Beautiful places are more crowded, but the world is getting better, not worse

December 5, 2018 Good causes climate change, grand canyon, hans rosling, lord hereford's knob, media sensationalism, our world in data, social media, the guardian 9 Comments

The rise of social media means the world’s most beautiful places are becoming busier. Is this a bad thing, and does it mean we should think twice about visiting them? In this posts, I use data to argue these developments are part of a changing world that is getting better.

Adventure-loving Guardian readers hit back at couch-potato Guardian writers

November 29, 2017 Opinion and advice benedict allen, exploration, media sensationalism, papua new guinea, paul theroux, the guardian 4 Comments

When the explorer Benedict Allen went missing in the jungles of Papua New Guinea earlier this month, it was no surprise when the Guardian published an article by a smug intellectual taking a swipe at his adventurous lifestyle. More surprising was how their readers reacted.

The Guardian prints another self-righteous opinion piece about Everest by some couch potato

September 7, 2016 Opinion and advice edmund hillary, everest, george mallory, media sensationalism, the guardian 9 Comments

Why does The Guardian so often commission people who haven’t got a clue about Everest to write self-righteous opinion pieces about it, instead of asking someone knowledgeable to write them instead? It’s an exercise in shit stirring that achieves nothing useful.

BREAKING NEWS: People with size 14 feet can no longer climb Mount Everest

September 28, 2015 Humour climbing permits, everest, everest base camp, media sensationalism, nepal, the guardian

Responding to reports that Everest has become too easy to climb, the government of Nepal has announced a new set of arbitrary criteria in an effort to limit the numbers and produce a better quality of climber.

Getting married is the peak of hubris

June 18, 2014 Humour everest, media sensationalism, mountaineering ethics, the guardian 0 Comment

With vicars treated like lapdogs by cretinous narcissists, a crisis in church matrimony was inevitable. This week on the Footsteps of the Mountain blog we welcome Tony Gould as our special guest blogger, who will be talking knowledgeably about one of his favourite topics, marriage and road traffic accidents.

A media guide to Mount Everest

March 12, 2014 Humour commercial mountaineering, everest, media sensationalism, nepal, sherpas, the guardian, tibet, waste management 12 Comments

With the Everest climbing season nearly upon us there will soon be a flurry of articles in the mainstream media. With journalists under pressure to knock together something emotive at short notice by pasting from websites or phoning up random mountaineers for soundbites, I thought I would put together a media guide to help save time.

All you need to know about the Everest fist fight

April 29, 2013 Humour everest, media sensationalism, old post, sherpas, stephen venables, the guardian, ueli steck

Some of you have been asking for an insightful analysis of the punch up on the Lhotse Face over the weekend. As usual people have been falling over themselves to report the story without waiting for the facts to emerge, and in the Footsteps on the Mountain team we’re not averse to joining the stampede.

5 media myths about Everest busted

June 1, 2012 Opinion and advice alan arnette, blogging, chongba sherpa, climbing fatalities, everest, grant rawlinson, media sensationalism, mountain safety, mountaineering ethics, nepal, ralf dujmovits, sherpas, summit day, the guardian, tibet

There’s nothing some journalists like more than a bit a death. It generates controversy, helps sell copy, and gives them an opportunity to drum up hatred against people who live more interesting lives than they do. And this year on