Ojos Del Salado – The Worlds Highest Marathon Part 2…
A day of eating, drinking and trying to relax followed, before we loaded up after dark, and headed back to Tejos.
Read More »Ojos Del Salado – The Worlds Highest Marathon Part 2…Expeditions
Ojos Del Salado – The Worlds Highest Marathon Part 1…
It’s not often you’re asked ‘would you like to take part in the world’s highest altitude marathon..?’ Paul Gurney had created BecomingX in 2019 and I was interviewed about my life changing accident on Denali only a year or so later. We’d first met on the North side of Elbrus in 2012, and had become good friends. Paul creates many exceptional expeditions, and in January 2026, I was heading to Chile to attempt something very special.
Read More »Ojos Del Salado – The Worlds Highest Marathon Part 1…Drakensburgs 2025 – An African High…
The last time I travelled with my great friend Sibusiso Vilane, was when we rode the JoBerg2C back in 2019. I’d just lost my Dad, and struggled to complete the race, but Sibu supported me with great strength, and we enjoyed a few days on Safari to wind down. COVID then came, shut world travel down, and I still see parts reeling from its aftermath. Sibu and I had spoken about crossing the central section of the Drakensburgs many times, and after much planning and packing, I set off late in August 2025.
Read More »Drakensburgs 2025 – An African High…Blow, Northern Wind – Kungsleden 2024
The last time I donned snow shoes, was on the Kahiltna Glacier in Alaska, and we all know how that ended..! Twenty five years later, I clipped them onto my boots in the Swedish town of Abisko, and began a ten day trip down the Kungsleden.
Read More »Blow, Northern Wind – Kungsleden 2024Through Silken Waters – Greenland 2023…
I rarely go to the same place twice. Perhaps I want to keep my memories as they were and enjoy seeing new places, but as Heraclitus said – “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”. The fjords of Greenland are no different. Their ever-moving ice bergs and glaciers are never the same from one moment to the next.
Read More »Through Silken Waters – Greenland 2023…Roll With It – Hebrides 2023…
The isles of Harris and Lewis are famous for ancient stones, deep peat and tweed. They also have stunning coastlines which can be explored only one way – from the seat of a Kayak.
Read More »Roll With It – Hebrides 2023…Slip Sliding Away – Norway Ski Tour 2023…
I love the mountains (if you’ve not worked that out, go home now), and the thought of remote peaks, ski touring and mountain huts was too much for me to resist. I had barely recovered from climbing Toubkal in Morocco, before I boarded another flight – this time to Norway.
Read More »Slip Sliding Away – Norway Ski Tour 2023…Rock the Kasbah – Toubkal 2023…
Morocco had always brought me bad luck. When I say that, I mean that every time I’d tried to visit, something bad happened. I’d been halted by terrorist attacks, COVID and sadly, the death of my father. It was about time that luck was on my side.
Read More »Rock the Kasbah – Toubkal 2023…Greenland 2022 – The Big Sky…
It didn’t seem five minutes since I had returned from Sea Kayaking in Greenland, before I was heading north again. This time it was to mountaineer, but the sea would play it’s part also. I joined Simon Yates to head towards Mikis Fjord and tackle a myriad of unclimbed peaks.
Read More »Greenland 2022 – The Big Sky…Greenland 2022 – Second Home by the Sea…
I’ve visited Greenland a number of times, but always to ski and climb. The sea terrified me, but I was about to spend my next trip sat on my backside in a kayak. What had changed..?
Read More »Greenland 2022 – Second Home by the Sea…Jordan 2018 – Searching for a Desert Rose…
I’m a mountaineer. I climb mountains, love mountains and speak about mountains. People drive me as wild as I do them, because of my adventures, cock ups and rescues, but I travel to other places too. I’ve bashed through dense jungles, crossed open plains and sailed oceans across the globe. During late 2017 I decided that I needed a change. The year had been a tough one and I was tired. Tired physically, tired mentally and tired emotionally. I needed a break, but wasn’t sure what to do.
Uganda 2017 – To the the Mountains of the Moon, and Back… Part 2
We left the Bujuku Hut at 4am in our attempt to summit Mt. Speke 4890m (16.042ft). Initially the terrain was thick bog and undergrowth, but this gave way to more open ground as the sun tried to break through the dense clouds. We ascended a large scree field suffering faltering disability, reaching the ridge early morning. This is where our problems began. Thick rime ice had plastered the rocks, making what should have been a challenging scramble, impassable. The only way we could summit was to circumnavigate the peak and approach it from the opposite side. It’s all sounds so easy to read it here, but what followed was a two-hour slog up and down scree scattered boulders and exposed edges. At least the clouds broke occasionally and allowed extensive views over the range and the tongue of the Ruwenzori Glacier. This ice used to allow easy access to Ruwenzori Peak, but its retreat has made any ascent of the mountain a real challenge. Few ever venture there now because of the loose rock and unstable ridge.
Read More »Uganda 2017 – To the the Mountains of the Moon, and Back… Part 2
Uganda 2017 – To the the Mountains of the Moon, and Back… Part 1
I rarely look for adventure. Adventure finds me. The years of scouring maps and magazines for interesting places are gone. I’m extremely lucky to have wonderful friends across the world who share my passion for travel, as we love to share our experiences. Sibusiso Vilane and myself met many years ago, climbing Carstensz Pyramid in Iran Jaya. Since that day, we have been great friends. Sibusiso has had some wonderful ideas, including cross the Drakensburgs and trekking the Otter Trail. So when he said ‘how about climbing in the Mountains of the Moon in Uganda..?’ I leapt at the chance. The Rwenzori’s were extensively explored during the colonial era and even starred in Rider Haggard adventure books. The Idi Amin era saw much change, but people are back. I have to admit however being surprised when asked to bring Wellington’s as well as an ice axe, crampons and mountain boots..!Read More »Uganda 2017 – To the the Mountains of the Moon, and Back… Part 1
The ICEMAN Polar Race 2016 – Second Time Lucky..?
My feet had hardly settled from walking in South Africa, when another trip called. I had been 33’ south on the Cape in late march and suddenly I was heading to Greenland, 72’ north. +30C was about to be replaced with -30C. I was tired, but thankfully organised for the ICEMAN Polar Ski Race…
Read More »The ICEMAN Polar Race 2016 – Second Time Lucky..?
Himlung Diary part 2 – The Haunting…
One of my favourite ghost films is ‘The Haunting‘. Based on the wonderfully written book by Shirley Jackson, it tells the story of a house which is haunted by a ghost you never see. Door handles move and people feel strange presences, but there is no visible spectre. Why am I writing about this when I’m mountaineering in Nepal..? Well, an old ghost came to visit me on the hill one night…
Himlung Diary part 1 – Tragedy in the Snow…
I struggled to cram the last big of kit into my huge bag. It wasn’t anything technical like crampons or ice screws, or vital like my first aid kit or medication, but that half bottle of Talisker I was determined to take into the mountains. Eventually it slipped in, but I though to myself ‘after all these years, why do I still take so much stuff..?’ I was sure I’d got too much gear, but knew that Himlung was notorious for its cold weather.
Russia 2012 – The North side of Elbrus
Standing as the tallest mountain in Europe, Mt Elbrus 5,642m (18,510ft) is not a climb to be undertaken lightly. High winds and freezing temperatures make this one of the world most notorious peaks. The west peak was first climbed in 1874 by Florence Crauford Grove.Read More »Russia 2012 – The North side of Elbrus
Tien Shan Unclimbed – Kyrgyzstan 2011
I travelled to the Kyrgyz Republic during July and August 2011 in search of empty country and unclimbed mountains. That’s exactly what a found, but there is more to this beautiful and virtually unspoiled country than meets the eye…
Nepal – 2009AD
Ama Dablam is one of the classic mountains of the Himalayas. It is technical, remote and full of mountaineering challenges. During October and November 2009 I took on the SW Ridge and pushed my climbing to the limit…
India 2008 – Ladakh and back..!
Ladakh offers Trekking by the Ton and Mountaineering by the Mile. In Summer of 2008 I ventured there with good friends to climb, trek and see a little of this wonderful country…