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
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
Jan. 30, 2014: Feels like only a few days since getting back from Pico de Orizaba! I’m jumping back across the pond again tomorrow to Chile, to climb the highest volcano of the project: Ojos del Salado, at almost 7,000m. The expedition will last just over two weeks and hopefully acclimatisation will be much more … More Off to Ojos del Salado tomorrow!
Jan. 17, 2014: Tina and I summited Pico de Orizaba, North America’s highest volcano, on Jan. 17! It was a very tough climb as the altitude had pretty brutal effects, but the good news is we’re down now and feeling fine. Click here for the write-up!
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
January 14, 2014: Tina and I have arrived in Tlachichuca, Mexico, to tackle North America’s highest volcano Pico de Orizaba! Summit day on Friday looks set to be tough, going from base camp (Piedra Grande) at 4,200m to above 5,600m in one push. Our base camp is about the same height as the summit of … More In Mexico, with Pico de Orizaba towering 3km above us!
January 6, 2014: Happy New Year! On Dec. 28, 2013 our team successfully reached the summit of Mt. Sidley, the highest volcano in Antarctica! After being delayed by weather for 7 days, we eventually left Union Glacier Camp in a twin otter, refuelled half-way, and four hours later landed in the crater of the volcano … More Successful summit of Mt. Sidley, Antarctica!
Sidley is a remote volcano set on the flat white expanse of the Polar Ice Sheet. The mostly snow-covered peak has a 3 mile (5km) wide caldera, created by an explosive eruption 4.7 million years ago. Blue ice slopes guard the upper mountain and surreal snow ‘mushrooms’ sprout along the upper ridge, creating an elaborate … More Mt Sidley, Antarctica’s highest volcano
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
December 15, 2013: After 28 hours and three flights (and thankfully, 0 pieces of lost luggage) I’ve arrived at the southern tip of Chile. It’s a balmy 12C today and people say it’s this windy all the time. Equipment checks have been made and tomorrow we all meet at 9am for a briefing on weather … More Greetings from Punta Arenas, Chile!
