This 55-Year-Old Sherpa Guide Just Summited Mount Everest for the 31st Time, Breaking His Own Record
Kami Rita has been scaling the world’s tallest mountain since 1994. He reaches the summit nearly every year—and sometimes twice in the same year
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Explore the Spectacular Landscapes and Awesome Animals of Western Canada
Enjoy some northern exposure with these 15 images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Climbers Summit Mount Everest in Five Days Using Controversial Xenon Gas
The four British former special forces soldiers left the United Kingdom on May 16. By 7:10 a.m. on May 21, they were standing at the top of the 29,032-foot-tall peak
See the First Photos and Videos of the Rare Subalpine Woolly Rat, a Massive but Elusive Rodent in New Guinea’s Mountains
Working with local Indigenous people, biologist František Vejmělka spent six months surveying the creatures that live on Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea
‘1 Out of Every 100,000’: This Rare Piebald Elk Is Turning Heads in Colorado With Her Unusually Splotchy Fur
The female ungulate has white patches on her face and body, likely because of an uncommon genetic condition that affects pigmentation
Discover the Dreamy Beauty of Jamaica’s Beaches, Mountains and Plant Life in These Captivating Pictures
A photographer’s trip to the island yields images that showcase its stunning terrain and vibrant culture
Threatened Birds Are Trying to Mate Near a Hazardous Airport in Wyoming. Can Papier-Mâché Decoys Lure Them to Safety?
At Grand Teton National Park, officials have placed handmade look-alikes in a field south of the runway to encourage greater sage-grouse to relocate
The Controversial History of the Word ‘Hillbilly,’ Which Was First Defined in Print 125 Years Ago
In 1900, a political writer described the “hill-billie” as someone who “talks as he pleases, drinks whiskey when he gets it and fires off his revolver as the fancy takes him.” Since then, the label has been used in both mockery and pride
Why Skiers Are Ending the Season With a Splash—and Keeping the Raucous Tradition of Pond Skimming Alive
For nearly 100 years, die-hards have been saying goodbye to winter by speeding down the slopes and water skiing over massive puddles
Can Researchers Find Remedies for the Problems Created by High-Altitude Pregnancies?
In people not adapted to life at altitude, the sparse oxygen can impair fetal growth, causing issues that can last a lifetime
See the First-Ever Photographs of the Elusive Mount Lyell Shrew, Finally Caught on Camera in California
A group of young researchers captured and photographed the animal on a three-day expedition to the Eastern Sierra Nevada
The Price to Climb Mount Everest Will Rise to $15,000 This Year
Foreign climbers who want to try reaching the top of the 29,032-foot-tall peak will face higher permit fees in Nepal starting in September
Melting Ice Reveals Remains of 5,900-Year-Old Trees in Wyoming, Uncovering a Long-Lost Forest
Researchers discovered more than 30 dead whitebark pine trees that were entombed in ice for millennia, representing a bygone ecosystem that could teach us about climate change
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See the Splendor of the Majestic Rocky Mountains
View 15 awe-inspiring images of this range from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
Inside One Scientist’s Quest to Understand Why Climate Change Is Making Europe’s Highest Peak More Dangerous
Geomorphologist and veteran climber Ludovic Ravanel is learning how Mont Blanc is shifting—and sharing his discoveries with the Alpine community
It’s Been More Than 300 Years Since Japan’s Breathtaking Mount Fuji Last Erupted
Mount Fuji’s last eruption, which happened on this day in 1707, was also its largest, spewing ash and debris over cities and farms, causing famines, respiratory problems and untold death
Italian Hiker Discovers Animal Tracks From a Time Before Dinosaurs, Hinting at a Prehistoric Ecosystem
Revealed by melting snow in the Alps, the imprints in rock were left by reptiles and amphibians during the Permian period, which ended with the world’s largest mass extinction
Endangered Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frogs Are Making a Comeback
Scientists are celebrating the recovery of the species in Yosemite National Park, where they were decimated by the introduction of non-native fish and the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus
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See 15 Stunning Photos of California That Showcase the Golden State’s Majestic Beauty
California offers lovely beaches, forests, deserts, mountains and more!
How a Team of Gophers Restored Mount St. Helens After Its Catastrophic Eruption With Less Than a Day of Digging
After the volcanic eruption of 1980, scientists released the burrowing rodents for only a brief time, but their activities left a remarkably enduring impact, according to a new study
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