ALL Mountaineering articles
Celestial peaks: Summiting unclimbed mountains in Kyrgyzstan
In Autumn 2019, I was honoured to lead an expedition to climb virgin peaks in a remote corner of central Asia: Kyrgyzstan. The country was different from many other mountain environments: A big temperature range and high-altitude base camp meant that acute mountain sickness, dehydration and cramps were all ever-present in this epically beautiful landscape.
Standing on the roof of Europe: What it’s like to summit Mont Blanc
For those who fight for it, life has a flavour the sheltered will never know’
~ Theodore Roosevelt 26th US president (and Mont Blanc summiteer).
Roosevelt was right; life does have a habit of appearing in full colour when you embrace danger. And what a fight! This huge lump of rock and ice did not relent easily.
As the highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc (‘White Mountain’) stands at an impressive 4,810 metres (15,762 feet) – that’s around half the height of Mount Everest, or 11 times the height of New York’s Empire State building, to give it context.
Taking on Giants : A first attempt at summiting the Matterhorn
In July 2018, along with 5 friends, I attempted to climb the iconic Matterhorn mountain via the slightly more challenging Liongrat route (AKA the Italian side).
Considered an AD+ (Assez Difficile in Alpine climbing terms) , the mountain stands at 4478m and has four main routes. This is how we got on:
What it’s like to traverse the Aonach Eagach ridgeline in Scotland
After a few years based on Scotland’s East coast, I became aware of the infamous Aonach Eagach ridgeline near Glen Coe.
At around 10 kilometres, with the only real access points at the start and end, it’s a traverse that fits somewhere between mountaineering, hiking, and fastpacking, a challenge of planning, fitness, and technical skills.
My research told me that the Aonach Eagach ridge is considered one of the most difficult and exposed scrambles in Scotland, and requires a high level of fitness, experience, and proper equipment. It also offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and valleys that you can find emblazoned across Instagram. That was enough for me to give it a go!
A short hike in the Hindu Kush: scaling mountains in Kabul, Afghanistan.
We meet in a quiet corner of Kabul, a neighbourhood that’s largely untouched by the security issues. I know the city moderately well and so this eases my apprehension well. Although I do understand that If I’ve misjudged anything about my plan to get alternative perspectives of the beautiful mountains, the consequences could be severe.
It’s winter and the whole city is covered in a blanket of snow, meaning that movement is much slower, but the city does appear quieter than when I was last here.
