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Traversing Skye’s Cuillin Ridge in A Day

Traversing Skye’s Cuillin Ridge in A Day

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The iconic Black Cuillin Ridge dominates the landscape of Skye. Its traverse involves climbing and scrambling along the 12km ridge crest from one end to the other, taking in 11 Munros (and 22 peaks total) along the way. Adding to this the 7km walk-in and the 6km walk-out, the ascent totals over 4,000m. Whilst much of the traverse falls into in the grey area between walking and climbing, a full traverse also involves pitches of rock climbing to ‘severe’ grade and…

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Sunset at Old Harry Rocks
Exploring Swanage and Losing My Trad Climbing Virginity

Exploring Swanage and Losing My Trad Climbing Virginity

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Hanging suspended on cliffs above the crashing ocean and exploring the rugged Jurassic Coastline. The small town of Swanage has a lot to offer for adventurers and tourists alike. Swanage is a coastal town in Dorset and sits at the eastern end of the Jurassic Coast. It’s picturesque and historic coastlines have made it a popular summertime tourist destination, whilst its rock has made it famous amongst British climbers. Climbing in Swanage: Graduating from Sport to Trad We finally dipped…

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Tre Frati, Finale Ligure
Finale Ligure: Rock Climbing on the Italian Riviera

Finale Ligure: Rock Climbing on the Italian Riviera

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Finale Ligure, a lesser known part of the Italian Riviera, is a picturesque town situated on the northern coast of Italy. Imposing limestone cliffs, an ancient walled village, lush olive groves, a beautiful, Mediterranean coastline and stereotypically delectable Italian food… what’s not to love? Add to this the fact that there are upwards of 3,000 bolted climbing routes, and you can understand why Finale was considered a sport climbing Mecca in the 80s and 90s. But in recent years, Finale…

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The road to Whitney Portal (High Sierras in the background)
Storming Mount Whitney

Storming Mount Whitney

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With an elevation of 4,421m (14,505ft), Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. We battled torrential rain, hail, tent destroying marmots, altitude sickness, a burst camelback and a high altitude electrical storm… But we successfully bagged this summit in characteristically chaotic and disastrous Tom-and-Aoife style.     About Mount Whitney Located in the stunning Sierra Nevada mountain range of California, the summit of Mount Whitney lies on the Sierra Crest and the Great Basin Divide. Most…

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The Mont Blanc Massif from Chamonix
My First Time Alpine Mountaineering

My First Time Alpine Mountaineering

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My love for the mountains was born in Scotland, but it matured on the snowy slopes far above Chamonix. The Alps are the ultimate draw for mountaineers. They offer sensational vistas and a wide choice of routes for climbers of all levels, but are far more accessible than the likes of the Himalaya or Patagonia. I spent three days in the Mont Blanc Massif as I was introduced to Alpine mountaineering.      What’s the Difference Between Mountaineering and Climbing?…

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View of Val Badia from Via Ferrata Pisciadu
Nightmare on Via Ferrata Pisciadù

Nightmare on Via Ferrata Pisciadù

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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 in the Alps - Dent du Geant
Climbing in the Alps

Climbing in the Alps

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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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Uluru (Ayer's Rock)
10 Reasons Not To Climb Uluru

10 Reasons Not To Climb Uluru

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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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