In defence of Manaslu (and commercial mountaineering)

October 17, 2012 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, altitude junkies, cho oyu, commercial mountaineering, everest, gasherbrum, himex, jagged globe, jon krakauer, manaslu, media sensationalism, mountaineering disasters, outside magazine, russell brice

It’s not always wise or worthwhile to respond to a rant, but occasionally something you hold dear is attacked so mercilessly that you can’t help yourself. There’s been quite a lot of nonsense published about last month’s avalanche on Manaslu,

Safe return doubtful: Was Shackleton’s advert apocryphal?

October 10, 2012 History ernest shackleton, exploration, famous explorers, polar exploration, quotations, roland huntford, tony hawks, travel writing 8 Comments

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.” Sir Ernest Shackleton (allegedly) At the beginning of his book Round Ireland with a Fridge, the

The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Walk

October 3, 2012 Trip reports alfred wainwright, britain, charity challenges, hill walking, ingleborough, pen-y-ghent, whernside, yorkshire dales 7 Comments

This blog needs lightening up I think. For the last few posts I’ve been banging on about Everest and avalanches and so forth, and you’re probably getting a bit fed up with it, so this week I’ve decided to return

Altitude Junkies summit Manaslu

October 3, 2012 Expedition dispatches altitude junkies, manaslu, nepal, tumblr post 0 Comment

Huge congratulations to the 15 members of the Altitude Junkies team (6 clients, 8 Sherpas and expedition leader Phil Crampton) who have just returned safely to Samagaon after summiting Manaslu on Monday. Ten days ago they were lying in their

The Manaslu avalanche: a short analysis

September 26, 2012 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, altitude junkies, himalayas, himex, manaslu, media sensationalism, mountaineering disasters, mountaineering ethics, nepal, russell brice 6 Comments

Four months after an unusually deadly Everest season, another tragedy in the Himalayas has focused the attention of the world’s media on the sport of high altitude mountaineering. Because mainstream media only seems interested in mountaineering in the event of

The people who give Everest a bad name

September 19, 2012 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, commercial mountaineering, everest, himalayas, michael kodas, mountaineering ethics, nils antezana, outside magazine, sherpas 5 Comments

As Martin Luther King once said, “I have a dream”. Mine perhaps isn’t quite as worthy as his, but in its own way it’s just as heartfelt. I dream that one day everyone who climbs Everest will enjoy it, not just for the climb itself, but the whole experience of being in the mountains.

What climbing Everest taught me about George Mallory’s final hours

September 12, 2012 History 8000m peaks, annapurna, everest, george mallory, history of mountaineering, louis lachenal, margaret watroba, maurice herzog, noel odell, sandy irvine, summit fever

I’ve been fascinated by the legend of George Mallory, and whether he was the first person to climb Everest, since long before I became a mountaineer. Many years and many mountains later I finally had the chance to follow in

How the whim of Eric Shipton shaped the history of Everest

September 5, 2012 History edmund hillary, eric shipton, everest, himalayas, history of mountaineering, john hunt, tenzing norgay 7 Comments

In 1953 Eric Shipton was controversially overlooked as leader of the British Everest expedition in favour of John Hunt. The decision was vindicated when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people ever to reach the summit on 29

Why did Harry’s Mountain Heroes leave Everest early?

August 29, 2012 Opinion and advice climbing fatalities, commercial mountaineering, everest, himex, manaslu, marco siffredi, mountain films, prince harry, russell brice, sherpas, walking with the wounded 0 Comment

On the eve of the Paralympics there was a timely film on UK television this week about a group of remarkable disabled mountaineers on an expedition to the Himalayas, which also provided some insight into one of the most talked

Introducing the Test Way, Hampshire’s unspoilt gem

August 27, 2012 Humour britain, long-distance trails, test way, tumblr post, walking 0 Comment

It was a glorious bank holiday Sunday yesterday, so I thought I would get out into the countryside and explore the Test Way, a 44 mile long-distance walking route in rural Hampshire.