The highlights of 2017, month by month. What a year it's been!
Read MoreThis is the last of five short stories based around climbing, and describes a gripping time on 'Book of Ages,' Yellow Walls. A micro-wire was all I could find. The stories were first written about two years ago, and have never been published.
Read MoreThis is the fourth of five short stories based around climbing, and describes one of my 'lucky' pieces of gear: a small gold wire, which has stood the test of time (just). The stories were first written about two years ago, and have never been published.
Read MoreThis is the third of five short stories based around climbing, and describes buying my first micro-wire - a Brass Offset. These legendary minuscule pieces of gear are synonymous with hard - and bold - trad climbing. The stories were first written about two years ago, and have never been published.
Read MoreThis is the second of five short stories based around climbing, and describes a frightening trad lead, when I 'came to' high above a skyhook, about to fall off.
The stories were first written about two years ago, and have never been published.
Read MoreThis is the first of five short stories based around climbing, and describes a dirtbag climber's worst nightmare - losing gear to the sea. The stories were first written about two years ago, and have never been published.
Read MoreA visit to Red Walls should contain as much excitement as nervousness. This piece describes two days of trad climbing with John Orr and Tim Neill at Red Walls - one of the finest crags at Gogarth.
Read MoreMore Lessons learnt: improving stove efficiency in the alpine, beta for an Alaskan expedition, the benefits of massage and foam rolling, the 'duffle shuffle,' tips and tricks when using a Micro Traxion and the Monzo debit card.
Read MoreAn account of a free ascent of the American route on the south face of the Aiguille du Fou, Mont Blanc massif, with Tony Stone
Read MoreAlpine climbing is unique - Deep Play at it's purest? On the return flight from Alaska last month, I wrote the following on what makes alpine climbing so special (and important) to me.
Read MoreDuring my expedition to the Central Alaska Range with Uisdean Hawthorn in 2017, we attempted two routes: the Moonflower on Mt. Hunter/Begguya, and the Slovak Direct on Denali. Despite being unsuccessful on both routes due to bad weather, we still had a great trip and summitted Denali (6190m) via the West Buttress.
Read MoreWhat's it like to live and climb in one of the world's greatest playgrounds? This tongue-in-cheek and 'fictitious' post describes climbing a route with a good Australian friend of mine, and some of the delights of the Chamonix life...
Read MoreA review of the La Sportiva G2 SM climbing boots.
Read MoreKim Ladiges and I made a free ascent of the Leseuer route on the north face of Les Drus, in winter.
Read MoreI spent about two weeks in Scotland during February 2017. The conditions were sub-optimal but we shared our experience with eight visiting Slovenians, as part of a BMC-organised exchange.
Read MoreThe third and final part of our trip to Patagonia. Tony and I finally got a break in the weather and managed to make an ascent of 'Supercanaleta' on Fitzroy. It's a fairly amenable route but we were psyched to climb it just before leaving for home!
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