Wonderland or the Wages of Fear
This strongly worded and honest account of a descent of the normal route on Mont Blanc was written by my French colleague Jean Annequin. A team of 3 people has […]
Everest, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and the Olympics
Once again it’s the time of year when you’d think the only mountain worth climbing in the world is Everest. The press, the TV and the internet are all full […]
Keep learning – you know it makes sense
I’m a great believer in the power of learning. If you keep trying to take on new skills, whatever area of life you’re talking about, it keeps your mind fresh […]
Adventure. Welcome back.
It’s been a while since I jumped on a hard alpine route. At the end of most summer seasons, I just want to go rock climbing, as I won’t have […]
Roger Payne Tributes
Since the horrendous events on Thursday 12 July on Mont Maudit, friends and family of Roger Payne have been literally inundated with messages of support. These have been invaluable to […]
The Agony of Choice – What ski should I tour on?
As little as 5 years ago, this was an easy question to answer as the selection available to the ski-tourer was relatively restricted and generally there was just one ski […]
Respect
A question I frequently get asked is: “How do you get on with the French guides? Don’t they resent your presence?” The immediate answer is “Very well, and of course […]
Let’s Go Climbing
I received a lovely present from friends in Ireland recently – a copy of “Let’s Go Climbing!” by Colin Kirkus. I first read of this book in Joe Brown’s autobiography, […]
3 reasons to get back to Britain
I was over in Britain last week for just 4 days rock climbing, and it reminded me of the times when people ask me if I’d ever move back to […]
Why hydration systems really suck
When hydration systems first came out, they seemed like a really good idea – dehydration affects performance , and with deeper breathing at high altitude leading to more loss of […]
