I adore Mountaineering and I adore Writing. Inspired by a meeting at the Kendal Mountain Festival, I’ve written a number of Love Letters to some of the Mountains I’ve climbed over the past 30 years. They’re a varied selection of peaks spanning the Himalayas, Africa, Asia, The Arctic and Europe.
I hope you enjoy them…
An Article from the Daily Star from October 2014 “The family of one man feared dead in the Himalayan snowstorm disaster celebrated last night that… Read More »‘Mr Frostbite’ escapes Nepal disaster but many Brits remain missing
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…
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…
The modern world seems to rely on instant news media. Satellite communications and Social Networking relay information around the globe within milliseconds, against the hours, days, weeks and even months that used to be required. Though this has a good side, it can also cause unnecessary stresses and tensions, as my family found out recently…
I had been watching the weather and avalanche forecast for weeks before I headed north to the Cairngorms with my friend Ian. The web was full of reports of horrific looking conditions, with deep snow and driving winds battering the highlands. Thankfully the journey north was swift and ridden with only with tea and pies, but the first night was a bit disjointed…
Read More »Old Friends, High Winds and Clotted Cream – The Fourth Frostbite Report…
Sitting as many of us do, reading blogs like this in the comfort of our own homes, it’s easy to criticise other peoples actions. I’ve just returned from a week in the Cairngorms where I was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to witness this first hand.
Read More »Aviemore, Avalanches and an OAP – The Third Frostbite Report