author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
In 1950 a French team led by Maurice Herzog made the first ever ascent of an 8000m peak when they climbed 8091m Annapurna, during one of the first mountaineering expeditions to Nepal. It’s possible to view their ascent in one of two ways.
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Abode of the Gods by Kev Reynolds can best be described as an edited journal covering eight treks in different parts of Nepal over a 23-year period. It is the best tribute anyone could pen to a country that has become their second home.
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I am giving away a pair of Scarpa Phantom 8000 mountaineering boots to one lucky person who signs up to my mailing list.
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A few news sites have been reporting that five UK villages have slower broadband internet speeds than Everest. But where did these claims originate, and how plausible are they?
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I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of time in the last couple of years blogging bad news from the Himalayas and Karakoram. It’s only fair I help to restore the balance by reporting on a mountaineering story with a happy ending.
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The early history of the 8000m peaks has traditionally been seen as a competition between Europeans and Americans to become the first nation to climb one, but the Sherpa contribution should never be forgotten.
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I expect not too many people have found themselves in a movie theatre watching a two-hour film about a real life drama for which they have been an eyewitness. In December I had that experience for the first, and perhaps the only, time in my life.
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Our visit to Ecuador over Christmas gave us a taste for volcanoes, so a visit to Europe’s best known one, Vesuvius, was a must. It gave us the opportunity to explore the nearby Amalfi Coast, a place that’s been described to me as mountainous.
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The story of my ten-year journey from hill walker to Everest climber is out now in paperback. But why should you give a toss? Here are five reasons to buy the paperback.
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Chimborazo in Ecuador is definitely the highest mountain in the world when measured from the centre of the Earth. I found a mathematical formula to prove it. I just needed to climb the mountain to be sure of its correct altitude.
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