picks up your ball, you are allowed to drop another, without penalty, at the scene of the crime.

Alice Springs Golf Club, Australia.

Alice Springs is the unofficial capital of central Australia, and its golf course, known as the hottest in the world, has earned rave reviews from golfers world-wide as a course of unique charm blended with some subtle severity. Designed by Australia’s golfing legend, Peter Thomson, with his business partner, Michael Wolveridge, in the early 1980’s, it is currently rated 53rd in Australia by Australian Golf Digest, in the world’s top ten desert courses and one of Australia’s top 25 golf resorts. The magnificent championship layout has large teeing blocks, fully grassed rolling fairways and huge well bunkered putting greens set against the stunning natural backdrop of the ancient MacDonnell Ranges. Accuracy is a must and even the boldest hitters must harness their power and replace it with discretion to ensure a safe landing, rather than challenge the menacing rocky outcrops which lurk at the edges of several of the fairways.

La Paz Golf Club, Bolivia.

La Paz Golf Club, laid out at a dizzying height of 10,800 feet (3,300m) , appears to be the undisputed champion, and it’s very much open for play. The course, in fact, is a terrific test of golf and is considered to be the best in the country. You’re either walking uphill or downhill, and there’s hardly a level lie to be found! The course sits at the southern end of La Paz and abuts the dramatic Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). Valle de la Luna is a badlands of hills and rocks eroded into bizarre shapes and deep gullies that does indeed look lunar.  The most famous hole at La Paz is the par 3 moon hole. Being surrounded by the biscuit-brown fissures of the Valle de la Luna makes the oasis of green turf and shady oak trees lining the fairways stand out vibrantly. Stretching 6,600 yards from the tips, but with scarce molecules of oxygen impeding the flight of shots, a golfer can drive distances through the paper-thin air like Tiger Woods – at least for a day. But bear in mind that operating at high elevations can be dangerous. The air starts to really thin out over 5,000 feet and engaging in recreational activity can be challenging. This is ‘nose-bleed’ territory. As Bruce Keith, the Executive Director of The Alpine Club of Canada, says, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend a quick trip from sea level to play golf above 14,000 feet at Tuctu. (NB: this course is no longer open to play), but, without acclimatizing, people could still experience problems at 11,000 feet at La Paz. Headaches, nausea, edema, and even death can occur when people are not acclimatized to high elevations.” Thankfully, there have been no reports of golfers – in any country – dying from edema. Of course, the Mt. Everest Golf Club hasn’t been designed yet!

Marta Mamani, an Aymara indigenous woman, hits a drive during her work break at La Paz Golf Club, Bolivia, Photograph: Joao Padua

Watch this space … I’ll bring you the next 4 tomorrow…