Mark Horrell's Blog, page 42

Remembering the avalanche: a tribute to all Sherpas

There's no better way to mark the anniversary of the avalanche on Everest last year than by remembering one of the Sherpas who died. Here's a post that is a tribute not just to him, but to all Sherpas who work the high mountains. Continue reading

Trailblazing up Monte Sirente

Our third trip to the Apennine Mountains took us to an area we hadn't visited before. Our ascent of Monte Sirente was a good day out in the mountains, with some tough trail breaking through deep snow and an exhilarating climb. Continue reading

5 steps to taking better mountain photographs

I sometimes get asked for photography advice, including detailed questions about what equipment to use, tips on exposure, focal length and aperture size. I've answered the question a few times now, and in doing so have managed to distil my advice into just 5 easy steps. Continue reading

Tilman’s Everest south side reconnaissance

This is part 5 of a series of posts about early tourism in Nepal. For the previous posts see part 1: How Nepal first came to open its doors to tourism, part 2: Bill Tilman: Nepal’s very first trekking tourist, … Continue reading

Farewell Samuli Mansikka, the fearless Finn

It's time once again to pay tribute to a friend who has sadly lost his life in the mountains. Last week Samuli Mansikka stood on the summit of Annapurna, his tenth 8000m peak, but he did not return. Continue reading

A fascinating journey across Tibet

The more I learn about Tibet, the less I understand. I've travelled there three times on expeditions and found it a weird and fascinating place. I was keen to read Race to Tibet, a new historical novel by indie author Sophie Schiller. Continue reading

Poo in the Everest region: is it such a big problem?

Recently I wrote a satirical piece about a fictional washroom at Everest Base Camp as a reaction to more sensationalised media reporting about Everest. But the reports contained a grain of truth that I intend to fertilise in this post. Continue reading

Battle of the blockbusters: Herzog’s Annapurna vs. Tichy’s Cho Oyu

I've recently finished reading Cho Oyu by Herbert Tichy, an account of the first ascent of Cho Oyu in 1954. The book is hard to get hold of, but it's as good as Maurice Herzog's Annapurna, regarded by many as one the best mountaineering books ever written. Continue reading →

Tilman’s expedition to the Annapurnas

The great mountain explorer Bill Tilman made three treks in Nepal in 1949 and 1950. His second to the Annapurna region made him one of the first to explore an area which now sees thousands of tourists completing one of the world's best known treks. Continue reading →

BREAKING NEWS: Flushing Toilet To Be Built At Everest Base Camp

There is now so much human excrement on Mount Everest experts predict that by 2015 it will reach the Moon. Luckily Nepal's government has announced it will be building a new state-of-the-art toilet at Everest Base Camp. Continue reading →