asian trekking

We had ascended a long valley to climb our peak and see the north side of Kangchenjunga. Now it was time to see the south side, and the nature of the trekking was about to change as we crossed a number of passes. This is part two of my Kangchenjunga trek report.

In this era of fake news, the BBC has launched a Reality Check series to analyse popular news stories that sound plausible and assess whether or not they’re bollocks. I thought it might be fun to run one the BBC’s own stories through a reality check.

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.

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?

While the climbing community were busy bickering about Everest, the Nepalese were quietly rebuilding their lives after the devastating earthquake. As trustee of a development charity I was given a privileged insight into what they’ve been up to.

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.

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 International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) is considering a request from Nepal to reclassify five peaks within the country, and another in Pakistan, as 8000m peaks. But are they worthy of the name, and is there any point? Let’s have a look at the peaks in question.

Kangchenjunga base camp trek: Oktang and the south side

Reality Check: Will there be a huge clear up of garbage on Everest this year?

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

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

As climbers wring their hands about Everest, Nepal quietly rebuilds

Everest’s deadliest day – debating Everest’s future

The Everest Base Camp summit meeting: an eyewitness account

Do we really need more 8000m peaks?