Col de Bavella, Corsica

Col de Bavella, Corsica

Climbing up the final stretch to the Col de Bavella I stopped to take a few photos of the rock faces and swirling clouds and Valentine was soon a speck in the distance. I was sweating profusely to catch up again. A young guy in an ancient Citroen passed down and I...
Monte Rosa – Margherita Hut

Monte Rosa – Margherita Hut

At 4554m, perched on the top of the peak ‘Signalkuppe’, this is the highest building in Europe, the Margherita Hut. It serves both as an alpine refuge for climbers and as a research laboratory for scientists studying altitude medicine among other things....
Autumn Hiking – Bernina Alps

Autumn Hiking – Bernina Alps

Each autumn my father, in his sixties and ever keen for an adventure, comes out to visit. This year it happily coincided with Lowe Alpine asking me to shoot some images for the upcoming pack range. Here are a few images from behind the scenes, for the rest we’ll...
Scarpa Phantom 6000 (p)review

Scarpa Phantom 6000 (p)review

This is a review of a pair of pre-production samples of next seasons Scarpa Phantom 6000 mountaineering boot. I’ll say straight up that I don’t know much about boots except than how to use them. Secondly I work with Scarpa (France) as an...
Bishorn – Ski Tour

Bishorn – Ski Tour

When all the lifts are closed and it has just snowed 50cm yet rained to 3000m and had gale force winds above, options become a bit limited for mountaineering or skiing! As I’m working on a photography book of the finest routes on each of the 4000s, it seemed an...
Col Du Plan – North Couloir

Col Du Plan – North Couloir

North Face of Aiguille du Midi, Col du Plan couloir marked Before the last few days of monsoon, we sneaked in a descent of the North Couloir of the Col du Plan. As so often with an exciting plan in uncertain conditions it was Tom’s idea! It had rained overnight...
E Couloir – Pointe des Vignettes

E Couloir – Pointe des Vignettes

Perfect clear calm weather for a quick day hit to ski an interesting couloir in Switzerland yesterday! Jesper and Mikko skinning up from Arolla The week before I was working on the Haute Route skinning up to the Bertol hut and spotted a couloir below the Vignettes hut...

Capturing the Image – Shooting Spindrift

In late August I had a last minute assignment from Lowe to shoot their new range of Alpine Attack packs. As I also work with Rab and Lowe as a supported  athlete they asked me to write a little about the logistics of how we got these images! August is prime time for...
Goulotte Profit Perroux, Aiguille du Midi

Goulotte Profit Perroux, Aiguille du Midi

Having been working flat out all summer for my first season as an Aspirant Guide here in the Alps, I have had very little time to climb for myself. For the last 10 days since I finished working my legs have felt wrecked, but the conditions on the Jorasses and other...
Y Couloir, Aiguille Verte

Y Couloir, Aiguille Verte

We arrived at Montenvers and looked across the Mer du Glace to where we were heading and were somewhat bemused by the lack of snow in evidence. It looked almost like summer conditions from down below. We discussed ditching the skis but eventually, and thankfully,...
Racing the PDG…

Racing the PDG…

The final and most popular race of the Ski Mountaineering season has come around – the Patrouille des Glaciers, organised by the Swiss Army. The full course runs from Zermatt to Verbier, 4000m ascent over 53 km. It now attracts so many competitors that there are...
Pre PDG training…

Pre PDG training…

In the last little period before the Patrouille des Glaciers (classic high mountain ski race between Zermatt and Verbier) we’ve been getting out trying to keep fit and acclimatised. With Misha Gopaul and Ben Barsdley I headed over to Verbier to recce the last...
BMG ski touring training

BMG ski touring training

Two weeks ago we had the five days of the British Mountain Guies ski touring training that were run by Terry Ralphs and Graham McMahon, two veteran BMG ski guides. We were based in Arolla in Swiss Valais, but were focussed on hut to hut touring so only spent two...
Scotland to Chamonix… full circle.

Scotland to Chamonix… full circle.

To be frank, I wouldn’t wish the British Mountain Guides Scottish winter test on anyone. It was as gruelling and severe an experience  as I can imagine, and one that is best not repeated. Thankfully I passed. I would provide some details but I have shut the...
Scottish Conditions – North West

Scottish Conditions – North West

Just a hasty post and some snaps as we saw some vaguely clear sky today in the North West of Scotland, albeit briefly! I drove up early from Aviemore to meet Martin Moran and his clients – James, Gordan, Paul and Steve, at Achnashellach to start a ‘Winter...

Scottish Conditions – Early season

Though I’ve been back in Scotland for over a week now to begin training for the Guide’s winter test, the last two days are the first of the ‘winter’ conditions that I’ve seen. The wind has been unrelenting for the last week, but only in...

South Pillar / Voie Bastien Contamine – Grand Dru

  “View of the Chamonix Aiguilles from the Charpoua Refuge” When we left the hut before dawn, Christophe, the guardian’s parting shot was ‘be careful to read the topo very carefully beyond the Trident. This is where a lot of people get lost.’ Christophe hadn’t...

Broken Skis and British Champions

Sliding down the damp late afternoon spring snow to the base of the Grand Montets, we saw Killian Jornet and Mathéo Jacquemoud skinning up the piste with their distinctive rolling, long poling techniques. No doubt they were off for a short training session to the...
Mont Blanc via the Peuterey Integrale

Mont Blanc via the Peuterey Integrale

Looking back, with the clarity of hindsight, we chose the wrong route down. To descend from the top of Europe in the dark, with winds that had us stumbling and crawling off the mountain, was chaos. But to choose the quickest way down was to miscalculate the balance...