The Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge encompasses freezing Polar ice to burning tropical savannah, ski touring to scrambling, volcanoes to glaciers and everything in-between. It may not have the altitude of the Seven Continents climbs, but brings huge challenges and rewards for those will to take up the baton.
The best partnerships are those where both sides work to help each other. Therefore I am very pleased and proud to announce that I have accepted a role with Terra Nova Equipment as a Brand Ambassador. We are both based in Derbyshire and have worked together for many years. Where we exactly first met is lost somewhere in the mists of time, but they have helped me on many occasions with my expeditions across the world. Initially it was with the specialist needs that Frostbitten hands require in the way of gloves. Getting any to fit was an almost impossible task, but with a little imagination and a lot of pinning we have succeeded. Since then I have also tested many tents, sleeping bags and rucksacks, and regularly place gear reviews on their website.
The British countryside is suffering a major problem – congestion. This ‘green and pleasant land‘ as William Blake put it, is becoming more Goretex than grass, more litter than landscape and more car park than copse. The major problem is not only the sheer number of people (UK – 609 per sq mile against Poland at 328 and Spain at 210), but also because of their desire to use the outdoors. Though we all have a right to go out and enjoy ourselves, we have no right to cause damage. As a Leave No Trace Trainer, I do everything I can to protect the countryside I live in and enjoy. One of the seven principles of Leave No Trace is ‘travel and camp on durable surfaces‘.
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
I have worked with the outdoor company Terra Nova for many years and recently starred in a promotional film for their Wild Country range of… Read More »Terra Nova Promotional Film
The flight to Johannesburg is nothing like going to the far reaches of SE Asia, but still I felt exhausted when I arrived. I had been working and presenting hard for the last few months and it was beginning to show. Also, a nasty chest infection had caught hold of me in Austria recently and didn’t want to let go. A few days out in the mountains should do me good then…
Read More »A South African Saga part 1 – Getting drenched in the Drakensburgs…
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
During late 2012, I worked with Derbyshire filmmaker Nicola Harris on a project about my fateful climb on Mt. McKinley. Here’s the film she has… Read More »Against All Odds…
Where do I start? So much has happened during the past year, and I don’t want to miss anything. Good job I’m an avid diary writer…
Now you might think me going a bit soft by travelling to Brazil, after all, I am Mr. Frostbite! Well, I’ve climbed in many hot climates across the world since almost freezing to death on Mt. McKinley and they bring with them their own set of problems. The hot and sweaty climates play havoc with my skin grafts and I have to watch them much more than on a freezing mountain. The risk of infection is much higher and the chances of damaging them increased. All that said, I was invited to climb around Rio de Janeiro by good friends Fiona and Felipe and couldn’t resist…