You take a step, then another. With your third step the lactate burn feels like a knife in your thighs. You pause for a minute, breath deeply in the thin, cold air. Then take another three steps and pause. Anyone who has climbed at altitude knows the shuffle that makes you feel like you’ve aged […]
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 […]
Ice Axe Self-Arrest: How to save your life
The most important reason for carrying an ice axe up in the mountains is to be able to “self-arrest” or stop yourself from sliding down and off the mountain if you fall. It is not, as some people think, a glorified walking stick with a pointy end for showing off in the parking lot. To […]
The Most Famous Ice Axe Belay Ever
Anyone who has been around mountaineering for any period of time will have come across the name of Peter Schoening, a real legend of American mountaineering. He spent a life on high mountains and was famously on Everest in 1996, an ill-fated year in which scores of mountaineers died on the mountain. But he is […]
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 […]