A last desperate bid for Everest glory … by helicopter

May 14, 2014 Humour altitude junkies, edita, everest, kathmandu, lhotse, margaret watroba, mountain flights, nepal, phil crampton, russell brice, sherpas

It’s been a terribly unhappy 2014 Everest season for many reasons, so here’s something to cheer us all up. We all thought the season on the south side of the mountain finished two weeks ago, but reports in the Himalayan Times have fuelled speculation that the Southeast Ridge may yet be climbed this year.

Salvaging good from a disastrous season

May 9, 2014 Good causes climbing fatalities, everest, kathmandu, lhotse, mountain flights, nepal, sherpas, volunteering 1 Comment

One consequence of the Everest season ending early is that I’ve spent an unusually long time in Kathmandu catching up with things and contemplating a surreal season. I’ve even managed to salvage some good from three weeks of tragedy and conflict which have dashed hopes and dreams and trashed reputations.

The double Everest tragedy

April 27, 2014 Expedition dispatches altitude junkies, climbing fatalities, commercial mountaineering, dorje sherpa, everest, everest base camp, lhotse, nepal, phil crampton, sherpas 15 Comments

I’m back in Kathmandu again at the end of what has effectively been a very expensive Everest Base Camp trek. All expeditions have been cancelled, and there will not be a single summit from Everest’s south side this season. This

The Sherpa sacrifice

April 20, 2014 Expedition dispatches altitude junkies, climbing fatalities, dorje sherpa, everest, everest base camp, howard somervell, lhotse, media sensationalism, nanga parbat, nepal, phil crampton, sherpas 15 Comments

I don’t know whether this is going to post successfully, as we have been without meaningful internet communications since we arrived at Everest Base Camp over a week ago. I have wandered down to Gorak Shep in search of 3G

Namche Bazaar and the start of the Everest trail

April 5, 2014 Expedition dispatches dehydration, digi comms, edita, ian cartwright, lhotse, margaret watroba, mountain flights, namche bazaar, phil crampton, teahouse trekking 8 Comments

We’ve had a lazy rest day today in the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. On a good day this is one of the most spectacularly situated villages anywhere in the world. It lies in a natural bowl on the hillside

A briefing at the Ministry

April 2, 2014 Expedition dispatches lhotse, media sensationalism, mountain environment, nepal, phil crampton 2 Comments

A new joke is doing the rounds in Kathmandu. How many Nepalese Ministry of Tourism officials does it take to change a light bulb? Two. One to change the bulb and the other to issue a press release to the

South Peak: my attempt on Lhotse

March 26, 2014 Expedition dispatches 8000m peaks, altitude junkies, chance, everest, everest base camp, first ascents, himalayas, ian cartwright, island peak, jerzy kukuczka, krzysztof wielicki, lhotse, media sensationalism, mera peak, nepal, phil crampton, reinhold messner, ricardo cassin, tibet, tomo cesen 8 Comments

Good times are approaching again. On Sunday I leave for Nepal for my fifth 8000m peak expedition, and it’s fair to say I’m just a teeny bit excited. My objective this time is 8516m Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world and the one next to Everest, as I’ve been telling everyone who has asked.

Nepal’s top 5 most valuable mountains

February 12, 2014 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, ama dablam, cho oyu, climbing permits, commercial mountaineering, edmund hillary, everest, griffith pugh, himlung, lhotse, manaslu, nepal, trekking peaks 19 Comments

The government of Nepal recently published figures about the revenue it earned from climbing permits in 2013, including a list of the five most valuable peaks for tourist income. There are few surprises, but the extent to which four mountains dominate is a bit of an eye opener.

Do we really need more 8000m peaks?

October 23, 2013 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, asian trekking, broad peak, hillary peak, kangchenjunga, lhotse, mera peak, nepal, nepal mountaineering association, pakistan, peak bagging, reinhold messner, tenzing peak, topographic prominence, trekking peaks

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.

Where on earth are Tenzing Peak and Hillary Peak anyway?

September 11, 2013 Opinion and advice annapurna, cho oyu, denali, edmund hillary, everest, hillary peak, himalayas, k2, lhotse, maurice herzog, nepal, sir george everest, tenzing norgay, tenzing peak 8 Comments

Two mountains in Nepal are to be named after Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, according to a number of baffling media reports last week. Is this really true, and what mountains are they? Once again I will rummage through the detritus of mainstream media waffle, and try to shed some light on the story.