Nepal
In defence of climbing Everest | Atlas & Boots
It has been a strange year. Usually, press trips, treks and working holidays mean that it’s not uncommon for me to spend up to three months away from home. This year, however, I’ve been away just twice. This year, it was all about one thing: Denali. The post In defence of climbing Everest appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Everest base camp kit list: all you need for this classic trek | Atlas & Boots
My comprehensive Everest base camp kit list includes everything you’ll need to complete the trek to the foot of the highest mountain in the world. Having just returned from trekking to Everest base camp with G Adventures, I thought it would be useful to share my entire Everest base camp kit list as a point of reference for future trekkers. I joined a G Adventures 15-day to trek Everest base camp, which includes 12 days of trekking: eight to ascend to base camp and four to descend back to Lukla. The post Everest base camp kit list: all you need for this classic trek appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
10 remarkable international borders | Atlas & Boots
From mountains to libraries, we take a look at some of the most extraordinary international borders to be found across the globe. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an impressive collection of new websites, blogs and social media accounts dedicated to ‘travel porn’. They’re filled with big, sweeping images of fairytale lands and precarious precipices. The post 10 remarkable international borders appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
The countries we most want to see | Atlas & Boots
In 2017, during a long trip through Asia, I asked Peter a question: if you could see only five countries before you die, what would they be? My rule was that he couldn’t choose countries he had already visited, nor stateless territories (e.g. Antarctica). Fast forward seven years and he has seen four out of five countries on his original list, so I asked him to come up with a new one. Given that he has been to 100 countries and all seven continents, it wasn’t easy – but he managed it. The post The countries we most want to see appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Countries where you can see tigers in the wild | Atlas & Boots
From the Russian taiga to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, we profile the places and countries where you can see tigers in the wild A century ago, as many as 100,000 wild tigers stalked the planet but by the dawn of the 21st century, that figure had plummeted by around 95% largely due to habitat loss and The post Countries where you can see tigers in the wild appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Everest base camp trek tips: 28 things to know before you go
Our tips for trekking to Everest base camp, generated from the many questions our readers sent in. Before, during and since my Everest base camp trek in Nepal, we’ve received dozens of questions about the experience via email and social media. We’ve collated them all below in a detailed Q&A to create the following tips for trekking to Everest base camp. The post Everest base camp trek tips: 28 things to know before you go appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Non-technical mountain climbs: 13 trekking peaks
There are no ‘death zones’ on these non-technical mountain climbs but they offer plenty of challenges for mere mortals like me As a climber, I have completed several indoor climbing and winter mountaineering courses but my technical climbing skills still leave a lot to be desired. I have mastered basic rope, ice axe and crampon skills but don’t practise them as often as I’d like. All too often I only find time for some wilderness backpacking in Europe or low-altitude scrambling in the UK. Regardless, I still have high hopes of climbing the seven summits (three down, four to go). I’m aware that I’ll never be a Reinhold Messner or Chris Bonington (I’ll settle for reading their books instead) but I still long to pitch myself against tall mountains with imposing names....
Vibe killers: Here are the countries that moved to outlaw crypto in the past year
Last week, Pakistan’s Sindh High Court held a hearing on the legal status of digital currencies that might lead an outright ban of cryptocurrency trading combined with penalties against crypto exchanges. Several days later, the Central Bank of Russia called for a ban on both crypto trading and mining operations. Both countries could join the growing ranks of nations that moved to outlaw digital assets, which already include China, Turkey, Iran and several other jurisdictions. According to a report by the Library of Congress (LOC), there are currently nine jurisdictions that have applied an absolute ban on crypto and 42 with an implicit ban. The authors of the report highlight a worrisome trend: the number of countries banning crypto has more than doubled since 2018. Here are the ...
Eight-thousanders: the 14 highest peaks in the world
The eight-thousanders are so ferocious that only 44 people have summited them all. We explain why they bewitch climbers all across the globe Most boys grow out of their fascination with mountains and the great outdoors. Those that do not usually end up on the side of a mountain, asking ‘what the hell am I doing here?’ But, as the saying goes, the best alpinists have the worst memories and so they venture once again into the ether. My fascination with mountains was piqued as a child when I visited the Glen Coe region in the Highlands of Scotland and eyed the gullies of Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. This fascination has only grown through the years. My bookcase continues to expand with mountaineering books, from thrilling first-person accounts of difficult first ascents to thick bio...
Ice maidens: 10 first ascents by female mountaineers
In a world dominated by men, a select group of women have shattered the ice ceiling. Here we review some daring first ascents by female mountaineers I’ll be honest: it rankles to write the words ‘the first female’ to do such and such. It feels patronising, as if to say you weren’t good enough to play with the big boys but I’ll pat you on the head anyway. The truth is, of course, that being the first female to do something great is and should be an achievement. We in the western world have lived under a patriarchy for centuries; one that has undermined and undervalued women at every turn. The select few that have broken through deserve to be hailed as great. Today, we pay homage to 10 daring first ascents by female mountaineers. first ascents by female mountaineers: Specific pea...
30 most beautiful mountains in the world
The most beautiful mountains in the world have captivated climbers for centuries. Here, we examine their lethal appeal “You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you,” said John Muir, the renowned naturalist, author and environmental philosopher. If our resident seven-summit hopeful is anything to go by, Muir makes a valid point. Those who spend time in the mountains seem to be driven by a deeper force. These brave men and women will face vertiginous vertical falls, sub-zero temperatures and 8,000m death zones in pursuit of their summit dreams. It’s in ode to them that we present this list. Most beautiful mountains in the world 1. Cuernos del Paine Height: 2,600m (8,530ft) Location: Andes, Chile Emperorcosar/Shutterstock The stunning Cuernos del Paine Los Cuernos del Paine or ‘Pai...
Cold shoulder: 10 dramatic climbing controversies
From dubious first ascents to tense clashes at high altitude, we chart 10 dramatic climbing controversies – some resolved and others less so There was a time when climbing controversies were sportingly confined to the slopes. The petty trivialities, the robust exchanges and the heated clashes were just part of the cut and thrust of the mountaineering world. As the field grew more lucrative and summiteers were furnished with fame and book deals, these once-discreet disputes began to spill off the slopes. From contested first ascents to violent clashes at high altitude, we review some of history’s most fascinating climbing controversies. Denali: Frederick Cook, 1906 In 1906, explorer Dr Frederick Cook took a photograph that would make him famous: a flag-bearing silhouette standin...
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