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Nigel Vardy

Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part VII – Madagascar

Sunset-off-French-Mountain

Here’s the seventh and final miniblog about my Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge…

From the islands capital – Antananarivo (known locally as Tana), you fly north to the coastal town of Diego Suarez to begin the trip.  Diego is one of the world’s largest natural harbours and is a quiet town, full of crumbling French colonialism, 2CV’s and graced with wonderful sunsets.  Here you depart by 4 x 4 as far as the road will go (weather and mud permitting), before the trek begins.

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Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part V – Sumatra

Gunung-Kerinci

Here’s the fifth miniblog about my Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge…

Climbing Gunung Kerinci is one thing, but just getting there is another.  The bus journey from Padang can be anything between six and nine hours, and crosses the spine of Sumatra.  Be prepared for an arduous, but hilarious time!  You usually arrive in the village of Kersik Tua after dark, but the dawn brings extensive views of well manicured tea plantations and the peak itself – cloud permitting.  Rain and hailstorms are not uncommon here as you are already at 1500m.

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Is modern communication destroying adventure..?

TEDx

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…

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Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part IV – Borneo

Kinabalu-Dawn

Here’s the fourth miniblog about my Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge…

As the highest point between the Himalayas and Iran Jara, Mt. Kinabalu stands at 4095m (13,435ft) and towers above the surrounding hills and jungles.  First climbed in 1851 by Sir Hugh Low she is now a huge visitor attraction and climbed by over 30,000 people a year.

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Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part III – Japan

Fuji-Sign

Here’s the third miniblog about my Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge…

Most of the worlds mountains were first climbed in the Victorian era, but Mt Fuji (3776m-12388ft) must hold the oldest recorded 1st ascent – 663AD..!  Japan is an ancient country with deep-rooted traditions and I would urge a little research into etiquette before you visit.

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Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part II – Greenland

Taxiing-on-the-Ice-Runway

Here’s the second miniblog about my Seven peaks – Seven Islands challenge…

Climbing in Greenland is an honour that few have experienced.  The flight from Iceland over the Denmark Strait is enough of an eye opener, particularly as you approach the teeth like mountains of the coast, but the Watkins Mountains are a magnificent range of ice-capped peaks.

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A South African Saga part 1 – Getting drenched in the Drakensburgs…

Cathederal-Peak-Dawn

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…

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Presenting a marathon…

Synergy

When I say to someone that Engineering is similar to Mountaineering they think I’m talking rubbish.  Perhaps I am, but over the past five months I have been delivering a great amount of Engineering Training.  This has meant speaking for eight hours a day, all week, every week.  Similarities between the two become obvious…Read More »Presenting a marathon…