Why I’m not a fan of night-time ascents

January 4, 2017 Opinion and advice aconcagua, augusto ortega, cayambe, guided climbing, kilimanjaro, mount meru 15 Comments

Night-time ascents spoil the enjoyment of a climb, and should be avoided wherever possible. But on some popular, guided peaks, climbing at night has become the norm, and reaching the summit is considered more important than enjoying the experience.

Everest is not for climbers – you’re joking aren’t you!

May 6, 2013 Opinion and advice cathy o'dowd, commercial mountaineering, ed webster, everest, first ascents, george mallory, guided climbing, history of mountaineering, mountaineering ethics, stephen venables, tibet 5 Comments

There’s nothing like a negative Everest story to trigger a flurry of publishing absurdity. For example, some people say Everest has now become so crowded with commercial expeditions there is no longer any room for real climbers, an argument that can be easily refuted with a single photograph.

The King of Aconcagua

March 28, 2012 Reviews and tributes aconcagua, adventure travel, andes, argentina, augusto ortega, aventuras patagonicas, guided climbing, mountain guides, seven summits, trekking 0 Comment

Having the right guide can mean the difference between success and failure, particularly on a mountain like Aconcagua, where many guides don’t appreciate the great expense – financial, emotional and physical – that clients are putting into the climb, and

5 reasons Ecuador’s mountains are great for beginners

November 23, 2011 Opinion and advice acclimatisation, alps, altitude sickness, andes, antisana, cayambe, chimborazo, cotopaxi, ecuador, edward whymper, guided climbing, hill walking, kindle, matterhorn, mountain guides, quito, rock climbing, scotland, volcanoes 0 Comment

When the Victorian mountaineer Edward Whymper visited Ecuador in 1879 – ostensibly to study the effects of high altitude, but in reality to polish off a few first ascents in the High Andes – he was far from impressed. In