A short scramble up Rumiñahui, the stone-faced Inca warrior

December 12, 2018 Trip reports andes, cotopaxi, ecuador, edward whymper, llanganates, rucu pichincha, ruminahui, volcanoes 2 Comments

Rumiñahui is an extinct volcano 14km north-west of Cotopaxi, Ecuador’s highest active volcano. Rumiñahui the mountain is named after Rumiñahui the Inca warrior, whose name translates as ‘stone face’ – as appropriate a name as any for this particular mountain.

Cotopaxi, a short climbing history: a teaser from my next book

June 6, 2018 My books and writing alex roddie, alexander von humboldt, andes, book extract, charles-marie de la condamine, chimborazo, cotopaxi, ecuador, edward whymper, first ascents, history of mountaineering, jean-baptiste boussingault, sea to summit, travel writing, volcanoes, wilhelm reiss 8 Comments

Last Friday I reached the summit of another metaphorical mountain. After seven months of intensive scribbling I finished the first draft of my next major book. There’s a little way to go before it’s ready for publication, but here’s a teaser to whet your appetite.

Is Cotopaxi now safe to climb?

October 6, 2017 Opinion and advice andes, cayambe, cotopaxi, ecuador, mexico, popocatepetl, volcanoes 9 Comments

Tomorrow Ecuador’s most popular volcano will be open again for the first time since a major eruption in 2015. But is it safe or is the decision premature? Here are my thoughts after a month in Ecuador.

Ice needles and guinea pigs: acclimatising in Ecuador

September 15, 2017 Expedition dispatches andes, chimborazo, chimborazo sea to summit challenge, cotacachi, cotopaxi, cycling, ecuador, edita, rucu pichincha, sea to summit, sincholagua, volcanoes 3 Comments

The fun is over. Tomorrow the serious business of cycling up Chimborazo begins. Our aim is to cycle from sea level then climb to the summit, with a bit of hiking in between. I have no illusions. It’s going to

A night on Kilimanjaro’s summit: the videos

February 22, 2017 Trip reports africa, david breashears, edita, kilimanjaro, mountain films, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes 2 Comments

I know I sometimes write a lot of waffle on this blog that many of you can’t be bothered to read, so this post is for you. I’ve recently finished editing the footage of our Kilimanjaro climb, which included a night on the crater. Here are three short videos to provide a flavour of the trek.

A brief introduction to Kilimanjaro’s volcanic crater

January 25, 2017 Opinion and advice africa, bill tilman, climate change, glacial erosion, hans meyer, kilimanjaro, tanzania, volcanoes 4 Comments

Last week I enthused about Kilimanjaro’s inner crater, and said that I considered it to be the jewel in Kilimanjaro’s crown. Yet the overwhelming majority of people who climb mountain don’t see it. This week I will talk in more detail about what they’re missing out on.

The best way to climb Kilimanjaro

January 18, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, seven summits, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, zara tours 5 Comments

I’m convinced that for adventurous people who are experienced at high altitude, to camp at 5800m and look into the inner crater is the only way to experience Kilimanjaro, for the inner crater is Kilimanjaro’s secret jewel. Here’s the story of how we did it.

The Tanzanian Mount Meru

January 11, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, safari, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, wildlife 11 Comments

Thanks to a hardcore climbing movie, an obscure peak in the Indian Himalaya is now the most famous Mount Meru in the world. But for many years a far more accessible and attainable peak in northern Tanzania was much more widely known.

Kilimanjaro: returning to the crown of Africa

December 21, 2016 Expedition dispatches africa, east africa, kilimanjaro, mount kenya, mount meru, seven steps from snowdon to everest, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes 5 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about Kilimanjaro this year. I first climbed it in 2002, and I was long overdue a return. Back then I didn’t know whether I would be strong enough. This time it should be a different story, and we hope to explore a bit of the crater while we’re up there.

The BBC Top Gear Chimborazo fiasco

November 9, 2016 Opinion and advice andes, chimborazo, ecuador, glacial erosion, mountain films, volcanoes

When I received an email from BBC Top Gear asking me whether I thought it might be possible to drive a vehicle up Chimborazo, my first reaction was to roar with laughter. But after I gave it some consideration I realised it required a better response than that.