The Kendal Mountain festival has traditionally been held in November, when nights are dark and the weather (usually) wet. Things are changing, and a new festival ‘Kendal Mountain Festival On the Edge‘ has been launched for the weekend of July 25 – 27th 2014.
The next morning the wind had died and weak rays of sun fought their way through high, wispy clouds. I dug out my tent, packed my pulk and all of us set off on skidoos to the valley of Kalkdal.
Here’s the TEDx Derby presentation I gave asking the question “Is modern communication is destroying adventure..?” Whats do you think..?
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.
Read More »Seven Peaks – Seven Islands part VII – Madagascar
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…
I wonder how many times you have made plans, only to find them falling apart around your ears..? As Robert Burns once wrote “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, Gang aft agley”.
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.
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…
It seems that winter has finally arrived in the UK. As usual the press is full of horror stories about huge freezes and apocolyptic snowstorms – well, six inches anyway. Why in Britain do we take such a sensationalist view of out natural climate..?
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…
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…
As the nights draw in, the evening speaking season begins. I have a busy November coming up, so here’s a couple of events if you fancy coming to say hi..! (Bring beer)
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..?
You only have to walk down a city street or sit in a shopping centre to see one of the most destructive elements in modern society – the quest for more, more, more. Why am I saying this? Because society today never seems happy unless it can have the latest gadgets and accessories. I have to ask ‘What happened to the simple things in life..?’
And now, part III of the trilogy…
My final week in Brazil saw me where my heart feels the strongest – In the mountains. Many people think Brazil is all Amazonian Rainforest, due to TV documentaries and the environmental news it generates. However only 57% of the country is cover by rainforest, with the rest being grasslands, savanna, wetlands and mountains. There are many mountain areas, some climbing close to the 10,000ft (3000m) mark. Getting into them is a slow and arduous job, unless you have the nerve to drive out of Rio and into the hills.Read More »Going nuts in Brazil part III – Into the mountains…
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.
No matter how experienced we might think we are, at times it is vitally important we go back to basics. When I say that I mean learning once again the simple elements to the skills we have. As a speaker these could be in planning or delivery, and as a skier it could be in position and weights. Recently in Austria I skied on new ski’s and bindings, which brought new and testing sensations to my injured feet. At 42 I found it hard to adapt to my new kit, and soon realised that I needed to go back to basics…Read More »Going back to basics…