“You’re doing what..? Speaking on a cruise ship..? Why..?” These were only some of the barrage of questions I fielded when I announced that I was going to speak on the Cunard Liner Queen Victoria. “You’re a Mountaineer and boats are at sea level..!” I certainly hope they are as I’ve never seen a liner fly, but let’s get past the obvious shock. Besides being a mountaineer, I’m also a speaker.
The finale of 2014 was, for me a difficult time. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally to a level where I felt truly lost. I had recently been reported missing in the avalanches of Annapurna, but as with most major disasters, I coped well enough. It was the pace of my day-to-day life which had ground me down. 2015 had to be better…Read More »2015 – A Year for Europe…
The warm and wet autumn brought the risk of severe flooding in Kendal. Not good for the festival I thought, although it would bring the adventurous aspect of the weekend close to home..!
Mountaineering and Speaking come together in many different ways. Usually we climb mountains, have adventures, then go and speak about them. We write books, sign photos and give media interviews, but the strangest combinations can exist…
Read More »From Campsites to Cruise Ships – Know Your Audience…
I’ve always been interested in history, Whether it be the Romans, ancient Greece or early polar exploration, I do love researching the acts of our predecessors. My international travels have allowed me to see ancient sites across the world, but there is much history in the UK, and a great deal in climbing, mountaineering and adventure…
The first time I heard Leo Houlding speak was on a dark, rainy night at the Buxton Opera House. He had quite literary just returned from free climbing The Prophet in Yosemite and the excitement showed. He danced on the stage like a marionette, (reminding me of my childhood TV favourite Thunderbirds) which made for a strangely unnerving evening. Though we should bring emotion into our speaking, there is a time, a place and then a need for some control.Read More »Leo Houlding, Mountain Heritage and Facial Hair…
20 years ago today, mountaineering lost one of its greats. Alison Hargreaves had summited Mt. Everest unaided and without oxygen, and was hoping to repeat this huge achievement on both K2 and Kanchenjunga. During the evening of 13th August 1995, a violent storm hit the summit of K2, killing Hargreaves and five others. Though never formally identified, she lies there to this day, buried under snow and ice. A few items of equipment were found, but nothing more. It is a tragic story, which has caused controversy to this day. That, however is for someone else to discuss…
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” has been taught to children for generations. If only it were true. Words do hurt, but they can also inspire, motivate end enthuse people, provided they are used correctly…
After a week of scorching July sunshine, I hoped for something a little cooler to wild camp the Cumbria Way. Working with facial skin grafts in the blazing sun is always a challenge…
You may think that English is the common language of the British Isles, but many people speak dialects which contain words that confuse and confound. Just ask yourself what you call a cob..? Whilst you are scratching your head, let me translate. In Derbyshire we eat cobs, but they are also known as rolls, bread cakes, baps, bread buns, barmcakes and even a softy. You might question what point I’m trying to make here..? When you’re speaking with an audience, never assume they understand what you’re talking about.
The last time I had visited Tromso was over 20 years ago. I was young, had thick brown hair, all my digits and in my infancy of international mountaineering and adventure. How times have changed. Since then I’ve become middle-aged, turned grey, and bits have dropped off. I’ve travelled over a quarter of a million expedition miles and seen more than I can hope to explain. Landing in Norway I noticed one thing there hadn’t changed however – the weather. It was pouring down..! Thankfully it cleared later on and the clouds were high, with beams of sun dappling the snowy white mountains. I met up with guide John Lyall and fellow climber Richard Hampshire, before driving on the bumpy roads and crossing the short ferry to the beautiful village of Svenby. Here we would base ourselves for the next few days…
Read More »Midnight Sun & Mountaineering in the Lyngen Alps…
Giving some of your time for free is a wonderfully rewarding experience. The world doesn’t have to be all money driven, and I regularly find that people are more committed to a cause when they work for the love of it. Many charities run on volunteers because of their dedication and generosity. If only all things in life could be worked purely for passion…Read More »Volunteering
After speaking at TEDx Derby in 2014, I was approached by organiser Christine Cawthorne to mentor the speakers for the 2015 event. I was honoured to take up the challenge…Read More »TEDx Derby 2015 – Remade
I recently took part in a training exercise with Kinder Mountain Rescue Team. Previously they had asked me to be a volunteer casualty for a day, and I had gladly accepted the invitation…
When I was a child, I watched the Saturday morning TV programme TISWAS. It stood for ‘Today is Saturday, Watch and Smile’, but should we restrict smiling to just one day..? I can’t remember how many countries I’ve traveled to, how many cultures I’ve encountered, or how many people I’ve met, but one thing is for sure – a smile goes a long way…
Friends across the Alps had been complaining to me about the lack of snow for the skiing season. Indeed I experienced this myself in Austria during January, where the pistes were turning a delicate shade of brown. Scotland was to be another matter…
Read More »Scotland – What Did I Expect..? – The Fifth Frostbite Report…
The quest to see what is ‘Over the Horizon’ has intrigued man for millennia. The desire to explore the world has led to much of it being extensively mapped, with people like Magellan, Carstensz and Cook being fine examples, but for centuries, the physical horizon was as far as we could see. For example, if you are 5’7” it would be just under 3 miles, whereas from the summit of Everest you can see over 200. This is why for centuries man has sought high ground. Defences always needed long distance views to see an enemy coming, and explorers want the best viewpoint into the unknown that they can get. This fact remained unchanged until the onset of the Telegraph and the Radio. Suddenly you didn’t need a semaphore or signal fires to communicate over distance. Within years, messages could be sent around the world, pushing the horizon far from view. But there is another horizon – limit of a person’s knowledge, experience or interest.
I hadn’t touched a set of Telemark skis since my trip to Greenland in April 2014, so it was with a little trepidation that I once again ventured to Rauris in Austria, for the Army Telemark Championships. You expect snow when you go skiing (after all it is a tad useful), but when I touched sown in Salzburg it was 17C. Though the highest peaks were clad In white, the valleys were almost tropical. Higher in the mountains the view was the same as heavy rain had poured for 24 hours. It wasn’t the start I’d hoped for…
My 2014 New Year’s resolution was to have the best and most productive 12 months of my life. Plans were bursting out of my brain, and within weeks my diary was filled to overflowing – speaking engagements across the UK, ski racing in Greenland, climbing in Scotland – the list went on.
For years I have wanted to climb to 7000m. My frostbite injuries provide daily challenges, which make even walking down the road difficult, but when… Read More »Himlung Expedition 2014…