alpine club

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.

I completed a long-held ambition when I stayed at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, at the foot of the Pen-y-Pass on the flanks of Snowdon. Staying for a couple of nights in a hotel may not sound like much of an achievement, but this one is extra special.

When my mate Dan asked me if I wanted to go and see Joe Brown talk about the first ascent of Kangchenjunga, I didn’t even realise he was still alive (Joe Brown that is, not Dan). There aren’t many climbers

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

Snowdon’s Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel: a little piece of Everest history

Joe Brown provides a rare glimpse of Kangchenjunga