Video: New Zealand - Land of Light and Shadow

Anyone who has ever been to New Zealand will tell you just how beautiful of a place it is, but this video is a good reminder nonetheless. It captures some of the stunning landscapes of that country in timelapse, with the sun, clouds, and sky all casting intricate shadows across the ground. Short and sweet, this is a minute-and-a-half of pure bliss, and a perfect way to wrap up the day.

To visit New Zealand yourself, check out all of the options available from Mountain Travel Sobek.

New Zealand - Land of light and shadow from Stephen Patience Photography on Vimeo.

Video: Take a Stunning Tour of the International Space Station

Most of us will never see the inside of the International Space Station. It just isn't in the cards. Thankfully, we have amazing videos like this one, which take us on a grand tour of that orbital apartment for astronauts. In this clip, you'll slowly drift through one of the most impressive feats of engineering ever created, and you'll get a first hand look at the various modules the make up the ISS. Set to some very tranquil music, this tour is relaxing to watch, so sit back, get comfortable, set the video to "full scree" and enjoy.

Video: Scenes from the Arctic

The Arctic is one of those places on our planet that few of us ever get the opportunity to see in person. But, thanks to this video, we can all travel to this frozen region of the Earth and experience for ourselves. The scenes shown here are beautiful, tranquil, and amazing to see. It is quite an experience and one that I think you'll enjoy greatly. Sit back and soak this one in, as it is indeed a wonderful short film set in remote place.

Video: Renan Ozturk - Obsessed or Devoted?

This video comes our way courtesy of The North Face and is part of the company's new #QuestionMadness marketing campaign which celebrates TNF's 50th anniversary. The clip focuses on sponsored athlete Renan Ozturk, who is amongst the best mountaineers/climbers in the world today. As with the other videos in this series, the question is where or not Renan is obsessed or devoted to his passion projects, which is a valid one for anyone who has seen the film Meru. But Renan isn't just trying to push the envelope in the mountains, but has other aspects to his character as well as you'll see here. Like most other outdoor athletes of his caliber, he is driven to be the best in whatever undertaking he sets his mind upon.

Video: Unclimbed - Reaching the Summit in the Himalaya (Part 7)

If you've been watching the fantastic series of "Unclimbed" videos from Discovery Canada, you'll definitely want to catch this latest episode. In this latest installment of the mountaineering series the team of Gabriel Filippi, Elia Saikaly, and Pasang Kaji Sherpa are reunited in Kathmandu before setting out to the Himalaya to the first ascent of several unclimbed peaks. But before they go, they must face down a mountaineering legend who has never summited a single peak – the indomitable Miss Elizabeth Hawley.

Video: Stunning Wingsuit Flight Ends in Nasty Crash

Wingsuit pilots take their lives into their own hands every time they take flight. Case in point, in this video a flyer named Eric Dossantos starts off with a leap from the top of a mountain with stunningly beautiful views all around him. His descent down the slopes of the peak looks fantastic too, with snow covered ridges zipping by at warp speed below him. But once he soars low enough to encounter the treeline things start to go wrong with Eric ultimately crashing into the forest below. Fortunately, he survived the flight, although he did end up with fractured ribs, multiple bruises and lacerations, head trauma, and a lacerated kidney. Dossantos has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical bills but it is going to be awhile before he's fully back on his feet.

The flight took place above Chamonix, France, which has recently banned wingsuit flying because of these types of dangers. This video underscores why they decided to make that decision, but thankfully Eric survived. Others haven't been quite so lucky.

How not to fly a wing suit unless you want to crash from Eric Dossantos on Vimeo.

Video: Exploring Japan's Spiritual Connection with the Mountains

The Japanese practice of Shugendo is a spiritual practice of seeking a connection with nature, particularly in the mountains where Japan's forefathers believed their gods resided. This connection can bring on a zen-like state, with the person seeking a oneness with the natural world around them. In this video, Salomon athletes Rickey Gates and Anna Frost make the journey to Japan in search of their own unique connection with the natural world. As you'll see in the video below, what they find there is a powerful attachment to nature that is unlike anything found in other cultures. Be sure to turn on subtitles to get the entire story.

Video: Base Jumper Sets New World Record by Leaping Off Cho Oyu

Standing 8188 meters (26,684 ft) in height, Cho Oyu is the 6th highest peak in the world, and a popular climbing destination during the fall season in the Himalaya. A few weeks back, climber/BASE jumper Valery Rozov went up the mountain in an attempt to fly off the summit. He didn't quite make it to the top, but he did manage to don his wingsuit and leap from 7700 meters (25,262 ft), setting a new world record in the process. You can learn about his expedition, and see his flight in the video below.

Video: Expedition to the Valley of the Dinosaurs

The Badlands of North Dakota are the site for this video, which takes us on a dinosaur hunting expedition with Tyler Lyson, a man who seems to have a knack for finding fossils hidden in the Earth. In this short documentary, Tyler is attempting to recover a rare, intact skull from a triceratops with the help of a group of amateur fossil hunters that he has invited along for the ride. While working on that discovery, he comes across another one that is equally astounding. Enjoy.

Valley of the Last Dinosaurs from MEL Films on Vimeo.

Video: GoPro Celebrates One Year Anniversary of the GoPro Awards

Last October, GoPro announced a novel program in which they paid users of their Hero cameras for sharing epic clips of their adventures. The program has become an overwhelming success to say the least. Over the course of the past 12 months, they have received submissions from 196 countries and paid out over $1 million in cash. To celebrate the first anniversary of the GoPro Awards, they've put together this short but sweet video comprised of clips from some of the best submissions the company has seen. The program still continues, so if you have awesome footage to share, find out how you can submit it here.

Video: What Was the Last Place on Earth to be Discovered?

Here's an intriguing question. What do you think was the last place on Earth to actually be discovered by man? Most researchers now believe that human life on our planet can be traced back to Africa, with man spreading out across the planet from there. Over thousands of years we migrated across the planet, settling in various places along the way. But have you ever stopped to think what part of the planet was the last to actually be found by humans?

That is exactly the subject of this video, which uses an animated map to show you exactly when certain destinations were discovered, with the timeline for many of them actually being quite surprising. For instance, who would have thought that North America was reached before Portugal for instance? There are plenty of other interesting little tidbits like that to be learned along the way too, with some remote places obviously taking longer to find than others.

So just what was the last place found by humans? I won't spoil the answer, but I will say that it will be quite logical once you learn where it is. There is definitely a lot of interesting things to learn here.

Video: The Mists of the Pyrenees in Timelapse

Shot over the course of four days, this clip takes us into the Pyrenees where we catch a glimpse of some of the beautiful landscapes found there. The timelapse photography used to make the video shows us the ebb and and flow of the clouds and mist that shroud the peaks of the mountains. At just a minute and a half in length, this is one of the most tranquil videos you'll see all week.

And to visit these settings for yourself, checkout this amazing travel opportunity from my friends at Mountain Travel Sobek.

To the Mist - 4K Timelapse from Mathieu Stanić on Vimeo.

Video: Zipline Base Jumping in Utah

In this video, a group of extreme athletes traveled to the amazing landscapes of Utah to attempt a version of BASE jumping that I've never seen before. It's called Zip-BASE and it involves first ziplining down a long line before letting go and parachuting back to Earth. In this case, that long zipline is spread out across a large canyon and looks like quite a ride in and and of itself. But, mid-way through the descent things get even more interesting. Looks like fun, but I never want to try this.

Ultimate Playground 4K (Zip-BASE jumping) from Negative4 Productions on Vimeo.

Video: The Living Landscapes of Colorado

We'll end the week with this beautiful video shot in Colorado where the stunning colors of autumn are in full display. We all know that Colorado is one of the most beautiful states in the U.S., but this is a great reminder of just how amazing the landscapes there can be. All it takes is one clip like this one, or a brief visit to the state, to understand why the people that live there love it so much.

Colorado - A Living Landscape 4K from Jason Hatfield on Vimeo.

Video: Riding Through an Enduro Playground in British Columbia

This short clip is part of Red Bull's "Raw" series, which is essentially a video that has been created to give viewers a great experience, but hasn't been heavily edited and lacks much in the way of special effects. In fact, this video doesn't even have any music. It is simply two-minutes of pure bliss as pro mountain biker Brandon Semenuk spends a day riding a beautiful trail in British Columbia. The results are spectacular.

Video: Unclimbed - Reaching the Summit in the Himalaya (Part 6)

Discovery Canada has released another episode of their fantastic series of mountaineering videos entitled Unclimbed. If you've been following along with the series, you know that it has been following climbers Gabriel Filippi and Elia Saikaly as they prepare to attempt the first ascent of several unclimbed peaks in Nepal. Up until now however, we've seen very little of the third member of the team – Pasang Kaji Sherpa. That changes with this episode however, as we are introduced to Kaji and learn more about his way of life. Born and raised in the big mountains, he is an expert mountaineer, and a crucial part of the team. Learn more in the clip below.

Video: First Person Ride From the Red Bull Rampage

The 2016 edition of the Red Bull Rampage was held last week in Virgin, Utah,  and as always it provided a host of spectacular video clips from this crazy downhill mountain bike event. To get a sense of what the riders face as the take on his crazy trail, take a look at the video below. It was captured by the helmet cam of pro rider Darren Berrecloth, who made a memorable ride along a route that I'd be reluctant to walk, let alone take my mountain bike on. This is two minutes of sheer terror for those of us who don't ride downhill on a trail that is anywhere close to this.

Video: Danny MacAskill's Wee Day Out

This video was released while I was away in Majorca, but it is so good that I thought that it was still worth sharing anyway. (And if you've already seen it, it's worth another look!) It follows biking phenom Danny MacAskill on his day off exploring the rural landscapes near Edinburgh. Travel along with Danny as rides through a series of pastoral settings in unique ways that only he can. Definitely a fun and entertaining video.

Video: The North Face Athletes Question Madness - Conrad Anker and Alex Honnold

Yesterday, I shared a video that launched a new brand campaign from The North Face that invited us to "Question Madness." The campaign celebrates the 50th anniversary of the company, which has become synonymous with outdoor adventure and exploration. Today, I have two more videos from that exemplify what the company is going for by introducing viewers to some of their sponsored athletes. In this case, those two people are mountaineer Conrad Anker and rock climber Alex Honnold. Check them out below.

Video: The North Face Invites Us to Question Madness

The North Face has just launched a new marketing campaign using the hashtag #QuestionMadness. Much like the famous "Think Different" ads from Apple Computers back in the day, this campaign introduces us to some of TNF's sponsored athletes. People like Conrad Anker, Alex Honnold, and Renan Ozturk, who are pushing the edge of adventure and exploration. Are they mad or are they geniuses? That is the question, and in this beautiful video we get an opportunity to see them doing what they do best, while we ponder whether or not it is all worth it or why they pursue these challenges. If you read this blog with regularity, you probably already know the answer to that. Particularly on your own personal level. Enjoy!