"Keeping it Real" - Ice Climbing in Cogne, Italy

Every once in a while I have to remind myself to ‘keep it real’. Life is short, it can be tough. There are moments when reaching for a hand-brake to slow things down a notch or two would certainly help provide the life-balance when it flips out of kilter. In the absence of a ‘hand-brake’ I have found the perfect alternative – the great outdoors. For me, there’s something incredibly therapeutic about being outside and ‘feeling’ – feeling cold,...

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The People You Meet: Rotary Club of Road Town, British Virgin Islands

Bikinis, sarongs, SPF 20, 30 and 40, shorts, t-shirts, sundresses… a down jacket, spikey sharp crampons and my 8000m boots. Not quite the typical packing-list for a trip to the British Virgin Islands..! As random as the packing was, it did leave me smiling and looking forward to a week of adventures in the sunshine and alongside the crystal clear Caribbean waters. As well as a week of relaxing, there was some work to be done - my brother Ryan...

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Sherpa Adventure Gear Lecture Tour: Everest Uncovered - closing thoughts...

When I first started this blog, "The People You Meet Along the Way..." I thought that it would be a good way to document my mountaineering ‘journey’; a way to think through and remind myself of the many lessons that I have learned and the many inspirational people that I have met along the way. By blogging, I’d have the opportunity to share my stories, thoughts, reflections via this online forum as a vehicle to prompt others to reflect on their...

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Beyonce and Vogue on the Roof of the World

I feel like I'm about to make a revelation worthy of a Daily Mail editorial... Spare yourself no illusions that I, as a high-altitude diva in down, was heroically trudging knee-deep through steep snowy slopes on the far flung reaches of Everest this spring, clinging onto my jumar with clenched teeth, breathing each breath as if it were my last… Oh no....   It's time to for the 'reveal' before I'm unwittingly 'outed' by the press and the...

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Sherpa Adventure Gear: "Everest Uncovered" - Lecture Tour Edinburgh, Manchester & London - October Dates Announced!

Ok, so clearly I’m super stoked to be sitting alongside Kenton Cool and Lakpa Rita Sherpa, two peers from the Sherpa Adventure Gear athlete team for the forthcoming Lecture Tour, Everest Uncovered.  Having said that, I’m also uber, uber nervous… and it’s prompted some serious reflection. Who am I as an ‘outdoor affectionado’ (as I don't consider myself a hardened mountaineer!) and what messages can I share which complement the messages of...

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Feel-good endorphins reactivated after a weekend in Chamonix

There's nothing like heading out into the great outdoors to awaken the senses. After even just a few minutes outside the grass just seems greener, the sun seems brighter, and somehow challenges which seemed gargantuan before now seem so much more manageable...  Anyone who has gone for a run around Hyde Park, a climb up Ben Nevis or enjoyed the snowy slopes of Whistler or Chamonix would certainly be able to relate to the (not surprising) findings...

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Taking time out for reflection... The "L&Co Talks with..." interview

Sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in the physical hustle and bustle of life - planning expeditions, running to and from meetings, and keeping fitness levels up to snuff... that I forget to take time out and reflect on how this crazy personal and professional journey has evolved, what I've learned from it all... and, perhaps more importantly for me personally, the 'why' behind it. Many thanks to  entrepreneur Shannon Lewis, a seasoned...

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