What does the Nepal Mountaineering Association do?

November 25, 2015 Good causes ang tshering sherpa, dawa steven sherpa, disaster relief, himalayas, history of mountaineering, mountain environment, nepal, nepal earthquake, nepal mountaineering association, tourism, trekking peaks, uiaa, world food programme 3 Comments

The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has recently lost a significant part of its annual income. In this week’s post I look at the NMA’s work to see what programmes will be affected and what this change is likely to mean for mountain tourism in Nepal.

The house that can be carried on porter back

May 27, 2015 Good causes chance, dawa steven sherpa, disaster relief, himalayan climate initiative, himalayas, nepal, nepal earthquake, porters 0 Comment

One of the best examples of Nepalese resourcefulness I’ve seen since the earthquake last month is the Himalayan Climate Initiative’s portable earthquake-proof house that can be carried to mountainous areas on porter back.

As climbers wring their hands about Everest, Nepal quietly rebuilds

May 6, 2015 Good causes asian trekking, chance, climbing fatalities, dawa steven sherpa, disaster relief, edita, everest, everest base camp, himex, nepal, nepal earthquake, russell brice 3 Comments

While the climbing community were busy bickering about Everest, the Nepalese were quietly rebuilding their lives after the devastating earthquake. As trustee of a development charity I was given a privileged insight into what they’ve been up to.

Nepal earthquake: who should I donate to?

April 29, 2015 Good causes chance, community action nepal, disaster relief, disasters emergency committee, edita, everest base camp, himalayan trust, himalayas, juniper fund, kathmandu, nepal, nepal earthquake, world food programme 5 Comments

People have been asking me to recommend a charity to help victims of the Nepal earthquake. It’s a difficult question, because it depends on personal preferences and priorities, but I know a little about Nepal, and though I’m no expert on disaster response, I’ll do my best to answer.

Salvaging good from a disastrous season

May 9, 2014 Good causes climbing fatalities, everest, kathmandu, lhotse, mountain flights, nepal, sherpas, volunteering 1 Comment

One consequence of the Everest season ending early is that I’ve spent an unusually long time in Kathmandu catching up with things and contemplating a surreal season. I’ve even managed to salvage some good from three weeks of tragedy and conflict which have dashed hopes and dreams and trashed reputations.

What do Prince Philip, an Everest summiteer and a Nepali rock star have in common?

February 26, 2014 Good causes chance, everest, hill walking, himalayas, jhamak ghimire, john hunt, nepal, volunteering 2 Comments

A year ago I explained how I have taken up a voluntary position as trustee of a charity providing educational support in Nepal. I thought it was time I provided an update, as there is an interesting Everest connection to report as well as an amazing story of stoic determination that would impress even the hardiest Sherpa.

Why I’m paying Nepal back for the good times

February 20, 2013 Good causes blogging, chance, digi comms, everest, hill walking, himalayas, john hunt, kathmandu, mark dickson, nepal, the responsible travellers, tina stacey, trekking, volunteering, web development, wordpress 9 Comments

In my spare time I’ve recently taken up the role of trustee for a charity which provides sustainable aid for education in Nepal. It’s a privilege to be able to give something back to a country which has given me so much, and how I ended up doing this role has been an interesting story in itself.

Mystery of the vanishing Himalayan lake

July 4, 2012 Good causes cho oyu, climate change, colombia, david breashears, everest, george mallory, glacial erosion, glaciers, glacierworks, himalayas, kyetrak glacier, lakes, mountain photography, photoshop, rongbuk glacier, rwenzori mountains, sponsorship, twitter 4 Comments

I’m no climate change sceptic, and I’ve seen its effect on shrinking glaciers many times. While scientific evidence for climate change is clear, not everyone is convinced it’s happening. One of the most powerful methods being used to convince sceptics is photographs showing how much glaciers have changed over time. But photos aren’t always what they seem.

Yippee! Our forests are safe, for now

February 19, 2011 Good causes britain, consultation, forestry commission, forests, jonathon porritt, national trust, NGOs, old post, petitions, politics, public access, right to roam, rspb, save our forests, wildlife, woodland, woodland trust, wwf 0 Comment

Looking back at the Save Our Forests campaign Across the Middle East grassroots movements are toppling governments one after another like dominoes. Tunisia and Egypt are already down, and Libya and Yemen are next in line. Somewhat less momentously, but

My response to that blasted Sell Our Forests consultation

February 6, 2011 Good causes biodiversity, britain, charities, community groups, consultation, forest of dean, forestry commission, forests, new forest, old post, politics, public access, save our forests, wildlife, woodland 0 Comment

It’s not been the best of weather this weekend, but even so I may have preferred to spend it outdoors rather than sitting in front of a computer screen responding to a boring government consultation document. It’s a task I’ve