Chris Bonington and the first ascent of Kongur Tagh

July 30, 2025 History alan rouse, china, chris bonington, eric shipton, first ascents, joe tasker, kongur tagh, michael ward, muztag ata, pamirs, pete boardman 3 Comments

Wedged between the foothills of three huge mountain ranges – the Karakoram to the south, Pamirs to the north-west, and the Kunlun to the west – is Kongur, a complex massif of interlinked peaks and ridges. It was completely unexplored in 1980 when Michael Ward and Chris Bonington set off an a reconnaissance.

Wetherlam to Waterlam: climbing the Old Man of Coniston in a summer heatwave

July 16, 2025 Trip reports britain, county tops, cumbria, hill walking, lake district, met office, old man of coniston, peak bagging, swirl how, weather forecasts, wetherlam 0 Comment

The whole of Europe is in the middle of a scorching heatwave. Here in the Cotswolds the grass is as brown as a hay bale and the thermometer has been touching 30°C. It seemed like a good time to go hill walking in the Lake District, where good weather seemed guaranteed for a change.