Mountaineering

Miss Straton, Monsieur Charlet and the Aiguille de Persévérance

Convention-breaking mountaineer Miss Isabelle Straton, and Savoyard mountain guide Jean-Estéril: the scandal doesn’t stop. [1600 words 6 mins

Feb 4 • Ronald Turnbull

Miss Isabella Straton on Mont Blanc

150 years ago this week, Isabella Straton and her two French guides made the first winter ascent of Mont Blanc. Snatching this prize from her friend…

Jan 28 • Ronald Turnbull

Celebrating the Zinalrothorn

Never mind Mont Blanc: here’s a proper Alpine mountain [1800 words, 6 mins

Nov 26, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Howard Somervell

He sat down to die on Everest in 1924, then came down again and painted it all in oils. If you happen to be in Grasmere, then grab this exhibition at…

Oct 22, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

England's Canyonlands

Nestled between the Chilterns and the chalk downs of Kent, it’s the walking area nobody talks about much [1100 words, 5 mins

Sep 3, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Gertrude Bell and the Finsteraarhorn

Diplomat, spy, photographer, activist, archeologist: oh, and she also put up a few interesting routes in the Alps. [2400 words, 10 mins

Jul 16, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Annapurna 1950 vs Everest 1953

This week sees the 75th anniversary of the French ascent of Annapurna. But we're British (well, I am)... [1000 words: 5 min

Jun 11, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

A bothy in the Bernina

Build in your imagination the ideal of bothy. A long walk to get to it; a huge view; and even some dry blankets to sleep under. And then head off and…

May 28, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

My Dad climbed with Dougal Haston

He survived. Dougal, in the end, didn’t.

Apr 23, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Lily Bristow, ace climber of the 1890s

Not just the top woman climber, but one of the top climbers full stop; and she took photos of it too. [1750 words, 7 mins

Apr 2, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Cooking the Books on Denali

The famous fake ascent of Frederick Cook. [1100 words 5 mins

Mar 12, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

Mountains in Manga

Mountain climbing. What’s it all about, why do we do it, and is a big peak really worth more than life itself? The best answers so far come from Japan…

Feb 5, 2025 • Ronald Turnbull

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts