Mountaineering

My love affair with travel actually started many years before I realised it. For a long time, I had a designated bookmarks folder containing a handful of links to adventure companies. Every now and then, I’d venture into the folder, click a random link, and flick … Continue reading →

Back in 2008, Lauren and I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro up the Machame Route (also affectionately known as the Whiskey Route). At the time, it offered the best compromise between traffic, scenery, weather and availability. But preferences are personal. Would you prefer to sleep in tents … Continue reading →

I wrote about the effects of altitude in a previous post, The science behind mountain sickness. However, just after writing that note, I bumped into a paramedic who also has an interest in the effects of altitude. He’s worked for the State Emergency Service and is … Continue reading →

The Seven Summits is a group of the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents. It sounds pretty simple, but there’s a lack of conclusive agreement on what constitutes a continent. For example, if Australia is a continent, then where does New Zealand live? … Continue reading →

Adventure travel involves personal risk. There’s risk of injury, fatigue, exposure and disease. But at altitude, things change. Not only do we become more susceptible to these risks, but we expose ourselves to an additional risk: Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). AMS is quite literally debilitating. … Continue reading →