In the summer of 2020, Tristan (aged 12 and 38kg) and I (aged 51 and 68kg) decided to rock climb the easiest line on Pierre Avoir; the isolated peak that looks down onto Verbier from the Savoleyres sector. It is a 120m route comprising a series of four pitches graded 5a, 5a, 4c and 5c … Continue reading Pierre Avoir, Rock Climbing
I had been trying to arrange a trip to tackle the Schreckhorn – Lauteraarhorn traverse all summer with Italian Mountain Guide, Giulia Monego, but the stars never aligned. However, a weather window opened up and Giulia agreed to tackle the Schreckhorn but not the traverse as this was another step up in terms of difficulty … Continue reading Summit Report – Schreckhorn AD+, 4,078m
I have previously described a mountaineering partnership as being like a marriage – over the last two days we tested whether a marriage works well as a mountaineering partnership. Catie hates climbing and yet somehow, she agreed to come and climb Punta Giordani (F - easy) with me and Parrotspitze (PD – a little difficult) … Continue reading Summit Report (featuring Catie) – Punta Giordani (4,046m) and Parrotspitze (4,432m)
Mountaineering partnerships are like marriages and like any successful marriage, being able to communicate openly, honestly and early is key. Sebastian and I had encountered some communication issues on our latest adventure which we discussed and which will make us a more effective partnership going forward. The summer weather has been so unsettled this year … Continue reading Summit Report (and relationship advice) – Stecknadelhorn (4,241m), Hobarghorn (4,219m) and Dirruhorn (4,035m) aka Nadelgrat
I had asked Bertrand to “step it up” and the traverse of the Aigulles du Diable is graded D+, a significantly higher level than anything I have attempted before and the hardest graded route in my guidebook. A traverse of challenging rock spires encompassing six 4,000m peaks high above the glacial snow and ice of … Continue reading Summit Report (and multiple near death experiences) – Aiguilles du Diable (D+) featuring Corne du Diable (4,064m), Pointe Chaubert (4,074m), Pointe Mediane (4,097m), Pointe Carmen (4,109m), L’Isolee (4,114m) and the Mont Blanc du Tacu (4,248m)
I headed to Courmayeur with my regular, Verbier based mountain guide, Bertrand Martinet. I had told Bertrand that I needed to be challenged and tested and so he had planned three days of “serious mountaineering.” However, we needed to acclimatise first and so he chose the iconic Dent de Geant as our “warm-up”. We left … Continue reading Summit Report – Dent du Geant (4,103m, AD)
The last time I climbed with Andrew Noble, we had fallen off the Dufourspitze after a snowy ledge had given way under his foot. As the two of us joined the reduced number of Japanese tourists on the train to the “top of Europe” at the Jungfraujoch, we hoped a similar fate would not befall … Continue reading Summit Report – Monch (4,107m PD+) and Jungfrau (4,158m PD)
Just getting to the Aosta Hut, our support base for the Dent D’Herens, was a mission. A twisting Italian mountain road took me to the Place Moulin Dam. From there, I road Catie’s “shopping bike” to the end of lake (5km) along a day-tripper strewn and rocky path that nearly destroyed her bike before chaining … Continue reading Summit Report (featuring suicidal Spaniard) – Dent D’Herens, 4,171m, AD
I have probably lived more than half my life and I felt that my time was running out, but… When I look back at the last 50 years I think its fair to say that I did not achieve much in the first 20 years of my life. Yes - I did snog a few … Continue reading Life begins at 50
Ultra endurance events are typically dominated by men with women making up only 10% to 20% of the field at best. The Costa Rica Coastal Challenge is a 6 day multi-stage running race covering 230km and 10,000m of vertical through the breathtaking jungles, mountains, rivers and beaches of Cost Rica. Unlike other events, the field … Continue reading Chasing strong women in Costa Rica (the Coastal Challenge Race Report)
Expeditions 