If you climb a peak that collapses in an earthquake, did you still climb it?

August 19, 2020 Humour earthquakes, edmund hillary, first ascents, fred beckey, mountain films, pete schoening, rocky mountains, sawtooth mountains, united states 2 Comments

On 7 August, an earthquake in the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, caused a famous rock feature known as Baron Spire, affectionately known as Old Smoothie, to collapse. It also caused a man to shoot a video with the most entertaining commentary ever recorded.

My 5 most epic mountain days

January 13, 2016 Humour alaska, andes, chimborazo, denali, ecuador, everest, gasherbrum, himalayas, karakoram, manaslu, nepal, pakistan, tibet, united states 5 Comments

Have you ever been so exhausted on a mountain that you wish you could crawl back down? I’ve been there and written a book about it. But which mountains provided the hardest physical challenge? Here are my top five.

The Denali concession: is it good for customer choice?

December 17, 2014 Opinion and advice alaska, alaska mountaineering school, alpine ascents, american alpine institute, commercial mountaineering, denali, mountain trip, national outdoor leadership school, rainier mountaineering, seven summits, united states 0 Comment

The Denali guiding concession is up for grabs. According to the National Park Service it’s intended to provide a variety of mountaineering services of different prices and style. But is this true? I had a look at what the existing operators are offering.

4 ways to climb Denali

July 31, 2013 Opinion and advice alaska, bradford washburn, denali, first ascents, history of mountaineering, hudson stuck, mountain flights, ricardo cassin, route descriptions, seven summits, united states 6 Comments

One advantage of failing to climb a mountain like Denali is that you have an excuse to go back there. Mountains have many facets, and by choosing an alternative route you can feel like you’re climbing a different mountain. There are some great options on Denali, depending on your talent and fortitude. Here are four of them.

A good year to climb Denali (if you’re lucky)

July 24, 2013 Trip reports alaska, american alpine institute, commercial mountaineering, denali, mount foraker, mount hunter, mountain flights, seven summits, sledging, united states, weather 9 Comments

It looked like a good year to come to Denali. Prior to our arrival there had been an unprecedented spell of good weather and people were climbing straight up and reaching the summit without a hitch. But the good weather was certain to break eventually. Would it continue long enough for us?

When the mountain is trying to tell you something

July 9, 2013 Opinion and advice aconcagua, alaska, american alpine institute, belmore browne, commercial mountaineering, denali, first ascents, history of mountaineering, hudson stuck, seven summits, united states, weather 16 Comments

When Belmore Browne and Herschel Parker had to turn around just 50m short of the summit of Denali during a storm in 1912, it would have been hard for them to imagine there could be any consolation in such bad luck. But sometimes the mountain is trying to tell you something, and when that happens it’s always worth listening.

The High One: my attempt on Denali

June 19, 2013 Expedition dispatches alaska, bradford washburn, denali, false summit claims, first ascents, frederick cook, history of mountaineering, hudson stuck, seven summits, training, united states, weather 10 Comments

If everything goes to plan then by the time you read this I’ll be freezing my nuts off on a glacier in Alaska. In January my friend Dan and I decided we would book to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America, also known as Mount McKinley.

How reintroducing wolves benefits the whole ecosystem

February 14, 2013 Good causes mountain films, rewilding, tumblr post, united states, wildlife, yellowstone national park 0 Comment

I watched a fantastic documentary on BBC4 last night which demonstrated how the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park in the United States benefited the entire ecosystem almost immediately.