The Next Challenge

Tag: Mountaineering

  • Planning for the Unknown: Climbing in the Altai

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    Tim Moss
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    Part of the reason I chose the Russian Altai mountains for a mountaineering expedition in 2009 was that I had never heard of the Altai Mountains before and, it seemed, nor had anyone else I spoke to. So, it’s been great to hear of others climbing in the Altai subsequently and even better that George…

  • Climbing Mountains in Kyrgyzstan

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    Tim Moss
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    I had never heard of Kyrgyzstan or the Tien Shan mountains when a friend suggested we go climbing there, nor had I worn crampons or ever left Europe before. The thought of setting off for these huge peaks was both exciting and very daunting. But set off I did, with Ben Davitt and Thom Allen,…

  • My First Step

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    Tim Moss
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    My first step on the road to becoming an adventurer was something of a giant leap. I found myself dangling from a rope on a 6,000-metre peak in Kyrgyzstan that had only been climbed thrice. The trip was a disaster. The reference to dangling was not metaphorical. We never summited anything and our poor food…

  • Risking the Mountains

    Risking the Mountains

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    Tim Moss
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    Here is a video made by my friend Patrick O’Hara. Filmed in the Haute Marienne region of the French Alps, British Mountain Guide Andy Teasdale talks about risks and decision making in the mountains. (If the above window’s not playing the video then you can try watching it on Vimeo).

  • Climbing Terminology

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    Tim Moss
    in

    Climbing is filled with a lot of jargon. Some of the terms in particular define key concepts for mountaineering so getting your head around them can be quite fundamental. Below are a few useful bits of terminology. [divide] [box type=”note” bg=”#ebebeb” color=”#111″ font=”arial” fontsize=”13″ border=”#a6a6a6″ head=”How To Climb An Unclimbed Mountain” headbg=”#21417b” headcolor=”#fff”] This is…

  • Mountaineering Boot and Crampon Ratings

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    Tim Moss
    in

    Walking and mountaineering boots can be categorised on a rating between 0 and 3 to signify the purpose for which they are designed and the crampons with which they are compatible. Crampons are similarly rated 1-3. [divide] [box type=”note” bg=”#ebebeb” color=”#111″ font=”arial” fontsize=”13″ border=”#a6a6a6″ head=”How To Climb An Unclimbed Mountain” headbg=”#21417b” headcolor=”#fff”] This is an…

  • The Difference between Climbing and Scrambling

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    Tim Moss
    in

    There are lots of different types of climbing – like rock, ice and mixed – and then there are other fuzzier areas like scrambling and walking on snow. Below I have tried to give a very brief explanation of each and how they compare to one another. [divide] [box type=”note” bg=”#ebebeb” color=”#111″ font=”arial” fontsize=”13″ border=”#a6a6a6″…

  • A Mountain of Experts

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    Tim Moss
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    One of the added joys of writing my book last year was that I had an excuse to contact many legendary names, people whose books I’d read and names I’d heard countless times but never met. Here are the mountaineers that kindly contributed a piece of advice for the How To Climb An Unclimbed Mountain…

  • Advice for Climbing at Altitude

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    Tim Moss
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    Walking and climbing on high mountains brings additional risks from the lack of oxygen in the air. Below I have given a very brief description of Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) and some basic advice for acclimatisation. [divide] [box type=”note” bg=”#ebebeb” color=”#111″ font=”arial” fontsize=”13″ border=”#a6a6a6″ head=”How To Climb An Unclimbed Mountain” headbg=”#21417b” headcolor=”#fff”] This is an…

  • Female Pioneers, Natural Explorers and Ultra-Marathon Food

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    Tim Moss
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    Here’s your monthly half dozen dose of articles that I’ve read and enjoyed. It includes a history of female mountaineering, a debate about the foods people eat whilst running, and a bad review of a good book amongst other things. I make a similar list each month. Browse the old and best in the Six…

  • Top 10 Things to do in Patagonia

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    Tim Moss
    in

    Shortly before heading out to South America at the end of last year, Laura made contact with Swoop Patagonia, a travel company based in Bristol. We met with Luke Errington, who runs Swoop with Charlotte Brown, and they were incredibly helpful in hooking us up with some contacts down south. And now they’ve kindly written…

  • Skateboarding, Mud Running, Barefoot and Swimming

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    Tim Moss
    in

    Back after a brief hiatus whilst in Patagonia, here are half a dozen articles that I’ve read in the last month or so and thought that you might enjoy. I do a similar post each month and have created a new archive page for the Six of the Best series. I was pleased to notice that only…