When the mountain gods are angry

January 22, 2014 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, book reviews, broad peak, climbing fatalities, first ascents, galen rowell, gasherbrum, jon krakauer, karakoram, mountain literature, nanga parbat, pakistan 0 Comment

I’ve been pretty lucky with my adventures so far. Although they don’t always go according to plan I’ve never experienced a major disaster. I had a chance to reflect on this while I was sheltering in a mountain hut in Patagonia reading John Quillen’s account of his attempt on Broad Peak last year.

Carpe diem – Cheesewring, Cornwall

November 6, 2013 Reviews and tributes britain, buddhism, cheesewring, climbing fatalities, hill walking, obituaries, rock climbing 5 Comments

There are many things death can teach you, but one of the most rewarding is to seize the day because life can change in an instant. If there’s something you always wanted to do then start making plans to do it, because otherwise it may pass you by.

The first winter ascent of Broad Peak – a tribute

October 25, 2013 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, broad peak, climbing fatalities, first ascents, karakoram, krzysztof wielicki, mountain films, pakistan 5 Comments

Poland has produced some of the world’s toughest and bravest mountaineers, none more so than Krzysztof Wielicki, who earlier this year led a team of his fellow countrymen to attempt the first winter ascent of Broad Peak in Pakistan. A gripping film about the climb has recently been published on Vimeo.

A dark year in the Karakoram

August 14, 2013 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, broad peak, climbing fatalities, gasherbrum, k2, karakoram, karakoram highway, muztag ata, nanda devi, nanga parbat, pakistan, tourism, willi unsoeld

The mountaineering season in the Pakistan Karakoram is winding down, and not a moment too soon. I’ve been watching events unfold on its five 8000m peaks this year with a mix of sadness and horror which has left me wondering whether I will return there.

Adiós Leo Rasnik, guide of Aconcagua

July 17, 2013 Reviews and tributes aconcagua, andes, argentina, aventuras patagonicas, climbing fatalities, cordillera blanca, leonardo rasnik, mountain guides, obituaries, peru, seven summits, south america, tocllaraju 6 Comments

It’s time to say goodbye to another friend from South America who has lost his life in the mountains. The Argentine climber Leonardo Rasnik was found dead in the Peruvian Andes on Thursday. He was assistant guide when I climbed Aconcagua in 2010, and a more cheerful and enthusiastic human being you couldn’t wish to meet

In memory of Victor Correa of Guican

November 7, 2012 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, altitude sickness, andes, climbing fatalities, cocuy circuit, colombia, himalayas, juan carlos gonzalez, manaslu, nepal, obituaries, ritacuba blanco, sierra nevada del cocuy, victor correa 10 Comments

It made me very sad to hear about the last fatality on Manaslu this year before the weather closed in and the Himalayan climbing season ended for the winter. Eleven people had already died in a huge avalanche on the

Hi Kickstarters, but this is wrong in so many ways

October 24, 2012 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, climbing fatalities, crowdfunding, everest, himalayas, kickstarter, mountain films, mountaineering ethics, sponsorship 0 Comment

I don’t know too much about the organisation Kickstarter, so I hesitate to be too critical about them, but this morning an item appeared in my Twitter feed about a campaign of theirs which appeared to be taking bad taste

Why did Harry’s Mountain Heroes leave Everest early?

August 29, 2012 Opinion and advice climbing fatalities, commercial mountaineering, everest, himex, manaslu, marco siffredi, mountain films, prince harry, russell brice, sherpas, walking with the wounded 0 Comment

On the eve of the Paralympics there was a timely film on UK television this week about a group of remarkable disabled mountaineers on an expedition to the Himalayas, which also provided some insight into one of the most talked

5 media myths about Everest busted

June 1, 2012 Opinion and advice alan arnette, blogging, chongba sherpa, climbing fatalities, everest, grant rawlinson, media sensationalism, mountain safety, mountaineering ethics, nepal, ralf dujmovits, sherpas, summit day, the guardian, tibet

There’s nothing some journalists like more than a bit a death. It generates controversy, helps sell copy, and gives them an opportunity to drum up hatred against people who live more interesting lives than they do. And this year on

The world’s most terrifying ridge walk

May 23, 2012 Expedition dispatches altitude junkies, chongba sherpa, climbing fatalities, everest, exhaustion, ian cartwright, margaret watroba, mark dickson, scrambling, summit day, tibet 21 Comments

This is a short post briefly describing our successful ascent of Everest by the North Ridge on Saturday 19 May. I’ll describe it in more depth in a later post, once I’ve recovered from summit exhaustion and had more time