Mountaineering

Learn from Zeb Blais, IFMGA Mountain Guide and Owner of Blackbird Mountain Guides, as he shares his expert knowledge on best practices for avoiding avalanche risks. Discover a comprehensive checklist of essential tips and advice to stay safe while enjoying the backcountry.

Leading a team to an 8000m summit demands impeccable organisation, unwavering commitment, and an affinity for the otherworldly landscapes of the loftiest mountains. Jon Gupta shares his guiding experience on the world’s third highest peak. 

Rab Athlete Tor Berge recently journeyed to Jotunheimen for a few days of peak bagging, with his climbing partner Bjørn.

Guy Robertson and Adam Russell have repeated The Wailing Wall (IX 9) on An Teallach, a route established by the late Martin Moran.

Ryan Vachon shares his thoughts from the 2022 Ouray Ice Festival.

Christine and Sam take on the Mount Rundle Traverse. But have they bitten off more than they can chew?

Bas and Danny are alone on the west pillar of the Scheidegg Wetterhorn. How will they fare on Berner Oberland's wild route?

Decision-making in the mountains is difficult. Do we continue? Do we go back down? When faced with illness, high winds, and doubt, what would you do if the summit was in reach?

Benny, Alex, and Austin explored the Alaskan Hayes Range in autumn to see what they would find. Turns out, they found some seriously good climbing.

Benny, Alex, and Austin explored the Alaskan Hayes Range in autumn to see what they would find. Turns out, they found some seriously good climbing.

We caught up with Juho, a dedicated Finnish climber, Juho as he heads of to the Karakorum for some new routing.

The Bianco Ridge on Piz Bernina (4.048m) is a dream route for many climbers. Just like the photogenic west-east traverse of Piz Palü (3.905m). Even better would be to link up both ridge routes and combine them into one long tour. In spite of a somewhat unstable weather forecast the young Dutch Expedition Academy team gave it a try. It all turned out a little different than expected, but was an unforgettable day.

My home is Bergen, Norway – otherwise known as the city between the seven mountains. It is here that I grew up with a family who took me to the mountains or the cabin every weekend and every holiday. With that, I was trained from a very early age to take active breaks from a busy everyday life.

I’m not a big fan of waking up early, yet I seem to have chosen a lifestyle and career where my phone alarm has seven different wake-up calls set between midnight and 6am. It’s the hours of darkness that are the worst bit, trudging across glaciers when it’s cold, but still warm enough for you to work up a sweat that mingles with your sun cream.

In our 70s, pink candy-coloured Land Cruiser, it looks more like heading out from a summer camp. Our driver, as comfortable behind the wheel as he is on the turntables, happily shares with us his local playlist. In the back seat, smiling, Nuawas, Muaz and Nazir enthusiastically accompany the words (they take care of our logistics and, in particular, our kitchen at base camp).  Rocked by the road and the landscapes that pass by, I watch the scene just happy to be back in Pakistan.

“This isn't the forest or even the snow, there are no rocks, no trails or footprints, no plants or flowers- this is ice. And guess what: it changes every single day.”

One of the amazing things about being a young alpinist from a country with a strong climbing tradition is that with an average internet connection, a computer capable of running Google Earth, and the skills to weave together a compelling grant application, you can find yourself able to attempt exploratory climbing in some of the greatest mountain ranges on Earth. 

At 5,263m Illiniza Sur is Ecuador’s 6th highest mountain, and is considered one of the country’s more technically challenging peaks. Often overlooked in exchange for more popular volcanoes such as Chimborazo (Ecuador’s highest peak at 6,310m) and Cayambe (5,790m).

‘The Place of the Gaels’ explores both the community and culture of winter mountaineering and climbing in the Highlands, introducing our American athletes to the notorious Scottish winter.