Technology has entered our modern lives with a vengeance. Whether we like it or not, the digital age has crossed the globe and there seems little escaping it. I recently spoke at TEDx Derby, and challenged an audience of creative and technology driven people to think differently about the umbilical cord of the mobile phone, wi-fi and worldwide web…
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.
One of my top five tips for life, business and education… I’ve spoken to literally thousands of people in my career and hopefully I’ve inspired… Read More »Turn your ideas into reality..!
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.
Many people know me because of my mountaineering expeditions, but in parallel to my adventures, I’ve had a long career in Electrical Engineering. Over my 27 years of nationalisation’s, takeovers and mergers I’ve seen may things, but one of the most startling is the ability to act like a child. Let me explain…
Read More »Love life like a child, just don’t behave like one…
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
To a Mountaineer like myself, a weekend away is nothing new. I’m often off into the hills of Britain or even Europe for a day or two’s climbing, but this weekend was different and rather special.
Here’s a short video of me speaking at the Inspired Adventure opening evening at the East India Club, London in August 2012…
In 2007 I became the first British climber to summit the tallest peaks on the worlds largest islands. ‘Whoopee doo’ I hear you say. This is exactly why I ask the question for the achievement of a 1st. Are they worth it, or just media stunts for people with nothing better to do?
It’s a simple enough question really. After all, would you employ a mechanic who couldn’t fix your car..? The reason I ask is due to my experiences observing speakers over the last 20 years. Some have been outstanding, some have been good, but many have been (at best) average.
Read More »So you think you’re a speaker, but can you really speak..?
During my past 20 years of world travel the way we communicate has changed beyond many peoples imagination. For centuries the handwritten letter, which had carried news of great empires, battles, decrees and Royal announcements was abandoned for the world of satellites and WiFi.
Ok, so I’m not a horse, but if you want to know what it’s like to climb in the remote mountains of Tien Shan, then come and hear me speak on March 10th at St. John’s Church Memorial Hall, Hazelwood, nr Belper, Derbyshire.
For almost 20 years I have climbed in the Scottish Mountains during winter. They hold a magical place in the history of Mountaineering and many pioneering climbs were done here before people moved to tackle peaks across the world. I have just returned from the Cairngorms where conditions were typically Scottish. When I say that I mean, nature bringing everything from beautiful sunshine to blasting blizzards in a day! I spent a week with two climbing friends in the Northern Corries climbing exposed ridges and snow gullies in very different conditions…Read More »Scotland the (not so) brave…
Life is based on risk. We would not have been born unless our mothers took risks, yet the modern world seems to be hell bent on removing them. When I say removing, should I say eradicating them and stersalising life. We have evolved as human beings by taking risks – from planting the first crops to crossing the great oceans of our world.
Christmas comes but once a year, and when it comes, it brings good cheer, oh and decorations, shopping, wrapping, panic and bedlam. The modern world is possessed with the desire of want rather than of need, and constantly demands more. I mentioned this to Zena Hawley of the Derby Telegraph as we talked about my recent invitation to Buckingham Palace (see my blog on a Royal Night to Remember).
I still feel a bit shell-shocked from last nights reception as I write this blog, but I’ll do my best…
I often come home from an expedition and find the doormat covered in post. Many of the letters are full of sales pamphlets, offers and bills, but one postmarked Buckingham Palace caught my eye. I carefully opened the envelope to find a wonderful invitation to the Palace to commemerate Robert Falcon Scott’s fateful South Pole journey in 1911 – 1912.
The Kendal Mountain Festival is the highlight of the climbing calendar in the UK, but for me it wasn’t always that way. I had visited the festival years back and even had my Discovery Channel documentary “Nightmare at 20,000ft” premiered there, but I always felt a little lost. Was it because I was on my own? Or the fact that I didn’t know a soul? Who knows, but it all changed one day on the Hornli Ridge.
As a professional speaker I find it difficult not to criticise others on stage about this or that. Is their layout good? Are their images of high quality? Can the presenter speak well and engage their audience? This was an evening where I had nothing to worry about. Julie Summers presented ‘Everest needs you Mr. Irvine’ at Derby Guildhall and stunned us all with her incredible knowledge, depth of research, wonderful pictures and heartfelt passion about her Great Uncle, Sandy Irvine.
I’m Mr Frostbite. Let me take you on an incredible journey.
I love mountaineering, adventure and travel. To feel warm sunlight on your face and breathe cold, fresh mountain air is what keeps me alive, but it has almost cost me my life…
I’m a record-breaking Frostbitten Mountaineer, Author, Business and Educational Speaker, but what can I do for you..? I can inspire audiences, help them understand changing times and how to deal with them.