Video: Traversing Iceland by Mountain Bike

We'll wrap up the year in fitting style with a fantastic video of a true adventure. This ten-minute clip takes us to Iceland, where we'll follow pro mountain bikers Hans Rey and Steve Peat as they traverse the country by bike north to south. Along the way, you'll get a chance to see some of the amazing landscapes that the country is so famous for, and since this is the last video of the year, let is serve as a good inspiration to get your 2016 off to an adventurous start too. Happy New Year!

Video: A Visit to the Amazing Galapagos Islands

Located 620 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are one of the most famous and intriguing destinations on the planet. It was there that Charles Darwin first formulated his ideas of natural selection and evolution as he observed unique wildlife, some of which exists no where else on Earth. This video takes us to the Galapagos and gives us a glimpse of those creatures, as well as some of the wonderful landscapes that exist there. If you've ever wanted to visit this place for yourself, this short film might finally convince you to make that happen.

GALAPAGOS from irenaVision on Vimeo.

Outside's Top 10 Adventures of 2015

Our end of the year review and wrap-up continues today, this time with a list from Outside magazine of the 10 most badass adventures of 2015. As you can tell from the title, the list is made up of some of the most daring and audacious expeditions from the past 12 months, some of which you may have forgotten about, or slipped under your radar altogether.

The first entry should come as no surprise to anyone. It is Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson's ascent of the Dawn Wall, which tops my list of the best adventures of 2015 for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it was an incredible climb up one of the hardest routes on the planet, but going beyond that it also managed to captivate an audience that went well beyond the normal climbing crowd. It will be difficult for anyone to match this climb in 2016, or for years to come.

Other expeditions that got the nod from Outside include an attempt at the first ski descent of Makalu, Lonnie Dupre's solo summit of Denali in January, and Will Gadd's climb of the frozen Niagara Falls, which was also a first.

I won't spoil the entire list, as obviously part of the fun is finding out what Outside deemed worthy of sharing, as well as being reminded of the interesting adventures from the year that has passed. But it is safe to say however, that each of the entries in the article are certainly deserving of the "badass" label, and will inspire you to think about some of your own adventures for 2016.

Start the slideshow by clicking here.

Video: Climbing Castles in the Sky

Rock climber Sonnie Trotter recently put up a stunning new route in the Canadian Rockies near Banff. Climbing on Castle Mountain, he completed a five-pitch, 5.14-rated climb that he named Castles in the Sky. In this fantastic video, we join Sonnie on the wall, as he goes up this tough, but beautiful route for the first time. And when you've finished watching the video, head on over to National Geographic Adventure to read a recent interview with Trotter about the climb as well.

Castles In The Sky from MOONHOUSE on Vimeo.

Nat Geo Picks the Best Adventure Films of 2015

2015 was a good year for adventure filmmakers. Over the course of the past 12 months we've seen some of the best outdoor and travel focused films ever, and thanks to a proliferation of excellent tools � such as low-cost, high-quality cameras and affordable drones � it looks like this trend of fantastic guerrilla filmmaking won't end anytime soon. With that in mind, National Geographic Adventure took a look back at the very best adventure films from the past year, and revealed their picks for the seven best.

The subjects of these films vary wildly, with some focusing on climbing and mountaineering, while others are all about exploration, skiing, dogsled racing, and even our complex relationships with our canine friends. Some of the short films that earned a spot on Nat Geo's list include A Line Across the Sky, which documented Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold's historic climb of the Fitz Traverse in Patagonia, as well as The Great Alone, which takes us into the Alaskan wilderness with Iditarod champ Lancey Makey, and Unbranded which features an epic journey across the U.S. with wild mustangs.

Of course, one of the most high profile adventure films of the year was Meru. This stunning mountaineering film follows Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk as they climb the Shark's Fin on Mt. Meru in India. This is one of the few movies of this type that actually had a theatrical run, which makes it stand out all the more. Check out the trailer below, and try to catch it on DVD or iTunes if you can.

I'm sure 2016 will bring even more interesting adventure films. I can't wait to see what is in store for us.

Video: The Day Everest Shook

Without a doubt, one of the biggest events of 2015 was the earthquake in Nepal. That seismic event rattled the entire country, and continues to have an impact on that nation months after the tremors have died down. This video is a full-length documentary film that takes us to the Himalaya to show us what happened on the day of the quake, demonstrating the forces at work there. It also contains some sobering footage of the mountains, and the impact of this disaster, which will take years to fully recover from.

Video: Rare Footage of a Giant Squid Captured in Japan

One of the rarest creatures on the planet was spotted in Toyama Bay in Japan last week, where a diver captured this footage of a giant squid that was swimming close to shore, and in shallow waters, something that they seldom do. The squid is believed to be about 3.7 meters (12.1 ft) in length, which is impressive in size, but far from full grown. It is believed that the largest of these animals can grow to be over 13 meters (42.6 ft) in length, although those titans are generally only found at great depths. Still, it is impressive to see this animal up close.