North America
Mountaineering calendar: when to climb the world’s great peaks
Since I first started climbing, I must have spent hours typing “when is the best time to climb…” into search engines and then crawling through websites to find the key piece of information I needed. Only when I have a date in mind can I start to think about the practicalities of actually trying to climb a mountain (i.e. booking time off work, flights, budget, gear etc). To solve this problem once and for all, Atlas & Boots has put together a mountaineering calendar of the world’s greatest mountains and the optimal time of year at which to climb them. Drawing on Adventure Consultants’ expedition calendar, we list the world’s major mountains and ranges month by month. The list is not entirely inclusive as it would take too long to list every mountain on the planet. Likewise, to avoid re...
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.
11 best day trips from Anchorage, Alaska | Atlas & Boots
The word 'epic' does not do Alaska justice. The state is home to North America's largest mammals, national parks the size of countries and glaciers bigger than some US states. It is the least densely populated state in the USA; has 17 of North America’s highest mountains, 100 volcanoes, 3,000 rivers and over three million lakes. The post 11 best day trips from Anchorage, Alaska appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
21 interesting facts about Denali | Atlas & Boots
I was planning my climb of Denali, in Alaska, USA, for over 18 months. Between training sessions, I spent swathes of time pouring over maps of the route and reading reports on previous expeditions, all in an attempt to absorb as much information about the mountain as I could. The post 21 interesting facts about Denali appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Steep dreams: my tried and tested sleeping system for Denali | Atlas & Boots
The coldest I have ever been in my life was while climbing Denali – hardly surprising considering it's one of the coldest and windiest places in the USA. During the expedition, there were several times when I felt the cold intensely, so much so that I even suffered some mild frostbite on my fingers after we were delayed on the fixed ropes for several hours. That said, I was never cold when safely cocooned in my sleeping bag. The post Steep dreams: my tried and tested sleeping system for Denali appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Climbing Denali: a dream almost slips through my fingers | Atlas & Boots
At around 6.30pm local time on Tuesday 28 May 2024, six grown men stood on the summit of Denali, the highest peak in North America, crying their eyes out. Among us was a triathlon athlete, a veteran of the Marathon des Sables and an Everest summiteer who was returning to Denali for his second attempt. One of our group, a Californian who regularly climbed in the Sierras, was on his knees sobbing over his ice axe. The post Climbing Denali: a dream almost slips through my fingers 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.
The most stunning natural phenomena on Earth | Atlas & Boots
As Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken made history as the first astronauts to launch to orbit on a privately-owned spaceship, the world took pause to watch. Given the turmoil of our times, one observer quipped, 'Congratulations to the Astronauts that left Earth today. Good choice.' The post The most stunning natural phenomena on Earth appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Not for novices: America’s most dangerous hikes | Atlas & Boots
While most will – and do – complete these hikes unscathed, the trails can be perilous enough that a spot of bad luck, small mistake or slight miscalculation can leave you seriously injured – or even dead. Exposure, crevasses, avalanches – all the usual threats can be found on America's most dangerous hikes. But there are also a few wildcards in here that can turn a walk in the park into a dice with death. Huckleberries anyone? The post Not for novices: America’s most dangerous hikes appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Not for novices: America’s most dangerous hikes | Atlas & Boots
While most will – and do – complete these hikes unscathed, the trails can be perilous enough that a spot of bad luck, small mistake or slight miscalculation can leave you seriously injured – or even dead. Exposure, crevasses, avalanches – all the usual threats can be found on America's most dangerous hikes. But there are also a few wildcards in here that can turn a walk in the park into a dice with death. Huckleberries anyone? The post Not for novices: America’s most dangerous hikes appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
20 most stunning big wall climbs from around the world | Atlas & Boots
It was five years ago that I first came across a big wall climber. A tiny speck on the side of a gigantic granite wall, the climber was bivvying in Yosemite National Park, the Holy Land of big wall climbing. I couldn't comprehend how someone could sleep tacked onto the side of a wall, suspended thousands of feet above the ground, sometimes in treacherously windy conditions. I was reminded of this special breed of people by the recent film Meru which follows three world-class climbers on their efforts to scale the mountain's imposing Shark's Fin. The high-altitude and Alpine climbing on display is impressive of course but it's the big wall climbing on the near-featureless Shark's Fin that is really mind blowing. The post 20 most stunning big wall climbs from around the world appeared fir...
Ranked: safest countries in the world 2023
Iceland is once again the safest country in the world followed by Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand and Austria. However, the world is a less peaceful place as the average level of global peacefulness has deteriorated for the ninth year in a row, with 84 countries recording an improvement and 79 a decline, according to the latest Global Peace Index (GPI). The post Ranked: safest countries in the world 2023 appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
