Mt Giluwe (Papua New Guinea): Highest volcano in Australasia

If I were honest, I’d have to admit that I felt more than a little trepidation about heading to Papua New Guinea. I had done enough research to know that the country was a beautiful yet hazardous part of the world. If it wasn’t articles on the urban Raskol gangs with their trademark robberies and … More Mt Giluwe (Papua New Guinea): Highest volcano in Australasia

Ojos del Salado: update

Feb. 21, 2014: It’s been a few weeks since setting out for Ojos del Salado, Chile, and as several of you have guessed, there has been a slight change in plans. Long story short, due to a number of different reasons (AMS, guide malfunction, time constraints) our group didn’t get to the top. But only … More Ojos del Salado: update

Pico de Orizaba, Mexico: Highest volcano in N. America

Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl, is the highest volcano in North America as well as the highest mountain in Mexico. At 5,636m (18,491 feet) it wasn’t the highest I’d ever climbed, but turned out to be among the toughest. Besides the usual exertion, this time we had to acclimatise to 4,260m (Base Camp) in two … More Pico de Orizaba, Mexico: Highest volcano in N. America

Waiting for lift-off

December 17, 2013: Still in Punta Arenas – initial weather reports look good! The runway in Punta Arenas is being repaired which means it is shorter than usual, so the hulking Ilyushin-76TDs are not able to take off with full tanks. This means we will divert to Ushuaiaia, refuel (no photos allowed!) before continuing to … More Waiting for lift-off