Ben Clark Ascends Annapurna IV

Picture: Plum TV host Ben Clark seeks out the world's tallest mountains when not in Telluride. Here, he works his way up a first ascent of "Up the Gullet" on the southwest face of the Camel in Sichuan, China.

Snow, sleet, rain or hail, Fresh Tracks host Ben Clark gives us the lowdown on mountain weather and Telluride Ski Area conditions.

By Emily Setzer

You've probably seen Plum's Tennessee native, Ben Clark, on Fresh Tracks in the winter as he tells Plum's viewers where to find the best stashes of snow on the mountain and which runs have been groomed. Now he's spending his off season on a different mountain – hiking through the Himalayas with the goal of summiting Annapurna IV.

After sitting on multiple plane rides, dealing with last-minute changes to travel plans, and nursing his swollen "cankles," he and his teammates are now in the high country at about 24,000 feet, with Annapurna IV looming above them. They still have a couple thousand feet to go before summiting the incredible peak, and will blog their experiences along the way.

Clark's philosphy is to take in wilderness, leave nothing but tracks, climb cleanly and enjoy the sport's inherent risks:

"This climb and descent are really technical so the kit is huge but the team is small. No sherpa, no oxygen and staying true to my roots as an alpinist...no fixed lines. Real adventure and real climbing, interfacing with the mountain like we are the first people there.

We continue to welcome the trail's end and honing this style because we know that anywhere in these parts of the world, the adventure carries on.

Despite all the geographical high points and low points, exploring brings me neither happiness nor sadness. Exploration brings nothing more valuable to me than knowing that my friends and I have been alone on blank parts of the map living new experiences, reaching for the highest ground and leaving nothing more than tracks."

Clark is a humble but experienced alpinist, has climbed almost every peak in the San Juan mountains, is the second youngest American to summit Mount Everest and is sponsored by loads of gear companies ranging from Mountain Hardwear to Smith Optics to Osprey Packs and Garmont. And he'll be featured in Outside Magazine soon for his ascents and adventures throughout the mountains of Colorado as well as places like China and the Himalayas.

We're proud to have him on the Plum team and are eager to hear his stories in person. But in the meantime, we'll post some updates from the field on Plum and feel free to check out Ben Clark's blogs online.