With fading light and dropping temperatures, the snow and ice were making our descent tiring and treacherous. We were all tired but it was becoming clear that one of us was totally exhausted and their hands were now struggling to grip. The trouble is that every time you slip, falling to be caught with a…
Tag: Mountaineering
Third Man Factor – Our Guardian Angels?
June 1st 1933, and the British Everest Expedition to climb the highest mountain in the world, which had started out as a large scale, well organised military-style operation was coming to a desperate end. High up above 26,000ft, in the death zone, where there is not enough oxygen in the air for human life to…
Alpine Mountain Refuges: 5 reasons why you should experience them
Whether an experienced mountaineer or keen walker, you have not really experienced the Alps until you have stayed in one of the thousands of mountain refuges there. Some in the lowlands are easily accessed, even by car. However many ot them are high on the rocks, accessible only by walking in and out. The facilities…
Guide to Start Climbing Your Own Via Ferratas
If you enjoy hill-walking, scrambling or climbing you may not yet be familiar with the mountain experience known as a Via Ferrata (or Iron Path) although they can be found in most areas of the world. They originated in Italy at the start of the 20th century to facilitate troop movements across the mountains. There…