What’s next? The mountaineer’s most frequently asked question

August 28, 2013 Opinion and advice adventure travel, buddhism, denali, everest, quotations, seven summits, travel writing 1 Comment

Our lives are such a constant quest to get somewhere that sometimes we fail to appreciate where we are. By far the most common question I get asked is ‘what’s next?’, but isn’t where we are and where we’ve been much more meaningful?

What’s the world’s best mountain for cheating?

August 21, 2013 Humour aconcagua, bottled oxygen, denali, douglas freshfield, elbrus, everest, kilimanjaro, machapuchare, mont blanc, mountaineering ethics, pico de orizaba, snowdon, vinson massif, wilfrid noyce 17 Comments

Climbing purists should look away now. This post is for those with a more laid back approach to getting up mountains. I thought it might be interesting to compare some of the world’s high mountains to see how far you can get up them using mechanical transport, and so I give you the Mountains for Cheating infographic.

A dark year in the Karakoram

August 14, 2013 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, broad peak, climbing fatalities, gasherbrum, k2, karakoram, karakoram highway, muztag ata, nanda devi, nanga parbat, pakistan, tourism, willi unsoeld

The mountaineering season in the Pakistan Karakoram is winding down, and not a moment too soon. I’ve been watching events unfold on its five 8000m peaks this year with a mix of sadness and horror which has left me wondering whether I will return there.

The new Everest Base Camp police force

August 7, 2013 Opinion and advice climbing records, commercial mountaineering, elizabeth hawley, everest, everest base camp, mountain environment, nepal, nepal mountaineering association, sherpas, simone moro 9 Comments

The government of Nepal is to set up an integrated service centre at Everest Base Camp to regulate mountaineering activities, the BBC reported last week. But is this necessary, practical or even true? Let’s delve into the story in more detail.