An introduction to ExplorersWeb, the adventurers’ website on a new journey

October 17, 2018 Good causes exploration, explorersweb, gasherbrum, interviews, phil crampton, rowan white 1 Comment

ExplorersWeb has been one of the leading sources of news about adventurous expeditions for many years now. But as they say in the pub trade, it’s now under new management. This means that some important changes are taking place. There is a new team of editors and a new design, but this is just the start.

Banished to Room 101: the Inaccessible Pinnacle

October 10, 2018 Trip reports andy hogarth, britain, cuillin ridge, first ascents, hill walking, inaccessible pinnacle, isle of skye, munro bagging, munros, rock climbing, scotland 4 Comments

If you asked a group of UK hill walkers to nominate items for Room 101, some of them might suggest the Inaccessible Pinnacle, a narrow shark’s fin of rock that crowns the summit of Sgurr Dearg, a 978m mountain on the Isle of Skye in north-west Scotland.

The first ever successful Everesting of Everest

October 3, 2018 History cycling, everest, everesting, first ascents, himalayas, tibet 1 Comment

A Chinese cyclist has recently completed the first ever Everesting — where a cyclist repeatedly climbs the same hill until they’ve biked the height of Everest — on the side of Everest itself. It’s a story I first reported on a few months earlier.

A return to the Black Cuillin of Skye

September 26, 2018 Expedition dispatches britain, cuillin ridge, hill walking, isle of skye, munro bagging, scotland 4 Comments

For the first time ever, I’ve hired a guide to go hill walking in the UK. Our aim is to visit the Isle of Skye in north-west Scotland and polish off all eleven Munros on the Cuillin Ridge in the space of a week.

Islands in the Snow is now available as a paperback

September 19, 2018 My books and writing island peak, islands in the snow, jimmy roberts, mera peak, mountain literature, nepal, travel diaries, travel writing, trekking, trekking peaks 2 Comments

Here’s a timely tip if you’re off trekking in Nepal this autumn and are looking for some books to read on the trail. My travel diary Islands in the Snow is now available for the first time ever in paperback form. I’m sure you will enjoy it immensely.

7 countries with mountains on their flags

September 12, 2018 History andes, bolivia, central america, cerro rico, chimborazo, costa rica, ecuador, el salvador, europe, monte titano, nicaragua, san marino, slovenia, triglav 6 Comments

No fewer than seven countries have mountains on their national flags. To spare you from ruining your eyesight by squinting at a database of world flags to find out which ones, and to give you more time to read angry social media posts, here’s the full list.

Cycling the North Coast 500: a teaser from my next book

September 5, 2018 My books and writing alex roddie, andes, book extract, britain, chimborazo, cycling, ecuador, north coast 500, scotland, sea to summit, travel writing 1 Comment

It’s been three months since I last spoke about my next book Chimborazo. It’s time I updated you, and gave you another short teaser from the book the whet your appetite.

The great Nepal helicopter rescue fraud: an introduction

August 29, 2018 Opinion and advice global rescue, mountaineering insurance, nepal, seven summits treks, tourism, trekking

Last week AFP reported that a group of insurance companies from Britain, Australia and New Zealand have given the Nepal government a deadline of 1 September to take concrete steps to prevent helicopter rescue fraud, or it will stop providing cover to tourists.

5 stepping stones on the path to high altitude

August 22, 2018 Opinion and advice aconcagua, argentina, everest base camp, hill walking, jebel toubkal, kilimanjaro, mera peak, morocco, nepal, seven summits, tanzania, trekking 8 Comments

Are you keen to branch out and develop the skills to climb higher peaks? Here is a series of mountains further afield that more experienced hikers should visit if you are interested in reaching a challenging altitude.

Cadair Idris by the Minffordd Path

August 15, 2018 Trip reports britain, cadair idris, edita, hill walking, snowdonia, wales 2 Comments

Cadair Idris is the last peak in Snowdonia before the high mountains give way to the soft rolling landscape of mid-Wales. The Minffordd Path on its south side is one of the best horseshoe ridge walks in Wales. A couple of weeks ago I took Edita there.