Introduction to the Apennines — Part 5: Monti della Laga

February 27, 2019 Opinion and advice abruzzo, apennines, cicerone guides, hill walking, introduction to the apennines, italy, lazio, monte gorzano, monti della laga, pizzo di sevo 2 Comments

I was lucky to live and work for a year in Rome, where the highest peaks of the Apennines were accessible within a couple of hours. It was a hill walker’s paradise, with a feast of mountains of great variety,

Why I don’t give away free books to readers in exchange for reviews

February 20, 2019 My books and writing alliance of independent authors, amazon, book reviews, gear reviews, mountain literature, travel writing

It’s become common practice for authors and publishers to give away free books to readers in exchange for a review on Amazon. It’s something I don’t do. I believe it’s in the interests of all of us to maintain trust in reader reviews by not trying to cheat the system.

What the devil is a circumhorizon arc?

February 13, 2019 Opinion and advice andes, chile, cloudspotting, ojos del salado 1 Comment

As we made our way from base camp for an acclimatisation hike on Ojos del Salado in the Puna de Atacama region of the Andes last month, we witnessed a strange phenomenon in the sky.

Humboldt and Boussingault on Chimborazo: how high did they climb?

February 6, 2019 History alexander von humboldt, andes, book extract, chimborazo, ecuador, edward whymper, history of mountaineering, jean-baptiste boussingault, south america, travel writing 1 Comment

How high Humboldt and Boussingault climbed on Chimborazo has been the subject of much debate. When Edward Whymper made the first ascent in 1880, he was baffled by their descriptions of the climb. So what happened, and how high did they really get?