Back in March, I received the Neil Mackenzie Adventure Grant as provided by the Neil Mackenzie Trust and Varsity Outdoor Club. I took off to Scotland immediately to catch the tail end of Scottish winter climbing season. I want to thank the selection committee and everyone who made this possible for me, in particular Neil’s…
Written by Dmitri Oguz and Marcin Mirski “ROCK!!!” Dmitri heard Marcin’s shout and looked up to see two potato-sized rocks coming down, quickly ducking below the overhang beside him. Not close enough to be scary, but close enough to hear the distinct whoosh as they tumbled through the air. Below us lay the blue waters…
During my adventures in South America, I made the summits of three 6000 meter peaks. All of these climbs went uncharacteristically smoothly and do not deserve a write-up in their own right. But the photos are just so darn great, that they had to be shared. Chimborazo (6268 m), Ecuador …
Originally appears on seekingthesteeps.wordpress.com My heart has been threatening to beat a hole through my chest for the last hour and a half. My legs have been screaming with lactic acid, the veins in my calves look like they’re about to explode and I’m desperately trying to hyperventilate to pump enough oxygen to my lungs.…
With the heaviest of hearts we bid farewell to Neil Mackenzie. He passed in a tragic mountaineering accident along with Stephanie Grothe and Elena Cernicka, falling, roped-up, down the entirety of the Central Couloir on Joffre Peak. The true circumstances of their demise will never be known and I will not speculate or draw lessons…
A new alpine route. From town. In a day. How many places in the world do you know where that is possible? Bolivia is rad. Let me say that again. Bolivia is RAD. There are countless unclimbed peaks, let alone lines. Infinite unexplored potential. And the peaks are no joke either – 5 and 6…
New route! A new route! In the alpine. Serious fucking business. A first, of hopefully many for me. My time withering away in the confines of a party hostel in La Paz, Bolivia has suddenly become completely justified. I’d spent many days hopelessly searching for a climbing partner, but apparently this is not a climbing…
Written by Charlie Beard, reblogged from Pinnacle Exposures Chris Stafford and Charlie Beard, 10th (and inadvertently 11th) September 2012, Introduction The finest mountaineering journey that the UK has to offer. Many aspire to it, yet it repels 90% of those who try it on their first attempt. My interest in the Cuillin ridge was first sparked…
Written by Skyler Des Roches, also seen on Off Route. The bubble of light erupting from my headlamp onto the smooth surface of the glacier illuminates a tight, claustrophobic world. I’m left far more alone, in this miniscule universe, than my mind can cope with at these altitudes. But a momentary glance back, as I ascended…
Someone asked me the other day what mountaineering meant. I responded that it’s getting seriously scared while climbing a technical line on a big mountain. And this reminded me that I hadn’t gone out to get epic-ed in quite some time. To rectify the situation and uphold my name, a plan was born to go…
Team Bad Idea 