Category Archives: Climbing

Climbing in the Rain

The Case for All-Weather Climbing 1735 words/15 minutes “In the Golden Age of climbing, before the ascendency of the rock jock, no climber worth his salt would allow a little rain to deprive him of a days outing. A pint, or six, at the end of a day on the rock is to be encouraged.Continue reading “Climbing in the Rain”

Emei Shan

Climbing China’s sacred mountain and Buddha’s fire 15 minutes I was visiting Taiwan in the spring of 1983, when I first heard rumours that China was open to travellers, but nobody had met anyone who had actually been there. When I got to Hong Kong, I asked around at the hostel, and was shown theContinue reading “Emei Shan”

Club Ideal Daze

Cameroon’s premiere spot for the savvy traveller 2760 words/15 minutes I went to Cameroon in January 1999 to attend a conference in the capital Yaounde. Or more accurately, I went to a conference in Yaounde to get into Cameroon. Cameroon doesn’t encourage visitors, and so getting a visa to Cameroon requires an invitation from aContinue reading “Club Ideal Daze”

Volcanoes, Pygmies, and M23

I was worried I might need to cancel my field trip in the eastern Congo, and the Foreign office travel advisory was less than reassuring: We advise against all travel to eastern and north eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The only exception to this is within the towns of Bukavu and Goma, where we advise against all but essential travel. In Bukavu and Goma we advise against travel at night and to avoid travelling alone at all times.

The Lions Gate Bridge Caper

Greenpeace Daze part 6 15 minutes In the spring of 1987, Greenpeace launched an important new international campaign called Nuclear Free Seas. Most of the nuclear weapons in the world are carried by the world’s nuclear navies, especially the US and the USSR, but also by China the UK and France. With the majority ofContinue reading “The Lions Gate Bridge Caper”

Partners for Life

15 minutes I once said to a long standing climbing partner, ‘We’ve spent some of the best days of our lives together’, he looked at me with surprise, paused for a few moments and then replied, ‘You’re right we have!’ A climbing partner shares some of our greatest moments: the excitement, the fun and theContinue reading “Partners for Life”

Boris and Bill

In 1993, when Clinton and Yeltsin met in Vancouver, Greenpeace Canada had no action team in the west, and I was hired on contract when an action coordinator was needed. So Steve called me into the Greenpeace office and told me he wanted to do an action to get ending nuclear testing back on the table when the presidents met.

Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering-3

Knots in Manali, and War with Pakistan 15 Minutes [Following our ascent of a 17,000 foot ridge overlooking Tibet, we return for exams at the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, Manali.] We packed up our tents at high camp, leaving three foot high pedestals of snow where our tents had stood, showing us how much theContinue reading “Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering-3”

Bear Hunting, Goat Sausage and Views Over Tibet

The Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering Part 2 20 minutes. Part 1: A Princess Or An Ice Axe is the first piece on the blog. If you haven’t read it, now is the time. After ten days at the Himalayan Institute of Mountaineering, we set off to continue our training in the mountains. The day afterContinue reading “Bear Hunting, Goat Sausage and Views Over Tibet”