Why Nepal is the world’s best destination for solo trekking

August 22, 2012 Opinion and advice annapurna circuit, everest base camp, langtang, manaslu circuit, nepal, security, solo trekking, tamang heritage trail, teahouse trekking, trekking, trekking agencies association of nepal

So the government of Nepal has u-turned on a decision made earlier this year to ban solo trekking in the country. It’s a victory for common sense. Nepal is currently the best place in the world for solo trekking, and

Climbing Elbrus by any means

August 15, 2012 Trip reports 7 summits club, alex abramov, caucasus mountains, elbrus, mountaineering ethics, russia, seven summits 3 Comments

I suspect I’m going to shock a few people with this post. During my ascent of Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, last month I took not only performance enhancing drugs (aspirin, diamox and — I’m told — Russian vodka) but a cable car, a chairlift and, most shocking of all, a snow cat (that’s a tracked vehicle, not a clawed feline).

Anatomy of a crampon

August 8, 2012 Opinion and advice chongba sherpa, climbing equipment, everest, grivel g14s, la sportiva olympus mons, mountaineering boots, needle sports, outdoor gear 1 Comment

I recently had to lengthen my crampons to fit a new pair of a boots. This wasn’t the straightforward procedure I was expecting it to be: because of the design of the crampon I had to take the entire thing

A short history of Nanga Parbat, the Naked German Mountain

August 1, 2012 History 8000m peaks, albert mummery, aleister crowley, andrew lock, cathy o'dowd, doug scott, duke of abruzzi, hermann buhl, himalayas, history of mountaineering, jerzy kukuczka, karakoram, mark dickson, mazeno ridge, mountaineering disasters, nanga parbat, pakistan, rick allen, sandy allan 12 Comments

With the news last week that Sandy Allan and Rick Allen have completed the Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat (8125m), the longest continuous ridge on any 8000 metre peak, I was reminded of the colourful history of this giant mountain in Pakistan, the most westerly of the 8000ers, once considered to be a German mountain, and now at least temporarily dressed in tartan.

What’s next? Elbrus, I suppose

July 25, 2012 Expedition dispatches 7 summits club, alex abramov, british mountaineering council, caucasus mountains, elbrus, everest, everest base camp, pilgrim tours, russia, seven summits, snow leopard award 4 Comments

When I crept into Everest Base Camp on 22 May and posted some messages to say I’d reached the summit and was safely back down again, I was overwhelmed at the response I received, from close friends, to people I’ve

Met Office website facelift is a godsend for hill walkers

July 20, 2012 Opinion and advice beinn dorain, met office, scotland, tumblr post, weather forecasts 0 Comment

For a while now I’ve been using the excellent Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) website before I head for the hills, but that may be about to change now that the Met Office website has had a revamp. Standard regional

Backpacking in the Black Mount: a high level route for midges

July 18, 2012 Trip reports backpacking, black mount, britain, camping, hill walking, loch etive, met office, midges, munro bagging, munros, rannoch moor, river crossing, scotland, scottish highlands, walking guides, weather, weather forecasts, wild camping, wildlife

The most talked about subject in Britain at the moment isn’t the upcoming London Olympics, but the crap weather we’ve been having. First it was the wettest April on record, then it was the wettest May on record. I happened

A menagerie of mad mountaineers

July 11, 2012 History aleister crowley, aviation, everest, george mallory, himalayas, history of mountaineering, k2, kangchenjunga, karakoram, maurice wilson 6 Comments

Some people will probably say the title of this post is tautological, but all things are relative. On Everest this year there was an elderly Italian climber who, justified or not, had a reputation for being a bit of a

Mystery of the vanishing Himalayan lake

July 4, 2012 Good causes cho oyu, climate change, colombia, david breashears, everest, george mallory, glacial erosion, glaciers, glacierworks, himalayas, kyetrak glacier, lakes, mountain photography, photoshop, rongbuk glacier, rwenzori mountains, sponsorship, twitter 4 Comments

I’m no climate change sceptic, and I’ve seen its effect on shrinking glaciers many times. While scientific evidence for climate change is clear, not everyone is convinced it’s happening. One of the most powerful methods being used to convince sceptics is photographs showing how much glaciers have changed over time. But photos aren’t always what they seem.

On completing the North Downs Way after 15 years

June 30, 2012 Trip reports britain, long-distance trails, north downs way, tumblr post 0 Comment

Here’s a picture of the Channel Tunnel terminal from the North Downs Way, which passes it on an escarpment above the town of Folkestone on Britain’s south coast. I’ve look at it twice this year in very different circumstances. Back