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A Scottish Winter Season Missed
“The mountains will still be there next time…” This is a phrase commonly used by climbers to console those who have missed an opportunity, failed on a climb, or retreated for safety reasons. It can be a great comfort. Unlike us, mountains do not wither or grow old, and they
#TheAthollExpedition Goodreads competition is now closed
Many thanks to all of you who entered my Goodreads giveaway to win a signed copy of The Atholl Expedition. 167 people entered in total and I’m pleased to announce that the lucky winner is Julie Hallwood. Your copy of the book will be on its way shortly, Julie!
Should George Mallory’s ice axe remain in the UK?
If you ask the average person to name two mountaineers, he or she will probably pick Edmund Hillary and George Mallory. Both are synonymous with Everest, but for different reasons; while Edmund Hillary was the first to stand on the summit (along with his partner Tenzing Norgay), George Mallory is
#TheAthollExpedition reviewed by Trail magazine
I had wondered what was causing today’s huge spike in visitors to my website! Trail, one of the UK’s most widely-read outdoor and mountaineering magazines, has published a short review of The Atholl Expedition in this month’s issue. Here is the text in full: “The year is
Scotland’s last glacier … as it appears in the present day!
Photo (C) James Roddie 2014, all rights reserved Back in January, it emerged that the last glacier in the Scottish highlands may have lasted well into the 1700s. Coire an Lochain, a deeply carved corrie in the northern Cairngorms, was believed to be the site of one of the last
The Solomon Gordon papers, 1787 – 1789
“Who is Saussure? I hear his name everywhere about town this morning. Can it be that I am to have civilised company in this execrable valley at last?” “… For now that I have seen it, I confess that my thoughts are elevated from this abyss of sin in which we
The Summits of Modern Man by Peter Hansen: Book Review
The Summits of Modern Man: Mountaineering After the Enlightenmentby Peter H. Hansen I actually started reading this remarkable book some months ago. It’s a bit of a monster, so to make it more manageable I broke it down into chunks. This book is a marathon, not a sprint – and
Winter climbing conditions – how much information is too much?
British winter climbing is in a strange place at the moment. We like to get away to the hills as an escape from “real life,” and yet the world of climbing frequently mirrors the world around us even if we like to pretend that it doesn’t. Look around you.
The Atholl Expedition Goodreads giveaway
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