If you had asked me a two years ago whether I liked to run, I would have probably remarked that running is the activity you only do when you’re being chased. I did adventure running for two years in the build up to climbing Everest in 2012, but I still retain the ‘being chased’ quip.
Waking up early on a crisp April morning, we headed to Mungrisdale. The weather was calm, the wind was good. There were 4 Wainwrights to tick off and a flight of Bannerdale Crags’ easterly ridge, awaiting us through the unusual calm of a crisp spring morning. But would the weather hold for the 4 hour
Almost six years ago, I stood on the lofty shoulders of the worlds tallest giant. That giant is Everest, which unlike your average run of the mill giant, offers no gentle lift to the top. As anyone who followed that expedition will recall, things for the most part went without a hitch. I had a micro-disaster
This post forms part 2 of my #GetOutside blog posts for early 2018. If you haven’t read the first one, you can do so using the link here. If you’ve already read part 1 of this article, you’ll know that Ordnance Survey are continuing their GetOutside programme which has the simple overriding aim of increasing
It came as quite a shock to me when Ordnance Survey (OS) mailed the other week to say I was one of their #GetOutside ambassadors for the next couple of years. Whilst I would like to think I’ve walked enough country footpaths (I still hold the record for the fastest (mostly) foot powered return climb
As the corner approached rapidly, I started to slow my superleggera racing bike to an appropriate speed to kiss the apex whilst maintaining an modicum of control to avoid the wheel swallowing potholes and the various medium sized rocks littering the little Lincolnshire back road. I was tired; I’d spent the past 2 hours expending
As a trained physiologist specialising in the effects of low oxygen and cold environments, a very recent article published by Bloomberg focusing on a relatively modern technique to dramatically cut down time spent on big mountains piqued my interest: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-01/alpenglow-expeditions-controversial-mountain-climbing-method The hypothesis is simple; pre-acclimatise in an altitude tent/chamber at home, allowing you to partake
In the autumn of 2016, I made a quick decision to head out to the Alps in order to have a week of flying, and possibly some climbing. I didn’t have a defined scope, but I just made sure I had booked the essentials (flights, transfers and accommodation), and then wrote the all-important kit list.
Until the end of summer 2016, I spent 4 years based up in the North East of Scotland in the cultural metropolis of Aberdeen. Whilst that story itself could span an entire collection of books, the focus of this story is a strange but fascinating connection to Tom Patey. Tom Patey was not only one
*Caution – this is long read for those looking for a van conversion guide.* For the past year, I have been travelling up and down the country in my campervan. “Campervan” is a broad term for a vehicle used for both travel and rest, and so given that the quality of rest I get in my van
© 2019 Matthew Dieumegard-Thornton
