Time for an armchair expedition - 2 months in 12.5 minutes. Videos from Makalu & Ama Dablam!

Last week I was asked by a colleague at PwC to present at client-facing meeting  on the theme of teamwork challenges and lessons learned from my climbing expeditions and experiences on Everest, Makalu and Ama Dablam. As I'd only just returned from Nepal after two months away I had quite a bit of catching up to do on the work front and in getting my fitness back on-form. Needless to say, I soon found myself the evening before the scheduled...

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This blog is about people... and thank you's...

Perhaps an unusual statement about an adventure which, in the physical sense, has been purely ‘vertical’, freezing-cold and oxygen-limiting...! Reflecting both on the extensive preparation Makalu / Ama Dablam expedition and the two-months spent on the snowy cold slopes, this adventure has really been brought to life through the amazing people that I have met along the way....people who have inspired me, helped me, and joined me in...

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Ama Dablam Summit Day Summary - Expedition Report...

Camp 1 on Ama Dablam is perched high up on a rocky ridge offering just enough of a view of the route to the summit to conjure a range of emotions fluctuating on a sliding scale between excitement and sense of “what the hell have I gotten myself into…??”  Whilst it isn’t the most comfortable camping spot in the world, the fact that the sun crests over the mountain and hits the tents at 6.15 AM is a huge bonus particularly when everything seems...

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People You Meet Along the Way: 6800m / 22,300 feet Ama Dablam Summit Success!

AMA DABLAM Summit Success!!! Super happy to report that we summited this gorgeous 6800m mountain yesterday morning and are now safe and sound back in Base Camp enjoying the warmth and food! -20 degrees with a light wind under a clear blue sky and lots of VERY steep, exposed climbing - what an experience!!! Will post more pictures and a full blog update soon.  Thank you so much to you all for all of your messages of support and for...

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The People You Meet: Truly Inspirational Christine Mills, MBE - Hope for Tomorrow Charity

 The blog entry before the epic Ama Dablam "summit day" account may seem like an unusual place to (re)include the profile of a truly inspirational person who I've "met along the way" - and one that certainly inspired me to push on through the past two months on both the Himalayan 8500m giant Makalu and the stunning 6800m technical peak, Ama Dablam. Christine Mills, MBE and the charity founded by Christine, "Hope for Tomorrow" have provided...

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The route to the summit...

Camp 1 on Ama Dablam is perched high up on a rocky ridge offering just enough of a view of the route to the summit to conjure up a range of emotions fluctuating on a sliding scale between excitement and awe to a touch of intimidation and sense of “what the hell have I gotten myself into…??”  You really get the sense you’re no longer ‘trekking’ and that you are well and truly on a very big mountain and that you are definitely "on expedition…."...

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Ama Dablam Summit push is ON!

It’s the evening before we leave for our Ama Dablam summit push and I am sat in my tent trying to soak up the last bit of warmth before we begin our ascent of the stunning snow-covered pyramid centered firmly in my horizon. We’ve been here at Ama Dablam base camp less than a week and have spent the time resting from our Makalu adventure, eating, sleeping, carrying loads up to Camp 1 and preparing our minds and bodies for the forthcoming challenge....

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Heading up the Mountain! Ama Dablam Camp 1 Gear Carry....

 I’ve had the so-called privilege of slogging, unacclimatised, huffing and puffing, air struggling to reach the deepest, darkest depths of my hypoxic brain up snow slopes and rock faces on various mountains across the world. During these times I pass each heavy footstep dreaming of the day when I can ‘walk’... no, skip... up these slopes and actually stop to enjoy the views rather than feeling like I’m about to keel over in exhaustion as...

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The People You Meet: Building the Khumbu Climbing Centre (KCC) Community Building

High in the Himalaya and deep in the heart of the Khumbu valley near the beaten track to Everest, there is a quiet pastoral village called Phortse that is perched among the clouds and overlooked by the stunning west face pyramid of Ama Dablam. Phortse was a key stop on our route to Ama Dablam base camp allowing us to visit the home of many of our team of Sherpas. Hiking up to Phortse in the warm afternoon sunshine from the gaping gorge of the Dud...

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