Oxygen Problems on Everest 2018
The 2018 Everest season heard several reports of oxygen problems, with Presenter Ben Fogle being amongst those with issues. Many climbers rely on oxygen for safety. So what was going on?
What does my cocktail have in common with glaciology?
Whilst on holiday I was served a rather cool cocktail with a giant ice cube plugging a hole between the upper and lower chambers of the glass. What happened?
Summiting Mount Everest
Climb Update: It’s Monday morning as I write this – the 28th May 2018. Exactly one week ago I was resting in a tent at the South Col of Mount Everest having climbed to the summit that morning.
Coordinating the summit push
Climb Update: The last couple of weeks have been just waiting, biding our time at Base Camp. However, whilst the climbers have been resting there has been a lot of activity higher up the mountain.
The ‘Rotations’: Acclimatising for the Everest summit
Climb Update: In the two weeks since we arrived at base camp, we have been up the mountain twice on what are known as “rotations” – climbing successively higher up the mountain to get used to the altitude.
Namche Bazaar (3440m): How we acclimatise to high altitudes
Climb Update: We are now in Namche Bazaar at 3440m. We arrived yesterday lunchtime, after flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, and have spent a rest day here to aid acclimatisation.
How meeting the Queen inspired me to climb Mount Everest
This year I’m climbing Mount Everest. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to do something so incredible, and I owe it all to Henry Day, the Mount Everest Foundation and the Queen! Here’s why…
Best place and time to see the aurora?
What is the best place and time to see the aurora?
I get asked this question a lot, and there’s no simple answer. But in what follows I give you some things to think about.
Icehotel & aurora with Mum
I was working on a short trip to Sweden with Discover the World and this time I took my mother along for her first taste of the Arctic. She loved it!
Aboriginal Sky Stories
Would it be possible to see the aurora during a solar eclipse? And has it happened in the past? The answer is maybe. It’s not impossible, but it would be a very rare occurrence.
If Van Gogh painted aurora
Val Fulford, an artist for the film Loving Vincent, shares her thoughts on painting the aurora in Van Gogh’s style.
Emerald Freeways
A poem by Hamilton Lund, inspired by his trip to Blachford Lake Lodge in February 2017 with the Cloud Appreciation Society.
My Great American Eclipse
A total solar eclipse is a wonder to witness. Here’s my story of the eclipse in America on 21st August and some thoughts on whether or not to photograph.
Eclipses & Aurora
Like the northern lights, eclipses have been viewed since ancient times, often with a mixture of fear and awe. We all have a connection to the Sun; our planet too.
Tales of an aurora addict 3
Aurora addict Rosie Thompson continues her aurora story with a new trip in February 2017. Snowstorms, IceHotel and Goddess Aurora!
Who was Kristian Birkeland?
This week is the 100th anniversary of Kristian Birkeland’s death, and people are celebrating his life and work. But who was Kristian Birkeland?
Xtreme Everest & high altitude physiology
Last week, 23rd May 2017, was the 10th anniversary of the Cauldwell Xtreme Everest expedition, a research project that placed a medical research team on the summit of Mount Everest in 2007.
Southern lights spectacular
A good geomagnetic storm at the weekend gave particularly good sightings of the southern lights in New Zealand and Tasmania. Ian Griffin shares his pictures of the aurora australis.
Auroral substorms & Alaska
Aurora: In Search of the Northern Lights came out in the USA this week, so here is an extract on auroral substorms – the aurora pattern that was first noticed by a researcher from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
Is a magnetic field reversal imminent?
The Earth’s magnetic field has reversed polarity several times in its history. But when might the magnetic field reverse again? And what might it mean for the aurora?
