Mark Horrell's Blog, page 42

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 →

When expedition operators should be taken with a pinch of salt

It was silly season in the media again last week, when the BBC latched onto another Everest story. But while the media were busy having their usual feeding frenzy, expedition operators didn't help by squabbling among themselves. Continue reading →

The Corno Grande Saga, Part 2

This is a short sequel to a post I wrote last month about a reconnaissance trip to the Gran Sasso massif in Central Italy, when we made an abortive attempt on 2912m Corno Grande from the north. Last weekend we had another go from the south. Continue reading →

Learning the alpine skills: another update about my book

It's been a while since I updated you on where I am with the book I've been promising to write about my journey from simple hill walker to Everest summiteer, so here's some more news along with a teaser from the book. Continue reading →

Is mountaineering in Nepal becoming too expensive?

Budget climbing on its way out, cried a headline in the Himalayan Times. Nepal has often been seen as a cheap destination for mountaineering, but this perception is changing. I look at the reasons, examine whether it's true and make some predictions. Continue reading →

Tilman’s expedition to Langtang

The great mountain explorer Bill Tilman made three treks in Nepal in 1949 and 1950. His first to Langtang was not successful in mountaineering terms, but as an exploratory journey it must have been as enjoyable as any he undertook. Continue reading →

A Gran Sasso reconnaissance

I was dimly aware of the Apennine mountains running down the spine of peninsula Italy, but I'd never given them much thought. I discovered the Gran Sasso massif is a hill walkers' paradise, with attainable mountains even in the depths of winter. Continue reading →