Category: TRIPS & EXPEDITIONS

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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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WE’VE BEEN BOUYED RECENTLY BY REPORTS OF CHRISTOPHE PROFIT, ONE OF THE FINEST GUIDES IN THE EUROPEAN ALPS, GOING VIGILANTE AND REMOVING BELAY STAKES FROM A SERIOUS ROUTE ON MONT BLANC WITH THE EXPLICIT INTENTION OF CONFRONTING AUTHORITIES OVER WHAT ALPINISM IS TURNING INTO. AS A LIVING LEGEND, PROFIT HAS FACED OFF TO BOTH THE…
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OUR TOP FIVE ENQUIRIES ARE 1) HOW TO HANG A BLADE 2 STOVE (ASK US), 2) CAN WE GET DEALS ON SAMAYA TENTS (YES IF YOU’RE ON OUR TEAMS), 3) HOW MUCH TO GO TO K2 NORTH RIDGE (WATCH THIS SPACE), 4) WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SPELLING MISTAKES (WE ARE CLIMBERS WRITING FROM PHONES…
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IT’S BEEN A LONG HAUL BUT NOW THINGS ARE REOPENING AND WE ARE RESURRECTING EXPEDITION CLIMBING IN THE PARTS OF TIBET AND XINJIANG WE GO TO THE RIGHT WAY. COVID 19 SHUT EVERYTHING DOWN, AND IN THAT TIME CHINAS PLACE IN THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, AS HAS THE CLIMBING INDUSTRY, THE CLIMBING MEDIA, AND THE…
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THE FINEST THING SAID ABOUT OUR TRIPS IS BEING CALLED “THE THINKING CLIMBERS EXPEDITIONS”. WE DON’T ALWAYS GET GREAT PRESS, HAVING BEEN CALLED STATE AGENTS, RADICALS, WANNABES, HASBEENS, RIP-OFFS, RACISTS, CAVALIERS, DELUSIONAL, AND PART-OF-THE-PROBLEM, SO WHEN SOMEONE WHO HAS ACTUALLY BEEN CLIMBING WITH US GIVES US PRAISE WE FEEL COMPELLED TO EXPLAIN IT. . THE…
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IT IS ABSURD TO TRY TO QUANTIFY BIG ALPINE ROUTES WITH GRADES AND VECTORS THAT COME FROM THE RECREATIONAL CLIMBING WORLD. HOPELESS ATTEMPT ARE MADE THAN INCLUDE LONG STRINGS OF NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS AND MEMES, WITH THE BEST WE FEEL BEING THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM THAT INCLUDES THINGS LIKE REMOTENESS AND TIME ON ROUTE, THOUGH WHICH…
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