mountains
The mountains of my life – Castor, my first Alpine peak
~ My brother James and Castor in the Swiss Alps ~ This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell, Tryfan and Stob Ban. By early 2007 I was immersed in the culture and history of mountaineering. I had
The ugly side of climbing and mountaineering culture
~ Aleister Crowley in 1902 ~ I’d like to begin this post by apologising on behalf of climbers everywhere. Today mountaineering has been in the news, and for all the wrong reasons: it seems that Western climbers were involved in a fight (brawl? pitched battle?) high on Everest. Other news has
Climbing with an Alpenstock
“It is a fact that everything which can be done with the alpenstock can be done also and better with the axe. No proper step can be quickly made with an alpenstock.” ~ “[The alpenstock] has a long tang running into the wood … and its termination is extremely sharp. With a
The mountains of my life – Stob Ban, my first Munro
This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell and Tryfan. My hillwalking apprenticeship was played out in the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, and North Wales, but by 2006 my sights were set on more ambitious
The mountains of my life – Tryfan
This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell. Two weeks ago I wrote a little about how climbing Bowfell was an important right of passage for me as a hillwalker. Today I would like to talk
More webcams in the hills: an answer to the mountain safety question?
It seems that the bad news keeps coming this winter. Thirteen mountaineers have so far lost their lives during the course of the season, and many (if not most) of these incidents have attracted national press coverage. The most recent fatality occurred on Saturday when a 57 year old walker
The mountains of my life – Bowfell
There’s a folder on my hard disk called “Pictures”. Everybody has one like it. The humble Pictures folder may be an utterly ordinary part of modern life, but I also think it’s one of life’s under-appreciated wonders. Delve into that folder and you will relive old memories;
An interview with Jamie Hageman, mountain and landscape artist
This is part of a series of interviews with authors, photographers, film-makers, and other creative people who all have one thing in common: a connection with mountaineering culture. Today I would like to welcome mountain artist Jamie Hageman to my blog. His extraordinary paintings are regularly exhibited, and thanks to
An interview with Nick Livesey, mountain photographer
This is part of a series of interviews with authors, photographers, film-makers, and other creative people who all have one thing in common: a connection with mountaineering culture. Today’s interview is with Nick Livesey, a talented mountain photographer who has created some stunning images over the last few years.
An interview with Gordon Stainforth, author of FIVA
Photo from Gordon’s site: http://goo.gl/HQYyT This is the first of a series of interviews with authors, photographers, film-makers, and other creative people who all have one thing in common: a connection with mountaineering culture. Tonight’s interview is with Gordon Stainforth, award-winning author of FIVA: An