It's official... Makalu 2012 expedition confirmed!!

Not only do you learn about mountains and cultures in this wonderful world of mountaineering, you also learn about politics... and the art of being flexible and always looking on the bright side of life (flashbacks of the Olympic Closing Ceremony spring to mind here....). To put it mildly, a change of plans in mountaineering terms is a little bit more complex than changing your Saturday evening plans from Plan A: 'The White Horse Pub'  to Plan...

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Sounds like vindaloo... and nearly as spicy. Makalu, Nepal. 8,463m/27,765ft. September - October 2012.

"While standing on top of Everest, I looked across the valley, towards the other great peak, Makalu, and mentally worked out a route about how it could be climbed… it showed me that, even though I was standing on top of the world, it wasn’t the end of everything for me, by any means. I was still looking beyond to other interesting challenges." - Sir Edmund Hillary Having had a similar vantage point from other Himalayan summits, I can certainly...

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Hanging in there with the Air Force and more traditional techniques...

Training to climb a mountain has its ups and downs (literally). One of the fun parts of training for me has been my regular sessions at the Castle’s indoor climbing wall. It seems like a bit of a pointless exercise to grunt and groan and ruin a perfectly good manicure to get up an artificial wall only to be lowered back down again… but it is phenomenally good exercise and it provides very tangible progress – both on physique and overall ability to...

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Grow a pair...

I came across an online article the other day which prompted me to reflect upon my approach to life. The article is titled, "10 Ways to be More Interesting". Whilst the title seems a bit 'misleading' (reflecting on who you're making life more interesting 'for'), I felt that it was worth sharing. On days like today when I have a 'to do' list that seems impossibly long, I wonder how on earth I'm going to get through it all in a day. Why do I always...

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Pre-exped Preparations... and breathe...

Benjamin Franklin, one of America's Founding Fathers, once uttered that all too well known phrase, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." One thing that my hobby of persuing this um... 'glamorous' life of adventure-seeking / career balancing has taught me is the delicate art of multi-tasking, deep breathing and smiling bravely through those situations when you realise that there are only 24 hours in a...

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The People You Meet: The Tremendously Talented Guide, Isabelle Santoire

I've been known to be a bit nervous when it comes to heights and exposure (yes, this is kind of ironic given my climbing ambitions!!). I've put on more than a few brave faces trying desperately to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when looking over the edge of a sheer rock face. Over the past few months, these butterflies have subsided thanks to the amazingly inspiring and talented UAIGM Mountain Guide, friend, mentor and teacher Isabelle...

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Climbing the Weissmies... Snow, Seracs and Summit(s)

If you’ve ever thought about going wild and crazy, and trying something a bit ‘different’ for a weekend then let me tempt you with a little 4000m gem of an experience. The Weissmies in Switzerland. A very straight-forward snowy mountain which can be climbed in a day – either from the quaint Swiss village of Sass Grund (complete with garden gnomes, cow-bells, chocolate and a fabulous espresso) or from the alpine hut called the Hohsaas (accessible...

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Mountain Globetrotter - passport not required... Climbing the Lagginhorn

Apine starts are not my ‘speciality’. Even when sleeping in the worlds widest bed with at least 15 other groggy climbers in a stuffy humid and 'not so pleasant smelling' room (have I sold it to you yet?? Trip Advisor review?), the prospect of crawling out from under a warm woolly blanket and into the cold fresh air is never an appealing one. Today was no exception – with the fog settling outside the only thing that could rouse me from my...

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Chamonix, Chamonix... Mountain Mecca and Adventure Playground

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