The reports have just come in of five skiers dying in an avalanche in Austria. This is just the latest news on this front from what looks like another bad season. The incident took place in the Wattental valley, Tirol, and reports indicate that those involved had ignored warnings. The Guardian paper reported that: The experienced […]
Mountaineering and Science: A Long Partnership
If you ever thought that mountaineering and science were incompatible then you were very wrong. From the very earliest days of formal exploration and mountaineering, expeditions were a partnership between adventurers and scientists. The first big expedition that I went on was intended to be partly scientific with doctors wanting to do some research on […]
Mallory’s Gear Was Lighter Than Modern Kit
Talk to people about the legion of climbers racing up the world’s 8000 meter peaks and you’ll likely get a comment that it’s easier now because of modern clothing and equipment. In fact most climbers these days think it’s safer to climb on Everest now than it was in the age of Edmund Hillary and […]