Blog
New article published on UKHillwalking.com
I’ve had a new bit of journalism published on UKHillwalking.com: “We’ve all heard of the Munros, the list of Scottish peaks over 3000 feet in height, but what about the Arthurs? In this interview Alex Roddie (username Only a Hill) talks to Edinburgh author Kellan MacInnes about
First look – EVEREST: THE FIRST ASCENT by Harriet Tuckey
On May the 29th, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the highest point on planet Earth. After fifty years of dreaming and hair-brained schemes, of failed expeditions and death, of legends and heroes, Everest had finally been climbed. It was a pivotal moment of the 20th century
Avalanche by moonlight
The ordinary experience on the UK’s mountains can be a predictable one. The weather is either middling, with low cloud, blustery wind and a splutter of rain, or it’s downright terrible–but you lace up your boots anyway, telling yourself you need the exercise. You reach the summit
The Chomolungma Diaries by Mark Horrell
The Chomolungma Diaries – what a CommercialEverest Expedition is Really Likeby Mark Horrell Everest has been in the news a lot recently, and for all the wrong reasons. The press often seems to take a perverse delight in preying on the negative aspects on climbing the highest mountain in the world.
A different kind of Kindle promotion: the well-timed price drop
It’s no secret that I am not a great believer in the KDP Select programme. To the non-authors amongst my readership, I shall define the term: it is a tool historically used by indie authors to propel a book into fame and riches, or (more realistically) to give a
“The Only Genuine Jones” is 79p on Kindle for a limited time only
The Only Genuine Jones, my debut novel, is currently on a special Bank Holiday weekend promotion. The Kindle edition has been reduced to 79p until the end of Monday, after which time it will go back up to its usual list price. If you haven’t yet snapped up a
The mountains of my life – Castor, my first Alpine peak
~ My brother James and Castor in the Swiss Alps ~ This blog post is part of a series of articles on mountains that have a special significance for me. See also: Bowfell, Tryfan and Stob Ban. By early 2007 I was immersed in the culture and history of mountaineering. I had
Work underway on “Forbes’ Challenge”
Today I would like to introduce my readers to a new project I’m working on. Although I am continuing to chip away at Alpine Dawn, that’s very much a long-term project which is going to take a lot of time to complete; at this rate I doubt it’
The ugly side of climbing and mountaineering culture
~ Aleister Crowley in 1902 ~ I’d like to begin this post by apologising on behalf of climbers everywhere. Today mountaineering has been in the news, and for all the wrong reasons: it seems that Western climbers were involved in a fight (brawl? pitched battle?) high on Everest. Other news has
Climbing with an Alpenstock
“It is a fact that everything which can be done with the alpenstock can be done also and better with the axe. No proper step can be quickly made with an alpenstock.” ~ “[The alpenstock] has a long tang running into the wood … and its termination is extremely sharp. With a