Ueli Steck’s guide to the 8000m peaks

January 29, 2014 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, annapurna, climbing fatalities, eiger, erhard loretan, everest, first ascents, gasherbrum, makalu, mountain talks, royal geographical society, shishapangma, ueli steck 8 Comments

A short while ago I attended a lecture by the Swiss climber Ueli Steck, known affectionately as the Swiss Machine, and later wrote about how ridiculous his mountaineering career has been. Last week I went to see him again after he had done something even more ridiculous.

When the mountain gods are angry

January 22, 2014 Reviews and tributes 8000m peaks, book reviews, broad peak, climbing fatalities, first ascents, galen rowell, gasherbrum, jon krakauer, karakoram, mountain literature, nanga parbat, pakistan 0 Comment

I’ve been pretty lucky with my adventures so far. Although they don’t always go according to plan I’ve never experienced a major disaster. I had a chance to reflect on this while I was sheltering in a mountain hut in Patagonia reading John Quillen’s account of his attempt on Broad Peak last year.

Cerro San Lorenzo and the Patagonian summer

January 15, 2014 Trip reports alberto maria de agostini, andes, argentina, cerro san lorenzo, cerro torre, chile, jagged globe, patagonia, south america, thierry levenq, weather 4 Comments

Sometimes it’s useful to have low expectations so that when the impossible doesn’t happen, you’re not disappointed. This is especially true in Patagonia, where the weather is temperamental. I didn’t have high hopes of reaching the summit of 3706m Cerro San Lorenzo, but I was determined to give it a go.

Everest’s magic miracle highway

January 8, 2014 History aconcagua, everest, expedition logistics, glaciers, history of mountaineering, john noel, maurice wilson, reinhold messner, tibet 8 Comments

When the 1922 expedition team set out, they already knew their approach to Everest lay up a side valley known as the East Rongbuk, but they knew little of the terrain they would find there. When they arrived they discovered a tumbling mass of jagged ice towers the size of buildings, but there was also a miraculous way through.