A Girl in the Wilderness

View of Val Badia from Via Ferrata Pisciadu

Nightmare on Via Ferrata Pisciadù

10th October 2018 aoife strahan Comments 3 Comments

An impending electrical storm, unexpected steep snow and a night in an emergency shelter. We learnt some important lessons the hard way when our ascent of Via Ferrata Pisciadù went horribly wrong. This is how a ‘chilled day in the Dolomites’ turned into a 30 hour expedition. What is a Via Ferrata? A via ferrata (known as Klettersteig in German) is a protected climbing route, found mostly within the Alps. The protection normally consists of a steel cable running along…

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Climbing Kinder Scout

8th October 2018 aoife strahan Comments 1 Comment

Dramatic edges, steep cloughs and peaty bog: the Peak District has an alluring beauty that makes up for the frequently awful weather! With a range of outdoor pursuits on offer, from rambling through to trad climbing, it is an ideal spot for a weekend getaway. Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District, at 636m (2,087ft). Its extensive moorland plateau offers charming walks for all abilities. Weekend Adventure After spending a month overlanding in the Australian Outback, it was…

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Climbing in the Alps

2nd October 2018 aoife strahan Comments 0 Comment

Jagged high-altitude peaks, sublime saw-edged ridges and sprawling glaciers streaked with crevasses. The Alps truly are a mountaineer’s playground. We spent four incredible days climbing rock, ice and snow on some of the most spectacular Alpine routes. Our Group As this was our first foray into Alpine Climbing and we wanted to get straight into more challenging routes, we opted for a guided experience. We had previously used Vertical Frontiers for a glacier travel/crevasse rescue course and were super impressed…

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Climbing Mount Kosciuszko in Winter

30th September 2018 aoife strahan Comments 1 Comment

Battling white-out, 80mph headwind and pummelling ice crystals… is this really Australia?! How a relatively simple ascent turned into a gruelling snowshoe adventure up Australia’s tallest mountain. About Mount Kosciuszko At 2,228 metres (7,310ft) above sea level, Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain in Australia. It is located within the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. The 3.5 hour hike up to the summit of Kosciuszko is popular in summer, where the gentle gradient and mesh walkway provide an…

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Planning an Overlanding Journey in Outback Australia

25th September 2018 aoife strahan Comments 0 Comment

Overlanding: the only way to authentically experience Outback Australia. Overlanding is self-reliant travel in remote destinations where the journey is generally the principal goal of the trip. This means days spent forging your way through creek crossings, bumping along heavily corrugated dirt tracks and kicking up clouds of red bull dust. Evenings are spent setting up camp, cooking up a bush dinner and sleeping under the breathtaking night sky. Think the Outback is just a whole load of nothing? Think again. You…

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Exploring Australia’s Red Centre

23rd September 2018 aoife strahan Comments 0 Comment

As an absolute dirtbag who actually enjoys being filthy, the idea of bumming around the dusty desert completely appealed to me. Add in the fact that there’s a load of really cool stuff to see, and the fact that the majority of the journey involved off-roading on isolated and remote dirt tracks, and you end up with my perfect road trip. The Route The plan for this leg of our Red Centre adventure was left relatively open in order…

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10 Reasons Not To Climb Uluru

22nd September 2018 aoife strahan Comments 0 Comment

Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock): a giant sandstone monolith famous throughout the world. For foreigners, it’s almost impossible not to conjure up the image of Uluru as soon as you hear the word ‘Australia’. Climbing Uluru is seen as a rite of passage for any intrepid visitor to the country, a ‘true Australian Outback experience’ which is the pinnacle of many tourists’ trip to the country. Can I Climb Uluru? The first recorded climb of Uluru was in 1936….

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