author, mountaineering writer – books, blog, opinion
Last time I was in the Langtang region, my Nepalese friend Siling told me about the origin of Gosainkund, the sacred lake that I will be passing as I cross over the Laurebinayak La, a high pass dividing the Langtang and Helambu regions of Nepal.
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By the time you read this Edita and I will be somewhere in the Helambu region of Nepal, an area of low-lying hills and terraced fields north of Kathmandu. Our destination is the Langtang Valley, which in 2015 was the scene of a great tragedy.
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Just a quickie to let you know that I’ve just released my latest travel diary The Everest Politics Show in paperback format, for those of you who like to read something that you can grasp firmly in your hands.
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Last week a new service was launched to help find tourists who have gone missing while trekking in Nepal. MissingTrekker.com is intended to be a database of missing trekkers, but it’s also a comprehensive resource about trekker safety.
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In 2014, the government of Nepal published a list of 104 peaks that were newly open for climbing, unleashing a scramble to make their first ascents. There was just one problem. Some of these peaks had already been climbed before.
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A quick note to let you know that those of you who pre-ordered my latest travel diary from Amazon should receive it on your Kindle tomorrow (24th). If you’ve bought it elsewhere, such as Apple iBooks or Kobo, then you should receive it on Monday, 28th.
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There was another big controversy on Manaslu this year. It was widely reported that record numbers reached the summit, but it now appears that a problem with the rope fixing meant that the majority didn’t reach the main summit at all, but one of the two foresummits.
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It’s been aaaages since I last published a travel diary; more than two years, in fact. But I’m pleased to announce The Everest Politics Show, the diary of my traumatic expedition to Lhotse in 2014, is now available for pre-order from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo and Barnes and Noble.
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The Manaslu Circuit is one of the success stories of regeneration after the earthquake, with locals quick to repair bridges and trails. One of my abiding memories of the trek was the sheer number of bridges. For bridge lovers, this blog post is pure porn.
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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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