I was on a business trip in Harbin, China, at a decent hotel, the Songbei Shangri-La. It turned out that they had a VERY nice pool and sauna area.
Usually, it is difficult for me to find decent saunas outside Finland. There are some exceptions; in Austria and Switzerland they can be amazing. And I have not been to Russia, but I hear that they have a bit of the same sauna culture as in Finland. Harbin is a short drive away from Russia's Siberia. Perhaps the Russian culture influence has impacted the quality of saunas in Harbin as well?
In any case, a great sauna. Hot, 85 degrees, with a water bucket. Pool was quite good too, an infinity pool on the third floor of the hotel, overlooking nearby skyscrapers.
But otherwise the location of the Shangri-La left something to be desired; the only food source anywhere near was the hotel restaurant. I ate the whole week there. Good food, actually, but too much is too much :-)
Pool:
Sauna:
This article has also appeared at the Blogspot site. And of course, all sauna and swimming articles can be from saunablogger.cool and planetswimmer.net sites!
Photos (c) 2018 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. All pool and sauna photos have been taken with permission and when there were no others present or when the facility closed.
Emily Harrington Climbs El Cap’s Golden Gate Route in One Day, 4th Person to Do So
Emily Harrington Climbs El Cap’s Golden Gate Route in One Day, 4th Person to Do So
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Katie Lozancich
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News
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12.5K
There have only been three climbers to have ever climbed El Capitan’s Golden Gate route in one day, and on November 4th Emily Harrington became the fourth. On top of adding her name to the history book, Harrington also broke boundaries for women by becoming the first woman to ever do the route in less than 24 hours. She’s also the fourth woman to free climb El Cap in a day via any route, now joining the ranks of Lynn Hill, Steph Davis, and Mayan Smith-Gobat. RELATED: Watch the Blank Canvas
VIDEO: Ice Climber Survives Avalanche While Solo Climbing
VIDEO: Ice Climber Survives Avalanche While Solo Climbing
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Teton Gravity…
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Ice climb
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6.9K
Here’s a horror story from Colorado: a few days ago ice climber and AMGA Apprentice Guide Leland Nisky was out taking a solo lap on a classic ice climb in the San Juan backcountry called the Ribbon. It’s a steep, walled-in WI4 couloir of ice that has as large bowl positioned above it that will often funnel spindrift and sloughs down the ice. While Nisky was about 400 feet up the route, a massive slough came down and he could do nothing but hang on for dear life. The resulting video is insane,
Many of us would love to live the life of Chris Burkard. Exploring the furthest corners of the earth and shooting its most striking landscapes sounds pretty nice when you compare it to your typical 9-5, but in his most recent short film for Strava, Burkard underscores a joy of his that many of us can enjoy. The daily commute. We may never get the chance to ride our bikes on a glacier in Iceland, but we can enjoy that two wheeled commute to work in the morning. In Burkard’s words, “It doesn’t