Legends of Mulanje, Africa’s misty mountain

October 8, 2014 History africa, exploration, laurens van der post, legends and folklore, malawi, mountain literature, mulanje, travel writing, trekking 3 Comments

Mountains that are rich in history have a special attraction, but finding out about them isn’t always easy. Many of the stories about Mulanje in Malawi are as hazy as the legendary mists that sweep across its upper reaches.

How photographs revealed Frederick Cook’s Denali hoax

August 27, 2014 History adams carter, alaska, belmore browne, bradford washburn, denali, false summit claims, first ascents, frederick cook, history of mountaineering, mountain literature, mountain photography, polar exploration, seven summits 7 Comments

Frederick Cook was one of the most notorious con men in exploration history who tried to fake the first ascent of Denali. What makes his story so engaging is the way photographs have been used to shred his claim so convincingly.

10 great Sherpa mountaineers

March 19, 2014 History angtharkay, annapurna, apa sherpa, babu chiri sherpa, cho oyu, chris bonington, darjeeling, eric shipton, everest, fritz wiessner, gaylay, gyalzen norbu sherpa, herbert tichy, himalayas, jimmy roberts, john hunt, k2, manaslu, nanga parbat, nawang gombu, nepal, pasang dawa lama, pertemba sherpa, phurba tashi sherpa, russell brice, sherpas, tenzing norgay

As the Everest season approaches we will be hearing a lot about the successes of western climbers in the Himalayas over the next few months, but very little about the superstars of high altitude mountaineering. It’s time this was rectified, so here are ten of the greatest tigers of the snow.

Everest’s magic miracle highway

January 8, 2014 History aconcagua, everest, expedition logistics, glaciers, history of mountaineering, john noel, maurice wilson, reinhold messner, tibet 8 Comments

When the 1922 expedition team set out, they already knew their approach to Everest lay up a side valley known as the East Rongbuk, but they knew little of the terrain they would find there. When they arrived they discovered a tumbling mass of jagged ice towers the size of buildings, but there was also a miraculous way through.

Frank Smythe is more interesting than George Mallory

December 4, 2013 History chris bonington, darjeeling, eric shipton, everest, frank smythe, garhwal, george mallory, gunther dyhrenfurth, himalayas, history of mountaineering, kamet, kangchenjunga, malaria, mountain literature, sandy irvine, tenzing norgay 14 Comments

The headline ‘Mallory’s body discovered on Everest in 1936’ appeared widely on social media sites last week. Had new revelations emerged about whether Mallory reached the summit of Everest? No, the real subject of the story wasn’t George Mallory at all, but arguably a much more interesting character.

Did Chinese climbers reach the summit of Everest in 1960?

March 6, 2013 History bottled oxygen, china, chris bonington, chu yin-hua, dougal haston, everest, false summit claims, first ascents, history of mountaineering, jim whittaker, pete boardman, tibet, tom hornbein, wang fu-chou, willi unsoeld

There has been a lot of gushing editorial written recently to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first American ascent of Everest in 1963. I could write a bit more about the expedition here, but I wouldn’t be adding anything to what’s already out there. Instead I’m going to talk about another expedition which took place on Everest’s north side three years earlier.

First ascent of Aconcagua: a story of self-inflicted altitude sickness

February 27, 2013 History aconcagua, altitude sickness, andes, argentina, chimborazo, edward fitzgerald, edward whymper, first ascents, history of mountaineering, matthias zurbriggen, mountain literature, seven summits 5 Comments

When the Swiss guide Matthias Zurbriggen stood on the highest point in South America in 1897, as far as anyone knew it was the highest place man had ever been, but he stood there alone. His expedition leader Edward Fitzgerald had been left behind with altitude sickness at 6000m.

The snows of Kilimanjaro, and why seeing is believing

December 5, 2012 History africa, exploration, famous explorers, first ascents, glacial erosion, global warming, hans meyer, history of mountaineering, kibo, kilimanjaro, ludwig purtscheller, seven summits, tanzania, william desborough cooley 8 Comments

(I should start by pointing out to anyone hoping to read about the Ernest Hemingway short story of the same name, about a man who bullies his wife while dying of an infected leg on safari in East Africa, that

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

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