MOUNTAINEERING

CLIMBING THE MONTE ROSA AND ITS SISTERS

25th August 2019

“Because it was there.” That was, reportedly, Edmund Hillary’s reason for climbing Mount Everest. It’s a valid reason, I suppose, if perhaps a rather lacklustre one. Back in 1953, it wasn’t as though Mr Hillary was seeing Everest in social…

CLIMBING LOBUCHE – MY FIRST 6,000M MOUNTAIN

30th October 2017

6,119m is high. That’s more than 20,000ft. The O2 concentration at that altitude drops to around 9.6%. At sea level it’s a bountiful, lung-filling, blood-enriching 20.9%. Every single step up there is laborious. Each breath leaves you wanting. You can…