An evening with Mick and Vic, British climbing’s answer to Vic and Bob

December 13, 2017 Reviews and tributes chris bonington, first ascents, himalayas, india, john hunt, mick fowler, mount everest foundation, mountain talks, pakistan, royal geographical society, sersank, spantik, victor saunders 3 Comments

Mick Fowler and Victor Saunders are two legends of the Himalayan mountaineering scene who climbed together in the 80s and completed several first ascents. They went their separate ways for 29 years, but reunited for a climb last year. I attended their very first lecture together.

The mystery of Ueli Steck’s last climb

July 5, 2017 History climbing fatalities, eiger, everest, himalayas, history of mountaineering, nepal, nuptse, reinhold messner, ueli steck

When I first heard about the death of Ueli Steck on Everest’s west peak, Nuptse, I was shocked, but not mystified. It sounded like a simple climbing accident, and nothing more. But an enlightening interview with the Nepalese climbing guide who found his body raised many new questions.

Helambu, Langtang and Ganesh: the videos

June 14, 2017 Trip reports ganesh himal, helambu, himalayas, langtang, mountain films, nepal, trekking, yala peak 4 Comments

While I know some of you have read all 6,626 words of the Langtang trip report I posted in April, others of you prefer just to watch telly. Luckily for you people I also cobbled together some extremely professional video footage. Here’s a short selection of the best bits.

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.

The 3 curses of the Himalayan snow

March 29, 2017 Opinion and advice himalayas, langtang, naya kang, nepal, trekking, trekking peaks, weather, yala peak 3 Comments

When I was a small child I used to love fresh snow. If you’re trekking and mountaineering in the Himalayas, however, fresh snow isn’t such good news. It improves your photographs, but it also plays havoc with your plans. Here are three reasons why.

The story of Gosainkund, the sacred mountain lake

March 15, 2017 Expedition dispatches gosainkund, himalayas, langtang, legends and folklore, nepal, tamang heritage trail, trekking 0 Comment

Last time I was in the Langtang region, my Nepalese friend Siling told me about the origin of Gosainkund, the sacred lake that I will be passing as I cross over the Laurebinayak La, a high pass dividing the Langtang and Helambu regions of Nepal.

In Ladakh two men tackle climate change by making artificial glaciers

March 1, 2017 Good causes buddhism, climate change, crowdfunding, glacial erosion, glaciers, himalayas, india, ladakh 3 Comments

Today I’m going to tell you a story so bizarre that when I first read about it, I thought it must be fake news. But it’s true, and it’s a tale worth telling. It shows how individuals and communities can react to climate change in a way that works in harmony with nature.

Nepal’s scramble for first ascents – or are they?

November 30, 2016 Opinion and advice dreamers destination, exploration, first ascents, hillary peak, himalayan database, himalayas, jagged globe, nepal, tenzing peak, trekking peaks, yangchan kangri 5 Comments

In 2014, the government of Nepal published a list of 104 peaks that were newly open for climbing, unleashing a scramble to make their first ascents. There was just one problem. Some of these peaks had already been climbed before.

Nawang Gombu: Heart of a Tiger

November 16, 2016 Reviews and tributes everest, himalayas, history of mountaineering, jim whittaker, mountain films, nawang gombu, sherpas, tenzing norgay 8 Comments

When I watched the documentary Nawang Gombu: The Heart of a Tiger last weekend, it had only been watched 151 times before me. This is ridiculous. It has some flaws, but it deserves to be watched more widely because of its subject matter.

The Ascent of Rum Doodle vs. The Ascent of Nanda Devi — how similar are they?

November 2, 2016 Reviews and tributes bill tilman, charles houston, eric shipton, himalayas, history of mountaineering, mountain literature, nanda devi, noel odell, pasang kikuli sherpa, the ascent of rum doodle, vertebrate publishing 2 Comments

Two of the best mountaineering books ever written were designed to be read side by side, but I wonder if anyone has. I set myself the challenge of reading alternate chapters of The Ascent of Nanda Devi by H.W. Tilman and The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman.