Nepal earthquake gets the BBC Panorama treatment

June 24, 2015 Reviews and tributes climbing fatalities, ed douglas, emergency response, everest, everest base camp, gurkhas, mountain films, nepal, nepal earthquake 0 Comment

I was a little apprehensive when I heard there was a BBC Panorama documentary about the Nepal earthquake called Disaster on Everest, by a journalist who accompanied climbers to Base Camp. I need not have worried.

Remembering the avalanche: a tribute to all Sherpas

April 22, 2015 Reviews and tributes altitude junkies, climbing fatalities, dorje khatri, edita, everest, madison mountaineering, nepal, obituaries, sherpas 2 Comments

There’s no better way to mark the anniversary of the avalanche on Everest last year than by remembering one of the Sherpas who died. Here’s a post that is a tribute not just to him, but to all Sherpas who work the high mountains.

Farewell Samuli Mansikka, the fearless Finn

April 2, 2015 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, annapurna, cholatse, climbing fatalities, dreamers destination, himalayas, maurice herzog, mountain guides, nepal, obituaries, phil crampton, samuli mansikka 3 Comments

It’s time once again to pay tribute to a friend who has sadly lost his life in the mountains. Last week Samuli Mansikka stood on the summit of Annapurna, his tenth 8000m peak, but he did not return.

A fascinating journey across Tibet

March 25, 2015 Reviews and tributes alexandra david-neel, book reviews, buddhism, china, eiger, exploration, gabriel bonvalot, historical fiction, lhasa, mountain literature, tibet 2 Comments

The more I learn about Tibet, the less I understand. I’ve travelled there three times on expeditions and found it a weird and fascinating place. I was keen to read Race to Tibet, a new historical novel by indie author Sophie Schiller.

Battle of the blockbusters: Herzog’s Annapurna vs. Tichy’s Cho Oyu

March 11, 2015 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, annapurna, book reviews, cho oyu, first ascents, frostbite, gaston rebuffat, herbert tichy, himalayas, history of mountaineering, kurt diemberger, maurice herzog, mountain literature, nepal, pasang dawa lama, sherpas, tibet, travel writing 14 Comments

I’ve recently finished reading Cho Oyu by Herbert Tichy, an account of the first ascent of Cho Oyu in 1954. The book is hard to get hold of, but it’s as good as Maurice Herzog’s Annapurna, regarded by many as one the best mountaineering books ever written.

Everest’s deadliest day – debating Everest’s future

October 15, 2014 Reviews and tributes asian trekking, climbing fatalities, commercial mountaineering, dawa steven sherpa, doug scott, dzi foundation, ed douglas, everest, himalayan trust, jagged globe, media sensationalism, mountain talks, mountaineering ethics, nepal, rebecca stephens, sherpas, simon lowe 9 Comments

Everest’s Deadliest Day was the title of a debate at the RGS in London last week, about the April avalanche and what it meant for the future of Himalayan climbing and the economy of Nepal. Here is my account and thoughts about the event.

Leo Houlding does his bit for the Sherpas

June 11, 2014 Reviews and tributes antarctica, chance, climbing fatalities, conrad anker, edmund hillary, everest, first ascents, george lowe, george mallory, himalayan trust, leo houlding, mountain films, mountain talks, nepal, rebecca stephens, rock climbing, sandy irvine, sherpas, ulvetanna 6 Comments

Last week one of Britain’s top rock climbers did a lecture at the RGS in London. Rock climbing isn’t generally my thing, but this talk had an Everest theme, and one of its aims was to raise money for the families of the Sherpas who died in the 18 April avalanche.

The Everest Base Camp summit meeting: an eyewitness account

May 29, 2014 Reviews and tributes asian trekking, climbing fatalities, climbing permits, commercial mountaineering, everest, everest base camp, jagged globe, nepal, nepal mountaineering association, sherpas, trekking agencies association of nepal 17 Comments

In April government officials flew into Everest Base Camp to meet with Sherpas who had issued demands after a fatal avalanche. Afterwards they issued a press release about the meeting that was misleading in a number of ways. Here is my account of the events I witnessed that day.

The mother of all avalanches: an eyewitness account

May 16, 2014 Reviews and tributes climbing fatalities, everest, everest base camp, george mallory, history of mountaineering, howard somervell, nepal, sherpas 8 Comments

At approximately 6.45am on Friday 18 April, 2014 I was walking with team mates through Everest Base Camp on the way to my first foray into the Khumbu Icefall. It was a climb I wasn’t to start, for at that moment a huge chunk of ice fell off Everest’s West Shoulder, triggering an avalanche which swept across the entire width of the Icefall.

Ueli Steck’s guide to the 8000m peaks

January 29, 2014 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, annapurna, climbing fatalities, eiger, erhard loretan, everest, first ascents, gasherbrum, makalu, mountain talks, royal geographical society, shishapangma, ueli steck 8 Comments

A short while ago I attended a lecture by the Swiss climber Ueli Steck, known affectionately as the Swiss Machine, and later wrote about how ridiculous his mountaineering career has been. Last week I went to see him again after he had done something even more ridiculous.