author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
The Himalayan Times reported last week that Sherpas who climbed Everest this year will not be receiving summit certificates. Whyever not? Once again I try to shed some light on the bizarre workings of Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism.
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Those of you who like Nepal might be interested in an unusual film project that will be taking place in the Everest foothills next autumn, featuring a memorable cast of characters from a remote Sherpa village.
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Abode of the Gods by Kev Reynolds can best be described as an edited journal covering eight treks in different parts of Nepal over a 23-year period. It is the best tribute anyone could pen to a country that has become their second home.
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The early history of the 8000m peaks has traditionally been seen as a competition between Europeans and Americans to become the first nation to climb one, but the Sherpa contribution should never be forgotten.
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Have you ever been so exhausted on a mountain that you wish you could crawl back down? I’ve been there and written a book about it. But which mountains provided the hardest physical challenge? Here are my top five.
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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.
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The fourteen peaks over 8000 metres have enjoyed a special status throughout the 20th century and were subject to many races to climb them. In the first of a short series of posts about their early history I introduce three memorable characters.
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I now have a cover for my book, and as some of you have played an important part in shaping the design, in the course of unveiling it I thought it would be interesting to share some of the journey which led to the final version.
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I expect most of us have experienced it at some time in our lives: escaping the office for a few weeks of sunshine, only to end up somewhere wetter than a haddock’s bathing costume. Nobody likes rain, but sometimes it just won’t stop.
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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.
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