Is acclimatising at home the future of Himalayan mountaineering?

October 5, 2016 Opinion and advice acclimatisation, adrian ballinger, alpenglow expeditions, altitude chambers, cho oyu, commercial mountaineering, everest, himalayas, seven steps from snowdon to everest 18 Comments

The American operator Alpenglow is pioneering a new approach to Himalayan mountaineering with its Rapid Ascent trips. These expeditions are unaffordable to most ordinary people, but I believe it won’t be long before cheaper operators follow suit.

The Guardian prints another self-righteous opinion piece about Everest by some couch potato

September 7, 2016 Opinion and advice edmund hillary, everest, george mallory, media sensationalism, the guardian 9 Comments

Why does The Guardian so often commission people who haven’t got a clue about Everest to write self-righteous opinion pieces about it, instead of asking someone knowledgeable to write them instead? It’s an exercise in shit stirring that achieves nothing useful.

Why I don’t give a toss about the BMC renaming itself Climb Britain

August 10, 2016 Opinion and advice alpine club, british mountaineering council, chris bonington, climb britain, geoffrey winthrop young, hill walking, indoor climbing, mountaineering insurance, rock climbing, sport england 3 Comments

Last month Britain’s top mountaineering organisation, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), puzzled its 80,000 members by announcing out of the blue that it would be changing its name to Climb Britain.

On summit certificates, liaison officers and funny mountaineering rules

July 20, 2016 Opinion and advice bill tilman, himalayan club, himalayan times, himalayas, history of mountaineering, nepal, sherpas, tenzing norgay 3 Comments

The Himalayan Times reported last week that Sherpas who climbed Everest this year will not be receiving summit certificates. Whyever not? Once again I try to shed some light on the bizarre workings of Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism.

Why The Economist thinks Mount Everest is so dangerous

June 15, 2016 Opinion and advice commercial mountaineering, everest, media sensationalism, mountaineering disasters, nepal, the economist, tibet

Last week The Economist published an article about why Everest is dangerous, without mentioning avalanches, rockfall, crevasses, precipitous terrain, oxygen deprivation, altitude sickness, exhaustion, exposure, extreme temperatures, frostbite, storms or murderous jetstream winds.

Did Everest’s Hillary Step collapse in the Nepal earthquake?

May 25, 2016 Opinion and advice alan arnette, commercial mountaineering, david hamilton, david liano, denali, doug scott, edmund hillary, everest, jagged globe, kenton cool, manaslu, mount cook, nepal, nepal earthquake, tenzing norgay 12 Comments

There are rumours that the iconic Hillary Step, Everest’s most feared obstacle on summit day, collapsed in last year’s earthquake, and has become little more than an easy snow slope. Can it be true? I examine the evidence.

Are western operators right to complain about cheap Nepali operators on Everest?

May 4, 2016 Opinion and advice altitude junkies, asian trekking, benegas brothers, commercial mountaineering, everest, himalayan times, nepal, seven summits treks, sherpas 12 Comments

Western operators say cheap Nepali operators who employ inexperienced Sherpas are making Everest more dangerous. There are two sides to this issue, and I will do my best to outline both as I provide the commercial client’s perspective.

Sherpa: They Live, We Come Back

April 13, 2016 Opinion and advice commercial mountaineering, everest, media sensationalism, nepal, outside magazine, sherpas 4 Comments

I believe the Everest debate has progressed in the last couple of years, but then a badly-informed article appears in a mass-market publication which takes it back a few years, and reignites hatred against those who dream of climbing high mountains.

Everest is not piled high with dead bodies

April 6, 2016 Opinion and advice art gilkey, buddhism, charles houston, david sharp, everest, george mallory, media sensationalism, mountaineering ethics, sandy irvine

One of the things that shocks people when I tell them about Everest is that I had to walk past dead bodies on my summit day. In this post I debunk a popular media myth, and discuss how we need a more mature attitude towards death.

2Mbps broadband available on Mount Everest, claims UK cable company

March 9, 2016 Opinion and advice asian trekking, blogging, digi comms, everest, everest base camp, kenton cool, media sensationalism, nepal, tibet 2 Comments

A few news sites have been reporting that five UK villages have slower broadband internet speeds than Everest. But where did these claims originate, and how plausible are they?