When Joe Brown went hunting for Inca treasure in Ecuador’s Llanganates Mountains

When Joe Brown went hunting for Inca treasure in Ecuador’s Llanganates Mountains

Much has been written about Joe Brown, the great alpinist and rock climber who made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga and died earlier this year. But we don’t often hear about the time he followed an ancient treasure map into the Andes in search of Inca gold.

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If you climb a peak that collapses in an earthquake, did you still climb it?

If you climb a peak that collapses in an earthquake, did you still climb it?

On 7 August, an earthquake in the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, caused a famous rock feature known as Baron Spire, affectionately known as Old Smoothie, to collapse. It also caused a man to shoot a video with the most entertaining commentary ever recorded.

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His father, Frank Smythe — biography of a Himalayan legend

His father, Frank Smythe — biography of a Himalayan legend

It’s been a while since I wrote at length about Frank Smythe, the legendary British mountain explorer who was something of a celebrity in the 1930s when he became one of the first people to make a career of climbing,

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