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Peruvian icefall doctors: a case study
The photograph below shows Pasang Ongchu Sherpa crossing a ladder over a crevasse on Tocllaraju in Peru. A Himalayan veteran with multiple ascents of Everest and Manaslu to his name Pasang is no...
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Exploring the Cordillera Blanca’s high altitude playground
Peru's Cordillera Blanca mountain range offers a veritable playground for the mountain lover, be they a trekker, alpinist or high altitude snow plodder, with glorious scenery and a range of different...
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When is a summit not a summit?
Last week I managed to reach the summit of 6440m Cholatse in Nepal, which has a reputation for being one of the country's most challenging technical peaks. But there's a bit of a twist, and if you look...
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Cholatse 11, Ama Dablam 0 (Everest arrested for streaking)
If ever I used omens as a means of determining my next holiday destination, then it's likely I would have spent this autumn sunning myself on a beach. Luckily I'm not superstitious, and my climb of...
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Farewell Samuli Mansikka, the fearless Finn
It's time once again to pay tribute to a friend who has sadly lost his life in the mountains. Last week Samuli Mansikka stood on the summit of Annapurna, his tenth 8000m peak, but he did not return....
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A peek inside the Himalayan Database, the archives of Elizabeth Hawley
A couple of weekends ago, I did something I’ve been meaning to do for a while: install the Himalayan Database on my computer and play around with it. The Himalayan Database is a comprehensive record of...
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Flashing on Everest: is it safe or sensible?
At a rough estimate, around 250 people reached the summit of Everest from the north side this year, climbing with a number of different operators. Of these operators, two seemed to get the lion’s share...
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An introduction to ExplorersWeb, the adventurers’ website on a new journey
I first heard about ExplorersWeb during my first 8,000m peak expedition to Pakistan in 2009. It didn’t occur to me that the media might be reporting on my movements, but that was essentially what was...
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Remembering Michelle Pradhan and the Courtyard Hotel, Kathmandu
Nepal has brought many wonderful memories, but it is also the place that perhaps more than anywhere has reminded me of the fragile nature of life and that all things are transitory. This was brought...
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10 high-altitude mountaineering lookalikes
I know some people found my previous post a bit heavy. And if you’ve been following events on K2 this winter, you will know that since I posted it, things have got heavier still with a certain K2...
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