Blog

Man: A Quest to Find Meaning Podcast

by Nigel Vardy
October 7, 2024October 7, 2024

Imagine braving minus 60°C temperatures and 60-mile-an-hour crosswinds on North America’s highest peak. In this gripping episode, we sit down with seasoned mountaineer Nigel Vardy, who recounts his harrowing survival story on Denali. From his childhood passion for the outdoors, nurtured by his parents, to facing life-threatening challenges, Nigel takes us through the critical decisions that led to his survival and the severe frostbite that forever changed his life. His story is not just about survival but about sheer resilience and the human spirit’s capacity to endure.

by Nigel Vardy
August 5, 2024August 5, 2024

The media loves bad news. Stories of failure, funding cuts and violence fill the airwaves, screens and newspapers, and in the Peak District it’s not been a great few weeks.

I grew up just south of the Peak District National Park and have spent much of my life enjoying the fresh air and freedoms it brings. COVID was an awful time for us all, and its effects seem to be more far reaching than I even imagined. I hoped that once we were allowed our freedoms again, that the old world I once knew would return, but how wrong I was.

by Nigel Vardy
June 14, 2024June 14, 2024

Heres a BBC Radio Derby interview, recorded when I returned home from Alaska. In the picture, I’m speaking to the wonderful Daryl Miller.

by Nigel Vardy
June 12, 2024June 24, 2024

25 years can feel like a lifetime, or like an instant. My rescue took over a day, yet I only remember fleeting moments as the cold took control of my mind, and its bitter grasp mists memories and slows reflection. I thought I knew it all, yet I still had so much to learn. Heading back to Alaska might help clear the clouds and reveal icy truths buried deep in my soul.

by Nigel Vardy
June 10, 2024June 10, 2024

Recently Steve and I were featured on the Real Survival Stories Podcast. We tell the story where, in 1999, we almost perished on Denali. Click here to go to the Podcast

by Nigel Vardy
June 7, 2024June 7, 2024

Upon my return from Alaska, I was featured again on BBC East Midlands Today. Heres the clip..!

by Nigel Vardy
May 30, 2024May 30, 2024

Before I headed to Alaska, I was interviewed by BBC East Midlands Today. Heres the clip..!

by Nigel Vardy
May 10, 2024June 13, 2024

I was interviewed by Andy Twigge on BBC Radio Derby about my coming return to Alaska. The interview has been loaded onto BBC Sounds, and if you’d like to listen, click on this link.

by Nigel Vardy
April 23, 2024April 23, 2024

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team, Wincle Brewery have produced – ‘Frostbitten’ – a golden, dry hopped english ale. Every pint sold will raise funds for the team, so there’s no excuse to enjoy a bevvy..!

by Nigel Vardy
March 16, 2024March 16, 2024

When planning a Highland Mountaineering trip, we all hope for snow – buckets of the damn stuff. It would be nice if the avalanche risk were low, the pack hard and consolidated, and the sun shining. Now let’s get back to the real world…

by Nigel Vardy
January 22, 2024January 22, 2024

For many, the dark nights of January bring dismay and boredom. Christmas is over and the weather is cold and damp. For some of us however, winter brings great excitement at the prospect of ice, snow, and for the really energetic – ultra running.

by Nigel Vardy
January 11, 2024January 11, 2024

The last year seems to have passed by in a flash. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older, or because there was a great deal going on..? Whatever the reason, it’s been one heck of a ride.

by Nigel Vardy
December 15, 2023December 15, 2023

I should have written this blog long ago, but recent weeks have passed in a blur. After 38 years in professional engineering, I’ve retired and now wonder where I ever got the time to go to work..! Finally, I’m sat at my keyboard and catching up with this ever-spinning world. Here we go…

by Nigel Vardy
November 10, 2023November 10, 2023

Once I had fingers…

Once I stood on a Mountain…

Once my image opened a video…

by Nigel Vardy
October 31, 2023October 31, 2023

Recently I was interviewed by Andrew Pain for his ‘Men on Show’ Podcast. Andrew is a down-to-earth motivational speaker on a mission to create decisive and resilient communities, break down stigmas and stereotyping, and inspire gender unity. He combines lived experience as a domestic abuse survivor, with 20 years of leadership and HR experience.

by Nigel Vardy
October 21, 2023October 21, 2023

Years ago, it was said that life began at 40. Through healthcare, diets, and the like, it now (apparently) begins later. I’m not sure what number has been picked, but a recent visit to my GP made me think.

by Nigel Vardy
January 30, 2023January 30, 2023

I adore the music of Kate Bush. Recently her 1985 hit found new life due to the Netflix series Stranger Things. My dad also enjoyed her music and to me, he was always ‘the man with the child in his eyes’.

by Nigel Vardy
December 30, 2022December 31, 2022
1 Comment

By the end of 2021 I was exhausted. COVID had caught me over the Christmas period as the loss of my Mum began to take its toll. I hoped 2022 would give me time to rest and reflect. I certainly reflected, but spent much of the year on the road, on the sea and on the mountain..!

by Nigel Vardy
November 23, 2022January 30, 2023

With Jessie Leong – Film Maker and Winner of then Peoples Choice Award

I’m a planner – I like to plan and prepare for my expeditions, speaking gigs and even my shopping. The 2022 Kendal Mountain Festival was on its way, so I watched my films, prepared my weekend diary and trying my best to help the environment, I booked trains from Derbyshire to the Lakes.

by Nigel Vardy
November 16, 2022November 16, 2022

The internet and e-mail, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Linked-In etc etc, have all increased the ability to contact one another, but are we listening..?

Blog

Man: A Quest to Find Meaning Podcast

We Didn’t Start the Fire…

Post Alaska BBC Radio Derby Interview…

Alaska 2024 – A Time to Remember…

Real Survival Stories Podcast – Cut off in a Frozen Wilderness…

BBC East Midlands Today Interview…

On BBC East Midlands Today…

BBC Radio Derby Interview…

Frostbitten – Wincle Brewery Supporting Buxton Mountain Rescue Team

A Hazy Shade of Winter – The (almost) Twelfth Frostbite Report…

Gimme Shelter – The Spine Race 2024

2023 – Moving on Up…

Kendal Mountain Festival 2023 – Life in a Northern Town…

Montane 30 Years of Progress…

Men on Show Podcast…

Does life end at 50..?

Running up that Hill…

2022 – On the Road Again…

The Kendal Mountain Festival 2022 – Good to be Back…