The Corno Grande Saga, Part 2

February 21, 2015 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, avalanche safety, corno grande, edita, europe, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte aquila 4 Comments

This is a short sequel to a post I wrote last month about a reconnaissance trip to the Gran Sasso massif in Central Italy, when we made an abortive attempt on 2912m Corno Grande from the north. Last weekend we had another go from the south.

A Gran Sasso reconnaissance

January 28, 2015 Trip reports abruzzo, apennines, brocken spectre, cicerone guides, climbing equipment, corno grande, corno piccolo, edita, europe, gran sasso, hill walking, italy, monte corvo, monte san franco, mountain huts, pizzo d'intermesoli, walking guides 2 Comments

I was dimly aware of the Apennine mountains running down the spine of peninsula Italy, but I’d never given them much thought. I discovered the Gran Sasso massif is a hill walkers’ paradise, with attainable mountains even in the depths of winter.

Toubkal and Ouanoukrim: a High Atlas winter wonderland

January 14, 2015 Trip reports anti atlas mountains, atlas mountains, climbing equipment, jebel toubkal, ke adventure travel, marrakesh, morocco, ouanoukrim, outdoor gear, souvenirs 4 Comments

I thought I was done with the Atlas Mountains when I climbed Jebel Toubkal in Morocco 11 years ago. But the High Atlas in winter is very different from the sweltering dusty desert I experienced in the summer months, and I’m glad I returned.

Cholatse 11, Ama Dablam 0 (Everest arrested for streaking)

November 19, 2014 Trip reports altitude junkies, ama dablam, cho oyu, cholatse, climbing fatalities, climbing grades, commercial mountaineering, dorje sherpa, everest, nepal, pasang ongchu sherpa, phil crampton, samuli mansikka, sherpas, trekking peaks 2 Comments

If ever I used omens as a means of determining my next holiday destination, then it’s likely I would have spent this autumn sunning myself on a beach. Luckily I’m not superstitious, and my climb of Cholatse proved as happy and successful as an expedition can be.

Climbing Sapitwa Peak, Mulanje, the highest peak in Malawi

October 1, 2014 Trip reports africa, edita, flora, inselbergs, malawi, mulanje, peak bagging, sapitwa peak, scrambling, small steps adventure tours, trekking, wildlife, zambia 14 Comments

Not only does the Mulanje Massif in southern Malawi contain some of the loveliest trekking you will find anywhere, but to climb its highest point, 3002m Sapitwa Peak, involves a very unusual scramble indeed. Here’s my account of our ascent.

Mafinga South and Mafinga Central: the highest peaks in Zambia

September 24, 2014 Trip reports africa, edita, exploration, hill walking, mafinga central, mafinga hills, malawi, peak bagging, robert gondek, small steps adventure tours, trekking, zambia 20 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I reported from Africa on my mission to find, measure, ascend and name the highest point in Zambia, and how identifying which peak to climb wasn’t as straightforward as you might think. This is the story of our quest.

Exploring the Cordillera Blanca’s high altitude playground

August 6, 2014 Trip reports altitude junkies, andes, cordillera blanca, huaraz, huascaran, ishinca, palcaraju, pasang ongchu sherpa, peru, phil crampton, ranrapalca, tocllaraju, trekking, urus este 5 Comments

Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountain range offers a veritable playground for the mountain lover, be they a trekker, alpinist or high altitude snow plodder, with glorious scenery and a range of different climbing. Here’s what happened when I went there last month.

Lhotse 2014: The world’s most expensive Everest Base Camp trek

May 22, 2014 Trip reports 8000m peaks, altitude junkies, climbing fatalities, commercial mountaineering, dorje sherpa, edita, everest, everest base camp, ian cartwright, lhotse, margaret watroba, media sensationalism, mountain flights, nepal, phil crampton, puja, russell brice, sherpas

The story of the Altitude Junkies 2014 Everest and Lhotse expedition. I was excited to be attempting 8516m Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world which stands across the South Col from Everest. Even if I didn’t reach the summit I would surely reach Camp 2 at least, as I had on every previous occasion.

Cerro San Lorenzo and the Patagonian summer

January 15, 2014 Trip reports alberto maria de agostini, andes, argentina, cerro san lorenzo, cerro torre, chile, jagged globe, patagonia, south america, thierry levenq, weather 4 Comments

Sometimes it’s useful to have low expectations so that when the impossible doesn’t happen, you’re not disappointed. This is especially true in Patagonia, where the weather is temperamental. I didn’t have high hopes of reaching the summit of 3706m Cerro San Lorenzo, but I was determined to give it a go.

Snowdon via the Llanberis Path

September 4, 2013 Trip reports britain, chris bonington, hill walking, llanberis path, media sensationalism, microadventures, moel eilio, snowdon, snowdon mountain railway, snowdon ranger path, wales 0 Comment

Good weather was forecast in the Welsh hills last weekend, so I headed up to Snowdonia, where I completed a fine circular walk of Snowdon via the Llanberis Path and the long whale-backed ridge of Moel Eilio. I expected it to be busy, but not as busy as the media would have you believe.