Scotch Malt Whisky Society – Unfiltered
Heres an article I wrote for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, about my recent trip to Alaska…
Read More »Scotch Malt Whisky Society – UnfilteredHeres an article I wrote for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, about my recent trip to Alaska…
Read More »Scotch Malt Whisky Society – UnfilteredImagine 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.
Read More »Man: A Quest to Find Meaning PodcastThe 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.
Read More »We Didn’t Start the Fire…Heres a BBC Radio Derby interview, recorded when I returned home from Alaska. In the picture, I’m speaking to the wonderful Daryl Miller.
Read More »Post Alaska BBC Radio Derby Interview…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.
Read More »Alaska 2024 – A Time to Remember…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
Read More »Real Survival Stories Podcast – Cut off in a Frozen Wilderness…Upon my return from Alaska, I was featured again on BBC East Midlands Today. Heres the clip..!
Read More »BBC East Midlands Today Interview…Before I headed to Alaska, I was interviewed by BBC East Midlands Today. Heres the clip..!
Read More »On BBC East Midlands Today…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.
Read More »BBC Radio Derby Interview…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..!
Read More »Frostbitten – Wincle Brewery Supporting Buxton Mountain Rescue TeamThe 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 2024When 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…
Read More »A Hazy Shade of Winter – The (almost) Twelfth Frostbite Report…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.
Read More »Gimme Shelter – The Spine Race 2024The 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.
Read More »2023 – Moving on Up…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…
Read More »Kendal Mountain Festival 2023 – Life in a Northern Town…Once I had fingers…
Read More »Montane 30 Years of Progress…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.
Read More »Men on Show Podcast…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.
Read More »Does life end at 50..?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…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…