Altitude

The world’s strongest winds race high in the sky, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of reach as a potentially potent energy source. Flying, swooping, and floating turbines are being developed to turn high-altitude winds into electricity. The challenges are huge, but the potential is immense. Scientists estimate the energy in the jet streams is 100 times the amount of power used worldwide annually. Cristina Archer, an atmospheric scientist at the California State University in Chico, said there is “not a doubt anymore’’ that high-altitude winds will be tapped for...

Three climbers who were among scores who scaled Mount Everest over the weekend died on their descent and two more are missing, a Nepalese official said Monday. The first clear weather conditions of the spring climbing season were Friday and Saturday, but a windstorm swept the higher altitudes of the mountain by Saturday afternoon, said Gyanendra Shrestha of Nepal's Mountaineering Department. An estimated 150 climbers reached the summit on either day, most of them on Saturday.

The October nor'easter that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on parts of Massachusetts was not only unusually early, but it was also striking for the large variation in the snowfall amounts around the state. The storm was the result of the collision of two very different air masses - cold air coming from Canada and humid, warm air moving up the coast. The storm buried some communities in snow and soaked others with rain primarily because of variations in temperature due to slight changes in altitude, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Michael Phelps is the latest athlete to use a hyperbaric chamber to aid his recovery from training. The 16-time Olympic medalist said Wednesday he had been sleeping "at 8,000 feet every night" for almost a year. The 26-year-old swimmer noticed he bounced back from workouts better when he trained at altitude, so he's trying a device that simulates that. "We've been able to realize after going to Colorado Springs so many times that it is something that helps me recover," Phelps said.

Three climbers who were among scores who scaled Mount Everest over the weekend died on their descent and two more are missing, a Nepalese official said Monday. The first clear weather conditions of the spring climbing season were Friday and Saturday, but a windstorm swept the higher altitudes of the mountain by Saturday afternoon, said Gyanendra Shrestha of Nepal's Mountaineering Department. An estimated 150 climbers reached the summit on either day, most of them on Saturday.

Comedian and "30 Rock" cast member Tracy Morgan has been released from the hospital after a collapse during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Publicist Lewis Kay confirms Morgan has left the Park City Medical Center after he suffered from "a combination of exhaustion and altitude" on Sunday. Park City's elevation is 7,000 feet. Morgan was escorted from the Creative Coalition Spotlight Awards ceremony Sunday night at the festival. Morgan posted a comment Monday on Twitter that the high altitude "shook up this kid from...

Michael Phelps is the latest athlete to use a hyperbaric chamber to aid his recovery from training. The 16-time Olympic medalist said Wednesday he had been sleeping "at 8,000 feet every night" for almost a year. The 26-year-old swimmer noticed he bounced back from workouts better when he trained at altitude, so he's trying a device that simulates that. "We've been able to realize after going to Colorado Springs so many times that it is something that helps me recover," Phelps said.

NEWARK, N.J. - The crowded airspace over the Hudson River, where nine people died in the collision of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter, will be split into a low-altitude zone for local traffic and a higher one for longer-distance flights, the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday. The new rules provide structure to a Hudson River air corridor that some pilots had compared to the wild West, with helicopters loaded with commuters and sightseers cutting across the waterway as fixed-wing private planes travel down it on longer journeys.

Runners from Colorado have won the men’s and women’s categories in this year’s Mount Washington Road Race up the highest peak in the Northeast. Thirty-year-old Rickey Gates of Woody Creek finished the 7.6-mile course Saturday in 1 hour, 1 minute and 32 seconds. Gates also won in 2009 at a time of 59:58. Twenty-seven-year-old Kim Dobson of Denver reached the 6,288-foot summit in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 11 seconds. This year’s race, the 51st, took place without either the men’s or women’s defending champion.

WASHINGTON -- The use of unmanned aircraft in Iraq has surged by nearly a third since the buildup of US forces began this year, and drones are now racking up more than 14,000 hours a month in the battlefield skies. The increase in unmanned aircraft -- from high-altitude Global Hawks to short-range reconnaissance Ravens that soldiers fling into the air -- has fueled a struggle among the military services over who will control their use and the more than $12 billion that will be spent on the programs over the next five years.

Comedian and "30 Rock" cast member Tracy Morgan has been released from the hospital after a collapse during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Publicist Lewis Kay confirms Morgan has left the Park City Medical Center after he suffered from "a combination of exhaustion and altitude" on Sunday. Park City's elevation is 7,000 feet. Morgan was escorted from the Creative Coalition Spotlight Awards ceremony Sunday night at the festival. Morgan posted a comment Monday on Twitter that the high altitude "shook up this kid from Brooklyn.

The October nor'easter that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on parts of Massachusetts was not only unusually early, but it was also striking for the large variation in the snowfall amounts around the state. The storm was the result of the collision of two very different air masses - cold air coming from Canada and humid, warm air moving up the coast. The storm buried some communities in snow and soaked others with rain primarily because of variations in temperature due to slight changes in altitude, said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service...

PARIS - French accident investigators announced yesterday that a detailed analysis of the crash of an Air France jet over the Atlantic Ocean two years ago appeared to support suggestions by outside specialists that fundamental errors by the pilots caused the plane to stall and plummet 38,000 feet into the sea, killing all 228 people aboard. The report stopped short of any final conclusions. But initial findings highlighted by investigators of the Bureau of Investigations and Analysis indicated that the two copilots in the cockpit of the Airbus A330-200...

PINKHAM NOTCH, N.H. — Runners from Colorado won the men’s and women’s categories in the Mount Washington Road Race up the highest peak in the Northeast. Thirty-year-old Rickey Gates of Woody Creek finished the 7.6-mile course yesterday in 1 hour 1 minute and 32 seconds. Gates also won in 2009 with a time of 59:58. Tommy Manning was 10 seconds behind in second place. Kim Dobson, 27, of Denver reached the 6,288-foot summit in 1 hour 12 minutes and 11 seconds to win the women’s race.

Runners from Colorado have won the men’s and women’s categories in this year’s Mount Washington Road Race up the highest peak in the Northeast. Thirty-year-old Rickey Gates of Woody Creek finished the 7.6-mile course Saturday in 1 hour, 1 minute and 32 seconds. Gates also won in 2009 at a time of 59:58. Twenty-seven-year-old Kim Dobson of Denver reached the 6,288-foot summit in 1 hour, 12 minutes and 11 seconds. This year’s race, the 51st, took place without either the men’s or women’s defending champion.

It’s a muggy summer day in Hong Kong that has sent everyone scrambling for cover and iced soda, but Johnnie To is glad he’s back in his hometown. The veteran Hong Kong director was wrapping up his new romance “Romancing in Thin Air’’ in the southern Chinese financial center Thursday afternoon after what he and his producer describe as a grueling filming in the high-altitude forests of southwestern Yunnan province. The director of films like “PTU,’’ “Election’’ and “Vengeance’’ says his new $6.4 million production tells the story of a Hong Kong actor...

WASHINGTON -- Two pilots, in a jovial mood as they flew an empty commuter jet in October, wanted to "have a little fun" by taking the plane to an unusually high altitude, only to realize as the engines failed that they were not going to make it, according to transcripts released yesterday. The plane, which the two were ferrying from Little Rock, Ark., to Minneapolis, crashed, and both Captain Jesse Rhodes and First Officer Peter Cesarz died. The cockpit voice recording, released by the National Transportation Safety Board at the start of a three-day hearing into the Oct. 14,...

PARIS - French accident investigators announced yesterday that a detailed analysis of the crash of an Air France jet over the Atlantic Ocean two years ago appeared to support suggestions by outside specialists that fundamental errors by the pilots caused the plane to stall and plummet 38,000 feet into the sea, killing all 228 people aboard. The report stopped short of any final conclusions. But initial findings highlighted by investigators of the Bureau of Investigations and Analysis indicated that the two copilots in the cockpit of the Airbus A330-200 had never been...

The world’s strongest winds race high in the sky, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of reach as a potentially potent energy source. Flying, swooping, and floating turbines are being developed to turn high-altitude winds into electricity. The challenges are huge, but the potential is immense. Scientists estimate the energy in the jet streams is 100 times the amount of power used worldwide annually. Cristina Archer, an atmospheric scientist at the California State University in Chico, said there is “not a doubt anymore’’ that high-altitude winds will be tapped for...

The nation’s long-distance hiking trails have their origins in New England, so it is not surprising that the area enjoys an abundance of backpacking opportunities. The following 10 destinations showcase the region’s landscapes and diversity of overnight options. Each hike features camping sites with varying levels of amenities. In all cases, water is available nearby, but generally it will require purification (boiling, filters, tablets, etc.). Hope to see you on the trails.