Sometimes you look back at life and wondered where all the time went. 2024, was one such year. At the start, I had no idea how many anniversaries were all meeting in the short twelve months.
I began the year on Safety Crew duty for the Spine Race. The weather was bitterly cold, particularly in the Yorkshire Dales and the Cheviots. The race was stopped due to the conditions at one point, but everyone was safe and the event was another huge success.
I kept heading north, and met up with Alex and Hazel Moran from the Martin Moran Foundation. It was 25 years since Martin and I had first met, and we guided me across many wonderful routes in the Highlands. One such route was a full traverse of Liathach, and we hoped to recreate it with Alex and Hazel. Sadly the weather had other ideas, so we toasted Martin’s wonderful life with a wee dram.
After a whistle stop tour of speaking engagements in schools in Ullapool, I headed south for home.
I joined the Bassetlaw Hill and Mountain Club for a week in Scotland, and though the snow was lacking, there was no shortage of days to be enjoyed on the hill.
In early April, a group of us walked a section of the Kungsladen in Sweden. The weather was beautiful, battering, almost dangerous and also hilarious. We did experience beautiful shows of the Northern Lights on many evenings.
2024 is the centenary year of the famous 1924 Mt. Everest expedition, where George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Comyn (Sandy) Irvine were lost close to the summit. The year has been filled with events marking this anniversary, and I was honoured to join many mountaineers, authors, doctors and academics at events, all over the UK. You would have thought that the media interest would have died down, but the discovery of Irvine’s foot this year made headlines all over the globe.
Buxton Mountain Rescue Team was created in 1964, and celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. As resident, I was invited to brew a beer, which has a rather close connection to myself..! There were also Gala Dinners, stretcher carries, country fairs and the like to promote the team’s diamond jubilee, and also raise funds.
And now the big part…
2024 marked the 25th anniversary of my fateful frostbite on Denali in Alaska. I’d wanted to return on the 21st anniversary, but COVID got in the way. With a lot of planning, Helen, a film crew and I flew to Anchorage in May, to create a documentary about not only the climb and accident, but about the people to whom I owe my life. I was delighted to meet up with rescuers, rangers, medical staff and we flew over Denali, 25 years to the day of the rescue. Documentary coming out in 2025..!
During the middle of the year I was dogged with foot trouble. The skin on my left foot was in danger of breaking down. This is an ongoing issue and we’re still investigating the cause, but care is a priority, and though frustrating, I had to keep off my bike and reduce my activities on foot.
During September, I was joined by UK friends on a sea kayaking trip to Norway. My friends Laila and Christian watched everyone’s skills improve as we kayaked and camped in the glaciers, islands and fjords.
My 14th year working at the Kendal Mountain Festival was as crazy as ever, but good fun too. The weather almost blew us away and washed us out on the Saturday, but we’re a hardy bunch. Perhaps next year, I’ll have a film at the festival..? Talking of which…
The last edits are almost done and ‘Frostbitten’ will be launched early in 2025. I can feel another busy year coming on..!
May I wish you all a wonderful 2025…