Mountain conquered by teenager
Calum Macintyre is the youngest person to have climbed Ama Dablam, which at 22,525ft (6812m) is five times the height of Ben Nevis. The young mountaineer was raising money for the Teenager Cancer Trust. Calum’s father and sister have both…
The mother of all climbs
Every time I stepped outside my hotel in Zermatt there would be a gaggle of tourists holding up their phones to take a photo. Not of me, annoyingly, but of the big pointy peak rearing up into the heavens. The…
The Faces of Fishtail
I think I was already in love with Machapuchare before I ever visited Nepal. My parents went to Pokhara in 2002, and at the time I was most put out. Since I was a teenager I had had a fascination…
A Guide to Trekking Mount Fitz Roy
With glaciers wrapped around tall dark mountain peaks, and continual wind blowing through fields and forests, Patagonia’s wild landscape may seem daunting and unconquerable. However, trekking Mount Fitz Roy proves to be an exhilarating and perfectly achievable experience for any…
Central Andes Alpine Climbs
One of our favorite trips is our Central Andes Alpine Climbs, a fun, shorter duration 10-day trip on which we climb three classic high altitude peaks in the heart of the Chilean Central Andes. This trip is perfect for those…
Exploring the Cadini di Misurina
After such an epic, wildly-successful first day, we were a little adrift as to what to do for a follow-up. Michele had suggested the Cadini di Misurina — a dense maze of improbably-pointy mountain peaks looming east of town —…
Trekking in the Himalayas: how to do it
Since Nepal’s civil war ended in 2006, the number of trekkers visiting the Everest region has more than doubled to 35,000 a year. At the height of the season, around 60 flights land at Lukla airport each day. The Sherpa…
Snow Climbing Mount Fuji
Climbing Mount Fuji (3776 meters), Japan’s highest and most prominent mountain, can make for lifelong memories. The mountain itself may look more attractive from afar than from close up, but the views on clear days and the experience of climbing…
The Dolomites – Via Ferrata
Located in northern Italy and with a unique mix of Italian and Austrian culture the Dolomites has the highest concentration of via ferrata in the world, boasting some 170 historic routes. The metal wires intespersed with ladders and unlikely suspension…
Climbing in Greece
Once the island of Kalymnos in Greece’s Dodecanese cursed the hand nature had dealt it. Huge rock escarpments line its western coast, overlooking the Aegean. The slopes below, covered in wild oregano, thyme and mint, were good only for goats…
Mount Everest: the view from the top
It feels like the apex of an immense white roof – the point at which three ridges to the top of the world finally meet and you can’t go any higher. Unlike some summits, where mountaineers have to take it…
The Kronplatz – plan de corones holiday region in winter
On arrival, every guest will receive a travel ticket from their host (where the host is a member of the local Tourist Association). The HOLIDAY PASS entitles guests to use all public transport throughout the whole of South Tyrol. This…
Best slopes are above 2,000m in Méribel
There has been a lack of significant new snow in the Alps but existing snow has held well in the relatively cold conditions. Last night 5cm of new snow was fairly widespread, however, up to 45cm of new snow is…
Skiing in Obergurgl, including the best runs, hotels, restaurants and bars
Obergurgl, one of the highest ski villages in Europe, set at 1,930m at the end of the Ötztal valley near the city of Innsbruck, used to trade on its reputation as Austria’s most snowsure non-glacial resort. These days its image…
Val Thorens – the highest resort in Europe
Purpose-built Val Thorens is not only the highest resort in the giant Trois Vallées ski area that includes Courchevel and Méribel, but the highest in Europe. Its lofty altitude means that doorstep skiing with guaranteed snow cover is possible from…
Whistler: too much snow to ski? No such thing
‘It’s puking snow up here again today,” said Anton Horvath, Whistler’s avalanche forecaster, peering out of his office window on Wednesday last week. “If you took off your skis outside, you would literally sink up to your armpits. I’ve been…
Val d’Isère – skiing in best freestyle ski areas
Joe Harkess, freestyle coach, All Mountain Academy Tricksters inspired by Jenny Jones’s Olympic bronze medal should ride the snowpark at Bellevarde (under the Mont Blanc chairlift). It has jumps of varying sizes, as well as boxes and rails – so…
Snow wonder
While your friends head to Spanish beaches and Italian hills, Chile – with its numerous ski resorts – is an adventurous alternative to the typical summer holiday. Andean skiing offers an unforgettable combination of beach-style weather, great snow and exotic…
Skiing in the French Pyrenees: who needs the Alps?
It wasn’t the usual airport transfer. We bumped along in the back of a friendly stranger’s battered old jeep, the resident cocker spaniel having obligingly moved to sit on his owner’s lap in the front seat. But our shuttle driver…
Puy-Saint-Vincent, great little ski resorts
Pretty Puy-Saint-Vincent sits on the edge of the Ecrins national park in the southern French Alps, not far from the Italian border. The closest airport is Turin, less than two hours away, or add another hour to drive from Grenoble…
Oz-en-Oisans – a family-friendly ski resort with amazing slopes
Before I had kids, my dream winter break was all about mixing great snowboarding with a good après scene involving live music and big jugs of beer, while a powder-tastic snow movie played in the background. Post-children, I still want…
Head for the hills, the snow’s finally here
This season, Europe’s slopes have been so barren there were practically tumbleweeds blowing across them, until thankfully a deep covering of snow finally dropped over the Alps last weekend. But those who’ve been holding out for thigh-deep powder before bagging…
Quote post type 1
Iremember where I was the day that Amy Winehouse died. I had run into a shop in Soho to buy a birthday present, when I heard an exchange between the girl at the till and her customer. “She died of…
Classic post type 1
Once the island of Kalymnos in Greece’s Dodecanese cursed the hand nature had dealt it. Huge rock escarpments line its western coast, overlooking the Aegean. The slopes below, covered in wild oregano, thyme and mint, were good only for goats…