polar travel
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...
7 adventure sailing holidays for your bucket list | Atlas & Boots
Adventure sailing holidays have the ability to carry passengers to the far reaches of the world, accessing the most remote scenery the world has to offer. Having just returned from my first tall ship sailing adventure off the west coast of Scotland, and with my interest well and truly piqued, I take a look at some adventure sailing holidays I would love to join. The post 7 adventure sailing holidays for your bucket list 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.
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...
Arctic Circle Trail packing list: all you need in one place
Our detailed Arctic Circle Trail packing list includes everything you’ll need on a trek through Greenland’s wild and remote backcountry. Having just returned from my adventure trekking the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland I thought it would be useful to share my Arctic Circle Trail packing list as a point of reference for future trekkers. The post Arctic Circle Trail packing list: all you need in one place appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
16 unusual passport stamps of the world | Atlas & Boots
It may be unfashionable but I'm a bit of a box-ticker when it comes to travel. I'm working my way through the seven summits, the highest mountain on every continent (four down, three to go); I have a list of the countries I’ve visited (94 and counting!); and I keep track of memorable places such as the highest, lowest and driest spots I’ve visited. The post 16 unusual passport stamps of the world appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Longyearbyen: a walking tour of the world’s northernmost town
Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town, is easily seen on foot. We share our tried-and-tested route for exploring this remote outpost It’s okay. You didn’t come all the way to Svalbard, anchored in the Arctic Ocean roughly midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole, to linger in Longyearbyen. You don’t need to “eat like a local” here or “get under the skin” of the destination. It’s just not that type of town. There has never been an indigenous population in Svalbard. The first humans arrived on the archipelago just over 400 years ago to hunt and whale. As a result, local populations of wildlife were decimated with several species brought to the brink of extinction. Fortunately, decades of conservation work have seen vast tracts of land protected and wildlife number...
Don’t look down: the world’s most dangerous hikes
With bandits, molten lava and wild animals posing a threat, blisters are the least of your worries on the world’s most dangerous hikes From trekking across the treacherous windswept mountains of South Georgia to picking your way along the rickety walkways of Mount Hua Shan in China, these hikes are not for the fainthearted. 11 of the world’s most dangerous hikes Dizzying heights may be the least of your worries on the world’s most dangerous hikes. Instead, you have to prepare for extreme weather, erupting volcanoes and ferocious wildlife among other threats on these hair-raising trails. 1. Shackleton’s Route, South Georgia Island Biggest danger: Exposure, crevasses and a very remote location On 20th May 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton and two others stumbled into the whaling station ...
Kayaking in Svalbard: ice and isolation in the high Arctic
Kayaking in Svalbard among the icebergs of Hamiltonbukta showed us the true magic and magnitude of nature in the Arctic Sometimes, I hear myself talking about my job and think, “God, I sound ridiculous.” It’s usually when I’m rattling on about where I’ve been and have to check myself, remembering that most people aren’t fortunate enough to visit places like the Galápagos or Easter Island – let alone both in a single trip. Recently, one of these occasions cropped up when I was wriggling into a heavy-duty dry suit in preparation for our kayaking excursion in Svalbard. A fellow passenger asked me if I had done this before and I explained that, unfortunately, I had missed out on a kayaking excursion earlier in the year in Antarctica because of Covid-related restrictions. “You were in Antarctic...
Polar Plunge Q&A: everything you need to know
The Polar Plunge is a fearsome rite of passage for visitors to Antarctica and the Arctic. Here, we share what you need to know so you can leap with ease I still remember the moment I learnt about the Polar Plunge. I was at home in London on a typically gloomy day in the mid 2010s. I was wasting time online when I came across an article about Antarctica. Sadly, I can’t remember the writer’s name, but the photo of her was joyous: midway through the Polar Plunge, her body drawn into a starfish shape, a jubilant smile on her face. It was so pure and fun, and completely unselfconscious in a way that women are taught not to be. I decided that one day I too would take the Plunge. Fast forward seven years and I’ve done it in both Antarctica and the Arctic. To help you decide whether or not t...
In photos: 20 reasons to visit Svalbard
From vast landscapes and giant glaciers to sly foxes and posing seals, we share some of the myriad reasons to visit Svalbard in the Arctic Known as the last stop before the North Pole, Svalbard proved to be the Arctic we had always imagined: midnight sun, gleaming glaciers and snowcapped peaks, a frigid ocean riddled with ice and extraordinary wildlife including walruses, sea birds and polar bears. We visited the remote archipelago on an 8-day Svalbard expedition with Albatros Expeditions aboard the Ocean Atlantic where we sailed in the perpetual sunlight of the Arctic summer. Our route took us from the main town of Longyearbyen around the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard’s largest island, where we dropped anchor in sheltered fjords to make landings and Zodiac excursions. We t...
Under the midnight sun: a surreal trip to Svalbard
In the land of the midnight sun, Kia finds a place of raw nature, rare wildlife and one of her most memorable moments of travel It is said that you can’t die in Svalbard, the remote archipelago that lies midway between Norway and the North Pole. The permafrost here not only preserves corpses, it sometimes pushes them to the surface. The truth is that authorities would prefer you didn’t die on Svalbard. Coffin burials are not allowed due to the permafrost, so critically-ill patients are usually flown to mainland Norway. And just as there are rules in death, there are also rules in life. Heavily pregnant women are flown to the mainland as giving birth in Svalbard is also off limits. In many ways, this is a place occupied by life and death. The capital, Longyearbyen, is home to th...
