ne (Sivir and Braum) scaled up, conceding as little ground as possibl

A little less than two weeks ago, North Face climber Emily Harrington and Eddie Bauer guide Adrian Ballinger, the CEO of Alpenglow Expeditions, set out on a mountaineering version of The Amazing Race. They planned to climb and ski Cho Oyu, the sixth-tallest mountain in the world, located on the border of China and Nepal, and return to their home in Lake Tahoe, California, in two weeks.In doing so, the couple, who met while climbing Mount Everest in 2012, would shorten the expedition time of an 8,000-meter peak by more than one month and transform the idea of how (and how fast) 8,000-meter peaks can be climbed. (It typically takes two months to climb Cho Oyu, and longer for other 8,000-meter mountains.)On Oct. 1, on what Ballinger called the most perfect day on an 8,000-meter peak, the couple reached the 26,906-foot summit of Cho Oyu, 10 days after beginning their journey, and skied down to Camp 1. On Sunday, they awoke knowing they would be back in their own beds by Tuesday, on track to accomplish their incredible two-week, record-setting mission.Today, we wake up in our tent physically shattered yet so appreciative for the journey of the last 36 hours, Harrington posted to Instagram on Sunday. Later that night, espnW caught up with Harrington and Ballinger to learn about the motivation behind their mission, the implications of their success and what its been like to share their experience, and their relationship, with the world.espnW: Congratulations on reaching the summit Saturday. Where are you now?Emily Harrington: At Cho Oyu Advanced Basecamp in Tibet, at 18,500 feet.espnW: What are you setting out to do today? EH: We summited and skied down yesterday morning and made it all the way back here after an exhausting 18-hour day. Today we are packing to leave tomorrow. We will walk 6 miles down to the road and take a jeep to Shigatse, then to Lhasa the next day to fly home. We are packing both to head home and helping the Sherpa pack and prepare for the next Alpenglow trip in a few weeks on Ama Dablam, a 23,000-foot peak in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Much of the gear used here will go there for the next trip.espnW: It typically takes about two months to climb Cho Oyu. What sparked your idea to attempt to do so in two weeks, including travel?EH: Himalayan peaks have been climbed in the same fashion since the first successful ascents that occurred in the 1950s -- meaning multiple weeks or months, many rotations up and down the mountain to acclimatize, or build red blood cells that allow you to continue higher without getting sick, and are essentially these incredibly long expeditions that tax you mentally and physically. But now we have all of this technology that can help shorten that time: better weather forecasting, improved training theory and even ways to pre-acclimatize at home before arriving at the mountain.espnW: How and for how long did you prepare for the expedition? EH: Our strategy involved training at home, pre-acclimatizing in these altitude-simulator tents called hypoxic tents, having all of our logistics and organization in place on the mountain before we arrived, our camps set, permits in place and waiting for a good weather forecast before we left home. That way we stayed healthier by staying home, eating and resting well, and blasting when the time was right.Living for months in a little yellow tent at or above 18,000 feet may sound super adventurous to those who havent done it, but it can get pretty isolating and you develop a sort of cabin fever after a while. Its actually terrible for your health and you return home weak and skinny-fat. Altitude eats all of your muscle and leaves the fat for warmth and protection.Being a rock climber who loves to push myself on more physically challenging terrain most of the year, long Himalayan expeditions have essentially crippled my climbing strength for up to six months. Im hoping the two weeks wont do as much damage and I can return home and keep climbing with some remnant of the strength I had before.espnW: Why Cho Oyu? EH: Cho Oyu is a great mountain in many ways. Its one of the safer 8,000-meter peaks with low objective hazard, meaning no big hanging seracs, no rock fall and generally dry and predictable weather on the Tibetan plateau. Its also a great ski peak in that there are big open slopes that allow for great skiing if conditions allow. Adrian has been on Cho Oyu twice. Once, in 2007, they didnt summit, but in 2013, he climbed and skied it, so he was familiar.espnW: Have you two done anything like this together before? EH: Weve done some bigger trips together, and we are one anothers primary mountain partners. We enjoy doing challenging things together. We have different skills and strengths and can learn a lot from one another. It creates a really fun and engaging partnership, no matter what the goal is.espnW: What is the fastest anyone has climbed Cho Oyu, or any 8,000-meter peak? EH: We think someone has done it in two weeks and three days, or something like that. Its incredibly fast to climb an 8,000-meter peak in less than a month. And two weeks is crazy fast and creates an entirely different experience than a longer trip with lots of downtime.espnW: Did you set a record? EH: I guess so.espnW: Adrian, you own an expedition company. What does the success of this expedition mean for the future of commercial expeditions? Adrian Ballinger: I think these lightning ascents are exciting, and lots of people are interested in the possibility. Its for a very specific type of climber whos willing to put in the work at home and gain experience on other mountains first before signing up for such a fast-paced climb. I think there are many different experiences for people to have in the mountains, and this rapid style definitely caters to a certain demographic.Our rapid ascent programs that Alpenglow offers already cut traditional expedition times by 30 to 50 percent, while increasing health and success. Lighting ascents take it to a whole new level and require athletes with the proper experience and the willingness to suffer.espnW: What are the risks involved in making big-mountain climbs more accessible, and faster? AB: The key in making these climbs faster while still maintaining a high level of safety is all in the logistics, the guiding and the experience of the climbers on the team. Cutting corners in any of those areas will lead to accidents. Thats where the risk lies. You need the preparation and to be willing to stop and turn around if everything isnt coming together just right like it did for Emily and me this time around.espnW: Climbing is often seen as a sport limited to people with the most time and money. But what about inexperienced climbers who can afford a lightning ascent thinking this is an option for them? AB: Alpenglow Expeditions has standards for joining every one of our trips. We do lots of introductory trips and they are some of our most fun programs. While I hope lightning ascent opens up opportunities for people to go the to worlds highest places, each climber still needs to gain experience on other mountains first. Luckily those mountains can be done in short time frames as well, like Cotopaxi, Ecuadors tallest volcano, in four days and Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America, in 10 days.espnW: Did you use supplemental oxygen? EH: Yes. We didnt feel it was realistic to try for no Os with no acclimatization rotations and really not being fully acclimatized to 21,000 feet and above. Also, we were very excited about the idea of finding a cool line to ski away from the fixed lines on the descent. Not only is skiing far more physically demanding than simply walking down -- some may find that surprising, but honestly, the hardest Ive ever breathed was while we were skiing down and not climbing up -- but it requires decision-making skills and risk management that we didnt think were appropriate under the exhaustion and fatigue of a no-Os ascent.Both Adrian and I have tried to climb 8,000-meter peaks with no Os (him this past spring on Everest and me last fall on Makalu) and its incredible how impaired your motor skills and reasoning becomes.espnW: Social media has become a big part of expeditions, and in getting expeditions funded. Why did you want to share this experience with the world? EH: Climbing feels selfish at times. Its just us out there pushing ourselves and having a good time. But the fact is that sharing our stories seems to have value to others. We receive hundreds of comments a day telling us how impactful and inspiring our shared experiences are to people. Realizing that what you are passionate about might influence some stranger to create something positive in their lives is a pretty powerful thing and something weve decided is worth the time and effort to pursue.espnW: What has it been like to do this, together, while sharing your experience, and your relationship, with the world? Was there added pressure in sharing your personal experiences?EH: We are both pretty used to the whole social media persona versus private lives balance, and I think we do it fairly well. We both share similar careers and passions so we get it, so to speak. I would say there was some added pressure just because we brought it upon ourselves with the whole timeline and everything, but we knew what we were signing up for.espnW: How did it all go? EH: We totally nailed it. Weather forecast, logistics, health, everything worked out. We couldnt be more stoked.This certainly wont be their last adventure together, so if you want to continue following Emily and Adrians journeys, you can do so on Instagram (@emilyharrington and @adrianballinger) and Snapchat (@emilyaharringto and @adrianjb) and look back at their images from Cho Oyu by searching #chonofilter.DeAndre Hopkins Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Tytus Howard Womens Jersey . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Max-Scharping-Jersey/ . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Arian Foster Jersey . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Arian Foster Womens Jersey . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday.Day 1 of the fifth week of the EU League Championship series provided relief to a team that direly needed it. Now occupying the seventh spot in the rankings at the time of this writing, Team Vitality has built a small gap between it and Origen, the Unicorns of Love and Team ROCCAT.The squad struggled to get to that point, and Raymond kaSing Tseng had, arguably, the toughest road to climb among his teammates. An event that occurred before the start of the summer split served as the precursor: the departure of long-time bot lane partner Petter Hj?rnan Freyschuss from competitive play. It was one of those times when the adage you dont know what youve got until its gone applied.Right now, hes still a sub for Vitality, so anytime he feels like he wants to play again then hell ask, and well consider, said kaSing about his former AD carry. Later, he confessed I honestly think it was fun to play with him. Ill be happy if he came back.Does that detract from Polices performance? KaSing says otherwise. In fact, he noted that it was going quite well, despite an initial rocky start that saw the support play with two different AD carries in the span of three weeks. Park Police Hyeong-gi was initially shy and had a poor grasp of the English language, which made communication difficult and prompted the squad to operate with another player, Victor Reje Etlar Eriksen.Reje initially caught Team Vitalitys eyes in virtue of his performance in the Challenger Series qualifiers, and he emerged from the experience with more game knowledge and onstage experience. However, his inability to cope with stress - a hurdle for newcomers - and Polices improvement pushed him into a substitute role.The game is different from solo queue, when players merely try their best to win regardless of competitive fundamentals - a key one being wave management. For a player (and Reje in particular) to succeed at a competitive level, kaSing explains why that component of the game is key. There were some moments where he might have pushed one wave when that could have been really useful for our top laner if he wants to swap with him, or if you just slow push the wave in order to do dives or stuff, he illustrates.But the differences dont end there. For supports, success at the competitive level hangs on their ability to coordinate with their bot lane partner and their jungler. AD carry-support chemistry helps secure laning phase advantages, a matter which junglers and supports may leverage into map-wide takeovers. A lack in the latter leads into lack of initiative and stale play, which in turn leads to hard-fought victories or straightforward losses.It was really hard to play because support-jungle synergy is still important in this meta, and if the support and jungler are not on the same page, and lets say thee enemies want to pressure, always one of us is either back or not available in time to do anything or react, depicts kaSing.dddddddddddd. So we lose a lot of objectives for no reason, and slowly we just bleed out and lose the entire game.Vitalitys lack in the latter paved the way for Ilyas Shook Hartsemas return to the lineup, and the result (a 1-1 tie with the Unicorns of Love) spoke for itself. I can talk to Shook freely in how we play and where hes gonna go, and he communicates actually more now compared to before, the support adds.However, before Shooks return, the support naturally struggled to reach the same impact level of his H2K-Gaming and spring-split Team Vitality days. He needed to communicate efficiently with Police and MightyBear, but that created a paradox where he needed to do so slowly enough for them to understand, and fast enough for his teammates to adapt to the call as quickly as his opponents. His performance took a hit, and a Bard game served as an example.As kaSing brings his perspective on the matter, the reasons for Vitalitys on-and-off play become clear. Its important for a support to be understanding with [his AD carry and his jungler], because if I dont understand the AD carry, I dont know how he players and it will go super bad in lane, he explains. Same for jungle, if he wants to go something else, and I want to do something else, then were not on the same page.Since Shooks arrival, and considering Polices constant improvement, Vitalitys first day this week was an on day. The squads game plan in Game 1 involved Shooks Nidalee aiding the side lanes (primarily Lucas Cabochard Simon-Meslets Irelia) while the squads bottom lane (Sivir and Braum) scaled up, conceding as little ground as possible to Schalke 04s Caitlyn-Nami combination. Schalke 04 retaliated in the second game as Etienne Steve Michels single-handedly decided the outcome of the game with a five-man Gnar ultimate.The squad still has work ahead of it. Identifying overconfidence when the squad plays scaling team compositions with set champion power spikes or when it has a strong match-up, he notes that he and his teammates need to pressure more during windows of opportunity. In the end, it came down to wave management and the aforementioned reasons.We didnt pressure as much as we could have, because we mistimed the way we controlled the wave, and the way it went to their side and we didnt do much when it was on their side, kaSing recalls. When it came back to us, we wanted to do something but if both side lanes are pressuring into you, you have to clear them. We made a mistake in terms of understanding where our power spike was, and that was it. ' ' '