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Chamonix is probably up there as far as adventure towns go. You have the charm of a European town with a ski/hike/etc. quality that beats out just about any place in the world.
Also a couple for Moab. Definitely does seem like a place that has that type of stuff in spades. Interesting detail on the dinosaur tracks and rock carvings as well!
I've heard Chile a couple times, Santiago for nature in it's surrounding region might just win flat out, you have a good point about that.
Slovenia does look beautiful, especially the town of Bled and surrounding mountains!
And I like the Djenne Mali mention, in looking at pictures, it looks really, really cool/exotic, not a place most are particularly familiar with, either.
I spent a week in Queenstown as part of a 3 week summer ski trip. As a ski destination, The Remarkables isn't. Neither is Coronet Peak. My driveway is steeper than Cadrona. When I went heli-skiing, they flew to over by Treble Cone and fueled in Wanaka at the bottom of the Treble Cone access road. Treble Cone is more interesting than the 3 ski fields closer to Queenstown but you'd ever confuse it was a truly challenging ski resort. There are plenty of other places where you can bungee jump off a bridge, zip line, white water kayak, or drill holes in the water with a jet boat.
In North America, Whistler combines major pucker factor big mountain skiing with "all of the above" adrenaline summer activities. The climbing in Squamish is certainly world class. Summer skiing on the Blackcomb glacier is pretty tame, though. Canada doesn't have the lawsuit-crazy US legal system slowing things down.
I thought Chamonix was a good nomination. Bavaria is now so affluent that there must be somewhere within a few hours of Munich with anything adrenaline you can imagine.
I've summer skied in Chile a number of times. Portillo is really small and the Valle Nevado/La Parva/el Colorado resorts pretty much only has the back side of el Colorado down to the Valle Nevado access road that requires back country skiing skills. Termas de Chillan is better but that's a 4 hour train ride south of Santiago.
Queenstown and Reykjavik appeal to me more than some of the others. Reason being, that there’s not creatures there to worry about �� I know full well that the odds of being attacked is slim. But there is a family history there that causes me to be more worried than I otherwise would. I don’t know how Mainland European ranges are in regard to predatory creatures compared to say the Western US.
I have heard that about Kathmandu, but at same time I do see it as a starting point for many adventurers since Stuff is generally within a few hrs drive. Plus, I believe Kathmandu has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any city in the world making it outstanding on that end too and probably the active social scene with all the backpackers/etc coming and going.
I think a city that somehow had a combination of the immediate urban/cultural presence of Kathmandu but with outdoor adventure, archaeology (Indiana Jones/Jeff Goldblum type stuff) immediately on its doorstep (within a walk of the center, which is why I was initially so bullish on Cusco. That could be misguided, though.
I have heard that about Kathmandu, but at same time I do see it as a starting point for many adventurers since Stuff is generally within a few hrs drive. Plus, I believe Kathmandu has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any city in the world making it outstanding on that end too and probably the active social scene with all the backpackers/etc coming and going.
I think a city that somehow had a combination of the immediate urban/cultural presence of Kathmandu but with outdoor adventure, archaeology (Indiana Jones/Jeff Goldblum type stuff) immediately on its doorstep (within a walk of the center, which is why I was initially so bullish on Cusco. That could be misguided, though.
Unfortunately, you don't see any stunning vista from Kathmandu due to severe smog everyday.
The road are the worst I ever seen. Going anywhere will take you twice or 3 times as long and it is not pleasant.
Good trekking or beautiful areas usually need a flight. And the airport is very difficult to land or take off. Nepalese airlines do not have good safety record.
Kathmandu could have been an amazing exotic place but unfortunately it has very poor infrastructure.
I think as major cities go, Vancouver might have the most well rounded/impressive natural scenery combination of any city region in the world (at least exceeding 1M)
I've heard that about Vancouver from lots of people, but alas haven't been yet.
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