The Lithuanian conquest of the Apennines

June 28, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte brancastello, monte prena, monte sirente, monte velino, sirente-velino 0 Comment

Recently I had a chance to return to Monte Sirente, a mountain Edita and I attempted in winter a couple of years ago. The occasion was a visit from two of Edita’s Lithuanian relatives, her sister Jolanta and niece Bernadeta. For them our visit to the Apennines was an unforgettable experience.

Keeping one’s shirt on up Monte Camicia

June 7, 2017 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte camicia, monte prena 1 Comment

Monte Prena and Monte Camicia are the two highest peaks on a jagged 20km ridge, the Cresta Orientale, in Gran Sasso, the most dramatic mountain range in the Apennines. We climbed both peaks in mid-May, while they were still clad in winter white. It was one of our favourite trips in Italy so far.

Exploring Monti della Laga after the Italian earthquake

May 17, 2017 Trip reports amatrice, apennines, edita, hill walking, italian earthquake, italy, langtang, lazio, monte gorzano, monti della laga, pizzo di sevo 2 Comments

Monti della Laga is one of the forgotten mountain ranges of Italy’s Central Apennines. It was our third visit there, so we knew what to expect from the mountains, but another factor gave us cause for uncertainty. Last August, it was the site of a tragic earthquake.

From wasteland to wonderland: a trek in Langtang

April 12, 2017 Trip reports edita, ganesh himal, gosainkund, helambu, himalayas, jamie mcguinness, langtang, langtang lirung, naya kang, nepal, nepal earthquake, project himalaya, shishapangma, teahouse trekking, trekking, trekking peaks, yala peak 8 Comments

I’ve been meaning to go to Langtang for a long time. It was Nepal’s third most popular trekking destination, but this changed suddenly after the Nepal earthquake. The region is getting back to normal again and I was long overdue a visit. Here’s the story of my trek.

My first visit to the Langtang Valley

March 8, 2017 Expedition dispatches edita, gosainkund, jamie mcguinness, langtang, naya kang, nepal, nepal earthquake, tamang heritage trail, teahouse trekking, trekking, trekking peaks, yala peak 4 Comments

By the time you read this Edita and I will be somewhere in the Helambu region of Nepal, an area of low-lying hills and terraced fields north of Kathmandu. Our destination is the Langtang Valley, which in 2015 was the scene of a great tragedy.

A night on Kilimanjaro’s summit: the videos

February 22, 2017 Trip reports africa, david breashears, edita, kilimanjaro, mountain films, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes 2 Comments

I know I sometimes write a lot of waffle on this blog that many of you can’t be bothered to read, so this post is for you. I’ve recently finished editing the footage of our Kilimanjaro climb, which included a night on the crater. Here are three short videos to provide a flavour of the trek.

The best way to climb Kilimanjaro

January 18, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, seven summits, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, zara tours 5 Comments

I’m convinced that for adventurous people who are experienced at high altitude, to camp at 5800m and look into the inner crater is the only way to experience Kilimanjaro, for the inner crater is Kilimanjaro’s secret jewel. Here’s the story of how we did it.

The Tanzanian Mount Meru

January 11, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, safari, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, wildlife 11 Comments

Thanks to a hardcore climbing movie, an obscure peak in the Indian Himalaya is now the most famous Mount Meru in the world. But for many years a far more accessible and attainable peak in northern Tanzania was much more widely known.

How to verify a Manaslu summit claim

October 26, 2016 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, cholatse, commercial mountaineering, edita, elizabeth hawley, false summit claims, himalayan database, himex, manaslu, mountaineering ethics, nepal, russell brice, seven summits treks

There was another big controversy on Manaslu this year. It was widely reported that record numbers reached the summit, but it now appears that a problem with the rope fixing meant that the majority didn’t reach the main summit at all, but one of the two foresummits.

Monte Corvo: Crow Mountain

September 21, 2016 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, corno grande, edita, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte corvo, monte gorzano, pizzo cefalone, pizzo d'intermesoli 0 Comment

The summit of Monte Corvo is my favourite view in the whole of Gran Sasso. There is a real sense of space, and to the east is a multitude of rocky summits, emerald green basins and horseshoe ridges, with many summits to explore.