Good times are approaching again. On Sunday I leave for Nepal for my fifth 8000m peak expedition, and it’s fair to say I’m just a teeny bit excited. My objective this time is 8516m Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world and the one next to Everest, as I’ve been telling everyone who has asked.
Read moreExpedition dispatches
Why would anyone spend Christmas in Patagonia?
There’s not really a good time of year to visit Chilean Patagonia. Quite a lot of wind circulates the globe at that latitude and slams into its mountains with full force, producing severe and prolonged storms and freezing temperatures. So why will I be returning there this Christmas for the first time in ten years?
Read moreThe High One: my attempt on Denali
If everything goes to plan then by the time you read this I’ll be freezing my nuts off on a glacier in Alaska. In January my friend Dan and I decided we would book to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America, also known as Mount McKinley.
Read moreChristmas in Guatemala
It’s time for my annual migration from Britain to escape Noddy Holder and his elves (a strange image, but keep it with you). I’ve received lots of Christmas cards this year asking me what I’m going to do next. Since
Read moreAltitude Junkies summit Manaslu
Huge congratulations to the 15 members of the Altitude Junkies team (6 clients, 8 Sherpas and expedition leader Phil Crampton) who have just returned safely to Samagaon after summiting Manaslu on Monday. Ten days ago they were lying in their
Read moreWhat’s next? Elbrus, I suppose
When I crept into Everest Base Camp on 22 May and posted some messages to say I’d reached the summit and was safely back down again, I was overwhelmed at the response I received, from close friends, to people I’ve
Read moreSleeping like a masked baby
It would normally be considered the height of impertinence to photograph your tent mate when they’re sleeping, but I couldn’t resist posting this one of me flat out in my sleeping bag at Camp 3 taken by Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson
Read moreHow to ruin a brand new down suit
Answer: Try climbing Everest by the North Ridge One of my abiding memories of my descent from Camp 3 on 20 May, the day after we summited Everest, was of a cloud of feathers flying in front of me whenever
Read moreA parting gift from the China Tibet Mountaineering Association
I don’t have that many certificates. This one was acquired after 40 days spent camped at the end of a glacier looking up at a quite frightening piece of black granite as it got battered by the jetstream. In true
Read moreThe world’s most terrifying ridge walk
This is a short post briefly describing our successful ascent of Everest by the North Ridge on Saturday 19 May. I’ll describe it in more depth in a later post, once I’ve recovered from summit exhaustion and had more time
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