Month: May 2023

NOT TRASHING THE MOUNTAINS

THIS LATEST SEASON WAS THE BUSIEST ON EVEREST AND ALSO THE FILTHIEST. MORE PEOPLE LEAD TO MORE STUFF BEING CARTED UP THERE, MORE PEOPLE SPENDING MORE ACCUMULATVE HOURS IN THE CAMPS, AND IN THE END EVEN THE SHERPAS WERE APALLED WITH WHAT THEY SAW. IMAGES OF CAMP 4 – NOT THE LOWER CAMPS, BUT THE…
Read more

KEEPING YOUR HEAD WHILST CLIMBING, LITERALLY

YOUR HEAD IS A DATA CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT AND AS SUCH NEEDS TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE WITH FUNCTIONAL STRATEGY. IT IS A FINELY TUNED MECHANISM FOR THE INPUT OF INFORMATION AND ENERGY, AS WELL AS A MECHANISM FOR COMMUNICATION, SO KEEPING IT FREE OF INTERFERENCE IS A PRIMARY GOAL. CLIMBERS REGULARLY CONSIDER SLEEPING SYSTEMS…
Read more

3000m CLIMBING FOR 8000m CLIMBING

THE PROOF IS PLAIN TO SEE – EXCELLENCE ON 8000m ALPINE ASCENTS IS MASSIVELY INFLUENCED BY VOLUME OF LOWER ALTITUDE CLIMBING, AND OF THAT ASCENTS TO AROUND 3000m TOP THE BILL. WE GET ASKED ALMOST DAILY WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE FOR BIG ASCENTS IN THE KARAKORAM AND TIBET, AND AS ALWAYS TIME…
Read more

SNACKS, MEALS, CALORIES & VARIETY ON INDEPENDENT EXPEDITIONS

LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, THE FOOD ON OUR TRIPS IS DIFFERENT TO WHAT YOU WILL FIND ELSEWHERE. CHINA IS CHINA, WHICH MEANS ANYTHING YOU COULD WANT TO EAT EXISTS. THERE’S NO INGENIOUS RECREATIONS OF FOREIGN MEALS, INSTEAD WE SIMPLY DRIVE TO COSTCO AND BUY WHAT WE WANT. COFFEE BEANS ARE ROASTED BY AUSTRALIANS IN CHENGDU, THE…
Read more

EXPEDITION ALPINISM DEFINED

OUR PREVIOUS ARTICLE/RANT TRIGGERED A BIT OF RESPONSE – SOME CONSTRUCTIVE, SOME NOT – WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE ASKING JUST WHAT THIS ‘EXPEDITION ALPINISM’ THING IS. THIS IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION. WE SOMETIMES TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT EXPEDITION ALPINISM IS AN OBVIOUS THING, FORGETTING WE ARE IN A SORT OF ECHO CHAMBER WHERE OUR AUDIENCE…
Read more